The Lexington Police Department updates its incident log on Monday mornings. LexObserver coverage represents a sampling of significant incidents and is not an exhaustive list. The full log can be viewed publicly at: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/489/Weekly-Police-Logs.
The following incidents, selected from the Lexington Police Department logs, occurred during the week prior to March 7.
Community Relations
Wednesday, March 1 at 8:45 a.m., an officer attended the weekly Dean’s meeting at Lexington High School. The outreach clinician working with the Lexington Police Department was also in attendance. This provided an opportunity for the clinician to meet administrators from the high school and collaborate on current cases involving students in need of mental health and substance abuse resources and referrals.
Breaking and Entering
Friday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m., the property manager at 38 Taft Avenue reported a smashed front door with broken glass. She stated that a neighbor had witnessed four individuals the night before at approximately 10 p.m. working on a van that had been parked there for weeks. Officers responded to the scene to talk with the property manager. At that point, the officer on scene requested that detectives respond to the scene. The officer reported that the house had been vacant since December 2022 and that the previous tenants were required to reach out to property management before returning to the house to collect the rest of their belongings. The manager stated that no one should be on the property except for Real Property Management employees. A request for cruiser checks throughout the night was made.
Saturday, March 4 at 10:38 a.m., a Captain Parker Arms resident called to report breaking and entering into a storage unit that had already happened. A common area storage unit was entered by prying off a lock, and a small tote container was removed. A detective processed the scene. The container was located nearby, and nothing appeared to have been stolen.
Suspicious Activity
Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m., an Emerson Gardens Road resident reported he believes an unknown person was disrupting the radio signal of the key fobs in the neighborhood via a “key fob jammer.” Upon arrival, officers spoke with the resident who said he was only able to secure his vehicles at a close distance using the key fob. After speaking with this resident, the officer spoke with several neighbors who reported having the same issues. The problems with the key fobs began the day before, and the neighborhood was concerned with items being stolen from their vehicles via the key fob jammer. Officers advised all parties to remove valuables from their vehicles and to ensure they locked up prior to walking away into their residences. This reporting resident requested cruiser checks of the area throughout the next day and night shifts.
Disturbance: Neighbor Dispute
Friday, March 3 at 10:35 a.m., a Summer Street resident reports her neighbor is plowing snow onto her driveway. The officer spoke with the resident and took pictures of the area in question. The resident stated that access to her driveway was not impeded in any manner but pointed out a small amount of snow built up on the curtilage of her property line. Her neighbor was notified of the issue and told to discuss the matter with her snowplow driver. The neighbor is confident her snowplow driver did not leave excess snow in the area. The two parties have had an ongoing issue for several years, and their lawyers are involved in all proceedings.
Animal Control
Thursday, March 2 at 9:50 a.m., a Drummer Boy Way resident reported a possibly sick raccoon on the lawn in his front yard. He was concerned it might have rabies. The officer was dispatched to the address and put down the sick raccoon with two rounds. The DPW was notified for disposal of the raccoon.
Thursday, March 2 at 1 p.m., an Eldred Street resident reported a dead animal nearby. The DPW was notified regarding the report of a dead raccoon at the corner of Bedford Street and Eldridge Street for retrieval and disposal.
Saturday, March 4 at 8:40 a.m., a Grant Street resident called requesting that a police officer respond and drive her around to look for her loose dog. This resident was advised that the police could not drive her around. A description of the dog was obtained, and the officer reported he checked throughout his patrol area and was able to locate the dog on the bike path behind Depot Square. She was informed and arrived in the area. The officer assisted her in getting the dog onto the leash.
Fraud
Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 11:50 a.m., a Trotting Horse Drive resident came into the lobby of the police station to report his wife had received a phone call from an individual claiming to be from Bank of America. This person had stated that the resident’s bank account had been compromised. Then the person posing as a Bank of America employee asked them to purchase gift cards from Sephora to solve the issue. They found this suspicious and did not follow through with the instructions. There was no monetary loss to these residents. They have been advised of the current recurring scam and to be wary of future phone calls like this.
Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m., a Foster Road resident came into the station to report that she was contacted by someone claiming to be from the U.S. Marshals. Later, another individual claiming to be a Sergeant of the Lexington Police Department told her that she was the victim of fraud and instructed her to withdraw cash and send it to a Bitcoin wallet in order to secure her money since her identity had been compromised. This resident reports a monetary loss of $2,900.00 as a result of the scam.
From AARP’s Fraud Prevention Checklist from April 2022 issue of the AARP Bulletin. The AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline is a free service. Call 877-908-3360 to speak with a trained fraud specialist. Chris Worcester, the LexObserver’s “Blotter Babe,” will provide more tips for avoiding scams over the coming weeks.
TIP 1: “Add two-factor authentication to your online accounts. Increasingly, websites requiring login (such as banks and credit card companies) offer this service — and in addition to your password, you must enter a code they send to your phone (or email) to access your information. That means even if scammers have gotten your account name and password, they still can’t get in.”