Belmont Police Log, Aug. 8-18: Town tree falls on Watson Rd property, salon customer refuses to leave, bicycle theft, car break-in . . .

Public safety alert

Belmont Police remind residents to lock all window, including second floor windows, at night. There was recently an attempted break-in to a home through a second floor window.

Residents are also reminded not to call phone numbers texted to your phone that appear to be from your bank or credit card number and do not give personal information over the phone or via text. Always call the phone number on the back of your credit card or go to a local bank branch.

The following are excerpts from the Belmont Police log as made available by the Belmont Police Department. The log is public and available for review. All persons are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. 

Tuesday, Aug. 8

4:40 p.m.: A Chandler Street resident reported possible stolen mail. Her Blink camera indicated someone was at her front door at 11:55 a.m. It was an unknown woman who appeared to be taking something from her mailbox. She was not home at the time and has not been home to check her mailbox. She wanted the incident documented in case it happens again. The video shows a Hispanic woman with a piece of mail in her hand. It then sounds like she puts it inside the mailbox.

8:37 p.m.: A town tree fell onto the sidewalk and a homeowner’s fence on Watson Road. The homeowner said only one panel of the fence was damaged by the fallen tree. He said he was planning to speak with the tree warden about concern for the tree falling. Public Works removed the tree.

Wednesday, Aug. 9

3:03 p.m.: A Boston woman who was a customer of a hair salon on Brighton Street reported she was thrown out. When she arrived for an appointment, she made online, she told the hair dresser what she wanted done with her hair. When she booked the appointment online, she gave a $150 deposit and signed a contract. The hair dresser said she was not able to complete what she desired in the time allotted. The customer said when she made the appointment, she listed what she wanted done. She was told she would not get the deposit back because she signed the contract. She said she would remain in the chair for the allotted time since she did not get her money back. The hair dresser demanded she leave. She refused and eventually the hair dresser threw some of her bags out of the salon. She then grabbed her laptop from her which caused the chair to tip over and her to fall to the ground. Officers spoke to the salon owner who confirmed the customer made a deposit and they are non-refundable which is stated in the contract. The work the customer was looking for was impossible for the time she booked. The hairdresser offered to provide as much work as she could for the one hour that was booked but the client refused and proceeded to stay in the chair. She has never had anything like this happen to her before. She said she did not get physical with the customer. She advised the customer that she was trespassing and removed the bags from the shop. When she walked back over, the customer grabbed her apron and she attempted to release the customer’s grip which is when the customer stumbled and fell. The salon owner insisted none of this had to happen and advised the customer to contact her bank about getting her deposit back. The customer said she would work with the bank to retrieve her money. Officers advised the salon owner if an incident like this happens again to call the police immediately

5:27 p.m.: A Channing Road resident reported a German Shepherd is frequently seen off leash on the front lawn of its home and walked off leash by the owners. Multiple residents have concerns because they have encountered aggressive behavior and hear the dog barking at night for long periods of time. While speaking to the reporting party, another resident said they have seen the owner walk the dog on the train tracks abutting homes on Channing Road. Officers have received several complaints about this dog and owner over the past several months but residents wish to remain anonymous to avoid conflict. Officers said they would file the report.

8:10 p.m.: There is an ongoing dispute with tenants in a multi-family home in Belmont. The downstairs tenant said the upstairs neighbors regularly smoke marijuana. She has asked them not to smoke because it affects her asthma. She complained to the landlord who terminated the upstairs tenant’s lease at the end of the month. She showed officers a video from her surveillance camera at a residence of a male returning home, looking into the camera, swearing about “no fire.” She believes the landlord misunderstood her complaint regarding the tenant, thinking there was a fire. She was advised not to interact with the other tenants until they move out.

Thursday, Aug. 10

3:21 p.m.: A Hillside Terrace resident reported fraud. She was recently laid off on Aug. 9. She attempted to file for unemployment the same day and learned someone already filed for unemployment using her name and that the individual who filed was denied. She notified her former employer, the credit bureau and state unemployment website and made an appeal with the unemployment office.

7:47 p.m.: A Chester Road resident reported identity fraud. Last week he noticed about five unusual purchases on his Citizens Bank card from a Target in Texas totaling $1,700. He notified the bank who flagged the charges as fraudulent and placed the money back into his account. The Target contacted him saying they are investigating the fraudulent charges and that he was a victim of identity theft. He was advised him to contact the credit bureaus, set up a fraud alert and get new accounts with Citizens Bank.

Friday Aug. 11

5:22 p.m.: An Acorn Park Drive resident reported bicycle theft from the underground parking garage. The cable lock securing the bicycle was cut open. It was a Trek Checkpoint SLR, red, valued at $2,499.

11:30 p.m.: Collision reported in the area of 121 Clifton St. involving a 2018 Toyota operated by a California man. The car crashed through a fence and into a tree on the front yard of  a Clifton Street residence. It appeared to jump the curb, crash through the fence and come to rest by a tree. All airbags were deployed and there was major front end damage. The operator was bleeding in his facial area and complaining of pain in his torso. He didn’t remember what happened but thinks he was trying to avoid something in the roadway. He was transported to Lahey by Belmont Fire and Rescue. There was significant damage to the fence and yard and moderate damage to the tree. The homeowner was informed a police report would be on file. The vehicle was towed from the scene. 

Saturday, Aug. 12

1:55 p.m.: A Waverley Street resident reported a suspicious event they witnessed on their doorbell camera. The resident showed the officer two separate videos from the camera which occurred between 1:50 a.m. and 4:30 a.m the day before. The first video at 1:50 a.m. shows a female wearing a dark jacket with a light shirt under it, carrying a handbag or purse, climbing over the hand railing onto the porch of their home. Later, during the night, a second video shows a male or female standing and talking in front of the residence. The male is wearing a short sleeve shirt with a square design on the front and shorts. The female is wearing a shirt and light pants and is carrying a handbag. She does not appear to be the same female in the first video. They are out of frame but heard talking and making noise. Then, it appears the female is sitting on the shoulders of the male possibly trying to gain access to the second floor window of the residence. They stumbled on the porch for about five minutes before leaving. The video has been given to the police. The residents were advised to call the police if there are any other similar incidents.

7:37 p.m.:  Neighbor dispute reported on Maple Street. A resident said he recently installed video surveillance cameras on his property, specifically aimed where he has a dumpster for the ongoing renovations of his property. The cameras have an audible alert that says, “You are being recorded.” Recently he has been noticing people dumping trash into his dumpster illegally. He was hoping the cameras would deter the illegal dumping. He received a note left by the garage door under the camera that says, “It’s aggressive and you are making the neighborhood hostile. Why not come by and say, ‘hi.’” Officers were able to determine which neighbor left the note and spoke to her. She said she thinks the cameras are aggressive for this neighborhood. She was told the reporting party does not want her on her property. She agreed she would no longer step foot on the property. 

Sunday, Aug. 13

12:56 a.m.: An Acorn Park Drive resident reported bicycle theft. The bicycle was missing from the secure bike area in the garage. Two weeks ago, his bike and his wife’s bike were inside the facility and locked together. However, today, they found the locks were cut and the wife’s MASI 10-speed silver and black bike was missing. It is valued at $5,000.

9:03 p.m.: A Channing Road resident reported suspicious activity. He came home at 4 p.m. today. Everything appeared normal. He took a shower at 8 p.m. and when he was finished, he still heard running water. He then discovered his garden hose was on and aimed toward his basement window. He is unsure how it happened and wanted the incident documented.

Monday, Aug. 14

4:10 a.m.: Collision reported in the area of Frontage Road by Radcliffe Road. A 2013 Acura operated by a Somerville man may have hit a deer. The vehicle was up against a wall on Frontage Road. The driver appeared confused but was conscious. He did not have shoes on, blood was coming from his nose and he had a large bump and cut on his forehead. Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded. He said he saw a deer run across the highway while driving on Route 2 but couldn’t remember what happened after that. He is unsure how his vehicle got to where it was. There was damage to the Route 2 median and skid marks across three lanes, over the grass median, leading to Frontage Road and into the wall. He could not remember if he had his seatbelt on. He was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital by Belmont Fire and Rescue.

4:47 p.m.: A Belmont Street resident reported a motor vehicle break-in. A bag of $10 worth of quarters was taken from the center console of her 2023 Hyundai. Her apartment key is also missing. She sometimes forgets to lock her car door. She was advised to change her apartment locks for safety since she is unsure if the key was taken.

6:06 p.m.: A Wakefield resident reported potential vandalism to her 2023 Audi. At approximately 10:58 a.m., she pulled into the parking lot of 363 Pleasant St., Pleasant Street Dental. As she pulled into the lot, a large white utility van was parked in the middle of the driveway, blocking the parking spots. She asked the driver if he could move his vehicle so she could park. He asked if she could wait. She said she needed to park. He yelled at her and drove away. When she returned home, she noticed scratch marks on the bottom of her driver’s side door which appear to have been made intentionally. She did not get the license plate of the utility vehicle but describes the driver as potentially Middleastern, 5-foot-7-inches with black hair and a beard.

Tuesday, Aug. 15

1:27 p.m.: A Birch Street resident reported a missing license plate. This morning, he noticed his front license plate was missing from his 1999 Chevy. The screws were still attached to the front of the vehicle but were loose. He suspected the license plate may have slipped off between Aug. 9 and today. He ordered a new front license plate from the Registry of Motor Vehicles and let them know his was missing.

Thursday, Aug. 17

3:02 p.m.: A Bow Road resident reported package theft. He sent his old Mobile phone to Gazelle to be refurbished and sold. It was a Samsung S20 Plus. It was mailed on July 23 via FedEx. He and Gazelle could not come to an agreement on how much the Mobile phone should be sold for. They agreed it would be returned. The package was delivered but the phone was missing. He contacted both Gazelle and FedEx who advised him to file a police report. The phone is valued at $170.

Friday, Aug. 18

7:56 a.m.: A Bradley Road resident reported fraud. On Aug. 6^th, she did not receive her unemployment payment into her account. She contacted the unemployment office to report she did not receive it. They told her it was deposited into a Bancorp account. She said she does not have a Bankcorp account. They told her the account for the unemployment payment deposit  was recently changed. She is filing a fraud report and was advised to monitor other accounts for suspicious activity. 

11:48 a.m.: A Winn Street resident reported fraud. At approximately 10:14 p.m. on Aug. 16, she received a text message from what appeared to be the Bank of America fraud department. The message read that a hold was put on her debit card. They gave her a phone number to call. The number was 866-250-6156. She called the number and heard a recorder saying it was the Bank of America fraud department. She was asked to provide her debit card number, expiration date, social security number and date of birth. She provided the information, then realized it may be fraud. She immediately disconnected and called Bank of America at the number on the back of her debit card. They confirmed the message she received was a scam They immediately froze her account and issued her a new debit card. There has been no unusual activity on her account. She was advised to monitor her accounts and notify her other institutions and social security administration.

Between Aug. 8 and Aug. 17, Belmont Police responded to four domestic and one mental health call.

Arrests

A 55-year-old Cambridge man was arrested at 4:19 p.m. on Aug. 10 for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, subsequent offence and driving an unregistered motor vehicle and warrants for two counts of larceny under $1,200 and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

A  man was arrested at 11:38 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 on two warrants, one for charges of assault and the other for domestic assault and battery. 

A Belmont man was arrested for OUI liquor, third offense at 6:04 p.m. on Aug. 13, drinking alcohol from an open container, speeding and an unregistered motor vehicle.