The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs in the week leading up to August 8, 2023. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information and does not reflect our reporting or opinion.
Arrests
Friday, August 4 at 9:40 p.m., an officer made a motor vehicle stop in the vicinity of 540 Marrett Rd. As a result of this traffic stop, the driver was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a firearm without an ID, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon – brass knuckles, operating after a license suspension, operating a motor vehicle negligently so as to endanger, and providing a false name to a police officer. The Lieutenant on duty conducted a Jenkins* hearing with the clerk magistrate who found probable cause on all charges. The bail was set at $1,040.
*Jenkins “requires the police to obtain a judicial determination of probable cause as soon as reasonably possible after they have made a warrantless arrest.”
Saturday, August 5 at 2:10 p.m., a man called to report an unknown male banging at the front door of his apartment on Mass Ave. A Lexington homeowner called the police to report an unknown male in his apartment at the same address. An investigation determined that while the homeowner was away during the past week, a Miami, Florida resident, entered his home without permission. There is no relationship between the two. The Florida resident opened the original back door lock to gain access, then changed the lock to keep others out. The homeowner provided officers with a utility and mortgage bill to view on his phone. Both had recently been paid by the man, showing he was the homeowner. The Florida resident was arrested and charged with breaking & entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, felony, wanton damage to property, and trespassing. The Lieutenant on duty conducted a Jenkins hearing with the clerk magistrate who found probable cause on all charges. The bail was set at $540.Â
Larceny
Sunday, August 6 at 3:30 p.m., a Fifer Lane resident called to report she believed her wallet had been stolen from her house. After investigating the scene, the responding officer determined that her home had not been entered and believed her wallet may have been taken from Stop and Shop where she shopped earlier in the day. An unknown individual attempted to use four of her bank cards fraudulently for purchases at CVS on Cambridge St. in Burlington. Three of the four charge attempts were denied. This resident believes she lost $2023.80 from her Brookline Bank debit account. She has since closed or frozen all accounts.
Monday, August 7 at 4:00 p.m., a Mass Ave resident came into the station to report the theft of Air Pods and a bottle of Dior perfume from her house. According to her, these items appear to have “gone missing” around the week of July 14. Officers attempted to contact her current house cleaner but were unsuccessful.
Animal Control
Sunday, August 6 at 11:20 a.m., a Circle Road resident called to complain about a female ignoring the leash law. The officer contacted the offender who had two dogs on leash by that time. She was advised of the complaint and the leash law.
*During this past week, numerous reports regarding dead animals on the road came in. Reminder: do not approach or touch sick or dead wild animals. If reported, they can be removed and disposed of.
Fraud
Wednesday, August 2 at 11:05 a.m., a Lowell St. resident came into the station to report she had received a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance regarding a claim. She had not applied to receive unemployment benefits, but an unknown person had utilized her personal information to collect. This is an active scam targeting Massachusetts. She has been advised this is on record and that she should visit the mass.gov website to complete the fraud form. The Department of Unemployment Assistance is aware of this scam and their fraud department will handle this case.
Wednesday, August 2 at 5:20 p.m., a Hancock St. resident called to report a check-washing fraud. A check had been taken from her mail then altered and cashed for $18,964.52.
Monday, August 7 at 4:30 p.m., a Bedford St. resident came into the station to report crypto fraud. The amount of the loss was $28,000.
Monday, August 7 at 5:00 p.m., a Brandon St. resident came into the station to report that she was the victim of a scam. She received a phone call from someone claiming to be a Border Patrol agent who told her there were criminal charges pending against her and to pay the fine to avoid prosecution. At the scammer’s direction, she converted cash to cryptocurrency and then deposited it into a crypto wallet provided by the scammers before realizing she was being scammed. The resulting loss was $28,000.
Monday, August 7 at 8:25 p.m., a Grapevine Ave. resident walked into the station to file a report on behalf of her son. He is in Brazil at this time and received several emails saying he was going to lose money. He checked with his banks and confirmed that there was no monetary loss at this time. The reporting party wanted to have this on record.
Continued from last week…
*Facts recorded from AARP’s Fraud Watch from 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.”
FOURTH “Think about losing the photos as well. Don’t tip off criminals to your family or standard of living. Best to show off the grandkids or vacation shots via digital images in a secure repository you can access on your phone.”
The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. LexObserver coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. Logs are available for public viewing. https://www.lexingtonma.gov/489/Weekly-Police-Logs#anchor_log