Wellesley, Mass., police log for the week of Feb. 1-6:
Arrests
On February 3, 2021 at 10:40 a.m. Officer Shore was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he observed a Hyundai sedan and conducted a query of the vehicle’s registration to confirm the registration status. The query indicated that there was an active warrant issued by the Framingham District Court for motor vehicle related charges for the registered owner. Officer Shore stopped the vehicle and confirmed the identify of who was operating the vehicle. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and transported to Framingham District Court.
On February 6, 2021 at 10:44 a.m. Officer Cunningham was on patrol in the area of Prospect Street when he observed a vehicle that was known to him to be owned by a certain individual. Officer Cunningham was aware there was an active warrant for his arrest issued by Framingham District Court for Malicious Destruction of Property. Officer Cunningham stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.
Incidents
On February 1, 2021 at 10:13 a.m. Officer J. Popovski was dispatched to a bank on Washington Street for a report of 2 suspicious males in the bank. Upon arrival the bank employee indicated that the male parties had left the bank and explained that one of them had attempted to open a bank account with an out of state license and it was declined. She stated when she informed him the account could not be opened they quickly left the bank without waiting for the paperwork she had printed out regarding the bank account he had attempted to open. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate the male parties.
On February 3, 2021 at 9:42 a.m. Officer Collins was conducting traffic enforcement when he observed a Chevrolet pickup truck with a rejection sticker. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the male operator and requested his license and registration. The operator stated that he did not have a license and provided his identification. A query of his information confirmed he did not possess a valid driver’s license. He will be summonsed to Dedham District Court for Unlicensed Operation of Motor Vehicle.
On February 4, 2021 at 8:40 a.m. Officer Collins spoke with a male reporting party who had received a 1099 tax form from Uber Technologies indicating that he had earned income in 2020. The male party stated he was not worked for the company and had contacted them for assistance. He had also frozen his credit and was advised by Officer Collins to contact the Internal Revenue Service.
On February 5, 2021 at 10:32 p.m. Officer Harris was dispatched to a residence for a report of an unknown party that was seen inside the residence by the homeowner on his home security cameras. Officer Harris encountered a juvenile outside. The juvenile was aware that his father was away and invited friends to the residence without his permission. Officer Harris had the juveniles contact their parents and pick them up from the residence.
On February 6, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. Officer Pino met with a male party who wished to turn in a firearm and ammunition that was no longer wanted by the family for destruction. Officer Pino took custody of the items and secured them until they can be properly destroyed.
Wellesley Officers and the department’s social worker responded to five calls this week where individuals were in need of social services. The department’s social worker will work with these families to help them get the services they need.
The two recent snow storms have kept officers in Wellesley very busy responding to storm related calls. The 1st storm of the week hit us on February 1st and caused slick roadways. Officers responded to 7 motor vehicle crashes, including one roll over, between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The 2nd storm of the week came through on Sunday, February 7th and the snowy road conditions resulted in another 7 motor vehicle crashes and 4 disabled motor vehicles. With several weeks of winter ahead the Wellesley Police Department would like to remind people to avoid driving during snow storms if possible. If it is necessary to drive during a storm it is important to remember slow down and allow for more distance between your vehicle and the vehicle operating in front of you as it may take longer to stop on snow covered roads.
Maybe the number of snow related crashes could be reduced if the roads were plowed to the pavement rather than leaving a skim coat of snow to continuously thaw and refreeze. This is particularly true of the side streets, and has been an issue for the 20 years I’ve been working in this town.