The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during several weeks leading up to July 18, 2023. This information is not independently verified by The Lexington Observer and does not reflect our reporting or opinion.
Community Relations
Tuesday, June 20 at 8:30 a.m., Potter Pond residents won a ride to school in a police cruiser for their children at a Bowman School PTO fundraising event.
Thursday, June 22 at 8:30 a.m., the Hastings School Bike Train officer and detective reported the bike ride to Hastings School was completed without incident.
Thursday, June 22 at 10:00 a.m., an officer participated in community policing outreach at Lexington Knowledge Beginnings.
Sunday, July 9 at 4:20 p.m., officers completed their community relations assignments at Hancock Church without incident.
Wednesday, July 12 at 10:20 a.m., officers were at Lexington High School to help coordinate the participation of patrol staff in the LABB Car Wash event.
Thursday, July 13 at 7:20 p.m., an officer was present at an event at Hancock Church to ensure the safety and security of all.
Animal Complaints and Control
Wednesday, July 5 at 8:30 a.m., a call came requesting assistance with an animal in a basement. Within moments, this Burlington St. resident called back to say the noise was not an animal. He did not say what it was…
Friday, July 7 at 8:30 a.m. and Thursday, July 13 at 12:50 p.m., a Bluemoon Smoke Shop employee left his dog in his car with the AC running. The dog did not appear to be in any kind of distress. Despite this individual’s prior awareness of complaints, this third occurrence prompted a notification to the Animal Control Officer.
Saturday, July 8 at 8:10 p.m., a Solomon Pierce Rd. resident called to report his neighbor’s Australian Shepherd attacked his Ccockapoodle. The officer reported there was an ongoing issue with this neighbor’s dog. There was no apparent injury to the Cockapoodle. The owner sustained a minor injury to his left arm from the Shepherd’s nails.
*Multiple calls came in these past few weeks reporting dogs off-leash, sick, injured, and dead foxes, raccoons, and coyotes.
Breaking and Entering, Larceny, and Burglary
Friday, July 14 at 6:20 p.m., an East Boston resident came into the station to report that his wallet was stolen from his vehicle while parked at the corner of Mass Ave. and Winthrop St. sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. He had left his wallet inside a bag in his unlocked work truck while he landscaped a property on Mass Ave. When he finished, he returned to the truck and saw that someone had rummaged through his possessions. His wallet contained his driver’s license, credit cards, and cash. He had already canceled the unused credit cards, but he lost $80. He drove the truck back to the company lot in Arlington with his coworker before coming to the station. There was no damage to the vehicle or apparent evidence to process. A canvass for cameras produced no evidence.
Monday, July 17 at 10:45 a.m., a Phinney Road resident states a former client, who passed away on the day before, is missing his wedding band and watch which he believes have been stolen. This family assistant stated his employer was missing his gold wedding band before moving to hospice care the day before. He stated he checked the residence, and neither item was located. The value of the ring is approximately $250, and the gold watch was purchased in 2001 for $20,000.
Monday, July 17 at 1:45 p.m., an Arlington resident reports a male going through a parked truck behind the Lexington House of Pizza. Units located the Norwood resident in front of the ATM at 309 Woburn St. An officer spoke with a man who admitted he opened the door to a truck because he liked it and claimed he thought he was at a used car lot. He was evasive about how or why he was in the area but mentioned having a car somewhere close by that was out of gas. The officer later spoke with the owner of the subject’s company truck. He stated that he witnessed the man open his unlocked truck, jump in, and start rummaging through the interior while parked at his business on Lowell Street. He yelled at him to get out of the truck and the man told the owner that he liked the truck and was thinking of getting one.
There was no damage, and nothing was missing. The owner said the man kept looking into vehicles as he walked through the parking lots and crossed the street into the Countryside Plaza lot. The caller followed the man to the rear of 309 Woburn St. before calling the police. When the man was unable or unwilling to recall where he had left his car, the officer gave him a ride to the station where his mother would pick him up. When she arrived, officers informed her of the events known at that point.
Later, a vehicle stolen out of Norwood was located on Blake Road in Lexington. The man’s mother returned him to Lexington. When interviewed by a detective, he was given his Miranda warnings, interviewed, and he admitted to taking the vehicle found on Blake Road.
Fraud
Thursday, June 22 at 11:35 a.m., an Emerson Gardens Road resident came into the station to report bank fraud. He received a welcome e-mail from Chime Bank indicating that an account was opened in his name. This resident notified Chime Bank and closed the account. He suffered no monetary loss, and he was advised to contact the credit reporting bureaus and notify them of the incident.
Monday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m., a Daniels St. resident stated he sent a check to his landscaping company based in Framingham. In transit to Framingham, after being dropped in a mailbox near 135 Mass Ave, the check amount was changed and cashed by an unknown person. Citizens Bank and the Post Office have been notified.
Wednesday, July 5 at 10:15 a.m., a Waltham St. resident walked into the lobby to report he had been defrauded. On Saturday, July 1, this resident sent a check for $7500 made out to Publishers Clearing House to enter a lottery. He was notified that a check was deposited on Monday, July 3 to Dan Lewis. Publishers Clearing House informed this resident that they had never received a check.
Wednesday, July 5 at 10:50 a.m., a Burrows Road resident reported that a check for $173 sent out on Saturday, June 24 appears to have been intercepted, altered, and cashed by an unauthorized party for $4753.04. This resident stated he used the USPS mailbox in front of Cary Hall. The money has been taken from this resident’s checking account, but Bank of America will be reimbursing him.
Friday, July 7 at 1:15 a.m., a Muzzy St. resident came into the lobby to report check fraud. She mailed two checks last week from Metro Credit Union and put them in a Muzzy St. mailbox. One check was for $324 for Bank of America and the other was $52.10 for New York Easy Pass. This resident was notified by Metro Credit Union that the checks were washed and cashed for $2,520 and $3,5108. Metro Credit Union canceled her account and will be refunding her money. There is no monetary loss.
Friday, July 7 at 1:35 p.m., a Lowell St. resident came to the station to report her Citibank credit card was fraudulently used. She believes that someone had stolen her information. She said that Gibson Roof Inc. charged $1360 on her Citibank credit card. This resident has never spoken to anyone from this company. When she spoke with Citibank’s fraud department, they said they would investigate. Currently, there is no monetary loss.
Friday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m., a Woburn St. resident came to the station to report that someone fraudulently ordered a copy of his Massachusetts driver’s license. He attempted to renew his registration through the Massachusetts RMV website and realized that someone had ordered a license. The individual used this resident’s name and date of birth but used a different e-mail address and telephone number then had the license shipped to an address in New York. This resident’s license was suspended in May 2023. This resident owed fees to the RMV because of the fraudulent license order. He was unaware that he owed any money until he tried to renew his registration on July 14 when he discovered the order for a fraudulent license. The officer advised that he go to the RMV in person as soon as possible to have his license reinstated while the fraud is investigated. He was also advised to check his credit report for suspicious activity. This resident suggested that the recent data breach at Harvard Pilgrim might be related.
Friday, July 14 at 11:10 a.m., M and T Bank, located on Bedford St., contacted the station to report a female who came to the bank attempting to cash a check for $3500. The suspect left behind the check, a credit card, and a New Hampshire driver’s license. A customer of the bank was contacted and she had reported her purse stolen the day before in Rochester, NH. A check of the area for the vehicle was unsuccessful. She reported closing her accounts and reporting all information to the appropriate authorities. The check belonged to an Ohio resident and was drawn from Huntington Bank of North Canton, Ohio. An officer contacted her, and she stated her purse had been stolen in Ohio the week before. The identity of the suspect is unknown.
*Facts recorded from AARP’s Fraud Watch – June 2023
*Reminder: If you have not yet done it, consider doing a “Wallet Audit.”
“Before your wallet is lost or stolen, consider the following: the modern wallet should be slim, light, and modestly populated. Many of the informational items we once carried can be accessed on our phones. If stolen, an overstuffed wallet can provide crooks with information and tools that may lead to the theft that spreads far beyond the cash the wallet contained. Here are some steps to consider mitigating that risk.”
FIRST: “Take everything out of your wallet and sort it all, with an eye to pairing it back. Remove old receipts, business cards, single-store credit cards, and rewards cards.”
*AND “Do not carry a house key. Assume crooks will find your address from the contents and quickly show up there.”
The Lexington Police Department updates its incident log on Monday mornings. LexObserver coverage is a sampling of significant incidents and is not an exhaustive list. The full logs are available for public viewing.