Belmont Police Log, April 21-24: Tenant disputes, identity fraud, suspicious business, shoplifting at Star Market and more

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. 

Monday, April 21

8:30 a.m.: Tenant dispute. One tenant claims the other tenant damaged a wrought iron small round table was damaged in the rear yard. A leg was disconnected, and a screw was missing. The other tenant claims her flowers were ripped out of the yard. The tenant complaining about the damaged table said the landlord has been notified and advised her she needs to document her complaints. The tenant complaining about the flowers said there have been times when the other tenant blocks the shared driveway with her car and has thrown shoes at her and shutting emergency switch to boiler resulting in loss of heat. Both parties said they would attempt to keep to themselves and contact the police if they need assistance in the future.

12:34 p.m.: A Belmont woman going through a divorce discovered her husband’s firearm in the safe and asked the police to remove it. The husband no longer lives in the home, and she does not want the firearm there. The police unloaded the firearm, collected the excess ammunition and placed and secured it in the police department ammunition room.

Tuesday, April 22

12:41 p.m.: A 2011 BMW operated by a Lexington man crashed into two bright yellow concrete bollards positioned to protect pedestrians utilizing the crosswalk at the intersection of Leonard Street and Concord Avenue. The vehicle had significant front-end damage and air bag deployment. The driver was injured but refused medical treatment. He was issued a warning for “change, made unsafely.”

3:05 p.m.: Belmont Manor Nursing Home reported threats. A social worker and nurse said they heard a wife make verbal threats to a patient over the telephone that she is “so made, she could come down with a machine gun.” The patient’s wife has had an active “no trespass” order since Nov. 25, 2024. An officer called the patient’s wife and asked her if she made any threats while speaking to her husband. She became agitated, saying she never has privacy while speaking to him. The officer asked if she threatened to come to Belmont Manor with a machine gun. She said she does not own or have a gun and hung up the phone.

5:52 p.m.: A Thayer Road resident reported a missing/stolen trash barrel. The resident said he left the trash barrel in front of his house in the morning. It was moved across the street by construction workers working on the road. The trash barrel was gone by 2 p.m.

Wednesday, April 23

7:53 a.m.: Dispute between neighbors. One neighbor said someone has been throwing broken glass, batteries and bananas in her yard and suspects it is her neighbor who has also called her a “whore” in Chinese when she walks out in her yard. She no longer allows her children to go outside alone anymore because she fears what her neighbor will do or say to them. She brings a knife to protect her when she goes outside with her children. She will be installing cameras. The neighbor has had similar incidents with other neighbors on the street He denied any wrongdoing. He would not listen to the police officer and kept bringing up past issues. He was advised to stop throwing things in her yard and to stay away from his neighbors.

12:49 p.m.: A Belmont resident believes he is a victim of fraud. He was recently searching for companies to do some work on his garage door. He settled on a company with a Belmont address. He spoke to a female on the phone who asked for his address and zip code. He provided the information and was assured someone would come by his house the following day between 12:30 and 2 p.m. At 12:30 p.m. the same day, he observed a white pick-up truck pull up in front of his house and met with two younger-aged men all dressed in black in his driveway. He brought them to his garage. They all went inside. They agreed they could do the job for $3,400 but would need half the money up front. He began to feel uneasy and asked for business cards, which they could not provide. Shortly after, a third younger man arrived and said they could do the job the next day and also said he could find him a house if he was looking for one. He told the man he didn’t need a house because he had one. He was talked into writing a check for $1,750 but questioned the men about who he was writing it to, which was a person’s name, not the company name. He then called the business number asking to confirm the name of the business and was met with silence. He then asked if he should write the check to the name of the business or the name he was given. There was a long pause, but the woman said to make it payable to the name given. He provided the men with the check, and they left. He then felt uneasy about the process and contacted Bank of America to explain what happened. They froze his account and put a stop on the check. He was advised if he has any further unwanted contact with these people to contact the police.

9:54 p.m.: Collision between a 2014 Subaru operated by a Waltham man and a 2018 Honda operated by a Waltham woman at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Scott Road. The operator of the Honda was issued a citation for unsafe lane change.

9:55 p.m.: An abandoned, unregistered, uninsured 2003 Nissan parked on Weber Road, owned by a Dorchester resident with a suspended license was towed due.

Thursday, April 24

7:20 a.m.: Collision at the intersection of Lexington Street and Trapelo Road between a motorcycle operated by Gardner man and a 2018 Honda operated by a Watertown man. The operator of the motorcycle was issued a warning for failure to stop for a red light and no inspection sticker. The operator of the Honda was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital for further medial evaluation and treatment. The motorcycle was towed.

12:56 p.m.: Shoplifting reported at Star Market. The suspect was a white male, six-feet-two-inches with a beard, wearing a tan jacket, tan pants, baseball hat, riding a bike towards Church Street. Officers were unable to locate the suspect. The manager of Star Market said the man was pretending to be a customer, ordering lobsters from the deli. He then began to stuff plastic bags with meat and began to walk out of the store. The total value of the merchandise is approximately $200. The staff tried to confront him, but he began to ride his bicycle towards Church Street. Security footage did not provide a clear picture of the suspect.

2:40 p.m.: Identity fraud reported by a Belmont resident. She started receiving emails six weeks ago from credit card companies stating her application was under review or denied. She did not apply for the credit cards. She activated a fraud alert through the three major credit bureaus. Two weeks ago, she began receiving notices from several banks over email and USPS thanking her for opening a bank account with them, which she had not. One was from Santander Bank who she notified. They are doing an internal investigation.

4:43 p.m.: Collision at the intersection of Concord Road and Mill Street between a 2015 Toyota operated by a Lexington man and a 2008 Mercedes operated by a Waltham man. The Lexington man was transported to the hospital due to head pain. The Waltham man was complaining about chest pains and was advised to go to the hospital. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to stop. His vehicle was towed.

5:25 p.m.: An Acorn Park Drive resident reported a stolen bicycle. The bicycle was left inside the storage room on April 15 and last seen on April 18. Property management has been alerted. There are no cameras in that area of the building. The bike is an all red, Specialized bike valued at $270.

Belmont Police responded to one domestic and six mental health calls between April 29 and April 25.