The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to February 17. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Simple Assault
Saturday, February 15, at 7:00 p.m., a Webster Road resident came into the station to report he had been “bumped on purpose” by another male. He just had a pacemaker put in, and his arm and chest were sore. Med 1 transported him to Lahey.
Community Engagement
Monday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m., Detective Ducharme and members of the Student Health Advisory Council conducted a presentation at LHS on teen relationship violence prevention. Students, parents, faculty, and members of the Human Services department attended.
Tuesday, February 11, at 1:15 p.m., School Resource Officer Hankins and K9 Watson attended the SHAC subcommittee meeting hosted by Julie Fenn, assistant director of Health and Wellness with LPS. A representative of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education conducted a presentation regarding the equity of recognized protected classes in Massachusetts.
Tuesday, February 11, at 3:00 p.m., Chief McLean attended the monthly meeting of the Collaborative Reform Group.
Wednesday, February 12, at 8:45 a.m., Lieutenant Dunbar attended the Lexington Human Rights Committee meeting.
Wednesday, February 12, at 9:00 a.m., Detective Chaisson held an Active Threat Training for members of the Visitor Center and the Health Department. He introduced the Avoid/Deny/Defend or Run/Hide/Fight method in case an active threat situation arises.
Thursday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m., School Resource Officer Hankins and K9 Watson attended the monthly Lexington Youth Commission meeting hosted at the police station community room. Upcoming community service events were discussed, including the Patriots Day celebration.
Saturday, February 15, at 1:00 p.m., Detective Chaisson met with the Girl Scouts of Lexington. He led a tour and spoke about policing. Officer Capotosto spoke with the group about being a female officer.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During this past week, officers made six visits to elementary schools, two visits to middle schools, and one to the high school. During a visit to Clark Middle School, Officer Adley reported meeting with Detective Sullivan and K9 Maisie. They walked through the halls and spoke with students and staff. All appeared in good order.
Suspicious Activity
Monday, February 10, at 3:50 p.m., an alert stating there was a mailbox intrusion came in. The responding officer checked the Marrett Road mailbox and did not observe any suspicious activity. He canvassed the surrounding area for suspicious motor vehicles. All appeared in order.
Monday, February 10, at 11:25 p.m., a Spring Street resident reported a man knocking hard on her door. Responding officers checked the area and spoke with a resident on another floor who had ordered pizza. The Uber delivery driver was unsure which door to knock on. The caller was informed.
Tuesday, February 11, at 10:40 a.m., an April Lane resident reported noticing a set of footprints in the snow that tracked from behind a bush to her window and back. She was concerned as her car had been recently vandalized.
Disturbance
Monday, February 10, at 3:05 p.m., a Grapevine Avenue resident reported a man pounding on his door trying to break it down. Responding officers spoke with the caller who stated his landlord was trying to break into his bedroom and he felt threatened. This resident appeared “in distress.” Because the disagreement involved rent, officers advised the landlord the civil issue had to go through court. The landlord told officers the tenant had an assault rifle in his room. When directed to present his License to Carry, it appeared this resident’s LTC had expired. Police confiscated an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a 9mm pistol.
Wednesday, February 12, at 4:00 p.m., an individual at the front desk at Artis Senior Living on Concord Avenue reported a guest visiting her sister had become unruly and was causing a disturbance. A second report stated this visitor was refusing to leave. The responding officer reported that all was calm upon arrival. This visitor, emotionally distressed by the declining health of her family member, had left on her own accord.
Animal Control and Complaints
Three cheers for another week of canine civility!
Monday, February 10, at 2:15 p.m., a report came in regarding an injured deer near the Lexington Prep School on Lowell Street. The responding officer checked the area, but did not locate the injured deer.
Friday, February 14, at 2:10 p.m., a report came in regarding an injured raccoon near Waltham Street and Vynebrooke Road. The responding officer checked the area, but did not locate the injured raccoon.
Breaking and Entering
Sunday, February 16, at 7:30 p.m., a Lowell Street resident reported his back door had been smashed in. He had been on vacation for a few weeks, and his home had been unoccupied since Jan. 19 while undergoing renovation. Nothing appeared missing or stolen. A detective was sent to process the scene.
Fraud
Monday, February 10, at 4:20 p.m., a Lowell Street resident came in and asked for advice regarding his computer. It had a virus on it, and he called a number he believed was Apple Security. When asked to send a check in the mail, he knew it was suspicious and hung up. He did not provide any information, so there was no financial information lost.
Thursday, February 13, at 6:45 p.m., a Milk Street resident came to the station to report she had added someone on Snapchat, and they were now spamming her with texts and calls to get Apple gift cards. She stated that “username J_williams21967 added her on Snapchat by search and sent her $1,000 via a PDF of a check.” She deposited the money as the check was a government check from Camden County. She was asked to purchase Apple gift cards, but she did not. An officer advised her it was a common scam and to block the person on her phone. There was no monetary loss. She deposited the check into a Citizens Bank account. She was advised to report the attempted scam to Citizen’s.
Friday, February 14, at 9:35 a.m., a Worthen Road resident came to the station to report that a fraudulent Mobil credit card account had been opened in her name. Over $3,000 had been drawn from the account, and the account had gone into collections.
Excerpted from AARP January 2025: “25 Great Ways to Avoid Scams”
1. Accept your vulnerability
2. Practice radical skepticism
3. Pause and Think
4. Be suspicious of secrecy
5. Set up bank alerts
Regularly check your bank accounts and credit card statements to make sure that all transactions are legitimate. Although it won’t prevent fraud, it can help you spot it early so you can mitigate the damage, notes Zirkle, who recommends setting up online alerts with your bank.
6. Be informed
When it comes to fraud, knowledge is power. “Educate yourself about threats,” Hayden advises. “Read headlines about scams and fraud … We can’t be prepared if we don’t understand what’s out there.” Also, learn about new and emerging technologies, suggests geriatric neuropsychologist Peter Lichtenberg, past director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University: “Scammers keep changing how they do things, so we have to stay vigilant.” You can keep up with the latest scams and technology by engaging with the AARP Fraud Watch Network and AARP’s Personal Technology Resource Center, reading public service announcements from the FBI’s IC3, and signing up to receive alerts from the Federal Trade Commission.
The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. Lexington Observer coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. Logs are available for public viewing.