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2-17-2022 9:08pm
Police Log: Vandals Target Moving Vehicles, Providing Mutual Aid in Fatal Accident
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The news described in Westwood Minute's Police Log article is primarily based on selected information from the Westwood Police Department's daily log and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff. Occasionally, a few facts from other sources may be woven into these stories.
Monday, February 7, 2022
Dog defeats an invisible fence
10:46 a.m. A Westwood resident reported to police that his dog was “menaced” by an off-leash dog on School Street. Police contacted the dog's owner, who was advised of the Town of Westwood bylaw that requires residents to keep their dogs under control at all times. The owner was cooperative and would take steps to ensure the incident would not be repeated. The dog appears to have been able to defeat its invisible fence.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Unauthorized bank withdrawals total over $26,000
6:26 p.m. A police officer took a report of two unauthorized withdrawals from the joint checking joint account of a married couple residing on Conant Road. The withdrawals totaled over $26,000. The withdrawals are a point of dispute between the couple and their bank. The residents reported that there may have been a previous data breach of their information. They were advised to put a freeze on their credit and bank accounts.
Suspicious character
7:32 p.m. A resident of Washington Street told police she arrived at home in the early evening to see a suspicious man loitering across the street. He appeared to be in his 30s and was wearing a puffy, winter jacket and jeans. He was captured on the resident’s Ring doorbell camera, knocking on her door shortly before her arrival and then walking away.
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Bikes stolen from shared storage area
12:03 p.m. Two bikes and their locks were reported stolen from the bike storage room at Gables University Station Apartments. The owner noted that one bike was a specialized brand and the other was a Trek. Their total value was $7,500.
Unemployment fraud
2:07 p.m. A resident of Fox Hill Street walked into the police station to report a case of unemployment fraud. He had received a tax form seeming to show that he had applied for and received disbursements of unemployment benefits. He told police he had never applied for such benefits. Along with taking his report, police advised the resident to contact the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance to file a fraud claim.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Fraudster requests $8,000 in gift cards
5:24 p.m. A resident of Pleasant Valley Road reported case of possible bank fraud. She was using her personal computer when a pop-up message advised her that her computer was vulnerable to a virus. The message instructed her to call a number which allegedly was for Microsoft.
The resident called the number and a man identifying himself as “Chris Patel” answered. He explained to the woman that her computer and phones had all been hacked and that there was an unauthorized charge of $8,000 that originated in China. Chris Patel requested the resident’s bank information and told her that the $8,000 could be refunded if she purchased that amount in gift cards and provided the gift card numbers to him. After that, he told the woman that he would restore the account.
Chris Patel instructed her to keep him on her cell phone while she went to her bank. He instructed the woman to tell the bank teller that the purpose of her withdrawal was for home improvements.
The bank manager informed the woman that she was being defrauded and the call was ended. The Westwood resident worked with the bank to secure her accounts.
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Friday, February 11, 2022
Young vandals throwing objects at cars
4:12 p.m. Police drove to the East Street Bridge area of U.S. Route 1, northbound, on the report of several youths throwing objects at passing vehicles. Police encountered a workman who had pulled his truck into the parking lot of Oak Hill Nursery after his truck had been struck with a glass bottle thrown by a young male. The bottle caused two small dents on the truck's passenger side.
The workman described the suspects as a small white male in a tan jacket and a light skinned black male in a black sweatshirt. They were riding together on a bike. He was unable to describe the other youths in the group.
Police searched the streets abutting the area where the bottle was thrown but did not see anyone matching the given description.
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Mutual aid in a fatal vehicle crash
1:20 a.m. Westwood Police responded to a call for mutual aid from Dover Police in the case of a one-car accident on Walpole Street in Dover that resulted in a fatality. The driver, a teenaged student of Dover-Sherborn High School, lost control of the SUV he was driving, which hit a guardrail and came to rest against a tree. He was thrown from the SUV and pronounced dead at the scene. Four other teenaged occupants were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. Westwood police provided aid by assisting with traffic. The Massachusetts State Police CARS unit and MSP Crime Scene Unit is assisting Dover Police with an investigation into the crash.
Bank freezes suspicious account with $86,000 deposit
9:42 a.m. A resident of Briar Lane reported identity theft. His bank notified him that one day prior, an account had been opened in his name and that $86,000 was to be deposited in the account. The bank froze the account, which appeared suspicious.
It is believed that Westwood resident’s personal information has been compromised. Police advised him to contact credit agencies and notify his banks to put a watch on his account. It is possible that whoever opened the account may be attempting to make a withdrawal based on a fake deposit. Should that occur, the Briar Lane resident would have had the burden of proving that fraud had occurred.
Assisting Franklin Police with man barricaded in home
11:30 a.m. Westwood Police provided mutual aid to Franklin Police in the case of a barricaded subject in Franklin. The Westwood detective sergeant assisted as an investigator. The incident was resolved with the subject leaving the home in which he was barricaded.
Mismatched name with mailing address
3:28 p.m. A Westwood resident came into the police station with mail addressed in her neighbor’s name to the reporting party's address. The reporting party, a resident of Washington Street, believed the mail to be a fraudulent solicitation to have checks printed. Police determined that the solicitation was legitimate but advised both the complaining party and her neighbor to put watches on their credit.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Noisy youths causing a disturbance
12:08 a.m. Police were dispatched to Gay Street near Cedar Hill on a complaint that a group of youth were in the street, yelling, and causing a disturbance. The complaining party had observed a car pulling into a neighbor’s driveway and kids noisily milling about the car. The complaining party yelled at the youths to be quiet, and the car sped away. Officers spoke to the resident of the house at which the youths had parked their car. The resident claimed not to know the vehicle and its occupants.
Braking, but sliding, in the snow
8:34 p.m. A one-car accident on Clapboardtree Street near Washington Street resulted from slippery and snowy road conditions. A juvenile male was driving a 2010 Honda on Clapboardtree Street toward Washington Street when he applied his breaks but slid onto a traffic island. His vehicle came to a rest on top of a large rock on the island, and struck a traffic sign. Responding police noted that it was snowing at the time of the crash and that Clapboardtree Street was in need of sand and salt. The vehicle received moderate damage to its body and extensive damage to the undercarriage. It had to be towed from the scene.
Monday, February 14, 2022
Assisting with return of property
5:26 p.m. A resident of Longmeadow Drive requested police assistance in retrieving property from a former employee who had worked in the resident’s home. The employee had the resident’s car seat and keys and was unwilling to drop them off at the police station, as requested by the resident. Police contacted the former employee and the employee dropped off the items at the station, which the resident picked up.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
