The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the week leading up to May 26. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Breaking and Entering Motor Vehicles
Saturday, May 24, another busy Saturday night—new neighborhoods. Multiple Lexington residents found their vehicles had been entered, searched, and emptied of valuables. These are crimes of opportunity, so take precautions: Before you LOCK your vehicle, REMOVE all valuables.
Arrest: Motor Vehicle Stop
Monday, May 19, at approximately 10:30 p.m., while on patrol, an officer observed two vehicles that had been in a crash on Waltham Street. The Shell gas station is a private lot accessible to the public without restriction. While initiating an information exchange after the crash, a CJIS inquiry of the Roxbury driver returned an expired license. He stated he knew his license was “inactive,” and he was in the area for DoorDash deliveries using a rented vehicle. The CJIS inquiry also returned a history of drug offenses in Waltham District Court for possession to distribute class D substances. Given this history, the officer obtained consent to search the vehicle, and nothing was found. The officer issued a uniform citation for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and took the man into custody. With permission, the vehicle was left on the premises at Waltham St. until a licensed operator could pick it up.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, May 20, at 6:40 p.m., a lieutenant assisted the public at a Dismantling Racism event.
Wednesday, May 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., several officers and staff members assisted and supported the LABBB Collaborative Special Olympics School Day Games. A detective also attended this annual event.
Wednesday, May 21, at 6:45 p.m., Detective Chaisson assisted with lifeguard orientation at the town pool. He reviewed emergency protocol and answered questions regarding situations that might occur.
Friday, May 23, at 1:40 p.m., an officer assisted with an evacuation drill at Diamond Middle School.
K-9 Community Engagement
Monday, May 19, at 11:30 a.m., School Resource Officer Hankins and K9 Watson attended a book reading at Belmont Day School. A ninth-grade student created a book based on Maisey and Watson and their roles at Community Resource Dogs.
Wednesday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m., School Resource Officers Hankins and Sullivan, as well as K9 Maisey and Watson, attended the annual Special Olympics hosted at Lexington High School.
Thursday, May 22, at 10:45 a.m., School Resource Officers Hankins and Sullivan, as well as K9 Maisey and Watson, visited Clarke Middle School. During their visit, they met with staff and students interacted with K9s and asked questions regarding their daily duties.
Monday, May 26, at 5:30 p.m., in response to a request from a Lexington Little League baseball coach, Detective Sullivan took K9 Maisie to Lincoln Field to interact with the players. Trading cards were handed out, and Officer Kenney joined Detective Sullivan and interacted with the players.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During this past week, officers made four visits to elementary schools, one visit to a middle school, and two visits 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, May 21, at 7:05 p.m., a Ballard Terrace resident reported someone taking photographs that morning. Camera footage showed a man flying a drone around the neighborhood, claiming to be a real estate agent as he took photos of houses. With further investigation, he was identified as a photographer contracted by Caldwell Bank to take pictures of a house that was for sale. Neighbors were advised.
Wednesday, May 21, at 8:20 p.m., a Reed Street resident reported his Ring camera showed an individual trespassing on his property and taking photographs of his backyard and his neighbor’s property at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m., an individual reported a red Chevy van driving slowly through his neighborhood near Turning Mill and Robinson Roads. Due to the recent break-ins, this resident wanted to alert the police. The responding officer checked the area, but did not locate the vehicle.
Monday, May 26, at 4:10 a.m., a Turning Mill Road resident reported two individuals looking around his minivan. They were in a dark SUV. The car turned around and pulled up behind his car, and he found that odd. It was an Uber driver taking neighbors to the airport, and all was in order.
Disturbance
Friday, May 23, at 9:20 p.m., a caller reported taking her daughter to a house party on Clematis Road. She witnessed many juveniles walking toward the house, and she reported her daughter’s texts indicated there would be underage drinking and over 100 people attending. Responding officers peacefully ended the party and spoke with the adult at the address. A summons will follow.
Town Bylaws – Leaf Blower Infractions
During this past week, five 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. If necessary, remind your employees to follow Lexington’s Bylaws.
Animal Control and Complaints
Tuesday, May 20, at 4:35 p.m., an individual reported she was at Diamond Middle School when a small black dog came out of Willard’s Woods by itself. The dog had a collar, but no tags. The responding officer reported the dog had been reunited with its owner.
Tuesday, May 20, at 8:55 p.m., a Sylvia Road resident reported that she had camera footage of her neighbors repeatedly allowing their dogs to walk on her property and “defecate.” She is asking the Animal Control Officer (ACO) to speak to her neighbors regarding controlling the dogs.
Saturday, May 24, at 4:45 p.m., a dog was found on Shade Street and brought to the station. The individual who adopted the dog earlier that day had not licensed her dog yet. The dog was picked up at the station.
Monday, May 26, at 7:20 p.m., a Pleasant Street resident reported that while at Willard’s Woods, she was scratched and her dog was bitten by another dog. The ACO will follow up.
Larceny
Monday, May 19, at 11:45 a.m., a Birch Hill Lane resident reported she hired someone from Malden through an appliance repair website to fix her washing machine. He required $235 up front to get the new motor for the washer. She wrote a check on April 21, and he never completed the job. She had to buy a new washing machine, and he no longer needed the repairs. The website no longer existed, and she was unable to recoup her money.
Wednesday, May 21, at 9:55 a.m., a Massachusetts Avenue resident reported her Jeep Cherokee had been stolen from the driveway overnight. A query for registration revealed recent queries by Boston Police Department (BPD). The BPD advised the vehicle had been towed from Dorchester for a parking violation. It is unknown whether the car was locked or where the keys were located, as the reporting party stated a set of keys was missing.
Wednesday, May 21, at 11:10 a.m., a Manor Terrace resident reported his vehicle had been broken into. He stated the vehicle was unlocked and parked in the shared lot outside of his apartment building. His wallet was stolen from the vehicle.
Thursday, May 22, at 10:05 a.m., a Marrett Road resident reported that someone had fraudulently cashed a check for $2,372.16 for repairs to a lake house that hadn’t taken place.
Saturday, May 24, at 10:38 a.m., a Grassland Street resident reported two vehicles had been stolen from his driveway during the night. The keys were not in the vehicles. One was recovered by the Revere PD in an alley in Revere, and Mal’s towed the vehicle to LPD for processing. Malden PD recovered the second vehicle.
Fraud
Thursday, May 22, at 4 p.m., a Howard Munroe Place resident reported an unknown party attempted to cash a fraudulent business check that looked similar to his. This occurred in Virginia on an unknown date. The check was for $13,678.23. He did not recognize the name and had not written the check for that amount, though the signature and business information were correct. The bank declined the check, and there had been no monetary loss.
Friday, May 23, at 2:50 p.m., a Valley Avenue resident reported an unknown party used his identity to attempt to withdraw money from various Eastern Bank locations. At this time, there was no monetary loss.
Sunday, May 25, at 10:05 a.m., a Wingate Road resident reported fraud regarding his father. He was seeking assistance with preventing his elderly father from paying a significant amount of money in a fraudulent scheme.
Sunday, May 25, at 2 p.m., a Luongo Farm Lane resident reported people had come to his door asking if his residence was a hotel. They had booked a stay there. According to Booking.com, his residence was listed as a hotel. He was advised to have it removed from their files. This resident requested a cruiser check, and there had been no monetary loss.
Monday, May 26, at 3:10 p.m., a Ralph Road resident reported receiving an email from the Federal Trade Commission stating he won $5,500,000 from Publishers Clearing House. He was told to send $435 in gift cards to secure this payment. He purchased Amazon gift cards, then he phoned “George Baker” and provided the numbers on the back of the cards. Since that time, scammers have asked this resident to send an additional $1,499 to compensate the driver of the vehicle that was coming to give him $5,500,000 the next day. As of this report, the initial $435 had not been withdrawn from his account. The responding officer called the cell number provided. When a male identifying himself as George Baker answered, the officer identified himself as a police officer and the call was disconnected. This resident’s wife has been advised not to allow any purchases of gift cards and will contact Amazon to freeze the card payment.
Excerpted from AARP’s Seven Tactics Criminals Use To Perpetrate Scams Against You
“Scammers have learned how to manipulate people’s emotions and take advantage of their trust in others. Many people believe they are too smart to become victims of a scam. But they miss the point: Scammers mostly bypass your intellect and rely on sophisticated psychological and emotional manipulations to get you to say yes. “You don’t have to be a fool to be fooled,” says Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. “These people are using tactics and strategies that all of us are susceptible to.” Specifically, he explains, they weaponize human instincts such as fear, love and trust. Here are some of their techniques.”
1. They establish camaraderie
Why it works: Scammers will parrot back the target’s religion, political affiliation, military background or life situation to get the victim to feel “he’s just like me,” Cialdini says. “Then we tend to lower our defenses and are much more likely to follow their lead.”
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.