The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to March 24. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Arrest: Outside Warrant
After being stopped for speeding, a woman of Reading, PA. was arrested on a default warrant issued out of Cambridge District Court. Additionally, she was arrested for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. She was transported to the station, and the bail commissioner ordered her held for court.
A Missing Person Alert
Issued Friday, March 21, at 11:55 a.m., Edinburg Center reported a missing female from the group home. She had been last seen on March 20. She had a history of suicide attempts and experienced catatonic states, and became unresponsive for hours at a time. She had run away in the past. A section 12 was issued. She was entered as missing in CJIS, a BOLO was sent via OpenFox, and a detective distributed a missing person’s poster at 4:00 p.m. [She has since been found.]
Community Engagement
Monday, March 17, at 7 p.m., two officers visited Cary Memorial Hall on Massachusetts Avenue to inspire positive community relations.
Tuesday, March 18, at 10 a.m., a detective attended the Community Crisis Intervention Team meeting. Human Services, Lexington Fire Department, Lexington Public Schools (LPS), and the Public Health Department were present. New cases were presented and ongoing cases were discussed.
Wednesday, March 19, at 8:10 p.m., two detectives were part of a community resources event hosted by the Cotting School for parents and caregivers. They presented information on the Safe Watch Program, Blue Envelope Program, and other resources.
Thursday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m., School Resource Officers Hankins and Sullivan conducted a presentation for the fifth grade at Harrington Elementary School regarding cyberbullying and the laws in Massachusetts pertaining to bullying and online harassment.
Saturday, March 22, at 9:30 a.m., School Resource Officers Hankins and Sullivan conducted a presentation on social media safety at the annual Parent Academy hosted by LPS.
Sunday, March 23, at 4 p.m., Officers Fiore and Alfonzo conducted a walkthrough of the Lexington Police Department (LPD) for Pelham Academy youths.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During this past week, officers made seven visits to elementary schools and two visits to middle schools. During a visit to Lexington Children’s Place, officers reported touring the school with the principal, as well as speaking with staff and students.
Suspicious Activity
Wednesday, March 19, at 3:30 p.m., a resident reported a suspicious male standing at her daughter’s school bus stop at Mass Ave. and Maple Street. He appeared to be staring at her 13-year-old daughter. Although no crime had occurred, she wanted the police to know if they were to receive any future complaints.
Friday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m., a Shade Street resident reported multiple vehicles parked in front of his house for extended periods. When he opened his front door or someone pulled into the driveway, the vehicles sped away. This resident and his wife were able to identify the cars’ makes and models. At this time, no crime has been committed, but cruiser checks on all shifts have been scheduled for this residence and the neighborhood.
Saturday, March 22, at 11 a.m., a caller reported seeing a man with a handgun while at Willards Woods. The responding officers reported encountering a family in the woods, and the father of the child stated he was shooting an “airsoft gun” in the woods with a younger sibling. Officers confirmed it was an airsoft gun, and the parent was advised of Article VIII, Sections 187-96: Park and Recreation Facilities Prohibited Activities.
Disturbance
Saturday, March 22, at 9:40 a.m., a 911 caller reported being harassed and accused in a human trafficking conspiracy by the staff at the Element Hotel. At the same time, the front desk called and asked the police to respond to a guest throwing a phone and berating the housekeeping staff. Responding officers reported the guest believed the housekeepers were trying to get her to check out early. The officers reported the guest had been asked to leave on behalf of the staff. Officers advised the manager of the situation, and the guest was added to a do-not-rent list.
Town Bylaws
“Effective March 15, 2025, the use of gas-powered leaf blowers by commercial landscapers will not be allowed.”
This week there were 17 leaf blower complaints. As of March 24, there is a town Civilian Code enforcement officer to handle leaf blower complaints.
Animal Control and Complaints – Three Cheers! There were NONE.
Fraud
Tuesday, March 18, at 10:45 a.m., a Mass Ave. resident reported he received a letter from the debt collection agency, Source Receivables Management, which was attempting to collect $96.35 for T-Mobile USA Inc. He called the agency and stated he did not make or approve any purchase or give permission to use this information. An agent informed him that a purchase was made on February 25 in Inglewood, CA. On March 15, this resident reported this fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On March 17, he contacted Equifax and placed a one-year fraud alert in his name. There is no monetary loss.
Wednesday, March 19 at 11:15 a.m., a Norton Road resident reported receiving mail from Freedom Unlimited Visa that contained a credit card opened in his name, but not by him. He noted the fraud and they closed the account immediately. There had been no transactions. He placed a credit monitoring alert on his accounts. He has not noticed any charges or suspicious activity on his accounts. He was advised to notify the FTC, the Social Security Administration, and to file with the three major credit card bureaus.
Friday, March 21 at 10:10 a.m., a Paul Revere Road resident reported she received a phone alert regarding activity on her Fidelity account. When she contacted Fidelity, they advised her that an unknown person was in the process of updating her account with different banking and contact information. Fidelity put a hold on the account and stated an unknown suspect accessed her home phone number and forwarded calls and messages to another number. She spoke with her other financial institution and asked them to put a watch on all her accounts. She then contacted Astound—her Internet, phone, and cable provider—but they were unable to give her a clear answer on how this happened. She was advised to cancel her account with Astound and to look into a company that would protect her personal information on the WWW. When this resident called in with an update, she had spoken to Astound, and they advised her that her number had been sold to Spectrum (another Internet, cable, and phone provider). Also, a name and number were attached to the transfer, and it was connected to two companies known for telemarketing scams and virtual spoof phone numbers. Police attempted to speak with the company, but it hung up on the officer when he identified himself. This resident was advised to reach out directly to Spectrum to see what they could do to help her.
Saturday, March 22, at 11:05 a.m., a Carville Avenue resident reported receiving notices in the mail from Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank of a credit freeze. He stated he did not deal with those companies. Police advised him to contact the credit bureaus and monitor his bank information. He was advised that a notation would be generated and to reach out to the LPD if he observed suspicious activity or noticed any monetary losses.
Saturday, March 22, at 3:30 p.m., a Waltham Street couple reported suspicious activity on a Chase credit card. In the past three weeks, there had been five purchases they did not make. Around March 11, they received an order at their house and brought it back to Lowe’s. Chase Bank refunded $1,500.00 for the five orders placed with their credit card.
Sunday, March 23, at 2:15 p.m., a Wilson Road resident received a letter regarding a credit settlement. After reviewing it, an officer determined it was junk mail. This resident said he didn’t have anything erroneous on his credit report, so LPD advised him to shred the letter.
Excerpted from AARP January 2025: “25 Great Ways to Avoid Scams”
- Accept your vulnerability
- Practice radical skepticism
- Pause and Think
- Be suspicious of secrecy
- Set up bank alerts
- Be informed
- Don’t pay for anything in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or gold
- Find a sounding board
- Sign up for identity monitoring
- Avoid unsolicited calls, texts, and emails
- Freeze your Credit
12. Maximize online privacy settings
If you use social media, be cautious what you share with friends and followers, and change your privacy settings to limit who can see your posts. “Social media accounts are prime hunting grounds for scammers to gather personal information,” Zirkle says. “Limiting the amount of information that you share online and using the strictest privacy settings reduces the chance that a scammer can trick you into thinking they’re someone you know.” The ability for scammers to impersonate someone you know is what makes social media so risky, echoes Weisman. “Scammers harvest information from social media, and use that information to craft specifically tailored spear-phishing emails and text messages that are more likely to get us to respond,” he says.
13. Think twice before clicking on links in emails and text messages
More than 90 percent of successful cyberattacks begin with a phishing email, according to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. It might include a link that could download malicious software (malware) to your computer, or try to get you to reveal your passwords, Social Security number, credit card numbers or other personal information, explains Michael Bruemmer, vice president and head of global data breach resolution and consumer protection at Experian. The solution: Never directly click links in emails or text messages. Instead, go to the website independently by typing the URL into your browser or by using the company’s official app. Scammers often disguise malicious links, so it’s always safer to verify first.
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.