The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs in the week leading up to October 23, 2023. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Arrest
Tuesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the area of Lowell St. and North St. for a reported single-car motor vehicle crash into a telephone pole. A blue Lexus sedan struck head-on into a pole in the area of 160 North St. The driver, an Arlington resident, was sitting in the driver’s seat of the still-running vehicle when approached. When the officer spoke with her, she reported having chest pain. The Lexington Fire Department was called to the scene. The driver stated she didn’t see the pole and drove into it. The woman could not provide a driver’s license or registration for the vehicle. A CJIS* inquiry of the vehicle showed no results. The vehicle’s VIN number came back to a blue 2011 Lexus Sedan with a status of “canceled as of May 2015.” A CJIS inquiry of this driver’s name and DOB showed “no status on record” and an expiration date of May 2021. *FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division
When asked where she had gotten the New Hampshire license plate on the vehicle, she stated it was from a different vehicle she had owned many years ago. She had been unsuccessful in registering the vehicle, so she had given up. She knew she did not have a driver’s license in Massachusetts but stated that she “might have a New Hampshire driver’s license” and added that she had a second home in Peterborough NH. NH PD confirmed she did not have a valid driver’s license in New Hampshire and that she owned a home in Peterborough that had been vacant for years. After being evaluated by the Lexington Fire Department, she was transported to Leahy Hospital for further evaluation. Mal’s towed the vehicle.
Police issued citations for “Operating a MV without a license, Operating an unregistered MV, Operating an uninsured MV, and Attaching Wrong MV plates.” At approximately 10:00 p.m., police served these citations, explained how to proceed, and advised her to contact LPD with questions.
Assault and Battery
Monday, October 16 at 10:40 a.m., a Wakefield resident reported she had been assaulted on October 7 by her coworker. Both are employed in the laundry/housekeeping department at Pine Knoll Nursing Center on Watertown Street. This individual stated the other told her “not to touch a portion of clean laundry,” but she did so anyway because “he was not her boss.” Subsequently, he punched her in the head five or six times with a closed fist. She has had several appointments at Mass General Hospital as a result of the assault. She was advised of her options regarding pressing charges or petitioning the Concord District Court for a Harassment Prevention Order. Both photographs of her injuries as well as a statement from her doctor were submitted for this incident report.
Motor vehicle/ Bicycle Accident
Monday, October 16 at 6:40 a.m., a 911 call came in from an individual who stated he was with a female bicyclist by the Route 2 eastbound ramp. She told him she had been hit by a vehicle and thought her leg was broken. The bicyclist was transported to Leahy by EMS, and the bicycle was brought to the station and tagged.
Disturbance and Suspicious Activity
Monday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m., an employee of Fruitee Yogurt reported a man being extremely loud inside the store. She stated he was not violent or threatening. The individual left before the officers arrived. They checked the area but did not locate the individual.
Friday, October 20 at 11:20 a.m., a Lowell Street Locke Village resident called the front desk to request police assistance. She had engaged in an argument with another resident over a parking space and didn’t feel safe. She stated she had parked in a reserved spot and was confronted by the other resident. She was upset this person had tapped on her car window. There was no damage to the vehicle and there had been no physical altercation. Responding officers reported all was calm upon arrival. Both parties were advised to contact the police to avoid confrontation in the future.
Thursday, October 19 at 5:00 p.m., a concerned Main Campus Dr. resident called and wanted to speak with an officer. She stated that within the past 30 minutes, a black Rav4 with two people inside pulled up to her Ring Camera and shined a laser pointer directly at it. Nothing else had been done, but this resident wanted it documented. The responding officer rode around the area but was not able to find anyone matching the description given. This resident was advised to call if anything else of concern occurred.
Thursday, October 19 at 8:50 p.m., a Hancock St. resident called to report there was a white Toyota Rav 4 that parked on the right side of the Diamond Middle School entrance nightly and didn’t belong to any employee working at the school. The responding officer reported the vehicle contained a group of college kids watching a movie on their phones. They were advised to move along.
Saturday, October 21 at 3:30 p.m., a Marrett Rd. resident texted 911 stating he was in the bathroom, and there were people walking around, and he believed the house was being robbed. Responding officers arrived on the scene and spoke to the caller’s mother who stated she had just gotten home, and all was in order.
Sunday, October 22 at 10:20 p.m., a Lexington Ridge Dr. resident called to report her neighbor was knocking aggressively at her door. She had experienced problems with this neighbor in the past and had been involved in verbal arguments. Responding officers spoke with both residents and confirmed it was a simple noise complaint between the two neighbors. They were advised to call the police if this continued to be a problem.
Animal Control
Tuesday, October 17 at 10:10 a.m., the Animal Control Officer conducted a PLW (park, lock, and walk) through Sutherland Park on Tarbell Ave. All was in order.
Thursday, October 19 at 6:50 p.m., an Old Lexington Rd. resident came in to turn in a lost dog she had found on Woburn St. across from the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She requested the Animal Control Officer call if no one claimed the dog. The dog was placed in the kennel and given food and water. An image of the dog was posted on social media. The officers were able to contact the owner of the dog, so they retrieved the dog from the kennel and reunited the dog with its Webb Street owner. The Community Resource Officer updated the social media post to reflect the dog had been found, and the officer called the Old Lexington Road resident to update her on the good news.
Friday, October 20 at 12:30 p.m., a Lexington resident reported finding a small, white dog in the Valleyfield St. area. Officers took possession of the dog and transported it to the kennel. The owner of the dog called the station inquiring about the dog. She explained her husband was not well, and the dog had gotten out. She retrieved her dog from the kennel.
Larceny
Tuesday, October 17 at 6:20 p.m., a Hilltop Ave. resident called to report her vehicle had been stolen sometime during the night. She stated she last saw it before going to bed, and upon waking up the vehicle was missing from her driveway. The vehicle’s info was entered into NCIC* as stolen. Officers checked the neighborhood for cameras. The BMW’s anti-theft services notified LPD at 9:00 p.m. that the vehicle was pinging at 70 Union St. in Medford. Dispatch called Medford PD and confirmed the vehicle in question was located at 7:30 a.m. in Somerville and towed. It would be brought back to Lexington by Mal’s. The owners were notified they could pick it up once detectives had processed it. The vehicle was released to its owners at 5:30 p.m. on 10/18.
Thursday, October 19 at 11:05 p.m., a Locust Ave. resident called to report he had been hosting a party between 7:45 and 10:45 p.m., and during that time, several vehicles in the driveway were opened and searched.
Thursday, October 19 at 11:35 p.m., a Hudson Rd. resident called reporting his car had been stolen and his friend’s vehicle broken into. Information was entered into NCIC. While checking the area, the responding officer located another vehicle involved at Locust Ave. and Independence. The windows were down, one was smashed and there appeared to be an ID/ wallet inside. This is a similar MO to a theft from a few days prior, and it is suspected that the vehicle is involved.
*(NCIC) “National Crime Information Center is a criminal records database allowing criminal justice agencies to enter or search for information about stolen property, missing or wanted persons, and domestic violence protection orders; to get criminal histories; and to access the National Sex Offender Registry.”
Breaking and Entering
Friday, October 20 at 8:10 a.m., a Robbins Rd. resident called to report her vehicle had been broken into the night before. It was last seen intact at 8:00 p.m. and discovered today at 7:00 a.m. The vehicle was left unlocked, no valuables are missing at this time, and there is no damage to the vehicle.
Friday, October 20 at 11:20 a.m., a Grapevine Ave. resident called to report items were missing from the portable safe located in his residence. He does not know who would have taken the items and is unsure if they have been misplaced. He told the responding officer that the items missing were $20,000 U.S. dollars, a winning scratch ticket worth $10,000, and a keno ticket worth $9004. There was no sign of forced entry. He wanted this documented for insurance purposes.
Friday, October 20 at 11:20 a.m., an employee of a Partridge Road residence called to report a potential breaking and entering into a garage. The responding officer met with the caller and owner who stated that sometime around 4:00 a.m. she heard a large bang outside her window. This morning, an animal knocked over vases and went through food. She stated nothing was missing. There were four shattered vases. There is no monetary loss at this time. Valuables were still left in place. A detective responded and took photographs.
Fraud
Wednesday, October 18 at 1:20 p.m., a Solomon Pierce Rd. resident came in to report a check-washing scam. The forged check had been altered and cashed for $14,793.27.
Thursday, October 19 at 9:20 a.m., a Maple St. Resident came in to report that her grandfather had just passed away and several of his accounts had been hacked. A Verizon account was hacked, and the phone calls were being forwarded to someone else. Bank accounts are frozen due to attempted fraud. There is no monetary loss at this time.
Friday, October 20 at 1:10 p.m., a Blake Road resident came in to report a past check-washing scam. He stated on September 30 he mailed a check for $251 to RCN for utilities. The check was washed and altered to $3,235.
Saturday, October 21 at 10:15 a.m., a Reed St. resident stated on October 17 he applied for a job with a company headquartered in Japan. On October 18, he received an e-mail from the company stating he was hired and would receive checks in the mail to pay for office supplies for working at home. After receiving the checks, he recognized they were fraudulent and did not deposit them. He was concerned about identity theft due to filing a W4 and submitting it. He was advised to fill out an IC3 complaint on the FBI’s website and to continue monitoring his credit reports to ensure no accounts had been opened using his information. He was given LPD’s identity theft pamphlet.
Saturday, October 21 at 12:45 p.m., a Clark St. resident reported that on 10/20 there was an attempt by an unknown person to switch passwords to her Verizon account. She reports she contacted Verizon, as well as the banks she uses, and passwords and accounts had been changed. There is no monetary loss at this time.
**From ARP’s Fraud Watch – AARP Bulletin October 2023 – A Visual Guide to Fraud. Look for Signs That You’re Being Stalked by Crooks, by Amy Nofziger and Mark Fetterhoff.
- “Texts From Strangers – when you get a phone text from someone you do not know, a natural, polite instinct is to respond with a, “Sorry, you have the wrong person.” But that can open the door to fraud. Delete the text and mark it as junk to block further contact. Even if it was an honest mistake, it’s safer for you not to answer.”
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.