The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during the week before May 15, 2023. This information is not independently verified by The Lexington Observer and does not reflect our reporting or opinion.
Community Relations
Thursday, May 11 at 10:15 a.m., Lexington’s school resource detective, community service detective, and a police officer met with students at the My Weekday Preschool. Police officers spoke to students and teachers about their role as “community helpers.”
Friday, May 12 at 9:20 a.m., Lexington Police Department personnel were at Centerfield for Special Olympics festivities. The school resource detective, community service detective, Chief McLean, Captain Barry, and others contributed to community support for this event.
Town Bylaws/Noise Complaints
Monday, May 8 at 7:20 p.m., a Suzanne Road resident reports a construction crew working in violation of the town bylaws regarding acceptable noise level. An officer reports advising the crew of the applicable offenses.
Saturday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m., a Shade Street resident reports a construction crew working on a house past 5:00 p.m. in violation of town bylaws. The officer reports speaking to the supervisor of DM Construction who was wrapping up work for the day and advised him of the time bylaws.
Thursday, May 11 at 10:00 p.m., a citizen called to report there was a loud generator sound coming from the area at 1575 Mass Ave (the site of the old police station). The caller sounded confused and disoriented on the phone. An officer was dispatched to check on the reporting citizen as well as the noise. The officer checked both and found all was in order.
Tuesday, May 9 at 10:45 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident called to report she heard yelling coming from the floor beneath her or on the ground floor. She was unable to pinpoint exactly where the voices originated. Officers checked the two floors below the reporting party’s apartment, and all was quiet.
Animal Control/Complaint
Tuesday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m., an Arlington resident reported her dog had been bitten by another dog while walking in the Whipple Hill Conservation area. The dog was a black lab, and no information was exchanged. The incident occurred on Sunday, May 7 around 5:00 p.m. This Arlington resident has also reported the incident to the Arlington Animal Control Officer for follow-up.
Thursday, May 11 at 12:10 p.m., at Cherrystone Furniture, a caller reports a loose dog at this business. Officers responded and the tags on the canine came back to Cliff Avenue. The officer contacted the dog’s owner, and the owner identified the dog as a purebred Siberian Husky. The owner responded to a Cherry Street address and retrieved her dog.
Thursday, May 11 at 7:15 p.m., a caller reports finding two dogs running loose in the parking lot of Waxy O’Connor’s at 94 Hartwell Avenue. The dogs were chasing geese in a small pond at the rear of the property. One of the dog collars had a phone number, but the officers were not able to reach anyone. The officers took the dogs to the shelter. Then, the dog owners came into the station and followed a cruiser to the shelter where the dogs and owners reunited.
Saturday, May 13 at 9:30 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported that a dog had bitten her son at approximately 6:30 p.m. This resident stated she has already been to Urgent Care but would like to help locate the dog. The responding officer spoke with the resident who had accidentally provided the wrong apartment number for the dog owner. However, he realized his error and corrected the address then spoke with the dog owner. The owner provided all vaccination information to the reporting party. The dog owner stated he had been in a public area outside Main Campus Drive with his 11-year-old Labrador Retriever who was blind and wearing a cone on his head at the time. He further stated a group of children asked to pet the dog, but this owner refused because his dog can become anxious. That is when the boy reached his hand into the cone and startled the dog. He stated it was not an aggressive bite, but he knew he had startled the blind dog. The dog was on a leash at the time the bite victim sustained a very minor cut on his thumb and did not require stitches. The Animal Control Officer requested a follow-up.
Suspicious Activity – Motor Vehicle/Persons
Monday, May 8 at 8:20 p.m., a Turning Mill Road resident reported several vehicles pulled up to his residence claiming to have been dispatched by Uber. He had not ordered any Uber rides and stated these vehicles did not have any Uber decals on them. The responding officer reports speaking with one of the Uber drivers outside that address, and the driver gave the officer a contact number to ask Uber to flag that address.
Thursday, May 11 at 4:15 p.m., a Shade Street resident reported a man rang her doorbell, and when she told him to leave, he stood there on his cell phone for a moment and then left. He walked toward Fairbanks Road. The responding officer checked the area and located the man who was a solicitor for Trace Solar. He had an expired permit, so he was advised to cease until he obtained a valid permit.
Fraud
Monday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m., an Independence Avenue resident reported someone had filed for unemployment using his information. He had been notified by his work’s HR department regarding the situation. This resident has notified the Massachusetts Unemployment Department regarding the incident and was advised to also contact Social Security, continue to monitor his accounts, and notify the police if any additional information becomes available. There has been no monetary loss currently. (This is 1 of 7 reported unemployment scams this week. Protect your personal information and check your credit reporting bureaus regularly.)
Friday, May 12 at 10:45 a.m., a North Street resident reported wire fraud with a monetary loss from his Bank of America checking and savings accounts. He reports a total loss of $4925 between May 10 and May 11. Bank of America closed these accounts, and Bank of America is investigating this incident. This resident was advised to contact his credit reporting bureaus.
Friday, May 12 at 4:25 p.m., a Bedford Street resident walked into the police station to report fraudulent activity on her Citizens Bank checking account. She reports an $8900 monetary loss from this account. She has closed the account and opened a fraud claim with Citizens Bank.
Friday, May 12 at 11:15 p.m., a North Street resident called to speak with an officer regarding fraud. This resident confirmed this was a follow-up to a previously reported fraud in which someone purchased approximately $5000 worth of goods from his eBay account. This resident will follow up with his bank and plans to close his eBay account.
Saturday, May 13 at 3:50 p.m., a Bedford Street resident came into the station to report she was a victim of credit card fraud. An unknown person had purchased $904.56 worth of items with her credit card in March 2021.
*Facts from AARP’s Fraud Watch from the March 2023 issue of the AARP Bulletin. From: Six Ways to Foil Check Washers
#5: Monitor your bank account. “Don’t wait for your monthly statement. Go online every few days to review account balances and look at checks drawn against them.”
#6: Report incidents quickly. “Contact your bank as soon as possible after suspicious activity. Banks are generally required to replace funds stolen via fraudulent checks, but only if the scam is reported within 30 days of the date of your bank statement. Also, contact the US Postal Inspection Service and credit reporting agencies.
The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. LexObserver coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. The full logs are available for public viewing.