The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to September 1. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Assault With a Dangerous Weapon
Thursday, August 28, at 11:50 a.m., a security officer from Lahey Medical Center on Hayden Avenue requested a police response. He reported that a woman came into the lobby and said a man had tried to run her over in the parking lot. Lexington PD put out a BOLO to the surrounding areas. The suspect’s last known address was Woburn. The police department called back to report the suspect had just walked into their lobby and was placed under arrest.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, August 26, at 11 a.m., Captain Barry met with Barbara Katzenberg, who represented the noise committee, for a quarterly review of noise-related calls that required Police Department response.
Community Engagement: School Visits – Elementary (12), Middle (1), High (2). Officers spent time at school entrances for visibility, interaction with school staff and teachers and community engagement with parents.
Suspicious Activity
Monday, August 25, at 11:20 p.m., a call came in from a resident near Charles Street and Taft Avenue regarding a group of youths in a dark SUV. They had taken something from the electric pole on the corner of Charles and Taft. The responding officer checked the area, and all appeared in order.
Wednesday, August 27, at 9:45 p.m., an Allen Street resident reported someone ringing her doorbell and knocking on her door three times before leaving. They came back and started knocking again. Responding officers checked the area and spoke to neighbors, but nobody saw or heard anything out of the ordinary. She was advised to lock her doors and, if it were to happen again, to call back.
Thursday, August 28, at 6:45 p.m., a Massachusetts Avenue resident called to report a strange man rang her doorbell, then ran into the bushes. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, and his hair was braided. He appeared to be “scoping out the house” and rang the doorbell to see if someone would answer while he hid in the bushes. He ran off down Mass Ave. The responding officer was unable to locate anyone resembling the description. Later, the reporting party said her neighbor on Curve Street had the man on her Ring camera. Video footage showed the man ringing the bell and knocking on the door, then waiting at the bottom of the steps. The caller requested cruiser checks.
Sunday, August 31, at 12:40 p.m., a call came in from the Community Day School on Mass Ave. A man parked his vehicle in the lot and began looking around and into windows. He hopped the wall and entered a house on Mass Ave. via a sliding door. The caller thought this was suspicious. PD checked the vehicle registration, and the homeowner verified it was his grandson.
Disturbance and Noise Complaints
Monday, August 25, at 5:40 p.m., a call came in from the town pool regarding a group of juveniles riding their bikes on the track and coming close to crashing into people. The responding officer reported there were no juveniles on bikes or scooters upon his arrival. The reporting party stated this is an everyday occurrence and requested cruiser checks for the area.
Wednesday, August 27, at 1:20 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident called 911 to report a disturbance. His sister-in-law was cursing him while he was removing his property from the apartment. The responding officer spoke with him, and he had friends assisting him as he loaded items into a U-Haul. He explained he was moving his property out of the apartment based on modifications granted in a 209A filed against him by his wife. Dispatch verified there was a court order that allowed him to be on the premises for the purpose of moving his personal items. He told officers his wife was cursing him and disrupting his attempts to remove his property. Responding officers spoke with her, and she stated she was not disrupting anything, but wanted him to remove all of his property from the garage as well. Both parties were advised of the stipulations of the court order. He agreed to move his property and leave by 2 p.m. as per the court order. There was no further incident.
Monday, August 25, at 10:40 p.m., a caller reported loud music coming from the reservoir or Bridge Elementary School and some sort of flashing lights. The responding officer located a small gathering and advised them to leave the area.
Saturday, August 30, at 11:15 p.m., a Lillian Road resident reported loud music coming from his neighbor’s backyard. The responding officer spoke with the homeowners, and they agreed to lower the music volume.
Sunday, August 31, at 6:15 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident stated there were two very loud adults in the lawn area. The responding officer spoke with the individuals who were concerned because they found some cameras in the trees by the common area near the playground. This resident had spoken to the facilities manager, and he reported that they were not supposed to be there. He agreed to calm down.
Town Bylaws
Leaf Blower Infractions (455) – During this past week, seven 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.
Saturday, August 30, at 7:55 a.m., a complaint came in regarding a work crew on Bedford Street starting before 9 a.m. on a weekend (451). DCL builders were advised of the 9 a.m. start time for Saturdays.
Animal Control and Complaints
Tuesday, August 26, at 10:50 p.m., an Adams Street resident reported an animal up in a tree, possibly in distress. The responding officer reported it had probably been a family of raccoons just “making a lot of noise.”
Wednesday, August 27, at 7 a.m., a motorist reported an injured deer appeared to have been struck by a vehicle near Marrett Road and Old Mass Ave. The responding officer checked the area, but was unable to locate the animal.
Sunday, August 31, at 11:27 a.m., a Blossomcrest Road resident asked that someone speak to his neighbor regarding her dog. It wanders the neighborhood off-leash, enters neighbors’ yards and barks at people. He has reached out to the Animal Control Officer and attempted to speak with the owner himself, but with no results. The responding officer was able to corral the dog and return it to its owner. They have been advised to keep it on a leash or secured in the yard. The reporting party had been trying to contact the ACO since May, but with no results. The responding officer will reach out to the ACO.
Sunday, August 31, at 2:50 p.m., a caller reported a black lab and a white husky loose by themselves on Worthen Road. The responding officer checked the area, and the dogs appeared to have left. Later, the caller reported the dogs were brought back to their owners and were inside a fence.
Larceny and Burglary
Wednesday, August 27, at 6:25 p.m., a Mass Ave. resident reported his bike was taken from the parking lot of the Minute Man National Park at the corner of Wood Street and Old Mass Ave. He reported he arrived at the lot to go for a run at 4:15 p.m. When he returned at 5:20 p.m., his unlocked bike had been stolen.
Wednesday, August 27, at 7:40 p.m., a report came in indicating that a basement door was not secure at Crafty Yankee. The responding officer reported that a detective processed the scene. A representative of Crafty Yankee arrived on scene and stated the basement door is always closed and locked, as she is unable to set the alarm unless all are secure. She stated they checked every door and every window before setting the alarm and leaving for the day. There was no forced entry, and everything appeared in order.
Fraud
Tuesday, August 26, at 11:50 a.m., a Thoreau Road resident reported an attempt at check washing fraud from her Bank of America (BOA) account. The bank caught the $9,400 fraudulent activity, and there was no monetary loss. BOA instructed her to report the incident.
Tuesday, August 26, at 5:10 p.m., a Greenwood Street resident stated her check was forged for $7,521.75. She stated the check with the specific number in question was at her residence and was confused about how the check was cashed for that amount. She was advised to contact the bank and change the account numbers, and she has done so.
Wednesday, August 27, at 12:10 p.m., a Marrett Rd. resident reported identity fraud. He stated someone had used his information to obtain two education loans and a grant totaling $2,121. He contacted Central Research Inc., and they stated the individual received the loan and he was responsible for the funds until they could complete their investigation, which included requiring a police report.
Friday, August 29, at 10:55 a.m., a Follen Road resident reported he had been scammed into giving his passport number to an individual during a Zoom call pretending to be a police officer in China. There was no monetary loss.
Friday, August 29, at 3:05 p.m., a Fletcher Avenue resident reported an attempted wire transaction from her Fidelity account and a Liberty Mutual scam. There has been no monetary loss at this time.
Friday, August 29, at 7:10 p.m., a Grassland Street resident reported he sent $625 via Zelle to an individual on Facebook (FB) to transfer that money to family members in Russia. The FB name was in Russian, and the reporting party was not able to contact him once the money had been sent.
August Call Stats
Assisting Fire Department- 113
Animal Control- 19
Community Relations- 23
Cruiser Check: House- 31, Business- 319, Person- 30, General- 193 = Total: 573
Directed Traffic- 218
Directed PLW- 10
Fraud- 15
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.