Police Blotter: Dogs and owners, reunited

The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs in the week leading up to August 22, 2023. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information and does not reflect our reporting or opinion.

Community Service

Friday, August 18 at 12:30 p.m., along with the Lexington Fire Department, an officer conducted a threat assessment and training for the Lexington Montessori School on Pleasant Street.

Sunday, August 20 at 9:00 a.m., two officers attended the community event at Revolution Hall, Cars and Coffee. All was in order.

Animal Control

Friday, August 18 at 3:00 p.m., a caller reported she had a dog that was running loose at the Fiske School playground. There was no town tag, but there was a tag with the name, Piper, and a phone number. When called, a message was left. The name on the message and a registry search made it possible to reunite the dog and owner from Emerson Road.

Friday, August 18 at 11 a.m., at 1752 Mass Ave., outside Rancatore’s Ice Cream, a motorist reported a huge snake in the road. Upon arrival, the officer reported the snake slithered down a drain. 

Saturday, August 19 at 7:15 p.m., a Main Campus Dr. resident called to report a dog had been barking for several hours while sitting on a porch in the neighborhood. The dog was not barking when the officer arrived. The responding officer checked the area and spoke with the owner. The resident explained the screen door was left open for the dog to go in and out. The officer notified the resident there had been a complaint.

Monday, August 21 at 1:45 p.m., a report came in regarding a loose dog in the middle of Bedford St. at #277 and the Mobil gas station. An individual reported grabbing the dog from the middle of the street. Upon arrival, officers identified the dog as a nine-year-old golden retriever named Grace who lived on Bedford St. The dog’s owner arrived on the scene shortly afterward and took custody of the dog.

Monday, August 21 at 3:20 p.m., a Ledgelawn Ave. resident reported finding a Pomeranian dog on Revere Street near the bike path. This resident took the dog to a vet to scan for a chip, but there was no information available. When notified, a detective posted a photograph of the dog on social media. Then, the dog was transported to the animal shelter. When checked, all was in order. 

Suspicious Item and Noise Complaint

Tuesday, August 15 at 2:45 p.m., a Wyman St. resident reported an individual dropped off a suitcase with airport tags attached to it at his front door. This resident had not been traveling and had not lost any luggage. The luggage had the owner’s identification, so he was contacted. He picked it up at the police station.

Sunday, August 20 at 11:00 p.m., an Idylwilde Rd. resident called to report a loud party in his neighborhood on Lawrence Lane. Although the music was not too loud from the street, when responding officers spoke with the neighboring residents, they agreed to keep the noise down. 

Fraud

Monday, August 21 at 1:30 p.m., a Woburn St. resident came into the station to report a suspicious phone call he received. Officers determined that he was the target of an attempted scam. The scammers identified themselves as ICE agents. This resident thought it was suspicious when they asked for money and reported it to the police. There was no monetary loss, and this resident did not provide any personal information. Officers advised this resident on how to handle similar situations in the future.

Thursday, August 17 at 9:43 p.m., a Lexington resident reported he was a victim of identity theft due to receiving medical supplies from Amazon that he did not order. He believed the items were part of a *brushing scam.” He thought the items were sent to increase their price on the Amazon website with positive reviews which then allowed the scammers to sell their products to others at a higher cost because of a potential boosted rating. The resident wanted the incident documented with the Police Department because he believed the items were sent to his home because his identity had been compromised. 

*Brushing Scam – United States Postal Inspection Service:

“While it may appear to be a victimless crime—you did after all get some free stuff—the reality is that your personal information may be compromised. Often scammers obtain personal information through nefarious means and with ill intentions and use it for a number of scams and other illicit activities in the future. Your fake review may prompt people to purchase worthless stuff. In other instances, bad actors are using a person’s address and account information to receive merchandise and then steal it from the home before the resident is able to intercept it.” 

*Facts recorded from AARP’s Fraud Watch from June 2023 

Defend Yourself Against Tricky Summer Scams

“Knowing the red flags once helped us spot scams. But these days, many scams are virtually unrecognizable as scams, such as fake travel sites and messages from people pretending to be relatives trapped in foreign jails. We face sophisticated criminal enterprises, so it’s more important than ever to shore up our defenses.”

1. Password protect laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Use biometrics, such as facial recognition or fingerprints, where possible. 
2. Set your electronic devices to automatically install updates for operating and protective software.
3.  Do not click links from emails or texts: type the web address you know to be legitimate into your browser.
4. Answer calls only from people you know. If unsure, let them go to voicemail.

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