The following incidents, selected from the Lexington Police Department logs, occurred during the week prior to April 3, 2023.
Community Relations
Sunday, April 2 at 11:15 a.m., officers from the Police Department assisted at the naming ceremony held at the new firehouse. Quoted from Lexington Firefighters’ Twitter account honoring Donnelly, “Local 1491 is proud that this firehouse, our second home, is named the Kenneth J. Donnelly Fire Headquarters.”
Arrest
Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m., during a cruiser check at The Loft Hotel at 727 Marrett Road, an officer stopped a motor vehicle for erratic driving. Following this stop, the driver was agitated and unable to calm down. At this time, the officer observed disorderly conduct and a clear “breach of the peace” and made an arrest.
Vandalism – Misdemeanor
Monday, March 27 at 6:50 a.m., sometime between Saturday 3/25 at 5 p.m. and Monday 3/27 at 7 a.m., a picnic table at Estabrook playground was tipped over on its side. Two bike racks were also moved from their original positions and placed under the picnic table. There was no property damage, but there was concern about potential damage from such acts of vandalism.
Tuesday, March 28 at 9:25 a.m., an e-mail reporting graffiti at Bridge School was received. The responding officer confirmed there was graffiti on a transformer. School staff was advised, and they were unsure of when the last time that side of the generator was observed by staff other than for fall leaf cleanup. Video is available whenever a time frame can be established.
Sunday, April 2 at 2:50 p.m., communication from Maria Hastings School reports vandalism to playground equipment. The responding officer spoke to the custodian on site. Between 8 p.m. on Friday night and 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, the plastic wall for the portable GaGa Pit was moved and propped up against a climbing structure. There was no damage, and it will be moved back to its original location. Cruiser checks during school hours have been requested.
Vandalism – Malicious/Wanton Destruction of Property – Felony
Sunday, March 26 at 9 a.m., a Lowell Street resident reported a brick was thrown through his car window. At approximately 3 a.m., a paver stone was thrown through the rear glass window of a vehicle. Video recording was taken from the resident’s security camera. The suspect is a male in his late teens/early 20s, approximately 6 feet tall, thin, wearing a blue jacket and dark pants. The suspect matches the description in a similar incident that occurred in Woburn around the same period of time. Canvas of the area was conducted and security footage from Ace Hardware places a white Crown Victoria and a small, white SUV in the area.
Burglary/Breaking and Entering
Friday, March 31 at 11:30 p.m., a Minute Man Lane resident called to report a past breaking and entering. This resident returned home and found that his house had been broken into and property had been taken. Officers determined entry was made through an unsecured window in the rear of the house. A detective arrived to process the scene. Jewelry and $4,000 were stolen from a safe.
Larceny/ Theft from a Building
Friday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m., a caller reported theft at a job site on Thoreau Road. Copper fittings and other building materials were stolen from the site, and approximately $5,000 in equipment was stolen between 6:45 a.m. on 3/31 and the time of the call at 9:30 a.m.
Animal Control
Tuesday, March 28 at 10 a.m., a Lexington resident called stating her dog had been stolen from her fenced-in backyard. She described the dog as a four-year-old Labrador mix with a black-brown coat. Upon police arrival, this resident was frantic and had her phone wrapped in foil. She stated her dog must have been stolen because it was not in the backyard. She further stated that the dog must be dead because she is the only one that loves it. Then, she claimed she was being followed by police departments in the area and was concerned about the high levels of light transmitted from police cruisers. After police left the scene, this resident called dispatch stating the dog walker had her dog. Family Services requested a follow-up.
Saturday, April 1 at 11:15 p.m., a Ralph Road resident reported finding a small, white Cocker Spaniel in the rear of her yard. The dog had a tag on its collar but no identifiable names or contact numbers. The dog was taken to the Lexington kennel and a photo was taken. The owner called to report their dog was missing, and they were advised that the dog had been taken to the kennel.
Fraud
Tuesday, March 28 at 12:40 p.m., a Grant Street resident came into the police station to report she was the victim of check fraud. She mailed a personal check on March 11, 2023, to Arlex Corporation for $562.03. She later discovered the check had been cashed by Anthony Joel Santana in the amount of $9211.83. This resident notified Brookline Bank, and the account was closed.
Friday, March 31 at 10:45 a.m., a Mass Ave resident came into the station to report that an unknown party used a check he had written for Eversource to pay a bill for approximately $48. The check was dated 3/22/23 and had his signature on the check, but the amount was changed to $9722.02, and the name was changed to Tarmari Cherry Emile. He had mailed the check in the mailbox in front of the Post Office at 1661 Mass Ave. He notified Rockland Trust Bank, and they opened an investigation.
Saturday, April 1 at 12:10 p.m., a Hickory Street resident stated an AT&T account was opened using his personal information. The account has an overdue balance of $104.48. However, this resident confirmed with an officer that he did not purchase a cell phone plan in Oregon where the account was opened. His information was obtained fraudulently by an unknown person and was subsequently used to open an AT&T account. There is currently no monetary loss. The officer suggested he continue to monitor his credit to ensure no other accounts are opened using his information. He was given a department’s identity theft pamphlet.
*Suggestions from AARP’s Fraud Prevention Checklist from April 2022 issue of the AARP Bulletin. During the next few weeks, I’ll provide simple fraud prevention tips from this checklist. The AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline is a free service. Call: 877-908-3360 to speak with a trained fraud specialist.
Tip 5: “Refresh your Facebook Security. Click the downward arrow button in the upper right corner {I find easy access by clicking on my account photo} of your Facebook page for Settings and Privacy and complete the Privacy Checkup. This easy-to-use wizard will guide you through settings that will enable you to lock your profile so that only your friends can see it – and scammers will be locked out.”
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.
Looking back at the Lexington Police Department’s activity/calls during March 2023:
Animal Control: 35
Assist Fire Department:115
Business Checks: 303
Cruiser Checks: 408
Directed Traffic: 258
Fraud (reported): 18