The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during the 3 weeks leading up to Jul 8, 2024. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Suspicious Activity
Monday, June 17 at 7:15 p.m., an employee at The Liberties on Bedford St. reported a man sleeping in the foyer. Officers reported the subject was known to them as a homeless man and placed him under arrest for trespassing. This information was forwarded to the Town’s social services advocates.
Tuesday, June 18 at 7:30 a.m., Hanscom security requested a cruiser at the Hartwell Ave. gate for a middle-aged man taking pictures of the base. The responding officer reported the male was gone before his arrival.
Tuesday, June 18 at 11:10 a.m., a Simmonds Rd. resident reported animal remains around her property on two occasions. She stated she located a dead, cat-sized animal on her fence. On June 12, this resident and her daughter noticed a groundhog on the road outside her home. A day later it was found 15 feet away from the base of her tree. She thought these incidents were “suspicious.” The responding officer thought they were not related and non-criminal.
Monday, June 24 at 3:15 p.m., the manager of HR for Grace Chapel reported a suspicious male on church property at 10:50 a.m. He walked into the lobby asking for ESOL classes. A security guard told him there was no such class. He left via the front door and reentered through the side. The man was redirected out of the building, entered his vehicle, then left the property. Grace Chapel obtained 2 images of this man.
Friday, June 20 at 9:00 p.m., a Lincoln St. resident reported that his son was walking their dog when a male approached them in front of the house and made threats. He stated that he would harm the dog and the son. The suspect indicated he was armed with a knife and firearm but did not brandish a weapon. He left via Lincoln St. in the direction of Lincoln Field. Officers searched the surrounding areas including the Center with negative findings.
Friday, July 5 at 10:10 a.m., an in-home nurse on scene at Percy Rd. called to report the elderly resident’s adult son made threats to “shoot up” a local doctor’s office. The responding officers reported speaking with this individual who explained he had spoken out of frustration at his mother’s doctor’s office. He did not mean it literally.
Larceny
Friday, June 21 at 11:40 a.m., a Bedford St. resident reported a bicycle taken from his front lawn. It was valued at $228.00 and was taken between 2:45 and 2:53 a.m. Camera footage showed a man walking around the driveway, front yard, and backyard. While canvassing the neighborhood officers obtained more video footage of the man loitering outside on Eldred St.
Saturday, June 22 at 8:40 a.m., a report came in from the Stop and Shop at 36 Bedford St. regarding a tall man dressed in black with a shopping cart filled with energy drinks worth approximately $434. The suspect was stopped by loss prevention. CCTV footage was obtained from Stop and Shop.
Monday, June 24 at 8:10 a.m., the project manager for Callahan Corporation stated that sometime during the weekend, someone took tile from the job site at 440 Bedford St.
Monday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m., a Lincoln St. resident reported the theft of his bicycle from his vehicle’s hitch mount. A men’s black, hybrid Cannondale ($800 estimated value) was taken between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The hitch mount was left unsecured. There were no cameras in the immediate area. An officer canvassed the area but didn’t locate the bicycle.
Saturday, July 6 at 6:05 p.m., a Worthen Rd. resident reported an Amazon package stolen from her front porch. The responding officer spoke with the resident who said the package was worth $30 and was taken after delivery. The officer checked the building for a possible missed delivery but with negative results.
Burglary and Breaking & Entering
Wednesday, June 19 at 3:30 p.m., a Belmont resident reported her vehicle had been broken into at the town pool between 10:00 and 12:00 p.m. She had left her vehicle unlocked. The suspects took her credit cards and attempted to purchase merchandise from various stores in Boston. She did not realize her credit cards had been stolen until she got home.
Wednesday, June 19 at 6:20 p.m., a Bedford St. resident reported his house had been broken into, and a man had just left on a Vespa on the bike path heading toward Arlington. This resident reported forced entry. The front door had been locked with a padlock, and it had been snapped off. Detectives were notified and processed the scene. The suspect was seen on the bike path heading east. Arlington PD was notified.
Thursday, June 20 at 8:40 a.m., a Potter Pond resident reported his office door broken on Tuesday, June 18. The door frame was damaged and a small sledgehammer was moved, but nothing else was damaged or out of place. A few household items worth approximately $150.00 were stolen.
Saturday, July 6 at 12:45 p.m., the program director from Tharros Recovery Home on Waltham St. called stating on July 5 a person broke into the residence and took several Adderall prescription bottles along with a large hard drive that stored video footage from the home. Both were in a locked room. The director believed a disgruntled patient, discharged in January on unfavorable terms, was responsible. Detectives could not process the scene because it had been disturbed by numerous staff members.
Animal Control – 3-week summary:
Dogs: reported loose on the road, off-leash, lost: Pheasant Lane, Young St. and Web, Minuteman Tech, Pheasant Lane and Birch Hill, and 2 left in a car at Stop& Shop. Thank you for remembering If it’s hot outside it’s hotter in your car!
Goat: 1 baby left behind by mistake near Diamond Middle School.
Raccoons: 3 sick or deceased reported and found on John Poulter Rd., Worthen Rd., and Baskin Rd.
Coyotes: 3 sick or deceased reported and found on Grant St. and Bedford St. Also, 2 adults and several babies found in a backyard on Bow St.
Fraud
Thursday, June 20 a North Street resident called to report she contacted what she believed was the Roku Streaming customer service number. An individual claimed her system had been hacked and took remote control of her laptop. He stated she had been charged $210.00 in error and wanted to make a refund through World Bank. This resident believed it was a scam and hung up after she saw the individual accessing her bank account and FaceTime on her laptop. She confirmed there was no monetary loss. She was advised to change her banking and home Wi-Fi passwords and monitor her credit reports for unauthorized transactions.
Monday, June 24 the Lexington CVS store manager reported he discovered a customer had tricked one of the cashiers into giving him $2,000 when he had handed the cashier $12178.
Tuesday, June 25 a Saddle Club Rd. resident reported an account was opened in her name with AT&T. The account went to collections, and she was notified of a past-due balance of $1,727.50 by Radius Global Solutions. She didn’t pay the balance and notified Radius of the fraud. They requested she file a police report, and she was advised to notify her bank, credit bureaus, and AT&T.
Wednesday, June 26 an Ingleside Rd. resident reported her Facebook account had been hacked, and the unknown parties were asking her friends for money. At this time, there is no personal monetary loss.
Wednesday, June 26 an Earl St. resident reported possible identity theft. Last week she received a phone call from Bank of America stating someone attempted to open an auto loan under her name. The loan was denied, and she froze her credit through respective companies. Today, she received an American Express and a Walmart money card letter stating someone had attempted to open a credit card under her name. She was advised to make notifications regarding these credit cards.
Thursday, June 27 a Reed St. resident reported an attempt to open a fraudulent bank account using her Social Security number. She received a letter notifying her of an attempt to open a credit card in her name. She had received two letters within months from Wells Fargo and another institution notifying her of this same situation. She said she has filed with the major credit card bureaus and has monitored all bank accounts. There has been no monetary loss.
Friday, June 28 a Marrett Rd. resident reported an unknown person opened a Walmart Money Card using his name and personal information on June 19. During this time, several banks made inquiries. There is no financial loss, and he has been advised to report the fraudulent activity to these financial institutions.
Saturday, June 29 a Colony Rd. resident reported someone had obtained her Social Security number and attempted to open credit cards using her identity. She has contacted companies and closed the accounts. She notified the credit bureaus who put a lock on her account. She was advised to contact her banks and place a flag on her other accounts. There is no monetary loss at this time.
Friday, July 5 a Williams Rd. resident reported attempts to open fraudulent accounts under her name. In mid-May, applications to open lines of credit were made in her name with Target, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and U.S. Bank. All were declined due to lack of information. She contacted credit bureaus to inform them of the incident, and they froze her credit. She was also advised to notify specific institutions to alert them. There is no monetary loss, and she was urged to return if further information became available.
Friday, July 5 a Lincoln St. resident reported he had received an e-mail from someone he believed was his boss asking him to purchase Apple gift cards. He bought $2,000 worth of gift cards and gave the card information to the scammers before realizing he was being scammed.
Friday, July 5 an Elliot Rd. resident and her husband reported they had been contacted by someone stating they were with the Social Security office and that their information had been hacked. This person informed them they needed to provide $4,000 cash to prove they were who they claimed. This resident went to Bank of America in Arlington where the teller would not give them cash due to the suspicious nature of the situation. They contacted the individual and said the bank turned them away. When they were asked to go to the Apple store and purchase $7,000 in gift cards, they became suspicious and went to the police station the following day. No money was exchanged, and no personal information was provided to the fraudulent party. They contacted the bank as a precaution and were advised to contact Social Security. An officer assisted them in blocking the contact they had been communicating with on their phone.
June Stats
Animal Control: 19
Assist Fire Department: 107
Community Engagement: 8
Cruiser Check (house): 15
Cruiser Check (business): 234
Cruiser Check (person): 52
Cruiser Check (general): 48
Cruiser Check (total): 349
Directed Traffic: 142
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk: 24
Fraud: 12
*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.
35 million dollars well spent!