Police Log: DUI Arrest, Road Rage Hate Speech Incident, Snowstorm Crashes and Shoplifting Arrests

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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.

The news described in this installment of Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected incidents from the Westwood Police Department's daily log, and information provided by Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and police staff to Westwood Minute through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.

Monday, February 9th

Illegal Dumping

9:04 a.m. A resident of Sunrise Road complained of illegal dumping at his home. Someone had put a couch into his dumpster which was at his property for a home renovation. A black Chevrolet pickup reportedly had driven to the house and disposed of the couch on February 7th around 11:30 a.m.

Identity Theft for Tax Filing

9:27 a.m. A resident of Dela Park Road reported identity theft after receiving a 1099 form from Uber, regarding $4,521 earned. The resident had not worked for Uber. The resident was filing a police report, upon the request of Uber.

Unauthorized Opening of Bank Account

11:35 a.m. An officer spoke with a party from University Avenue who complained of identity theft regarding the opening of a bank account in Florida. Someone had attempted account openings in January and February, which the resident immediately closed. The complainant is monitoring financial accounts.

Sunday, February 8th

Arrest for Drunk Driving

2:15 a.m. At an early morning hour when the outdoor temperature was one degree Fahrenheit, with a windchill of minus 13 degrees, police responded to the area of East Street and Carroll Avenue where a grey Subaru WRX was parked in a travel lane. As police approached the driver, the vehicle lurched forward, causing police to yell at the driver to stop. The driver did stop the vehicle, and upon speaking with him, police found his speech to be slurred. He reportedly could not say where he was coming from or going. He did not know the time. Police arrested the man, a resident of Randolph, for probable cause for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He was charged for that offense, along with driving with a suspended registration, and having an uninsured motor vehicle.

Locker Room Theft

8:31 p.m. Police responded to Life Time Fitness on Harvard Street where a client of the fitness club complained of having his sweatshirt stolen from the men’s locker room. The sweatshirt contained keys to the truck which he drove to the gym. The truck was property of a dealership. Without a key, the truck was towed. 

Porsche Slips in Snow, Crashes with Snow Plow

12:49 p.m. Police responded to a crash on Dover Road involving a 2021 Porsche Macan and a Westwood Department of Public Works vehicle that was plowing and salting the road. Police found heavy damage to the Porsche and poor road conditions due to an ongoing snowstorm. The driver of  the Porsche complained of shoulder pain from an air bag being deployed. She informed police that her vehicle had slid into the truck and believed that the truck may also have slid. The DPW truck driver told police that the Porsche was speeding east on Dover Road, lost control, and slid into the truck. The truck required a tire repair. Police cited the driver of the Porsche with a marked lanes violation.

Snowstorm Crash on Clapboardtree Street

1:35 p.m. At the intersection of Clapboardtree  Street  and Meadowbrook Road, a vehicle slid at a curve, and struck a guardrail. Police noted poor road conditions during a snowstorm and slippery snow on the road. The driver complained of hitting his head and having a sore neck. He was transported to Beth Israel Needham. A passenger had no injuries. The car had major front end damage and was towed.

Friday, February 6th

Missing Man

9:56 a.m. Westwood Police K9 Unit responded to a call for mutual aid from Dover Police, who requested assistance from Westwood and other towns in searching for a 70 year-old male. A search was conducted around one home in Dover but the man was not located. Westwood Police were called off the search after 2.5 hours.

One in Three is an Honest Customer

4:48 p.m. Police responded to the Target store on University Avenue on the report of three women concealing items in their cart. Police ordered one of the suspects to stop as she pushed a cart with merchandise worth $486. She ignored the command, refused to provide identification, then attempted to flee. Another suspect was observed attempting to leave with a cart of unpaid items worth $146. The third suspect was discovered to have paid for all of her items and was not detained.  Police arrested the first two suspects - a 22 year old from Braintree and a 25 year old from Roxbury - for shoplifting.

Juveniles Trespassed for Shoplifting

7:58 p.m. The Target store on University Avenue contacted police regarding two juveniles from Braintree who are suspected of attempting to steal baseball cards and bats worth a total of $278 between the two of them. They were trespassed from the store for one year and each was picked up by a parent.

Thursday, February 5th

Hate Speech, Threats Uttered in Road Rage Incident

10:19 a.m. Police responded to a report of road rage on University Avenue, and located a black, Volkswagen Tiguan in the area of 70 University Avenue which was driven by a person believed to be involved in the incident. The suspect, a 34 year-old man, told police he had been harassed by another driver. Police spoke with the other party in the parking lot outside the Target store on University Avenue. She told police that she was driving on University Avenue when she honked at the black Tiguan which was stopped, and then she drove around it. When she passed the Tiguan, the driver allegedly followed her into the parking lot and shouted the N-word and “I hate all black people,” while making a gun gesture with his hands. He reportedly told her, “I will f- - - ing kill you.” The police report indicates the woman, a resident of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was terrified. She also told police that the Tiguan’s driver, a white man, was driving recklessly in the commercial parking lot, and narrowly missing hitting pedestrians as he followed her as she walked. Police arrested the Southborough resident for driving on a suspended license, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and disorderly conduct. 

Fraud on Amazon Account

6:17 p.m. A resident of Cedar Hill Drive reported fraud on his Amazon account. He was alerted to $1,379 in computer parts, ordered on his Amazon account, being shipped to Chicopee, Massachusetts. He had not purchased the items. He cancelled the order and has closed that account.

Needham Woman Asked to Leave Pool after Reportedly Making Racial Slur

7:56 p.m. Police responded to Life Time Fitness on Harvard Street where a lifeguard had observed a verbal dispute between clients, where a female client from Needham allegedly called a male client “a Chinese f - - - “ and uttered additional expletives. The female reportedly informed police that she believed the other client had called her “uneducated” which caused her to lose her temper. The manager asked the female client to leave. 

The other client, a man from Walpole, told police that he had informed the woman that she was “not nice” and told her she should know better because she appeared to be an educated woman. He indicated that he was satisfied with the result of the woman leaving the facility.

Wednesday, February 4th

Disagreement with Contractor

1:09 p.m. Police were summoned to a home on Weatherbee Drive to investigate a disturbance where the homeowner and a contractor from Lynn had a disagreement. The contractor told police that the homeowner owed him $8,000 for work on a pool, and his request for payment had been ignored. Therefore, he showed up in person to collect. Police spoke to the homeowner who told police that the contractor had yelled and swore at the homeowner, and that the homeowner had sent a letter regarding unsatisfactory work that had been performed a few years ago. Police advised the parties to pursue their issue in small claims court. Additionally, the homeowner asked police to inform the contractor that he was being trespassed from the property, which police did. 

Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and Westwood Police Department for sharing information for this Westwood Minute article.



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