The following incidents, selected from the Lexington Police Department logs, occurred during the week prior to April 16, 2023.
Community Relations
Monday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m., a police detective, the school resource officer and the Police Department clinician assisted in a parent presentation at Hastings Elementary School regarding digital devices and social media.
Wednesday, April 12 at 10:50 a.m., the school resource officer met with the director of Lexington Children’s Place to provide a walkthrough of the facility where a discussion took place regarding safety protocols and future training for staff in active shooter situations.
Thursday, April 13 at 8:30 a.m., a detective along with a police officer drove Rishaan Shah and a friend to the Estabrook School. Rishaan’s parents won a ride to school in a police cruiser in Eastabrook School’s PTO raffle.
Thursday, April 13, at 11:30 a.m., a police detective met with the administration at the Cotting School to discuss safety planning in the event a serious incident were to occur. The Cotting School is in the process of creating protocols for the safe evacuation of students if the need arises. A detective will review the school’s plan.
Motor Vehicles
Thursday, April 13, at 4:35 p.m., at Pelham Road and Mass Ave, during a motor vehicle stop, the registered owner did not have an active driver’s license. The officer reported the registered owner had a licensed friend who would retrieve the vehicle.
Friday, April 14 at 4:40 p.m., a Hancock Street resident came into the station to report a road rage incident that had occurred on Thursday, April 13 at approximately 7:35 a.m. at the intersection of Cedar Street and Hill Street. He reported that he had been dropping off his kids at Diamond Middle School when a man drove up to him and said, “I saw you at the junction of Cedar Street and Hill Street. If you do that again, I will hurt you so bad.” This resident photographed the silver BMW’s license plate. This was the first incident with this individual. He wanted this documented by the Police Department.
Friday, April 14 at 7:15 p.m., a resident called to report that at approximately 7:30 p.m., a vehicle struck her as she was riding her bicycle near Pleasant Street and Mass Ave. She came into the station around 9:00 p.m. to report the incident.
Dispute – General Argument
Wednesday, April 12 at 4:25 p.m., the Lexington Conservation Department called to request officers to facilitate communication with homeowners. Conservation was on scene to meet with the homeowners concerning a violation, but the residents were “difficult and swearing at them.” All individuals were calm when the police arrived. The homeowner had been digging on conservation land, and he was advised to stop. The Conservation Department plans to follow up with this homeowner.
Animal Control
Monday, April 10 at 6:20 p.m., a Summer Street resident called to report a dog bit her sister on the hand while they were walking. EMS responded, but the individual refused transport to the hospital. The officer contacted the Animal Control Officer. The next day this resident called to report that the owner of the dog contacted her, but she was uncomfortable communicating and felt it would be better if the police and animal control handled it.
Thursday, April 13 at 6:25 p.m., an individual parked at the lot behind CVS reported a dog was left in a car in the heat. When she returned after taking a walk, the dog was still inside the car. However, when an officer arrived and located the car, the dog was no longer inside.
Saturday, April 15 at 11:45 am., a Grove Street resident reported her neighbor’s dogs had been barking loudly for 45 minutes. The officer reported speaking to the homeowner who was bringing the dogs inside.
Larceny
Monday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m., a Lothrop Circle resident reports upon returning home from a business trip he was missing an envelope full of cash that was in a desk drawer. The officer reports that this resident is missing $9000 US dollars that had been replaced with 77,000 Cambodian riels.
Wednesday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m., a Grant Street resident came into the station to state that she believed she lost her credit card at the Gulf station on Bedford Street on Friday, April 7. That same day, in various locations, multiple charges were made using her card. She has frozen her account and requested a police report for her bank.
Fraud
Monday, April 10 at 12:35 p.m., a Burroughs Road resident came to the station to report he wrote a personal check and mailed it. The check had been altered and cashed in the amount of $9426.01. This resident was unaware of the incident until Citizen’s Bank called him.
Wednesday, April 12 at 5:30 p.m., a Bedford Street resident came into the station to report she received a letter from the Massachusetts Unemployment Department regarding an unemployment claim for which she had not applied. An unknown person utilized her personal information to collect benefits. This is part of an active scam that has targeted numerous states including Massachusetts. Police advised that this is on record now and to visit the Mass.gov website to fill out a fraud form. This agency’s fraud department deals with this type of case.
Friday, April 14 at 5:40 p.m., a Percy Road resident came to the station to report tax identity theft. While attempting to file his taxes electronically on March 29th, he received an error message stating that his social security number had already been used to file for the 2022 tax year. The fraudulent tax filing amounted to $28,153 which did not match his wages. This resident has taken all steps required in reporting this fraudulent activity with the IRS and the FTC. He needed to report this activity to the Lexington Police Department for documentation purposes. An officer advised him about ways to help protect his personal information online. The officer signed the FTC identity theft statement of facts, verifying that this resident had made an in-person report of the fraudulent activity.
* Facts from AARP’s Fraud Watch from the March 2023 issue of the AARP Bulletin.
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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.