The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley mother accused of killing her children returns to court; Attorney seeks case dismissal

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Janette MacAusland, the mother accused of killing her two young children in Wellesley in April and then fleeing to Vermont before being arrested, returned to Dedham District Court on Thursday, where her attorney sought to have the case dismissed or at least to have his client released with “a reasonable bail with conditions” (see recording from Law & Crime Trials).

The woman has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Kai MacAusland, 7, and Ella MacAusland, 6.

This was to have been a probable cause hearing but the prosecutors notified the judge that they are waiting on the official manner and cause of death from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. One of the prosecutors said she expects to have the information within a few weeks and hopes to eventually move the case to Norfolk Superior Court.

Joseph Krowski, MacAusland’s attorney, was denied in his bid to have the case dismissed or his client released for lack of information. MacAusland remains held without bail.

Krowski expressed frustration over the amount of time his client has been held without the state coming forward with information needed to move the case forward.

According to the Boston Globe, Krowski after the hearing did cite the recent triple murder case involving Lindsay Clancy that ended in a mistrial and said ““I’m hoping that this district attorney’s office, and the new district attorney-elect, takes a look at this, and takes a different approach in how we prosecute women suffering from profound mental health problems.”

The probable cause hearing is being continued to Oct. 29.

     

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MIT Museum, Cambridge

Single vehicle crash on Benvenue Street ‘in the usual spot’

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A driver on Thursday night, Aug. 27 crashed their car and the vehicle wound up sideways on Benvenue St. in Wellesley.

As a reader who shared a photo from the scene with us commented: “It was in the usual spot. Next to the fire hydrant.”

Benvenue crash
Photo submitted by Rohan Bhagat

 
According to the Wellesley police report, “it appears the driver hit a pot hole and damaged the passenger side front tire.  The vehicle must have veered off the roadway and struck a metal bean that protects the fire hydrant and then the damaged tire sheared off, the vehicle rotated clockwise with just the driver side tires having contact with the street and then it rolled onto the driver side.”

The driver refused medical treatment.

 
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Wellesley Police Dept. ends Flock license plate reader trial early amidst ‘overwhelmingly’ changed landscape

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The Wellesley Police Department, which began testing a Flock Safety Falcon automated license plate reader (LPR) in spring of 2025, has ended its trial about a year early.

The camera, which had been located on a pole at the intersection of Rte. 9 East and Rte. 16 near Elm Park, was removed on Aug. 18. Flock devices capture license plate and other vehicle data, but don’t, for example, support facial recognition.

Wellesley Flock camera“The landscape surrounding the use of Flock cameras has overwhelmingly changed since we began testing one Flock camera last year,” according to Wellesley Police Chief Scott Whittemore. “After reviewing the last year of use, I would not be inclined to deploy additional Flock cameras in the community or continue to use Flock after our contract expired in June of 2027. As such, I saw no reason to continue testing the Flock camera.”

The Swellesley Report posted an article on Aug. 5 sharing the department’s reasons for testing the technology. The town had not sent notice to residents about the trial, which it says is consistent with its general practice for departmental equipment and technology purchases unless it invests in a widespread deployment.

Increased scrutiny over municipal use of Flock Safety LPRs across the country has led to more and more cities and towns ditching them in the face of privacy concerns raised by members of the public and organizations such as the ACLU. Natick’s Select Board at the start of the year quashed a police pilot of Flock technology.

Flock last week responded to rising concerns about its technology by pledging to make changes, such as cutting default data retention to seven days and requiring customers to make misuse detection mandatory in the wake of disturbing reports.

Whereas some communities have installed networks of Flocks, leading to concerns about vehicles being tracked across a town or city and beyond, Wellesley had only a single Flock automated LPR at a high traffic spot.

You can check out an interactive map to see where Flock systems are installed.

The Wellesley Police department has been using mobile LPRs since 2014, and the ones it is using now come from Motorola. LPRs are also used by private businesses and the state police.

Whittemore says Wellesley installed the Flock at a time when many police departments in the area and in metro Boston were using the technology. “At the time we were an outlier who didn’t,” he says.

Flock devices capture license plate and other vehicle data, but don’t, for example, support facial recognition.

Using mobile LPRs has played a major role in helping the Wellesley Police Department solve a number of cases over the years, including mail theft, car thefts, a kidnapped dog, and a house break-in. The Flock system itself hasn’t contributed to any breakthroughs during its year-plus in town.

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Wellesley police investigating crash at Rte. 9 east and Oak Street; drivers injured

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Wellesley Police on Friday said a crash involving two vehicles at Rte. 9 east and Oak Street left both drivers with injuries—one has serious injuries and was transported by MedFlight to a Boston hospital, while the other was treated at a nearby hospital. Only the two drivers occupied the vehicles.

The crash remains under investigation by the WPD Crash Reconstruction Unit.

Online reaction to the accident included numerous calls for a light at the intersection.

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Why Wellesley Police are testing a Flock license plate reader

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Scrutiny over municipal use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers (LPRs) across the country has led to some cities and towns ditching them in the face of privacy concerns raised by members of the public and organizations such as the ACLU. Natick’s Select Board at the start of the year quashed a police pilot, Framingham Police recently ended their Flock contract, and New Bedford is among the communities currently figuring out its approach.

Wellesley Flock cameraWhereas some communities have installed networks of Flocks, leading to concerns about vehicles being tracked across a town or city and beyond, Wellesley has a single Flock LPR mounted on a pole at the intersection of Rte. 9 East and Rte. 16 near Elm Park, where the clocktower stands. That location was chosen because the department knows from experience that suspects fleeing crimes in the area often head in that direction.

You can check out an interactive map to see where Flock systems are installed.

Wellesley has been using the camera since May of 2025 and plans to have it in place until next May, according to Chief Scott Whittemore. “While we continue to evaluate the camera, the department doesn’t plan on expanding the system—the one camera is fine for us to test,” he says.

The department has been using mobile LPRs since 2014, and the ones it is using now come from Motorola. LPRs are also used by private businesses and the state police.

Whittemore says Wellesley installed the Flock at a time when many police departments in the area and in metro Boston were using the technology. “At the time we were an outlier who didn’t,” he says.

(We had asked Whittemore about this topic in January back when Natick was deciding what to do about its Flocks and then revisited the subject this summer after the Boston Globe published an update on Flocks across the state.)

The Wellesley Police Department chose its location for a Flock to be in the center of town. The department did not to install a “mosaic” of cameras, taking into consideration a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling from 2020.

“I know every department has its own philosophy and reasoning for deploying Flock cameras, and I want to be clear that I’m not questioning that (as I don’t have that information from other communities),” Whittemore says. “However, Wellesley’s philosophy is that we are going to follow what the SJC ruling was to the best of our ability. As such, I would not be inclined to have 10 cameras all over town covering the entrances and exits to the community.”

Flock devices capture license plate and other vehicle data, but don’t, for example, support facial recognition.

Using LPRs has played a major role in helping the Wellesley Police Department solve a number of cases over the years, including mail theft, car thefts, a kidnapped dog, and a house break-in. The Flock system itself hasn’t contributed to any breakthroughs during its year-plus in town, though the police have been busy of late with incidents not involving vehicles.

The police department does share data with other police departments in Massachusetts and other states close by (suspects from New Jersey and New York aren’t unusual in Wellesley).

“We do not share with ICE. While there are no specific guidelines about the use of LPR and the Massachusetts Shield Law, to be safe we don’t share data with anyone in states that have banned abortion. I’m hopeful that there will be some specific guidance in the future from the Commonwealth regarding this,” Whittemore says. “Flock also has some internal restrictions on searches related to immigration and abortion, but we simply don’t make our data available. Essentially, we have an approximate 200-mile radius for police departments around Wellesley.”

Whittemore is well versed on the privacy concerns about the Flock devices, as he is regarding the use of drones for police work. The Wellesley Police Department has a policy on LPR use (as it does for drone use), and the Select Board is aware that the department uses LPRs, he says.

The department paid for its Flock system using awarded asset forfeiture and seized money, primarily from drug cases that are prosecuted and adjudicated. Flock charges for its systems as well as for an annual subscription fee.

Child hospitalized following crash in Wellesley; Oakland St. reopened

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A child was transported to a Boston hospital with potentially serious injuries Thursday morning following a collision between the child, who was traveling by bicycle, and the driver of an SUV, at a busy Wellesley intersection.

The incident occurred just before 9am at the intersection of Oakland St. and Woodlawn Ave. According to the Wellesley Police Department, the child was alert and conscious at the scene before being taken for medical treatment. Details of the child’s injuries have not been released.

woodlawnoakland
Woodlawn-Oakland intersection highlighted

 
The driver of the SUV remained on the scene, according to police

The collision prompted an immediate response from the Wellesley Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit, which conducted an on-site investigation. During the investigation, Oakland Street was closed to traffic between Route 9 and Washington St.

Officials confirmed that Oakland Street was reopened as of 11am.

The crash remains under active investigation by the WPD Crash Reconstruction Unit. No further updates regarding the child’s condition or potential charges have been provided at this time.

Wellesley police bond with older adults at Annual BAR-B-Q with the Blue

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Council on Aging BAR-B-Q with the Blue
Courtesy photos

 

A full house gathered at the Council on Aging on July 21 for the annual BAR-B-Q with the Blue, an event hosted by the Wellesley Police Department that brought officers and residents together for an afternoon of conversation and community.

Police Chief Scott Whittemore welcomed those in attendance, thanking residents for coming and emphasizing the importance of opportunities like these to strengthen relationships between the Police Department and the community.

The event gave seniors an opportunity to meet with members of the Police Department in a relaxed setting, ask questions, and share conversations with the officers who serve the community.

Council on Aging BAR-B-Q with the Blue

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Wellesley woman dies following vehicle collision with horse in central New York

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Tragic news from the New York State Police regarding the death of Wellesley’s Janet Schwaner, a pediatrician and longtime leader at the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra:

On July 22, 2026, at approximately 9:21 p.m., New York State Police responded to Lebanon Road near Bonny Road in the town of Lebanon for a reported one-vehicle crash involving a horse.

The preliminary investigation determined that Janet L. Schwaner, 72, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was operating a 2021 Mazda CX-5 eastbound on Lebanon Road when her vehicle struck a horse that was running westbound in the eastbound lane.

Schwaner was pronounced deceased at the scene. The horse also died as a result of the collision.

The investigation remains ongoing.