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6-02-2026 11:08pm
Police Log: Racist Graffiti Found at Thurston; Bomb Threat Deemed Low-Level; Stolen Naval Academy Ring Found Online
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 Detective Lieutenant Christopher Aylward 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.
Tuesday, May 26
Police Find No Evidence to Substantiate Bomb Threat at School District
Around 9:00 a.m. on Monday, Westwood Police received an alert from Westwood Public Schools regarding a voicemail message containing a bomb threat that was left during a call to the district office on Sunday. Police described the message as seemingly created by computer or artificial intelligence, generic, and containing no specific information regarding any school, day, or town. According to police, the 15-second message stated, “I got a bomb” and included name-calling and swearing before disconnecting.
Upon learning of the threat, the school district immediately contacted Westwood Police and Westwood Fire, said Superintendent Timothy Piwowar in a message to the school community on Monday, around 4:45 p.m.
Police performed a walk-through of the building and conducted a threat assessment. “As part of this assessment, it was determined that this was a low-level event that was not specific to Westwood,” stated Superintendent Piwowar in his message.
Police cleared the area around 10:30 a.m., after finding no evidence to substantiate the threat made by the computer-generated phone call.
Police are working with the District Attorney’s office to obtain a subpoena for phone records from the district’s telecommunications service provider.
Monday, May 25
Resident Learns Ring Lost 50 Years Ago Is Being Sold in Online Estate Sale
11:19 a.m. A resident of Gay Street reported to police that his Naval Academy ring had been stolen 50 years earlier from his dormitory in 1976. His report was prompted by the discovery by another academy alumnus of a ring, with the resident’s name engraved on it, that was being advertised for sale for $6,500 on a website for antique and estate jewelry. The resident was reporting the loss, decades later, so he could claim the ring as stolen.
Two 14-Year-Olds Trespassed for Shoplifting
3:04 p.m. Asset protection staff at the Target store on University Avenue contacted police after staff observed two juveniles concealing store merchandise in bags. One juvenile was found in possession of merchandise worth $251. The other was found in possession of merchandise worth $47. Items reported stolen included iPhone accessories, jewelry, and cosmetics. The 14-year-olds were trespassed from the store and escorted out.
Saturday, May 23
Plastic Found in Purchased Drink
12:40 p.m. A customer of a High Street restaurant informed police that a small, hard, plastic piece was found in the customer’s purchased drink. Additional pieces of hard plastic were found. Police determined that the plastic ended up in the drink by accident, and not through malicious intent.
Friday, May 22
Resident Loses $22,000 While On Call with Scammer
10:50 a.m. A resident of Highland Glen Road reported giving her personal identification information to a caller who said they were from Microsoft. While on the 30-minute call, the caller reportedly asked her to wait while the caller followed up on something. The resident told police that during this wait, someone transferred $22,765 out of her bank account.
Resident’s Personal Information Compromised during Phone Call
4:47 p.m. A resident of Church Street reported being the victim of a fraudulent call on her cell phone, during which she gave the caller her personal information. After she realized it was a scam, she hung up. Police advised her to contact her bank and to put a freeze on her credit.
Westwood K9 Unit Locates Missing Child
5:04 p.m. Westwood Police’s K9 unit assisted Canton Police in searching for a missing child in the area of Royall Street in Canton. The K9 unit successfully located the child by tracking her scent from clothes given to them by the child’s family. For details on this story, read Westwood Minute’s article, “Westwood K9 Team Helps Locate Missing Child in Canton, Discarded Airsoft Gun in Plymouth.”
Thursday, May 21
Unemployment Benefits Fraud
9:09 a.m. A resident of Edgewood reported that her husband’s personal information was fraudulently used by someone to secure unemployment benefits. They discovered the fraud when they received correspondence from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue regarding additional income from those benefits for which the husband had not applied.
Duffel Bag, Clothing Stolen from Locker Room
9:45 a.m. A Brockton resident reported that personal property, including a duffel bag, tripod, sneakers, keys, and clothing was missing from the resident’s locker at Life Time fitness center on Harvard Street. The value of the missing items was estimated to be about $240.
Racist Graffiti, Bagged Urine Found at Thurston Middle School
1:02 p.m. Police received a report of vandalism from the administration at Thurston Middle School, after students reported seeing a resealable plastic bag of urine hanging from a ceiling tile over one bathroom stall in a first floor boys’ bathroom. Inside that stall, graffiti that included hate speech was written in pencil. The writing included use of the N-word, multiple expletives and several sexually explicit words and phrases. Police believe the graffiti was the work of one person. It is unclear when the vandalism occurred.
Later that same day, Principal Michael Redmond informed the school community of the incident, stating, “I am deeply concerned about this incident as it suggests a student is experiencing emotions that are a cry for help, causing them to hurt and harm members of our community.” He encouraged anyone with information related to this incident to speak to school staff or an administrator. "[W]e must come together to stop incidents like this. It is essential that all students and faculty can feel safe within the walls of our school."
The school resource officer is assisting with the investigation.
Victims Lose $14,000 in Locker Room Theft
1:45 p.m. Police responded to Life Time fitness center on Harvard Street where a number of lockers were reported broken into, and items belonging to several different people were stolen. Several credit cards were taken and used to purchase gold bars at the Costco warehouse in Sharon. The approximate dollar value of victims’ losses was $14,000. Westwood Police are working together with Sharon Police on this case.
Noisy Graduation Party
10:15 p.m. Police were called to Willard Circle for a noise disturbance. Police discovered loud music from a graduation party at a residence. The music was turned down, as the party was ending.
Wednesday, May 20
Money Missing from Home Safe
10:35 a.m. A Nahatan Street resident reported that a five-digit sum was missing from a home safe. The resident had last checked the safe some time ago, so it is unknown how long the money had been missing. Police noted no sign of forced entry. The case is under investigation.
16-Year-Old Cited for Speeding
5:02 p.m. Police on East Street observed a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction at 56 m.p.h. in a 25 m.p.h. zone. When the police cruiser made a U-turn and turned on its lights to approach the vehicle from behind, the vehicle reportedly turned into the neighborhood of St. Denis Drive and Willard Circle. It made a loop in what police described as a “half-hearted attempt to run” before finally stopping for police. The driver, a 16 year-old Westwood resident, was cited for speeding.
Larceny? Fraud? Fee?
6:21 p.m. A resident of Westwood Glen, who was receiving personal care at home after his discharge from a hospital, reported that someone had withdrawn $1,000 from his bank account for related services. The resident was under the belief that the services were covered by Medicaid. Police are investigating.
Arrest after Failure to Scan Items at Self-Checkout
7:41 p.m. Staff of the Target store on University Avenue reported observing a female at the self-checkout who failed to scan a number of items and had placed them on the bottom of her shopping cart. She is believed to have taken $400 in merchandise, including bedding, shampoo, clothing, a bracelet, a wallet, hair color, a suitcase, rubber gloves, sponges, and oral care. She was arrested for shoplifting.
Monday, May 18
One Thing Leads to Another
4:28 p.m. In the area of Washington and Marshall streets, an officer stopped a car with a suspended registration. The officer learned that the driver was driving on a suspended license. The driver, a resident of Roxbury, was driving a vehicle owned by a Roslindale resident. The driver was arrested for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and the vehicle was towed.
“Grandson” Needs Gift Cards
4:48 p.m. A resident of Highland Glen Road called police regarding a phone scam. The resident received a call from a person who claimed to be the resident’s grandson. The caller asked the resident to obtain an Amazon gift card for him. The resident hung up on the caller, but continued to receive text messages requesting that the resident send the caller photos of the gift card. The interaction follows a pattern of a known scam whereby, under false pretenses, a scammer convinces a victim to purchase gift cards and send the scammer a photo of the cards. The scammer is then able to obtain the gift card codes and use the codes to make purchases on the gift card.
Thanks to Detective Lieutenant Christopher Aylward and Westwood Police Department for sharing information for this Westwood Minute article.
