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3-23-2026 12:25am
Police Log: Senior Suspect Hides to Evade Police, Head-On Collision Results in OUI Charge
Darlene Cancell
Editor
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 incorporate facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.
Sunday, March 15th
Driver Avoids OUI Charge
2:58 a.m. Police observed a Mazda CX-5, which was traveling east on Pond Street, proceed past a stop sign through the Clapboardtree Street intersection without stopping. The vehicle reportedly went around another vehicle in the turning lane to do so. Police made the traffic stop and encountered the driver, a resident of Norwood, who reportedly smelled of alcohol. Upon conducting field sobriety tests, the driver passed all tests. Police issued the driver a summons for operating a motor vehicle after license suspension and for failing to stop at a stop sign.
Saturday, March 14th
Senior Citizen Suspected of Shoplifting, Hiding in Store to Evade Police
6:59 p.m. Staff at the Target store on University Avenue contacted police upon observing a female conceal a camera and health and beauty products, worth about $168, and fail to produce them at the register. As staff spoke with the suspect, a police cruiser with lights arrived. Upon seeing the cruiser lights, the suspect dumped the items and walked to the back of the store to hide. Police located the individual hiding. The suspect reportedly refused to produce her identification, and after continuing to refuse to cooperate after being advised several times that she may be arrested, police arrested her for shoplifting. Police later identified the suspect as a 72-year-old resident of Stoughton.
Friday, March 13th
Cell Phones Worth Thousands Stolen from Delivery Package
3:03 p.m. Police received a report of items stolen from a delivery package intended for the Xfinity store on University Avenue. An employee of the store told police that his regular delivery driver had dropped off a package about 10 minutes earlier which was supposed to have 8 iPhones inside but only contained five iPhones. The employee noted that the package was secured with clear packing tape, instead of the normal brown tape which he is used to seeing on such deliveries. He believes the package had been opened and the iPhones stolen. The employee told police that another package had been tampered with in a similar way in the past. The total value of the missing items was about $4,000.
Thursday, March 12th
Driver Resting in Early Morning at Pond
1:35 a.m. Police encountered a car in the parking lot at Buckmaster Pond on Pond Street. The driver was a Needham resident who reportedly had stopped to rest. Police asked the driver to move along.
Club Member Accused of Taking Another Member's Phone
11:39 a.m. Police received a report of a stolen phone from Life Time fitness club where an employee told police that after Canton resident and member left her phone at the front desk, another member came by, placed it in his pants pocket, and continued on to use the facilities to exercise. When police arrived, a staff member was speaking with the suspect in the men’s locker room. He was cooperative but reportedly became agitated when accused of stealing. Police note that the suspect’s own phone is brown and black while the stolen phone is bright orange. The suspect, a 27 year-old from Arlington, was charged with one count of larceny.
Wednesday, March 11th
Dispute Involving Mention of Handgun at Storage Facility
11:06 a.m. Police responded to a public storage unit business off the East Street rotary where a caller had reported being threatened by a handgun. Police learned that the caller, a resident of Bridgewater, and another customer of the storage facility had argued over the use of a pushcart to haul items, and the other customer mentioned a 9mm handgun. Police spoke with the other customer, an individual from Franklin, who reportedly admitted to mentioning a 9mm handgun but did not threaten to use one. No charges were filed.
Tuesday, March 10th
Taxi Passenger Flees Without Paying Fare
12:26 a.m. A livery driver contacted police when a customer got out of the vehicle and refused to pay, fleeing on foot. The driver was unable to provide police with the identity of the passenger.
Resident Advised after Littering Incident
2:37 p.m. A resident of Milk Street reported that a driver in a passing vehicle dropped litter out of the car onto her property. Police advised the resident to install security cameras.
Two-Car Accident on High Street
2:46 p.m. Police responded to a two-vehicle accident on High Street near Westwood Eye Care & Optical. A car driven by a West Roxbury resident was pulling out of the parking lot to turn left onto High Street when it crashed into a second vehicle that was travelling west on High Street. The police report notes that the West Roxbury resident had failed to check for oncoming westbound traffic. The driver of the second car, a resident of Medfield, was transported to the hospital with possible minor injuries.
Head-On Collision Leads to OUI Charge
4:31 p.m. Police responded to a head-on crash between two vehicles in the area of East and Elm streets when a 2024 black Ford Ranger pickup truck crossed the middle line and struck a 2023 Toyota 4Runner SUV. The driver of the Ford Ranger, a resident of Norwood, reportedly admitted drinking six beers about an hour before the accident and being distracted while driving. The driver of the Toyota 4Runner, a resident of Westwood, was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston with injuries. Both vehicles required a tow. Police charged the Norwood resident with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and a marked lanes violation.
Monday, March 9th
Repeat Shoplifting Suspect Arrested Again
1:51 p.m. Police responded to the Target store on University Station where a suspect was in custody for shoplifting. She was believed to have attempted to steal a pink bag valued at $90 and $24 in other merchandise. Police arrested the Canton resident, who had recently been summoned to court on another shoplifting charge which had been dismissed by a court.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and Westwood Police Department for sharing information for this Westwood Minute article.
