The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during the weeks leading up to January 2, 2024. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, December 19 at 8:30 a.m., several officers attended a breakfast for first responders at Enterprise Bank.
Thursday, December 21 at 8:00 a.m., an officer assisted with a “toy convoy” from Billerica to Hanscom Air Force Base.
Sunday, December 31 at 2:00 p.m., an officer assisted with the Vigil for the Children of Palestine at the Lexington Visitors Center.
Animal Control
Tuesday, December 19 at 8:20 p.m., a caller reported a dead raccoon on Garfield St. DPW was notified for removal.
Sunday, December 24 at 1:50 p.m., an individual came to the police station to report an injured coyote in the area of Cherry Street and Sutherland Rd. Responding units checked the area but were unable to locate it.
Tuesday, December 26 at 7:05 p.m., a caller reported an injured deer, after being struck by a motor vehicle, on the side of the road at Concord Ave and Hutchinson Rd The responding officer found that the deer had died and notified DPW.
Thursday, December 28 at 11:05 p.m., a caller reported a dead raccoon near Bedford St. and Carroll Lane. DPW notified.
Friday, December 29 at 11:30 a.m., a Vynebrooke Village resident called to report an injured rabbit. The responding officer put down the rabbit with one shot. DPW notified.
Saturday, December 30 at 7:05 a.m., a caller reported a dead raccoon in the area of Lowell St. and Woburn St. near the Countryside Plaza. DPW notified.
Disturbance, Dispute, and a Noise Complaint
Friday, December 22 at 12:50 p.m., a caller reported a male in his 40s wearing a white jacket and holding a black bag was sitting on a bench yelling. The caller stated she believed he was “disturbed.” The responding officer checked the area and did not locate the individual. Passersby reported that the man had been speaking to himself.
Monday, December 25 at 2:30 a.m., a 911 call came in reporting an altercation. While in the restaurant at the Lexington Travel Plaza at 690 Marrett Rd., a Waltham resident stood up and began pushing a Lexington resident. Officers arrived on scene and spoke with the Lexington caller who stated he had gotten into a verbal altercation with the other man after being insulted by him. Both parties were escorted from McDonald’s and separated for the night.
Thursday, December 28 at 10:30 p.m., a resident at Countryside Village at Lowell St. and Woburn St. called to report she had heard a loud sound like either a rifle shot or fireworks coming from the parking lot at the Countryside Shopping Plaza. Responding officers located the source of the noise. A transformer had blown and Eversource was on the scene.
Town Bylaw
Thursday, December 21 at 10:40 a.m., a Marrett Rd. resident called to report smelling diesel fuel from an idling truck near his home. The responding officer located the vehicle parked in a nearby driveway, asked the owner of the vehicle to shut it off, and informed him of the town bylaw infraction.
Fraud
Tuesday, December 19 at 2:10 p.m., Lexington Eye Associates management called to report a fraud regarding one of their business accounts. They have contacted Middlesex Bank who has refunded fraudulent activity from the last 90 days and secured the account.
Thursday, December 21 at 11:00 a.m., a Spring St. resident came into the station to report that she had been scammed out of $3,000 by someone claiming to be from PayPal. They told her to purchase $3,000 worth of gift cards, take photos of the cards and receipts, then e-mail them to mikecarter1111@outlook.com. She followed instructions, but she thought something was not right. She attempted to contact PayPal, but she was unable to speak with anyone. She contacted her credit union regarding the credit card with which she purchased the gift cards to advise them. A credit union employee told her that they would stop payment, look into the situation, and reimburse her account.
Tuesday, December 26 at 3:30 p.m., an Adams St. resident reported she had been a victim of the Mass General data breach, and someone had attempted to open five accounts using her name and Social Security number.
Friday, December 29 at 6:35 p.m., a Castle Rd. resident called to report fraud. An officer was dispatched to her residence to take a report. This resident reported two unauthorized charges were made on her credit card.
Sunday, December 31 at 8:00 p.m., an Oak Street resident reported that a check he had put in a town mailbox was stolen and forged to the name of Michael Minier for the amount of $9265.10. This resident does not recall to whom the check was originally written or the amount of the check. This resident was advised to contact Citizens Bank to file a report.
From AARP Fraud Watch – December 2023
6 Top Scams to Watch Out for in 2024 By Patrick J Kiger
“Criminals are getting more sophisticated and supercharging old scams with new technology or this year.”
1. Check cooking scam
Last year, the big thing was check washing, where thieves stole paper checks from postal boxes, mailboxes or even carriers and then washed the checks with chemicals, keeping the signature but erasing the amount and the payee so they could fill in a new name and amount. But now, they’ve discovered a less messy way to steal. In check cooking, thieves take a digital picture of a stolen check and then use commercially available software to alter it.
“It looks very real, even with the watermarks and all,” explains Michael Bruemmer, vice president of data breach resolution and consumer protection at Experian, a global credit verification and financial services firm. Criminals can print a new phony check or else just deposit the altered image using a bank’s mobile app, he notes.
How to stay safe: Consider using a safer payment method, such as a credit card. But if you choose to write paper checks, scammers still need to steal a physical copy. Make it harder for them. Instead of putting the check in a mailbox, drop it off directly at the nearest post office. And continually monitor your checking account and watch for any suspicious transactions.”
2023 STATS:
Animal Control: 275
Assist Fire Department: 1,453
Community Engagement: 101
Cruiser Check (house): 297
Cruiser Check (business): 2,953
Cruiser Check (person): 411
Cruiser Check (general): 926
Cruiser Check (total): 4,587
Directed Traffic: 2344
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk: 253
Fraud: 252
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.