The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs in the week leading up to November 6, 2023. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, October 31 at 3:25 p.m., officers released an owl that had been nurtured back to good health out into the wild at the same location where it was found when injured at the Old Reservoir on Marrett Rd.
Tuesday, October 31 at 2:00 p.m., officers participated in the Lexington Center Trick-or-Treat event at the Lexington Historical Society at Depot Square. They interacted with children and parents as they visited the cruiser, spoke with officers, and asked questions.
Wednesday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m., officers attended a community event at Lexington High School. They spoke to the audience about the police department’s response to mental health in the community. They discussed the proactive measures taken to ensure the safety of the public as well as the type of mental health training officers received throughout the year.
Thursday, November 2 at 8:30 a.m., officers assisted in assuring the safe movement of a Bike Train of elementary school students who rode from Mass Ave. to Forest St. to Hastings Elementary School.
Robbery
Sunday, November 5 at 145 p.m., an individual reported she had just been robbed at knifepoint in the parking lot of Stop and Shop in Lexington on Bedford St. She handed over her debit card, but not the PIN number. The suspect matched the description of a suspect from an earlier BOLO* issued by Burlington. He was a short, white male, skinny wearing a black beanie and black jacket. Burlington K-9 assisted at the Bedford St. scene after the robber fled. He attempted to use the stolen card in Waltham.
*BOLO is an acronym that means “be on the lookout.” This is an instruction to law enforcement agents, or the general public, to watch out for a suspect criminal or criminal activity.
Suspicious Activity
Tuesday, October 31 at 5:25 p.m., a Myrtle St. resident called to report on two separate occasions he saw the same male stand by his house for four to five minutes then leave in the direction of the bike path. The individual was a white male between 25- 30 with a beard and dark hair, usually wearing some kind of helmet. This resident last saw him at 5:15 p.m., and he was wearing a blue shirt, black sweatpants, and black vest. There was no vehicle involved and the individual left heading toward the bike path. This Myrtle St. resident was not sure if the individual in question was “scoping out” his house, but he wanted to report this incident just to be safe. This resident also requested cruiser checks of the area. On November 4, this resident called to report another incident with the same individual. The responding officer checked the surrounding area with negative findings.
Wednesday, November 1 at 10:35 a.m., an on-duty security guard at the Chabad Center of Lexington reported a suspicious motor vehicle drove by this location. Responding officers spoke with the guard who stated a gray BMW sedan (a partial plate was noted) slowed down and stared at the Center. The individual attempted to make contact with the driver but was unsuccessful. He wanted the incident documented in case there were future issues.
Saturday, November 4 at 11:35 a.m., a Sutherland Rd. resident reported a suspicious vehicle had been parked in front of his house for hours. The responding officer spoke with the vehicle’s owner, a private investigator, James Corliss, who provided all proper identification. Corliss stated that pertinent information had been brought into the station on Thursday and left with the desk officer.
Sunday, November 5 at 4:25 p.m., a call came in regarding an incident at 1796 Mass Ave. near the theater and barbershop. The caller stated a female party was tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis and was being “very confrontational.”
Animal Control
Friday, November 3 at 6:40 a.m., the assistant principal at Minuteman Tech reported there was an injured deer located near the new football field. The responding officer checked the area but reported there was no longer a deer at that location.
Saturday, November 4 at 1:45 a.m., a Prospect Hill Rd. resident reported a dog barking for 45 minutes in the area of Downing Rd. The responding officer checked the area, and all was quiet.
Saturday, November 4 at 11:20 a.m., a Buckman Drive resident called to complain about a barking dog on Sunset Ridge. He claimed the dog was outside barking for 10-12 hours a day. He also reported he had left a voicemail for the Animal Control Officer. An officer contacted the homeowner regarding the complaint. The homeowner stated the house was under construction, so the dog spent an increased amount of time outside. She stated the dog was well taken care of and comes and goes into the house as it pleases. The owner stated she would try to be more mindful of the dog being outside and the barking. The dog was brought inside by the house sitter for the day and did not appear to be in any distress.
Noise Complaints and Bylaw Violations
Monday, October 30 at 5:20 a.m., a caller reported a trash truck emptying bins at the Mobil Station on Bedford St. and dumping trash during non-business hours. The same complaint was repeated on November 2 at 4:45 a.m. Responding officers reported no ongoing activity when checked.
Wednesday, November 1 at 10:20 a.m., a Waltham St. resident came into the station to report Casella Waste Management, the trash collection company for the businesses behind his apartment in Lexington Center, have been collecting trash between 5:30 and 5:45 a.m. each morning. This resident contacted the company to complain, but they continue to collect trash outside the authorized times defined through the town bylaw. When an officer attempted to contact Casella via their listed business line, no one answered. There was no option for voicemail.
Saturday, November 4 at 10:15 p.m., a noise complaint was received through a 911 call from a Grove St. resident. Responding officers reported there was a high school party. Officers located an impaired juvenile male, and while trying to contact his parents, the Lexington Fire Department was called as it appeared the boy was having an alcohol-induced reaction. The father was contacted but was “out of town.” He stated he would send the boy’s grandparents to pick him up. The Lexington Fire Department transported the juvenile to Leahy and advised the parents. He then stated he would be driving himself to Leahy to pick up his son.
Larceny
Tuesday, October 31 at 1:40 p.m., a Katahdin Dr. resident stated she noticed missing items were located on her neighbor’s front porch. She’s in the process of moving and has been packing her belongings in plastic containers. Since the beginning of the moving process, this resident noticed several of the containers located on the porch next door. She stated both her vehicle, and her residence are locked at all times and was aware of how many items ended up at that location. She further stated she does not know the resident next door. She was advised to drop off a detailed list of missing items. She has made past allegations regarding her son taking her items. Update: this resident dropped off a list of items she believes are missing. An officer spoke with the neighboring resident who stated she does not know this person and has never been to her apartment.
Tuesday, October 31 at 9:55 a.m., on behalf of a Brookhaven resident, the director of Brookhaven reported larceny and check fraud. An overnight home health aide hired through Tribute is believed to have stolen an iPad, an iPhone, and a gold pendant from a necklace. She also is believed to have stolen a check that was cashed for $2,000 and used this resident’s Amazon account to purchase two pairs of iPods and attempted to purchase an iPhone with accessories. This individual has since been fired from Tribute. Family members, as well as a Tribute worker, wish to report this incident and will provide all necessary information to move forward with this investigation. Elder services and an initial report have been filed. The Detective Bureau was contacted for follow-up.
Fraud
Wednesday, November 1 at 10:50 a.m., a Hastings Rd. resident reported an unknown individual used 9,000 American Airlines Sky Miles to purchase an airline ticket to Costa Rica. This resident suffered no monetary loss, and she has contacted American Airlines for reimbursement of her Sky Miles. Officers suggested she continue to monitor her credit to ensure no other accounts are opened using her information and provided her with the department’s identity theft pamphlet.
Wednesday, November 1 at 2:15 p.m., a Linmoor Terrace resident came in to report she was the victim of a Bitcoin scam. She met a person on an online dating app who convinced her to invest $120,000 in Bitcoin through three separate transactions. She transferred money through her TD Bank North banking app twice and once through a wire transfer to the Kraken application, which appeared legitimate. She discovered the scam when the person instructed her to transfer her Bitcoin earnings to the ACE- Crypto application. Kraken determined this application was fraudulent and flagged then closed the account. Once she discovered it was a scam, this resident was successful in getting the funds returned. She has not suffered any monetary loss. She was concerned her personal information had been compromised. As part of the verification process through Ace Crypto, she scanned her Massachusetts driver’s license and submitted it on the application. Officers advised her to notify the Social Security Administration and her bank of the scam and also to monitor her credit for fraudulent activity.
Sunday, November 5 at 1:20 p.m., a North St. resident came in to discuss a text message her 15-year-old son received on Saturday. It was a long message from Homeland Security stating her son was wanted and needed to speak with an agent to resolve the issue. This resident was advised that the message was a scam. She was further advised to block the number and not to reply to their message.
**From ARP’s Fraud Watch – AARP Bulletin October 2023 – A Visual Guide to Fraud. Look for Signs That You’re Being Stalked by Crooks, Amy Nofziger and Mark Fetterhoff.
3. “Car Warranty Offers: Criminals prey on our anxiety about facing large vehicle repair bills by pitching worthless car warranties. Often these scams come via a phone call, but they also come in the mail. Federal regulators have recently shut down groups that have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars through deceptive auto warranties. But others are out there.”
OCTOBER STATS:
129 Assist Fire Department
439 Total Cruiser Check (5 House, 253 Business, 36 Person, 145 General)
153 Directed Traffic
26 PLW (Park, Lock, and Walk)
10 Community Engagement
17 Fraud
29 Animal Control
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.