The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to August 5. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Community Alert
“The Lexington Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in relation to two reported incidents of assault and battery that occurred on Sunday, July 27, and Monday, July 28, between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Both incidents took place on the Minuteman Bike Path in the vicinity of the Great Meadows area near the Lexington/Arlington town line. In each case, a male individual exhibiting erratic behavior approached and attempted to grab two teenage victims before fleeing the area as other path users approached. The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 30 to 40 years of age, around 6 feet tall, with a lanky, thin build. At the time of the incidents, he was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, blue shorts, no shoes or socks, and a respirator-style mask.”
Suspicious Activity
Monday, July 28, at 1:45 a.m., a Conestoga Road resident reported a suspicious vehicle, with its high beams and hazard lights on, parked in his driveway. He had seen the vehicle before. The responding officer reported units checked the area coming in different directions from Wood Street.
Thursday, July 31, at 8:40 p.m., a Lexington Ridge Drive resident reported a minivan with one of its doors open for most of the day located in the parking lot. The responding officer reported the vehicle was parked with the door open, but nothing seemed out of order.
Thursday, July 31, at 9:40 p.m., a Taft Avenue resident reported an individual trying to get into their neighbor’s storage container located in their driveway. A red minivan drove away from the scene. The responding officer reported a padlock on the storage bin, but it had been opened. There was also an unlocked shed, but nothing seemed out of order and valuables were still inside. Responding officers checked the perimeter of the home and found an open sliding door in the back. An interior check was completed, and everything was in order. Officers were unable to secure the back sliding door, so they left a voicemail for the homeowner regarding the situation.
Sunday, August 3, at 8:20 a.m., a Frost Road resident reported a vehicle parked on the road for two days. The white minivan had paper Montana registration tags belonging to a Wood St. resident. The vehicle had broken down, and it was legally parked. There was a plastic bin next to the vehicle containing debris, and a bank card that belonged to an individual traveling with the vehicle’s owner. Officers retrieved the card and brought it to the station, then contacted the owner.
Noise Complaints and Town Bylaws
Saturday, August 2, at 5:30 p.m., a Bow Street resident reported a construction crew working after hours. The responding officer advised the crew from Salazar Construction of the town’s bylaw.
Leaf Blower Infractions – During this past week, three reports regarding the 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. If necessary, remind your employees to follow Lexington’s Bylaws.
Animal Control and Complaints
Three cheers for healthy, safe pets in our community. Thank you for following Lexington’s Leash Laws.
Saturday, August 2, at 4:40 p.m., a caller from Wilson’s Farm parking lot reported a vehicle with a dog locked inside. The vehicle was registered to an Arlington resident. Upon arrival, the responding officer was informed the vehicle was gone.
Larceny
Wednesday, July 30, at 11:15 a.m., Bryant Road resident reported a watch had been stolen from his home. The Rolex Submariner, valued at approximately $20,000, was missing after movers were in his residence on July 29. The responding officer reported that Five Star Movers in Newton had moved the belongings and were the only people in the house before the incident. The watch was last seen in a glass jar filled with change.
Wednesday, July 30, at 4:40 p.m., a Lexington Ridge Drive resident called 911 to report her gray Honda Pilot had been stolen from a parking lot. A person of interest was identified as a male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a muscular build, short Afro haircut, wearing a black t-shirt. This information was broadcast over an area-wide BOLO (“Be On the Lookout”) and entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a stolen vehicle. There was no security footage from Lexington Ridge. Attleboro PD called at 8:45 p.m. on August 1 to report they had located the vehicle in Attleboro.
Thursday, July 31, at 10:05 a.m., a Sherburne Rd. resident reported a bicycle stolen from her garage. The bike—a men’s track road bike, 27 speed, silver, estimated value is $800— had been used Tuesday night. Her husband noticed the bike was missing from the garage on Wednesday. The garage door had been open.
Fraud
Tuesday, July 29, at 4:15 p.m., a Douglas Road resident reported that a check fraud occurred on July 16. The $1,000 check, written to a Derry, NH address by his company, Sparrow Custom Builders, was mailed from a Watertown post office mailbox. An individual intercepted the check and cashed it at Citizens Bank for $9,900.04. Cambridge Savings Bank is investigating the fraud.
Wednesday, July 30, at 10:20 a.m., a Deering Ave resident received a text message in May asking her to invest money as a part-time job from her home. She clicked on the link provided and began a conversation with Monica, the individual claiming to work for Toptal on WhatsApp. She was directed to download Crypto.com Exchange and told to wire $20,000 from her Bank of America checking account to two accounts provided. Once she transferred the funds, she was told she could only receive the funds back if she provided another $31,000. She realized it was a scam and stopped. She was advised to report the incident to Bank of America, and to file reports with the Federal Trade Commission and the SSA—she believed she gave out the last four digits of her Social Security number. She was advised to monitor her credit and to cease all communication with Monica.
Wednesday, July 30, at 4:15 p.m., a Pleasant Street resident reported she received a bill from Verizon for a cell phone. She stated she does not have a Verizon account for phone service and does not own an iPhone. She called Verizon to dispute the charge, and Verizon advised her to report the incident to the police before they could do any investigation. There is no monetary loss at this time.
Saturday, August 2, at 11:20 a.m., a Loring Road resident reported her husband opened an American Express card using her name and Social Security number. He is currently incarcerated in federal custody, and $10,350 has been charged.
July Stats
Assisting Fire Department: 103
Animal Control: 14
Community Relations: 7
Cruiser Check: House-37, Business-290, Person-47, General-168 = Total: 542
Directed Traffic: 195
Directed PLW: 25
Fraud: 9
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.
It would be interesting to know, in the case of the check fraud above, if there was information available as to where the check was intercepted, and if the Watertown post office mailbox was somehow vulnerable to interception. Since I first read about check washing (in the Lexington Observer–thank you!) I’ve been very careful not to mail checks from vulnerable mailboxes. The mailboxes I have used to send checks since I first read about check washing have openings for mail deposits which are too narrow for anyone to even get their fingers inside. And whenever possible, I make payments by credit card.