Belmont Police Log, May 6-11: Road rage incident involving a knife and much 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.

Saturday, May 6

2:24 p.m.: A Warwick Road resident reported fraud. Someone stole $98,000 from his bank account. When he got his Eastern Bank statement, he noticed they authorized a transfer to Synchrony Bank. He never authorized this transfer. They froze his accounts and instructed him to file a fraud report with them.

2:51 p.m.: Star Market on Trapelo Road reported shoplifting in progress. The shoplifter was described as a Hispanic male wearing a blue hoodie and a yellow hat, heading toward Waverley Square. An unknown amount of liquor and containers of meat were taken. A Star Market employee said the male entered Star Market with a plastic reusable bag and began filling the bag with meat and liquor then made his way to the exit. Before leaving, an employee who witnessed him taking the items spoke with him and asked him to put the items down before leaving the store. He took one bottle of liquor and placed it down before exiting with the rest of the items in his bag. Photos and video footage will be obtained from the store security cameras and will be given to the police.

Sunday, May 7

6:53 a.m.: Officers were dispatched to Mill Street for an incident of road rage involving a knife. The reporting party said the vehicle involved was a black Nissan with an Ohio plate. Officers were able to locate the Nissan and pull them over. She said she was driving in Lexington behind a vehicle that was driving slowly and she decided to pass it. The operator of the vehicle she passed was acting aggressively. She felt threatened which is why she pointed her knife out the window to protect herself. The vehicle followed her all the way to Trapelo Road where she was stopped by the police. Officers explained to her there were better ways to handle a situation if she feels threatened. The operator of the GMC said the Nissan was tailgating him and aggressively passed him. She then flashed a knife out of her window. He did not want to press charges, but wanted it documented.

3:20 p.m.: A Regent Road resident reported fraud. Someone stole $1,200 from her Venmo account. Prior to reporting this incident, she received a call from what she believes was her mother’s cell phone. The male on the other end of the line did not provide his name but told her she needed to send $1,200 via Venmo or her mother would be killed. She panicked and sent $750 to a Venmo account, @letu69 with a name, Karen Garber. The caller remained on the line until the payment was received. She then received a request of $500 to be sent to a Venmo account with a name of Olivia Florez-129. She then hung up the phone and called her father to ask if her mother was ok. He said she was fine and standing right next to him. Officers instructed her to inform Venmo and her bank about what happened.

Monday, May 8

7:54 a.m.: A three-car collision in the area of 75 Leonard St. between a 2015 Jeep operated by a Gloucester woman and a 2013 Toyota operated by a Newton woman and a 2003 Lexus operated by a Medford man. Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded due to possible injuries. The operator of the Jeep was travelling toward Moore Street when the vehicle in front of her stopped and she rear-ended it. Her airbags deployed and she was suffering from chest and neck pain and was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital. The operator of the Toyota said she was rear-ended while stopped on Leonard Street without warning. The operator of the Lexus was also stopped on Leonard Street when he was rear-ended without warning. He was also transported to Mount Auburn Hospital due to chest and neck pain. The Jeep sustained major front-end damage. The Toyota and Lexus had moderate damage to the front and rear bumpers. The operator of the Jeep was issued a citation for following too close. The Jeep was towed from the scene.

11:18 a.m.: Criminal complaint issued against a Brockton woman for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

3:02 p.m.: A Newton resident reported unemployment fraud. On May 5 she received a call from the town of Belmont, her employer, informing her someone filed for unemployment fraud in her name. She was advised to contact her financial institutions and keep an eye on her credit score.

4:06 p.m.: A criminal complaint filed against a Hyannis man for threats to commit a crime.

8:37 p.m.: A Dartmouth Street resident reported an issue with a plumbing company. Her garbage disposal needed to be fixed so she found a company, Trust 1 Service, to come out and fix it. Two men came to her house and told her the disposal needed to be replaced. When she asked for the price, they said they wouldn’t be sure until it was done. When the job was done, they charged her $1,140. She paid with her credit card. She later called who she thought was the owner asking for an itemized bill. He was very rude to her and did not explain why the price was so high or give her a breakdown of the bill. She wrote a review online on both the company Facebook page and Google. She then noticed the company responded to her review and put her name and address on the post. She asked them to remove her name and address. She called to dispute the charges with her credit card company and is waiting the hear back from them.

Tuesday, May 9

3:24 p.m.: A Marlboro Street resident reported unemployment identity fraud. Her employer informed her someone filed unemployment benefits in her name. She was advised to file a report with the state and keep an eye on her credit score and contact her financial institutions.

Wednesday, May 10

9:09 a.m.: Officers responded to a Belmont Street business for vandalism. Sometime between May 7 and May 9 someone spray painted graffiti on the side of his business. He noticed it when he took the trash out into the alley way on the side wall of the building. He has cameras, however will need to look through the footage with a family member. The graffiti is in blue and white paint. It appears to be a tag.

4:06 p.m.: A Trapelo Road resident reported fraud. On May 5, she received an email about an account that was opened under her name at Bank of America. She informed officers she does not use that bank and immediately contacted their fraud division to make them aware of the account. She also received a credit card in the mail for the account and went to the local branch to have the account closed. She was advised to file reports with the credit bureaus and her local police department. Her birthday was off by one day when it was used to open the account. She was also advised to monitor her credit for any further fraudulent activity.

Thursday, May 11

1:22 p.m.: A School Street resident said she was at Stone Hearth Pizza the day before when she left her backpack there. She checked with the restaurant a short time later and the backpack was gone. It contained her wallet which had her school identification, a Green Light card, $100 Visa card and $15 in cash along with a school chrome book and prescription glasses.

10:04 p.m.: Officers filed a criminal complaint against a Belmont resident for possession of a firearm without a license to carry and improperly storing a firearm.

Arrest

A Waltham man was charged with breaking and entering in the night for a felony at 10:21 p.m. on May 8.

Between May 5 and May 11, Belmont Police had six domestic violence calls, one arrest for assault and battery and a criminal complaint for violation of a restraining order. They also responded to nine mental health calls.