The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the weeks leading up to January 12. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Simple Assault
Friday, January 9 at 1:50 p.m., a nurse from Care One on Lowell St. reported an assault between roommates. One individual threw a notebook at another and hit him in the head. They were separated. Responding officers spoke to all individuals involved. The nurse managed the situation and made the necessary notifications.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, January 6 at 4:55 p.m., Sergeant Del Anno reported completing a ride-along with an individual from CPSM to show him around town and discuss the “inner workings” of being a police officer in Lexington.
Thursday, January 8 at 8:30 a.m., Detective Sullivan greeted students during morning drop-off at Diamond Middle School.
Disturbance
Saturday, January 10 at 8:10 p.m., officers responded to a call reporting a client at a group home on Walnut St. was out of control and fighting with staff members. The caller reported someone bleeding from the head. Officers reported a resident had gotten into an altercation with staff and was injured in a struggle over a fire extinguisher. The individual was transported to Newton Wellesley Hospital by the fire department.
Animal Control and Complaints
Thursday, January 8 at 4:20 p.m., an Outlook Drive resident came into the station to report a cat on her front porch. She did not know to whom it belonged. An officer advised the resident to return home and an officer would respond. The responding officer advised the resident regarding options. She contacted the MSPCA for assistance. Prior to the MSPCA returning a call, the cat had left the porch and could not be located.
Friday, January 9 at 8:50 a.m., a trash truck driver near Oxbow and Revolutionary Rds. tried to assist a deer that had a cone stuck to its leg. The responding officer checked the area but was unable to locate the driver or the deer.
Saturday, January 10 at 1:10 p.m., an officer accompanied the Animal Control Officer to a Main Campus Drive address where they planned to remove several cats. They were unable to retrieve the cats at the time, so food and water were left for them. The ACO will follow up with the MSPCA.
Sunday, January 11 at 5:30 p.m., an individual near Winchester Dr. and Russell Rd. reported a deer struggling in the middle of the road. The responding officer reported the deer was located in front of Berkshire Dr., where a Winchester officer had arrived on scene and was going to look for a rehabilitator for the deer. No assistance with traffic was needed, and all was in order when LPD left the scene.
Burglary and Attempted B&E
Monday, January 5 at 8:25 a.m., a Grove St. resident came to the station to report her house had been broken into. She was advised to return home, and an officer would meet her there. The responding officer spoke with the resident, who believed the break-in occurred sometime during the last three weeks. Entry into the house was made through a side door to the garage. Cash and jewelry were taken.
On Thursday, January 8, at 6:20 p.m., the owner of the Paul Mammola Salon on Mass Ave. stated there had been damage to the back door of the business on three separate occasions. He believed someone had been trying to break in without success. There were chips of paint on the carpet and damage to the door handle. The responding officer saw evidence of someone attempting to break in, and a detective responded to the scene to process it.
Fraud
Wednesday, January 7 at 5:20 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported an attempted scam. An Officer spoke with the individual who received an email stating a fraudulent $623 charge to her bank account. She called the number provided and spoke to an individual, who stated they had opened a new bank account for her and requested she send $15,000 to them to deposit into the new account. She realized it was an attempted scam and did not send money. An officer advised her to ignore any emails from any unknown addresses and to ignore further attempted contact from this individual. Santander Bank provided a new account to avoid potential withdrawals.
Friday, January 9 at 9:40 p.m., a Diamond Rd. resident reported she had received a call from someone claiming to be from the Boston Police Department. She was informed that they were investigating a series of crimes where her phone number had been used. Responding officers spoke with her, and she stated that she had been told someone had used her number and her identity had been compromised. This individual attempted to transfer her to another person, where she would have to give more information. This resident hung up then and has not had further contact. She did not provide any personal or banking information. There was no monetary loss, and she was advised to contact the credit bureaus.
Excerpted from: AARP: 15 Ways to Protect Yourself From Fraud
Learn how to avoid scams and lower your risk of money loss and identity theft. By Amy Nofziger and Mark Fetterhoff Updated March 27, 2025
1. Stop mail fraud at the mailbox
2. Halt scammers at your front door
3. Prevent garbage theft
4. Watch for credit card skimming
5. Monitor your credit reports
6. Safeguard your wallet
7. Protect your financial accounts
Create online accounts with each of your financial institutions. Come up with a unique password for each, and every few months, revise the passwords. (Your best bet is to use a passphrase: Ilovemy17dogz! is much stronger than Scruffy23. Keep track of passwords in a highly secure password manager or by writing them down and storing them safely.) But you should not rely solely on passwords. Many financial institutions will allow you to use a one-time passcode sent to your phone as an extra layer of security.
Then get in the habit of reviewing the transaction lists on a weekly or biweekly basis. Be sure you can account for every listed transaction. Spot something odd or incorrect? Immediately report it.
8. Safeguard your smartphone
If you have a newer model, turn on biometric identification (fingerprint or facial recognition); this will help prevent a thief from logging in to your phone.
Send calls from unknown numbers to voicemail (you can enable this in the phone’s settings). Make sure your voicemail is set up and not full, so you can receive legitimate messages.
Scammers are sending far more bogus texts, often posing as companies you routinely deal with. Never respond to an unsolicited business text; if you think it might be valid, call the organization or go online. Also, make sure you are signed out of any financial apps on your phone — credit cards, financial institutions and peer-to-peer apps such as Venmo, CashApp or Zelle — when you aren’t using them.
*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.