The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs in the week leading up to April 22, 2024. This information is not independently confirmed by LexObserver.
Arrest Assistance
Monday, April 15, 5:05 p.m., Lexington Police responded to a Massachusetts State Police request for assistance searching for an individual who failed to stop for MSP. He abandoned his girlfriend’s vehicle at a rest stop before fleeing on foot. He had three active warrants out on him. Officers conducted a thorough search of the area, including the rest stop, Marrett Rd., School St., and the Harrington School. Additional resources such as MSP, National Parks Police, and a Belmont Canine Unit were employed. An officer located the individual at Mass Ave. and Wood St. and placed him under arrest. MSP took over custody.
Community Engagement
Thursday, April 18 at 10:00 a.m., officers attended a Smart Team meeting at Lexington Community Center.
Friday, April 19 at 10:55 a.m., several representatives from the Lexington Police Department participated in the 2025 Lexington 250 Patriots Day Countdown Ceremony.
Friday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m., Detective Sowle and Officer Morris met with students and staff of the Children’s Center of Lexington on the Lexington Battle Green. The students spent time learning about police officers followed by Detective Soul and Officer Morris answering questions about being a police officer. Students took photos with officers and children were presented with Junior Officer badges.
Saturday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m., an officer met with new staff and residents from the group home. Staff and residents presented mini sodas, cookies, and muffins to the officers that they had made for the members of the Police Department as an appreciation for their service. The group also conversed with the officer in front of the lobby for a short time before they departed.
Suspicious Activity
Wednesday, April 17 at 8:25 p.m., a Copper Smith Way resident called to report a vehicle was parked in her driveway with no one around. The responding officer found the owner at a neighbor’s home, and she was advised.
Friday, April 19 at 6:35 p.m., Concord PD reported a homeowner from their town had hired a chimney sweeping company with a white van. A Hilltop Ave resident reported suspicious activity regarding the white van. The responding officer spoke with the resident and the operator of the van declined to present an ID. The resident was advised that no crime had been committed. The company in question was Shamrock Chimney. All appeared in order.
Sunday, April 21 at 1:15 a.m., Massachusetts State Police called to report an employee at the rest area was having difficulty with a hostile customer. Responding officers reported that the individual was gone on arrival.
Sunday, April 21 at 1:35 a.m., a Grassland St resident called to report they thought they heard footsteps coming from their basement. Officers arrived on scene and confirmed with the residents that it was a robotic vacuum that had turned itself on.
Animal Control
Thank you for sharing the road, and please use leashes.
Wednesday, April 17 at 7:20 a.m., a Turning Mill Rd. resident called to report that two off-leash labs had chased her son. There were no injuries reported, and she was unsure where the dogs lived. The resident stated she was in the front yard with her five-year-old son when the two dogs approached. The yellow lab began growling, charged at them, and chased them into their home. The dogs then ran further up Turning Mill Rd. toward Partridge Rd. This resident stated she recognized the dogs and had seen them before on the other side of I-95. The responding officer checked the neighborhood but was unable to locate the dogs. The resident was advised and a follow-up was made with the Animal Control Officer.
Sunday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m., a Potter Pond resident called to report an injured raccoon dragging its hind quarters. The responding officer reported it was gone on arrival.
Sunday, April 21 at 4:20 p.m., a Partridge Rd. resident reported a past dog bite. The Police Department assisted the fire department, but the individual signed a refusal for medical treatment.
Larceny, Burglary, and Breaking and Entering
Friday, April 19 at 8:20 a.m., an 11th-grade Lexington High School student reported his Canada goose jacket was taken from classroom 147 located on the first floor of the main building of the high school between 3/18 and 3/20.
Friday, April 19 at 8:50 a.m., a 10th-grade student at Lexington High School reported his Apple Air Pod headphones were taken from his belongings during gym class on 11/30.
Friday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m., a Mass Ave. resident reported an attempted theft of a catalytic converter. The responding officer spoke with this resident who stated that sometime, approximately 3 weeks ago, his catalytic converter was cut from his motor vehicle. He parks his vehicle at his residence and the Verizon yard in Woburn.
Wednesday, April 17 at 7:50 a.m., a Williams Rd. resident came in to report his vehicle had been broken into sometime overnight. At 7:30 a.m., he discovered his passenger side front door ajar and his glove box and center console were open. He stated he was mostly certain he locked his vehicle the night before. He stated he was unsure what, if anything, was taken from the vehicle, and he stated he did not leave anything of value in his vehicle overnight. He closed the door, glove box, and center console after discovering the break and drove to the police station to report the incident. Due to these circumstances, detectives were unable to process the vehicle.
Friday, April 19 at 6:00 p.m., Fairlawn Lane residents reported they had just returned from vacation, and it appeared their house had been broken into. A sergeant arrived on scene and confirmed the house break. A window to the rear of the house had been smashed. The most significant item missing was a safe containing jewelry reported by the owner to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. An officer canvassed the neighborhood for possible Ring camera footage. A detective responded to process the scene. An officer conducted a walkthrough of the house with the homeowner to scan for other missing items. The homeowner was advised to update the LPD if he found more of the family’s belongings missing once the house had been cleaned up.
Fraud
Tuesday, March 16 at 1:50 p.m., a Flintlock Rd. resident came in to report a check she mailed inside the post office via the letter slot on the wall in Lexington on March 24, was washed, altered, and cashed for a larger amount. The check was cashed on March 28, 2024, and she reported it to her bank – Cambridge Teachers Federal Credit Union.
Wednesday, March 17 at 9:20 a.m., a Butterfield Rd. resident reported he lost his phone in Chicago on April 8 outside of a Walgreens. He noticed attempts to log into his iCloud account. The phone contained sensitive bank information and Social Security numbers. Experian notified this resident that a loan application had been submitted and that the loan request was fraudulent before this resident reported it to the police. There is no monetary loss at this time.
Thursday, April 18 at 4:40 p.m., a Hancock St. resident came in to report check fraud. This resident explained his wife had mailed a check on March 30 for $7.50. On April 3 while viewing his bank statement, he realized that the check had been altered and cashed for $9807.10. He immediately notified Chase Bank and was given a claim number. The bank requested a police report on the incident.
Saturday, April 20 at 12:01 p.m., a Partridge Rd. resident called to report identity theft. On Friday, April 19, she opened her computer, and a message on the screen indicated her computer had an error and to contact customer support. She spoke with an unknown party claiming to be customer support and required her to allow him to access her computer remotely. She then attempted to contact LifeLok using a number from an online search on the computer. This number was a scam as well and went to an unknown party who requested that she upgrade her LifeLock account. She declined. At this time, she realized it was all a scam and closed the computer and turned off her Wi-Fi. She has already contacted her financial institutions as well as major credit bureaus and pension accounts to notify them to flag the accounts. She contacted Apple support who was able to fix the computer remotely. She was advised to reset her Wi-Fi password, contact the Internet service provider, and file a report online with the SSA.
*From AARP Fraud Watch Network April 2024
There are six scams experts say you should be watching out for this year. This week:
3. Delayed-action sweepstakes scam
Sweepstakes scammers, who call or write to say that you’ve won a fabulous fortune, have been around for ages. But recently they’ve come up with a new variation on the old formula, according to Bruemmer. Instead of trying to get you to pay taxes or other fees in advance to collect the nonexistent prize, the scammers will ask for personal information so that they can validate you and set up the payout. “They’ll say, just give us your banking information and your Social Security number, and we’ll file with the IRS and we’ll take care of everything,” he explains. “But, boom, it’s just another form of identity theft.” Instead of quickly looting your bank account — what Bruemmer calls a “smash and grab” — the scammers may play a long game. They’ll write small checks on your account to see whether you notice the fraudulent activity. If you don’t, they’ll continue to use the account to obtain credit cards and lines of credit in your name that they can siphon off, giving them a potentially bigger payday down the road.
How to stay safe: As with previous variations of the sweepstakes scam, remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you get a call from someone claiming that you’ve won a huge prize, the safest bet is to just hang up. And never, ever provide any personal information.
*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.