Belmont Police Log, May 19-25: Reports of disturbance at Dunkin', package and theft, graffiti, vehicles colliding into tree and traffic light 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.
Friday, May 19
10:57 a.m.: Collision in area of Concord Avenue and Leonard Street between a 2012 Toyota operated by a Belmont woman and a 2013 Honda operated by a Stoneham man. The operator of the Toyota was traveling under the commuter rail bridge heading towards Belmont Center. As she was passing Channing Road a vehicle pulled in front of her without waring causing her to swipe the driver’s side. The operator of the Honda said there was a vehicle in front of him at the stop sign on Channing Road. He went around the vehicle in front of him to turn right on Leonard Street. He thought it was safe to go. The operator of the Honda was issued a citation for failure to yield.
12:34 p.m.: A Chilton Street resident reported earlier this week she and her husband received a letter from the IRS stating someone attempted to file a joint tax return in both their names. She said her accountant filed for an extension before April 18th and these people attempted to file before April 18th. Officers advised them to notify both their financial institutions and keep an eye on their credit scores.
7:06 p.m.: A Willow Street resident reported fraud. She is an employee for the town of Belmont. She received an email about a claim for unemployment. This is the second time an unemployment claim has been filed in her name. She has reported it to the Department of Unemployment and will continue to monitor her accounts for fraudulent activity.
Saturday, May 20
12:40 p.m.: Collision in area of 12 Brighton St. between a 2012 Honda operated by a New Hampshire woman and a 2017 Infiniti operated by a Lexington man. The operator of the Infiniti said he was backing out of a driveway at 12 Brighton St. when he was struck by a motor vehicle. The operator of the Honda said she was unable to avoid the collision when she was travelling on Brighton Street and the Infinity backed into her. There was heavy right front and side damage to the Honda. The Infiniti was towed. The operator of the Infiniti was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way.
2:58 p.m.: An employee at Dunkin Donuts on Trapelo Road reported a customer disturbance. A customer also called to report the disturbance. When officers arrived, the customer informed them he had a disagreement with one of the employees. He ordered tea and when he received it, he discovered the teabag was torn and requested another one. When he asked the employee for a new tea, he gave him attitude and when he handed him the new tea he said, “Here you go, princess.” The customer confronted the employee because he didn’t think it was fair to be treated that way. He said he never threatened the employee, however the employee said he would stab him in the neck. The customer then told the employee he would regret what he did and knew management of Dunkin’ and would get his people involved. When officers went to speak to the employee, he was not immediately cooperative. He eventually cooperated and denied threatening the customer and said the customer threatened him and he wanted the customer removed from the restaurant. Officers gave the customer a verbal no trespass order and had him leave the premises. Officers informed the customer he could communicate with the management of Dunkin in order to determine future involvement with patronizing that location in the future.
5:05 p.m.: A Ripley Road resident reported a stolen bicycle. He normally parks it in the rear of his house. Early this morning his daughter noticed the bike was missing and her own bicycle was moved into the middle of their driveway. The missing bicycle is lime green valued at approximately $300.
May 21
2:28 p.m.: Lord’s Cleaners reported vandalism. There were two large graffiti tags on the Oxford Avenue side of the building. The reporting party believes it was done between the evening of May 20th and the morning of May 21st. One appears to say the word, “metal,” and the other appears to be a tag.
6:04 p.m.: Collision in area of Claflin Street and Alexander Avenue between a 2019 Chevy operated by a Salem man and a 2020 Tesla operated by a Lexington woman. The Tesla was turning onto Alexander Avenue from Claflin Street when the operator of the Chevy parked on the side of the Claflin street opened its front driver’s side door causing damage to the Tesla’s front bumper and right side and wheel well. The operator of the Chevy was given a citation for negligent opening of a vehicle door.
9:43 p.m.: A Maple Street resident reported damage to her property. Her family has been out of state for more than a month. The house was empty. Her handyman was asking if he could perform maintenance on their kitchen and bathroom. She declined in the past due to not wanting to have work going on while they were home. They agreed to have the work done while they were away. He led her to believe it would be finished by the time they returned. Her landlord was aware the work was being done and was in contact with her while she was away regarding the maintenance. When she returned the apartment was in unlivable condition. Officers observed holes, unfinished painting, tarps, tools and other equipment scattered across various rooms in the residence. All the family’s furniture and belongings were placed into one room. She is unsure if there was damage to their items. She was never contacted to approve removing their belongings and having more maintenance done. Her landlord is paying for two nights at a hotel for the family. She was advised to work with her landlord to find a solution to the issue.
Monday, May 22
9:16 a.m.: Tyler Road resident reported identity theft. He owns a parcel of land in New Hampshire. A neighbor who lives across the street from the land said he was sorry to see a “for sale” sign, however he was not selling his land. He contacted the chief of police of the town who said it appeared someone used a phony driver’s license to claim the land was his and list the house for sale with Berkshire Hathaway. He contacted Berkshire Hathaway to ensure them he was the owner and was not selling his land. He learned from Berkshire Hathaway that someone used a phony license and provided what appeared to be legitimate information. The phony license shows a different picture and height description but the license number is correct. The address was a Belmont address but was off by one digit. Officers spoke to the regional manager at Berkshire Hathaway who said most of the correspondence he had with the imposter was done electronically. Once the manager realized there was potential identity theft, he asked for a copy of the license of the suspect and compared it to a copy of the reporting party’s license which confirmed it was a scam. The Tyler Road resident is not sure how his license information was compromised. He was advised to check all his accounts and credit reports to make sure there is no other suspicious activity.
9:30 a.m.: Belmont Medical Supply reported vandalism. The owner said sometime between 2 p.m. on May 20th and this morning, someone spray painted on the back brick wall of the building. This is the first time something like this has happened in 10 years. The graffiti appears to say the word, “metal” and other designs in black and gray paint.
12:25 p.m.: Eastern Lamejun Bakery on Belmont Street reported graffiti on the building. There were two large tags on the left of the building in the alley. The word, “metal,” and another tag was spray painted on the building.
Tuesday, May 23
11:51 a.m.: A 2017 Subaru operated by a Watertown woman, 18, crashed into the CVS on Trapelo Road. The town’s building inspector and Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded. The vehicle was facing frontward on the walkway in front of the building. There was moderate damage to both the front of the Subaru and the building. The operator of the Subaru said when she was parking, she stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. She was wearing her seatbelt and was uninjured.
11:21 p.m.: A Watertown resident reported a stolen cell phone. On May 14th at 3:45 p.m., he was riding the MBTA bus in Cambridge near Harvard Square and when he got work, he realized he lost his iPhone 12 Pro Max valued at $1,400. He contacted the MBTA police to report the missing phone. He tracked it and it showed the phone was located at a several locations in Malden, Medford and Belmont, including a home on Clark Lane in Belmont. Using the Find My iPhone, he was also able to see a blue Toyota minivan at both the locations in Medford and Belmont and was able to give officers the license plate. He observed the Toyota when he went by Clark Lane and left a note on the vehicle asking them to return his cell phone. He has not received a response. The license plate of the Toyota belongs to the Clark Lane resident. He contacted Apple to have them lock the phone.
Wednesday, May 24
2:11 p.m.: Collision into a traffic light pole at the intersection of Hastings and Homer Roads by a 2014 Land Rover operated by a Cambridge woman. When officers arrived, they observed a white SUV crashed into the light pole and the operator of the motor vehicle laying on the grass by the side of the road. She was short of breath and seemed disoriented. Her mother was on scene and believes she may have passed out due to the heat. The 17-year-old girl was transported to Children’s Hospital. The vehicle had major front-end damage and was towed from the scene. Belmont Light will inspect the pole which had moderate damage.
4:30 p.m.: Collision in area of 258 Common St. between a 2019 Volkswagen operated by a West Roxbury man and a 2020 Honda operated by a Belmont woman. Airbags in both vehicles deployed. Belmont Fire and Rescue responded. The Volkswagen was struck by the Honda and forced his vehicle into a tree on the side of the road. There was significant damage to the Volkswagen’s left side and front. The operator of the Honda said she was distracted while driving when she struck the Volkswagen. A witness who was behind the Volkswagen observed the Honda strike the Volkswagen after veering right over the double yellow line. The Volkswagen was towed from the scene and the operator of the Honda was issued a citation for marked lanes violation.
6:02 p.m.: A Goden Street resident reported package theft. He received a notification at 12:45 p.m. and photograph from UPS that a delivery was made to his residence. When he went out to the porch at 6 p.m. the package was gone. It contained 12 pounds of Durian fruit valued at $207. He contacted UPS and made a claim.
8:10 p.m.: A Grove Street resident reported stolen property. She was parked near Lord’s Cleaners at around 10:12 a.m. She went inside the cleaners and when she returned her Massachusetts handicap placard and Harvard University parking permit were stolen. She noticed a male wearing tan hoody and gray sweatpants with running down the street. She cancelled her Harvard permit and will apply for another placard. Her car doors were not locked.
Thursday, May 25
12:40 p.m. A Hill Road reported that on May 16th he had a package delivered by FedEx. He was unable to locate it and reported it missing. On May 22nd, FedEx confirmed the delivery and provided a photo. The picture showed the package on the rear of the FedEx truck. The package contained a drum throne valued at $200.
4:51 p.m.: Officers filed a criminal complaint against a Belmont man charging him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Between May 19th and May 25th Belmont Police responded to 11 domestic incidents which included two arrests. They also responded to five mental health calls.