The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during the week leading up to January 29. LexObserver does not independently verify this information.
Community Engagement
Monday, January 22 at 9:00 a.m., Chief McLean and a detective met with the new chair and vice chair of the Lexington Human Rights Committee.
Monday, January 22 at 12:15 PM., Chief McLean and Detective Sullivan met with members of the Lexington Rotary and Lions Clubs to introduce them to Officer Lexie and discuss the department’s commitment to mental health and the Community Resource Dog Program.
Wednesday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m., Captain Barry attended the school superintendents, police, and fire chiefs’ breakfast at Minuteman Tech. This breakfast was hosted by the Middlesex DA’s office (Marion Ryan), and speakers included Ed Davis, Dr. Robert Sege, and FBI Special Agent Sarah Wheeldon.
Thursday, January 25 at 10:00 a.m., Chief McLean, two captains, and a sergeant attended the 250th celebration meeting in Framingham at the MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) bunker along with members of the Lexington 250 Committee. This meeting included four towns and local state and federal partners.
Thursday, January 25 at 12:30 p.m., Lieutenant Detective Dunbar attended the quarterly C4 RJ (Communities for Restorative Justice) meeting.
Friday, January 26 at 9:30 a.m., a detective presented safety protocols for an active threat to library staff at their monthly meeting. A PowerPoint was presented then the detective walked through the library and answered staff questions regarding various threat situations.
Friday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m., Chief McLean met with members of the town appropriation committee to discuss the proposed GLB (Gas Leaf Blower) enforcement officer.
Larceny
Wednesday, January 24 at 2:00 p.m., a CVS manager reported multiple individuals shoplifting from his store. The incident occurred over the last five days, and the manager reported 3 males who appeared to be ages 15-17. All wore hooded sweatshirts.
Friday, January 26 at 5:30 p.m., a Marrett Rd. resident came to the station to report someone entering his motor vehicle. The resident had parked his vehicle in the driveway from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and left it unlocked. Someone entered the vehicle and took a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop that was on the front passenger seat.
Animal Control
Tuesday, January 23 at 4:20 p.m., a Watertown St. resident stated there was an unfamiliar big, black dog with a pink collar in his backyard. The responding officer looked at tapes from the house camera and described the dog as a black lab. The dog was gone upon the officer’s arrival, and the footage showed it had run toward the neighbor’s yard.
Tuesday, January 23 at 6:20 p.m., a call came in from an individual stating she had found a lost dog roaming outside of her property. She took the dog inside. She described it as a smaller breed. It was cream-colored. The responding officer reported that it was a pug with a collar but no tags. He decided to take it to the vet on Bedford St. to see if it had a chip. In the meantime, a Rangeway Rd. resident called to report his lost pug. The responding officer returned the dog to its residence.
Wednesday, January 24 at 11:20 a.m., a report came in regarding a possible sick coyote in the area of Parker and Clark Streets. The Animal Control Officer checked the surrounding area, but the animal had left the scene.
Wednesday, January 24 at 1:30 p.m., a Butler Ave. resident came into the station to report her dog had been bitten by another dog in Sutherland Woods at approximately 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. This resident stated she was walking her leashed dog in Sutherland Woods when an unleashed dog ran up and bit her dog several times. Her dog sustained 2 minor bite wounds but did not require medical attention. She was able to identify the owner of the dog as a Peacock Farm Rd. resident. She provided a written statement and will e-mail photographs of her dog’s injuries. The Animal Control Officer was notified.
Thursday, January 25 at 10:30 a.m., the Animal Control Officer checked Whipple Hill Conservation/Johnson Rd. area at 9:45-10:30. All was in order.
* Thanks for sharing the road. Just 1 dead squirrel was reported this week.
*Reminder to dog owners: “Massachusetts’ leash law is for the safety of all. Massachusetts has a statewide leash law whereby a dog must be on a leash when out in public unless the animal is in a designated city dog park where owners or walkers may have their pets run free. The fine for owners of unleashed dogs in public is $100.”
General Disturbance and Noise Complaint
Tuesday, January 23 at 11:10 a.m., an employee from CVS called to report a customer yelling and swearing at front desk employees. The responding officer reported it was a dispute over a receipt. The customer refused to prove her information to the officer and left the area. No crime occurred.
Friday, January 26 at 9:40 p.m., a Lexington Ave. resident reported loud talking from a group in a nearby hot tub on Locust Ave. The responding officer spoke with the resident who directed her to where the noise was coming from. The officer stated she was able to hear people talking, however there was no unreasonable noise coming from that location. The responding officer spoke with the residents and advised them of the complaint. They were apologetic and stated they would go into the house for the night. The responding officer then advised the reporting party to call the station if the noise persisted or increased.
Suspicious Item and Suspicious Motor Vehicle Activity
Wednesday, January 24 at 4:55 p.m., a caller reported a shopping cart with a bag left in it in the parking lot of the Church of our Redeemer. The male caller called back to report a “homeless man” walked away with the cart. The responding officer checked the area and did not locate the shopping cart.
Friday, January 26 at 9:55 p.m., a Bow Street resident called to report a red truck pulled into his neighbor’s driveway, and another vehicle blocked him in. Operators of the vehicles got out and briefly yelled at each other. After a few minutes, the vehicles left the area. The responding officers noted houses were dark and checked the surrounding streets, and the vehicles were gone.
Fraud – Impersonation
Tuesday, January 23 at 9:05 p.m., a School St. resident walked into the station to report a check-washing scam. This resident stated he had placed a check for $2,500 made out to a software developer in a mailbox at Depot Square on January 13. The check’s amount was changed to $38,500 and was subsequently signed over to an individual named Tracy Gordon and cashed on January 17.
Sunday, January 28 at 4:05 p.m., a Moon Hill Rd. resident came into the station to file a fraud report. She stated that one of her Bank of America checks was washed and cashed for $19,000 by someone with a name she did not know. She reported this matter to her bank, and they will be investigating.
Wednesday, January 24 at 10:30 p.m., a man walked into the station to report his mother-in-law, a Watertown St. resident, was the victim of a scam. She lives at Waterstone Senior Living, and she received a call from someone stating that her grandson was in trouble and needed cash for bail. She went to Citizens Bank in Belmont and withdrew a considerable sum of money then met an unknown individual in the parking lot of Waterstone. Once she realized she had been scammed, she reported this incident to her family. She was too embarrassed to admit how much money she had given away. This individual assists his mother-in-law in caring for her finances and will take her to Citizens Bank to report the incident and obtain more information. This individual has been in touch with Fred Kelley, the executive director of facilities at Waterstone Senior Living, and is waiting for camera footage.
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.”
5. Multistage grandparent scam
“This is a new, more sophisticated version of the old grandparent scam, in which crooks call and pretend to be a grandchild who’s been arrested and needs bail money to get out of a nonexistent legal jam. In the past, grandparent scammers were often small-timers who would plead for a few hundred dollars. But these days, Foss says, they often set up call centers staffed with young people who are paid a few bucks for every grandparent with which they can connect. After posing as grandchildren who’ve been jailed after a car accident, they’ll provide a case number and instruct the target to call their defense attorney or the local prosecutor. “When Grandpa calls up, they say, ‘Oh, do you have the case number?’” Foss explains. It’s a subtle psychological trick to see whether the grandparent is compliant and will follow their instructions to send thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
Some scammers have a third conspirator pose as a courier and go to a grandparent’s home to pick up the money in person, according to Steve Baker, a former Federal Trade Commission official who now publishes the Baker Fraud Report newsletter.
How to stay safe: If you get a call from an unfamiliar number from a family member claiming to be in trouble, don’t panic. Instead, after you’ve finished talking — and certainly before sending money — the Federal Communications Commission recommends that you call or text the person at his or her usual number and check to see whether the family member is actually in trouble. If they don’t answer, contact other family members or friends if you have any concern that the emergency could be real. Scammers plead with you to keep the situation a secret precisely so you won’t try to confirm it.”
*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.
Correction: A previous version of this article said GLB stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bi. In this context, it stands for Gas Leaf Blowers.