The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the 2 weeks leading up to April 28. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Special Thanks to our police department for their extensive planning and preparation, responsive and effective policing, and general peacekeeping during Lexington’s Patriots Day celebrations.
Arrest
Wednesday, April 23, at 5:50 p.m., an officer observed the driver of a green Toyota Prius holding her cell phone in front of her face as she was driving toward the center of town. Based on this observation, the officer conducted a motor vehicle stop. The Somerville resident was operating the vehicle with an expired Portuguese license, and there was a warrant for her arrest from the Waltham District Court. She was arrested and charged with “Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle” and “Use of an electronic device while operating a motor vehicle.” Mal towed the vehicle.
Simple Assault
Sunday, April 27, at 1:20 p.m., a Lawrence Lane resident reported an assault that occurred. He was accosted by a man at Cary Library as he stood outside. He stated the man “got up in his face” and yelled and cursed at him. He left the scene and went to CVS. The man was also at CVS and began yelling at him again. This resident did not want to press charges, but he wanted to document the incident.
Community Engagement
Monday, April 14, at 5 a.m., two units joined news reporters at the Lexington 250 Countdown Clock.
Thursday, April 17, at 5:20 p.m., two officers attended an awards ceremony held at Cary Hall.
K-9 Community Engagement
Tuesday, April 15, at 8:30 a.m., Detective Sullivan and K-9 Maisey participated in the DLP programs, “Community Helpers Scavenger Hunt.”
Tuesday, April 15, at 9:45 a.m., Detective Sullivan and K-9 Maisey greeted students and staff in the hallways and front office of Diamond Middle School.
Tuesday, April 15, at 12:30 p.m., Detectives Sullivan and Hankins visited employees at the Lexington Credit Union with K9 Maisey and K9 Watson.
Wednesday, April 23, at 10 a.m., Detectives Sullivan and Hankins took K-9 Maisie and K-9 Watson to Concord Carlisle High School to assist with their post-incident debrief for students and staff impacted by the deaths of three high school seniors.
Sunday, April 27, at 6 p.m., Detective Sullivan took K9 Maisie and K9 Watson to Tracking Training.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During the week before school vacation, officers made six visits to elementary schools, two visits to middle schools, and one visit to the high school. During these visits, officers interacted with faculty, students, and staff members while they familiarized themselves with the layout of the school buildings.
Suspicious Activity
Wednesday, April 16, at 4:25 a.m., Waterstone of Lexington security reported they allowed a man to enter the building thinking he was a resident, but no one recognized him. Responding officers checked the building, but were unable to locate him.
Friday, April 18, at 3:35 p.m., a backpack was left unattended at Buckman Tavern. It was abandoned for roughly five minutes. Officers investigated, and the contents belonged to a middle schooler. The officer took possession of it to calm the public and brought it into the station. The owner came into the station to claim it.
Saturday, April 19, at 5:40 a.m., an unattended backpack was found in the VIP area at Mass Avenue and Harrington. The security company from Lex250 conducted a test with a dummy backpack to see how police units would manage it. There were a few other backpack incidents managed without incident throughout the day.
Saturday, April 19, at 3:10 p.m., an individual reported suspicious persons on Mass Ave. near Muzzey Street. An officer reported one was wearing a Red Sox hat and a heavy winter jacket. The other was wearing a red shirt and a black hat. Responding officers checked the area, but did not locate individuals matching the description.
Wednesday, April 23, at 7:10 p.m., a Circle Road resident stated that two cars were parked nearby for an hour. He didn’t recognize them and didn’t note the license plates. The responding officers checked one vehicle and advised them to move along. The second vehicle had been revoked for insurance. Mal towed the vehicle.
Saturday, April 26, at 7:15 p.m., a caller reported a suspicious vehicle near Muzzey St. and Mass Ave that had been outside an ATM for 10 to 15 minutes. He described it as a white Hyundai sedan with Connecticut plates. The responding officer checked the area, but there was no vehicle with that description.
Saturday, April 26, at 11:55 p.m., a caller reported a man that she did not recognize walked up to her door and banged on it with his face covered. She did not see where he went, and he appeared to be barefoot. Responding officers checked the area, including the Five Fields Pool, and did not locate anyone matching that description. A Field Road resident showed officers a video of the incident.
Disturbance and Noise Complaints
Thursday, April 17, at 7:10 p.m., nurses at Pine Knoll called 911 to report an elderly male was being aggressive toward the nurses and causing a disturbance. Responding officers reported the man was transported to Emerson Hospital by Lexington Fire Department (LFD).
Saturday, April 19, at 10 p.m., a caller reported a loud party gathering on Locust Avenue. Officers checked the neighborhood and spoke with the residents, and all was quiet upon their arrival.
Saturday, April 19, at 11:10 p.m., a Clelland Road resident reported a loud party nearby. All was quiet when responding officers arrived.
Monday, April 21, at 8 p.m., a Farmcrest Avenue resident reported a loud party on Kendall Road. Responding officers spoke with the homeowner, and they agreed to turn the music down for the night.
Tuesday, April 22, at 8:35 a.m., a Whipple Road caller reported a construction crew listening to very loud music. A responding officer drove by the construction site multiple times and did not hear music. All appeared in order.
Town Bylaws – Leaf Blower
During the past two weeks, 39 reports regarding gas leaf blower bylaw infractions were made. Residents can be fined for these infractions. Please note that homeowners are responsible for all that occurs on their property.
Animal Control and Complaints
Tuesday, April 15, 3:10 p.m., a caller reported seeing a loose golden retriever near Sherburne Road. The reporting party later found the owner of the dog, and they were able to meet on Highland Avenue, where the dog was reunited with its owner.
Sunday, April 20, at 7:45 a.m., an officer found and transported a golden doodle to the owner’s home on Winchester Drive instead of taking it to the town’s emergency shelter.
Sunday, April 20, at 8:25 a.m., a Woodcliff Road resident reported her dog had been stolen by a Bedford resident. The responding officer spoke to the Lexington resident, who stated the Bedford resident had given her a pug (that she had either rescued or purchased) after realizing she could not care for it. The Lexington resident had been paying all expenses related to the dog since December. On Monday, April 15, the Bedford resident asked to board the dog for a few days. Lexington agreed. Then, they stopped communicating until Friday, April 18, at which point each raised concerns regarding fitness to care for the dog. Lexington believed Bedford intended to breed the animal to make money. Bedford raised concerns about the condition of other animals in Lexington’s possession. Lexington PD notified Bedford PD of the concerns regarding animal care, and the Animal Control officer (ACO) will help with the resolution.
Tuesday, April 22, at 5:45 p.m., a Hancock Street resident reported chickens running around on the road. He believed he knew the location of their home. The responding officers checked the area, but the chickens had flown to the coop.
Sunday, April 27, at 10:20 a.m., a Lexington resident came into the station with a dog he had found on Vine Street. The officer advised that he would manage the situation. The officer took the dog to the shelter. The golden retriever had no tags, and the ACO was notified. Later, an individual came into the station to report his lost dog. He was sent to the shelter to retrieve it.
Burglary/ Breaking and Entering and Larceny
Thursday, April 17, at 6 p.m., a Grove Street resident reported observing a group of juveniles entering his back porch and ripping the screen out on his house cameras. He stated they tried to enter the house, but were unsuccessful. This incident occurred between 3 and 5 p.m. Responding officers reported there were photos of juveniles in the act, and units are in the area to canvas the neighborhood. Detectives were notified to respond to the scene.
Monday, April 14, at 2:25 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported his vehicle had been broken into overnight. He stated that prescription glasses, sunglasses, and a small wallet with numerous shopping cards inside were stolen. The total approximate value is $1,000. He was unsure if it had been locked. There was no damage or sign of forced entry, and there were no witnesses. There is no video footage available.
Monday, April 21, at 12:35 p.m., a Mass Ave. resident reported his son’s backpack had been stolen and they have been unable to locate it. It had been left on the front lawn during the 250th event festivities on Friday night. Items of value in the backpack were his son’s school Chromebook and a pair of Birkenstock shoes.
Wednesday, April 23, at 5:15 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported she ordered a dress from Jessica London on March 10, and the package was delivered on March 21. She has not located the package and does not have a tracking number. The clothing store said it had been delivered. The dress was valued at $89, and shipping was $20. There is no suspect and no cameras in the area where the package was left.
Friday, April 25, at 8:35 a.m., a Woburn Street resident reported a Gray Cannondale trail bike had been stolen from the garage between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Fraud
Thursday, April 17, at 2:40 p.m., an Eliot Road resident reported a scammer called her house phone and told her someone was transferring her money into her Fidelity account. She provided them with personal information and they took $5,000 from the account. She is working with Fidelity to investigate the incident, and they have canceled and closed her old account.
Friday, April 18, at 9:25 a.m., a Cliffe Avenue resident reported that an individual opened a Verizon account in her name with her old mailing address. The account is in collections for $198. She wanted to make proper documentation with the police department regarding the incident.
Saturday, April 19, at 1:55 p.m., a Lowell Street resident reported she lost approximately $5,200 from an E-ZPass text scam that occurred in the morning. Follow-up by Family Services was requested as this family is new to the U.S., and they may need financial assistance due to this loss.
Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m., a Seabrook, NH resident stated he left his Verizon Visa card in the Ixtapa restaurant. He received notification of multiple charges from Walmart for $600. He called the restaurant, and they said they did not have his card. The responding officer spoke with the server, and he had placed the credit card in the cash register, where they place all cards left behind. The cash register is not locked and is accessible to all employees. There are no cameras in the area. The responding officer observed the card in the register drawer and obtained it. He followed up with the New Hampshire resident, and said he had cancelled the card and filed a claim with the company. He stated he would email the credit card statement showing the fraudulent charges to the LPD, as the account access was shut off due to the fraud. The officer cut the card and placed it for shredding at this individual’s request.
Sunday, April 27, at 9:55 a.m., an Eliot Rd. resident reported she had been dealing with identity theft issues since July 2024. Recently, someone successfully applied for unemployment benefits under her name.
Excerpted from AARP January 2025: “25 Great Ways to Avoid Scams”
- Accept your vulnerability 2. Practice radical skepticism 3. Pause and Think 4. Be suspicious of secrecy 5. Set up bank alerts 6. Be informed 7. Don’t pay for anything in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or gold 8. Find a sounding board 9. Sign up for identity monitoring 10. Avoid unsolicited calls, texts, and emails 11. Freeze your Credit 12. Maximize online privacy settings 13. Think twice before clicking links in emails and text messages 14. Go straight to the source 15. Update your software 16. Only hire trusted contractors 17. Be cautious when purchasing property 8. Use a VPN 19. Disconnect from public Wi-Fi
20. Practice good password hygiene
It can never be said too many times: Never use easy-to-guess passwords such as “password” or “123456,” or use the same password for all your accounts. They should each be complex, with a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. To make your passwords as strong as they can possibly be, use a password manager that can store and create unique random passwords for each account (it’s accessed by a master password or on a phone by biometrics or PIN). Also enable multi-factor authentication where possible, so you’ll need to provide a second form of identity verification, such as a temporary code that’s sent to you by text or email.
21. Secure your router
The key to a secure home network is a secure wireless router, according to Weisman. “Your home has many things that are connected to the internet and make up the Internet of Things, such as your television. Home devices that use the Internet of Things go through your router,” he explains. “Many people fail to change their router’s default password when they get their router, making them vulnerable to an attack.” If they can access your router, hackers can access anything that’s connected to it — including your computer and any sensitive data that you have stored there. “Change the default password for your router and install a guest network on your router for the use of your Internet of Things devices so they will not be connected to your computer,” Weisman adds.
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.