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3-07-2022 9:10pm
Police Log: Suspicious Shoppers, Fleeing after Fueling, a Banking Agent's Unexpected Request and More (Updated)
Darlene Cancell
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Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Updated 3/27/2022 at 2:14 p.m. In the entry, "Fleeing after Fueling," the date has been corrected from March 3, 2022 to March 2, 2022. Also in that story, a mistaken reference to Westwood Gulf has been corrected to Westwood Global.
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.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Vandalism on Thatcher Street
12:20 p.m. A resident of Thatcher Street complained that upon returning home after some time away, trash was found on the resident’s property and the house had been egged. Beer cans had been left on the property and the resident found two eggs on the roof and one egg on a side window.
Friday, February 25, 2022
Taken with a grain of salt
12:35 a.m. A woman from Norwood walked into the police station to report damage to her vehicle that she claimed was the result of a Westwood Department of Public Works (DPW) truck that was spreading salt on Nahatan Street. As the DPW truck passed her vehicle, she said that the salt contacted her left side mirror, scratching it. She also believed that the truck could have caused the lens cover of her left light marker to detach.
An officer examined the woman's car and spoke to members of DPW. He also searched the area of Nahatan Street where the woman reported encountering the DPW truck, but was unable to find the missing lens cover. He determined that it was unlikely that the vehicle lens was removed by salt. While scratches on the vehicle’s side mirror were possibly made by salt, it could not be certain. The officer informed the Norwood woman that most of the salt residue could be washed off, and that he would file a report for her if she wanted to seek recompense.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Sinking manhole cover?
5:07 p.m. A caller reported that a manhole cover on Waldo Way appeared to be sinking into the roadway, as if the manhole were unstable or collapsing. Police notified Westwood’s Department of Public Works.
Monday, February 28, 2022
Suspicious request from online banking representative
1:31 p.m. A 70 year-old man from Brookline walked into the police station to report being defrauded of $330. He told police that after a discussion on the phone with a bank representative to resolve a banking issue, the customer service representative asked the Brookline resident for a “favor.” The representative asked the Brookline resident to purchase six American Express gift cards in the amount of $50 each, take pictures of the card codes, and email the pictures to the representative. The representative told the Brookline resident that he would be repaid an amount in excess of the $300 face value of the cards.
The Brookline man purchased the gift cards from Target on University Avenue, paid a $30 activation fee, and emailed photos of the card codes, as directed. The Brookline man became suspicious and contacted American Express. He learned that the gift cards had already been cashed out by a company called, Air Drop Angels LLC that was located in Derry, New Hampshire. He reported the incident to Air Drop Angels which replied that a response would be forthcoming.
This case has been forwarded to detectives.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Fleeing after Fueling
12:41 p.m. An employee of Westwood Global on High Street reported that a customer left without paying after filling her SUV with $61.82 worth of fuel. The customer had attempted to pay with a Citizens Bank debit card, but left when it was rejected for insufficient funds. Police have obtained the name on the debit card and are making inquiries with the bank about the card holder.
Suspected shoplifter abandons plans
3:02 p.m. Police were dispatched to Target on the report of a shoplifting in progress. Store personnel were shadowing a suspect who had put an unusually large number of ink cartridges – fourteen - into his shopping cart. Also in his cart were three pairs of curtains and a gaming headset.
However, before police arrived, the suspect left the store. At the cash register, he was reported to have stated that he had forgotten his credit card, and walked out of the store. He left all items behind. Target's loss prevention personnel believe the suspect may have heard them make the call to police.
One thing leads to another
6:02 p.m. A police officer driving a cruiser on University Avenue noticed a vehicle without a valid registration sticker on the license plate. Upon placing a query on the plate, the officer learned that the owner of the vehicle had a warrant for his arrest. The warrant was for failure to appear in Brockton District Court on charges of larceny over $1,200 by false pretense.
The officer made the traffic stop, and confirmed that the owner, a 32 year-old man from East Bridgewater, was driving the vehicle. The officer made the arrest without incident and cited the driver for operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
Friday, March 4, 2022
Accident while operating under the influence
1:58 a.m. Police were alerted to a one-vehicle accident on High Street. A man from Norwood was driving a 2009 GMC west on High Street when it crossed into the eastbound lane and struck a rock wall at 416 High Street, coming to rest at a tree at that same address. The driver was injured. Westwood Fire Paramedics transported him to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He was cited with OUI liquor, operating to endanger, and a marked lanes violation.
Trying to beat a yellow light
3:53 a.m. A man from Sutton was driving a 2013 GMC southbound on University Avenue when he struck a 2017 Dodge that was driven by a man from Brockton, headed east on Canton Street towards Canton. The Sutton man had attempted to make a yellow light at the intersection of University Avenue and Canton, but failed to do so in time. The front end of his GMC struck the side of the Dodge.
Airbags were deployed in both cars. Although there appear to have been minor injuries, the occupants of both vehicles declined medical services. Both vehicles required towing.
Police learned that the Brockton man had a revoked registration and gave him a citation. They gave the Sutton man a citation for a red light violation.
Facebook Marketplace scammer
2:12 p.m. Police were dispatched to a home on Pleasant Valley Road where the resident reported an attempted scam. The Westwood resident was selling a furniture item on Facebook Marketplace for $700. She was contacted online by a buyer who Fed Ex’d her a check for $2,470 dollars from “East-West Bank” at West 34th Street, New York.
The seller understood this to indicate a scam whereby she would be asked to deposit the large check and return the balance to the buyer. She made a police report. A few days later, the resident also provided police with copies of her email exchanges with the buyer.
Police determined that the buyer’s phone number was associated with a female adult in Wyoming, although the buyer was allegedly a male.
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Reunited with Rio
3:17 p.m. Residents of Stonegate Lane reported that their blue macaw, named Rio, had flown away. They requested a call from police if Rio was spotted. About half an hour later, the residents called to report that the bird was found perched on a neighbor’s home and had been recaptured.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article.
