The Wellesley Police Department on Monday, Nov. 18 shortly after 6pm received a residential burglar alarm for a home on Livingston
Road. As two officers arrived at the residence, they interrupted a breaking and entering in progress and encountered two individuals fleeing on foot.

Officers and Detectives from the Wellesley Police Department, Dover, Needham, Wellesley College Campus Police and Massachusetts State Police
responded to assist in searching the area. At approximately 7:00 p.m. a resident reported seeing a male party running through their yard on Longmeadow Road. Lt. Jeff Renzella encountered the male party, later identified as being from Denver, and he was taken into custody.

Officers continued to search the area for the second individual with the assistance of two Massachusetts State Police K9’s, the State Police Airwing and
officers from area forces. Drones were also deployed by the Dover and Wellesley Police to assist with the search, but it was ultimately determined that the second suspect had fled the area.

The Wellesley Police encourage residents to report any suspicious active to the Emergency Communications Center by calling 9-1-1.

The incident remains under investigation.

Wellesley Police log for May & June, 2024:

On May 31, 2024 at 6:12 p.m. officers were dispatched to the area of 888 Worcester Street for a male party who had attempted to gain access to a residence nearby. The reporting party stated he observed a male party attempting to make entrance into his residence on his security cameras. The male party matching the description observed on the security footage was located nearby. He denied trying to make entry into the house. He had been observed on the security footage opening a side door and entering the residence. Nothing was taken from the residence. The male party was identified. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to the Dedham House of Correction.

On June 3, 2024 at 3:39 officers from the Wellesley Police Department served an arrest warrant issued by Dedham District Court for B & E, Nighttime for a Felony, Larceny from a Building, Wanton Destruction of Property under $1,200 and Breaking into a Depository and a warrant issued by Framingham District Court for Larceny from a Person. The suspect was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner and held without bail.

On June 20, 2024 at 2:06 a.m. officers checked on a vehicle that was parked on Washington Street. The officer had driven past the vehicle approximately an hour prior and observed a male party in the driver’s seat. The male party initially appeared to be sleeping in his motor vehicle and the officer attempted to make contact to check on his wellbeing. The officer knocked on the window for about 30 seconds before the male party awoke and began trying to drive the vehicle forward. The officer opened the driver’s side door and instructed the male party to put the vehicle in park. The male party complied. The male party was identified and he appeared to be intoxicated, did not know where he was and had difficulty answering the officer’s questions. He agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if he could safely operate a motor vehicle and he was unable to successfully complete those tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

It’s a crime not to support your local news source

On June 23, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. an officer was on patrol on Worcester Street near Rockland Street when he observed the driver of an SUV texting while driving. He queried the vehicle’s registration which showed there was an active warrant issued by the Waltham District Court for Shoplifting for the owner. The officer stopped the vehicle on Worcester Street near Dearborn and identified the operator as the registered owner. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On Tuesday, May 6, 2024 at 3:33 p.m. a male reporting party requested to speak to an officer regarding cash being stolen from his wallet while he was shopping. The reporting party stated while he was attempting to pay for his groceries at Whole Foods the self-checkout register his credit card was declined and the store associate advised him he would need to pay at the customer service desk. The reporting party inadvertently left his wallet at the self-checkout register and when he returned to retrieve it he learned an unknown male party had claimed it from a store employee. The wallet was later found in the parking lot area by the carriage return but was missing approximately $130 to $140 in cash. The incident is under investigation.

On Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. officers were dispatched to the area of Cedar Street near Worcester Street for a report of a male party in a vehicle attempting to get a teenage boy into his vehicle. While responding the officers were advised the incident had occurred approximately 15 minutes prior to be reporting and the reporting party had a description of the vehicle and the license plate. Officers were able to locate the male party and speak with him. They learned he was a ride share driver and mistook the teenage boy for another teenage boy who had arranged for the ride. The officers updated the reporting party and asked if they knew an individual with the name the rideshare driver provided and they did. The officer contacted that individual and he confirmed that he had requested the ride and was safely transported home.

On May 14, 2024 at 6:13 p.m. an officer spoke to a reporting party who had fallen victim to a scam and as a result had lost $46,000. The reporting party had been contacted through the social media platform “WhatsApp” by an unknown individual posing as a friend on April 30, 2024. The unknown individual requested that the reporting party transfer $46,000 to a specific bank account and indicated they needed the transfer to originate in the United States while they were out of the country and they would reimburse the reporting party right away. The reporting party made the transfer and later became suspicious and noted the friend’s name was misspelled so they contacted the friend and learned that the request had not bee made by them. The reporting party contacted their financial institution the following day and requested they freeze the transaction as it was still showing as pending online. The bank indicated the transfer of funds had already occurred, but they would contact the receiving bank. The incident is under investigation.

On May 16, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. an officer spoke with a reporting party who stated approximately a year ago he became acquainted with a male party who wished to become business partners. Over the course of a year the male party convinced the reporting party to make several payments totaling $450,000 and was promised at least a four times return on the investment. In April the reporting party started to suspect he had fallen victim to a scam as he had not received any return on his investment. He told the male party that he no longer wished to be business partners and would like his money returned to him. The male party advised him the money was tied up in investments and could not be returned. The reporting party resides in Revere and has family in Wellesley and reported the incident in Wellesley due to concerns about the male party targeting his family in Wellesley for further scams.

On May 18, 2024 at 6:18 p.m. an officer spoke to a reporting party who stated he had been threatened with another individual with a fork. He stated he had stopped by his parents’ apartment in Wellesley and another resident in the building threatened him with a small pitchfork. He stated he was calling his parents’ names to try to get their attention as they do not always hear the door buzzer. He stated the male party called him a “moron” and he responded “what are you going to do about it” at which point the male party grabbed the pitchfork and threatened him with it. The officer made multiple attempts to speak to the male party by visiting the residence and contacting him via phone and was unsuccessful. The male party will be summonsed to Dedham District Court for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

On May 20, 2024 at 4:13 a.m. an officer was watching a mailbox located at 1 Grove Street due to numerous thefts from the mailbox during overnight hours. He observed a male party break into the mailbox and dump the contents into the rear driver’s side window of a white sedan. The officer approached with his emergency lights and the male party got in the vehicle and immediately fled. The officer followed the vehicle attempting to stop it. The officer followed the vehicle down Grove Street to Benvenue and onto Grove at which time the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a utility pole. He observed the driver and a passenger exit the vehicle and flee on foot on Brook Street towards Great Plain Avenue. Officers from Wellesley, Needham and Babson College began searching the area for the two suspects. A drone was deployed to attempt to locate the suspects in the wooded area and a K-9 from the Massachusetts State Police assisted with a ground search. The two suspects were not located and the incident is under investigation.

On May 22, 2024 at 12:39 an officer spoke to a reporting party who stated she had purchased a large umbrella for the picnic table outside the apartment building and had placed it at the picnic table on May 21 st . She stated on the morning of May 22nd she noticed the umbrella was sagging on one side and that a metal arm inside the umbrella was broken. She believed that another resident intentionally damaged the umbrella as there was no significant wind at the time.

On May 28, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. an officer was dispatched to the area of Fuller Brook Road for a report of two male parties soliciting. The officer located the parties and requested their permits to solicit. They did not have permits to solicit and the officer explained the town by-law regarding soliciting. They contacted their supervisor and advised him that they could not solicit in Wellesley without a permit. They agreed to stop soliciting while they awaited their ride.

On May 28, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. an officer was dispatched to neighbor dispute. The reporting party stated that she hired a moving company to remove some furniture from her residence and when they arrived at the residence a neighbor began filming them and asked where they were going to park their truck. The officer noted that the moving company was parked in the reporting party’s driveway. The officer then spoke to the neighbor who stated she did not want vehicles to park on her side of the street, on the sidewalk in front of her house or block her driveway. She was advised that the street was a public way and vehicle could park legally.

The latest arrest report from the Wellesley, Mass., police department:

On Tuesday, April 12, 2024 at 12:50 p.m. Officer Garland was dispatched to Roche Bros supermarket for a report of a male party, who had been served a letter of no trespass earlier that day had come into the store.  The suspect was located in the store and was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to the Dedham District Court.

On April 9, 2024 at 1:46 p.m. Officer Cunningham was flagged down by a motorist who indicated he had just been involved in a motor vehicle accident on Washington Street and both operators had pulled off the road.  Officer Cunningham spoke with both operators and queried their information for the crash exchange paperwork.  The query of the motorist’s information showed that he had failed to register as a sex offender in Blackstone and he did not have a valid driver’s license.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $500 bail.

On April 12, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. officers were dispatched to a bank on Central Street for a report of a male party attempting to obtain a bank statement utilizing a fraudulent ID.  Officer Harris spoke with the male party who initially insisted he was the account holder. Officer Harris examined the ID he presented and noticed that the security features on the ID were not in the correct places.  A query of the license number on the ID provided the height of the licensee to be 6’1” and the height noted on the fraudulent ID was 5’7”.   Officer Harris advised the man he knew the license was fraudulent and asked what his name was.  He provided Officer Harris with his real name. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held on $3,000 bail.

On April 21, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. Officer Misho was conducting traffic enforcement on Washington Street and observed a grey Range Rover pass his location.  He conducted a random query of the vehicle’s registration which showed the registration was revoked due to lack of insurance.  Officer Misho entered traffic and located the vehicle on Central Street and conducted a motor vehicle stop.  He spoke with the operator, and requested his license and registration.  A query of his information showed that he did not possess a valid license.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner and released on $250 bail.

The latest Wellesley Police log incidents and arrests:

On January 26, 2024 at 4:40 p.m. an officer was dispatched toa  bank on Linden Street for a report of a male party who had come into the bank around 2:45 p.m. who asked to exchange $4,300 in $50 bills to $100 bills.  The bank teller made the exchange and the unknown male then asked for Euros rather than US Dollars.   The bank teller advised that the bank did not carry Euros.  The male party then asked to have the $50 bills returned to him.  While the bank teller was counting out the money the male party grabbed the $4,300 on the counter and left the bank.  The bank manager attempted to speak to the male party as he was exiting the bank, but the male party ignored him and walked past him.  The bank teller did not realize until after the male party left the bank that he took an extra $1,600 from the counter while the bank teller was still counting the money.  The bank indicated they would forward surveillance video to assist with the investigation.  The surveillance video has not been submitted to the police department.

On January 29, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated that a red leather Jimmy Choo handbag valued at $450 was missing from her residence.  She felt the hand bag might have been stolen because she had found a rear door to her home open twice in the last month and she was aware of thefts that had occurred from motor vehicles.  She stated there were two watches in the handbag.  One was described as a Tiffany Tesoro watch valued at $500 and the other was described as a Channel J12.  She stated it could have been taken from her vehicle which was occasionally left unlocked.  There are no suspects at this time.

On January 29, 2024 an officer spoke with a resident regarding identity theft.  The male reporting party stated that he received a notification from a bank a few months prior that they needed more information to approve his credit card request.  He contacted the bank and told them he had not applied for a credit card.  He was advised the application would be denied.  At the time he conducted a credit check and found that there was another credit card that had been opened using his personal information that had a balance of $39,934 dollars.  He contacted the bank and advised them that he had not applied for credit card.  They advised him to file a police report and he would not be responsible for the fraudulent charges.  When speaking with the bank they stated the email used to open the credit card was not a real email and they were unsure why the application had been approved.  The reporting party put a credit freeze on his personal information.  There are no suspects at this time.

On January 31, 2024 at 2:44 a.m. an officer was on patrol and observed a broken window and damage to the door of a business in the lower falls area of Wellesley.  Officers entered the business and observed the area near the cash register had been ransacked.  Detectives responded and processed the scene for evidence.  Later in the morning the officer spoke with other business owners in the area to determine if there were any working security cameras.  The officer was able to find a business with video surveillance and reviewed the footage.  He observed a white pickup truck pass the business several times, he observed a male party exit the truck throw a rock through the window to gain access to the business.  The officer noted wording on the side of the pick up truck and was able to see the vehicle registration.  The pickup truck had been reported stolen.  On February 1, 2024 the pickup truck was located in Framingham.  Wellesley detectives went to Framingham and processed the pickup truck for any evidence.   Through their investigation Wellesley Detectives were able to identify a suspect, and requested an arrest warrant  as well as a search warrant for his residence from the Dedham District Court.  On February 15, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. the warrants were executed.  A suspect was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On February 1, 2024 officers assigned to the Wellesley Police Department’s Warrant Apprehension Team went to a suspect’s residence in Leominster.  He had two active arrest warrants issued by Dedham District Court for his arrest.   He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On February 5 at 5:10 p.m. an officer spoke with an employee from Domino’s Pizza who stated they had received several orders from a customer that did not pay for the orders.  The employee stated they received five orders to be delivered to Weston and they thought it was a teenager playing a prank on them so they cancelled the orders.  There were two different phone numbers associated with the orders.  The officer called one of the numbers and spoke with an adult who stated that her children were attempting to order food and wanted to pay with cash when the food was delivered.   The officer advised the reporting party that it was not intended as a prank.

On February 10, 2024 a found wallet was turned into the police station.  The wallet contained some cash and was entered in the department’s lost/found property where it will be held for a year in case the owner comes forward to claim it.

On February 12, 2024 an officer spoke with a male reporting party regarding a piece of construction equipment that had been stolen.  He stated that he had left a MT85 Bobcat skid steer in a parking lot of an officer building on Worcester Street and when an employee went to retrieve the Bobcat it was no longer there.  He checked the Bobcat’s GPS and learned that it had been moved on February 3^rd to a location in Acton.  He stated there were several buildings on the property in Acton, but he was unsure if the Bobcat was there.  The incident is under investigation.

On February 14, 2024 at 2:32 p.m. an officer was dispatched to a jewelry store on Washington Street for a report of a larceny.  The store owner stated a female party had come into the store to sell two gold colored necklaces.   The store owner viewed the necklaces and asked the female party what she thought their value was.  She indicated $1,700.  He agreed to pay her $1,600 for the two necklaces.  After the female party exited the store the reporting party examined the necklaces more closely and found they were fake.  He exited the store and attempted to locate the female party but was unable to do so.  The incident is under investigation.

On February 15, 0224 at 12:15 p.m. an officer spoke with reporting parties about possible bank fraud.  The reporting parties stated that they noticed a $41,000 transfer to an account they were not familiar with.  The account the funds were transferred to had an address of Memphis, Tennessee associated with it.  The bank was not sure how the reporting parties’ account had been accessed to transfer the funds.  They closed the bank account to prevent any further fraud.  The incident is being investigated by the bank.

Note: We’re working to revive more regular police log reports.

Police logs don’t grow on trees. Please support your local news source, The Swellesley Report

The latest Wellesley Police Department arrest and incident logs:

Arrests

On December 16, 2023 Officer Scopa was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street near Washington Street when he observed an Acura SUV pass his location with what appeared to be a paper license plate that he was unable to clearly read. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license and the registration information. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended, and that the temporary registration tag was issued to a different vehicle. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later bailed.

On December 26, 2023 at 7:51 a.m. for a report of a female party who was ringing doorbells in the area and appeared disheveled. Officers located the female party, later identified, on Washington Street and began speaking with her. A query of her information showed there was an active warrant for her arrest issued by a court in Boston for a failure to appear in court. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to the Dedham District Court.

Incidents

On December 6, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. and officer spoke to a reporting party regarding cyber fraud. The reporting party stated they utilize an online cryptocurrency exchange platform (Coinbase). They shared that they had approximately $12,000 in their account that was dispersed among different investments. The reporting party did not regularly monitor their account. In October the reporting party received two notifications from different financial institutions regarding fraudulent activity. They checked the accounts and did not notice any suspicious activity. The reporting party then attempted to log in into their Coinbase account and learned it had been compromised and they were no longer able to access it. On December 6, 2023 the reporting party was able to access their account and found there was $0.79 cents balance in the account. The reporting party had filed a claim with Coinbase. There are no suspects.

On December 11, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. an officer spoke with a reporting party regarding a cryptocurrency fishing scam though their Coinbase account. The reporting party received several text messages and phone calls regarding their Coinbase account. One of the text messages stated that the account had been compromised and to respond “yes” or “no” if it was their account. The account holder responded “no” and then received a phone call from a 888 number regarding the account requesting that the account password be reset. At the time the account holder did not realize the 888 number was not the actual 888 number for Coinbase due to it being a similar number. The reporting party stated as a result of this scam a large amount of Bitcoin was taken from his account and Ethereum and STX were sold. They indicated the approximate market value of the cryptocurrency was $30,000. The reporting party had filed a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On January 1, 2024 at 1:38 a.m. officers were dispatched to Washington Street in the area of Wellesley Hills for a report of a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle. Officers who responded learned that the pedestrian had exited a ride share vehicle that had stopped on Washington Street in a westerly direction to let the occupants out of the vehicle. One of the passengers was struck by a vehicle traveling in an easterly direction while crossing the street. That individual suffered significant non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. The incident is under investigation.

On January 2, 2024 at 11:12 a.m. an officer spoke to a reporting party who stated two unauthorized transactions were made from their account on December 26, 2024. These withdrawals were made in New York. The individual who made the withdrawals filled out two withdrawal slips and had an ID with the reporting party’s information on it. On December 27 th the reporting party received a call from a bank employee at a local Wellesley branch who confirmed that these fraudulent transactions had occurred. The officer spoke with the bank employee who stated the New York branch is investigating the incident.

On January 2, 2024 at 5:39 p.m. an officer spoke with a reporting party regarding identity fraud. The reporting party stated that he had received a letter from two banks on December 27 th regarding a request for new credit cards. The reporting party denied both requests. He also received a letter from Walmart regarding a new credit card account he had opened. The reporting party contacted Walmart and cancelled the credit card. On January 2, 2024 the reporting party received a letter from Target indicating that a credit card was opened with their information and there was an attempted charge of $10,000. The reporting party contacted Target and advised them a credit card had not been opened with their company. The reporting party indicated that they had been a victim of a data breach and had recently used the self-check out at Roche Bros. The officer advised the reporting party to requested a freeze of their credit lines, which had already been done. The officer is investigating the fraud.

On January 2, 2024 an officer accompanied an officer from the Massachusetts Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) who was investigating a case that had been referred to her by a local veterinarian. The dog in question had been treated by the veterinarian and was concerned about the dog and its lack of consistent medical attention for some existing medical issues. The officers spoke with one of the homeowners who admitted they were unable to properly provide care and medical resources for the dog. The dog owner had been researching veterinary clinics that offered financial aid to pet owners who qualified and was provided with information on what additional care was needed. The dog owner did not have the resources needed to provide the level of care and treatment needed and agreed to surrender ownership of the dog.

On January 6, 2024 at 12:17 p.m. an officer spoke with a reporting party regarding identity theft. An unknown individual had attempted to open four different credit card accounts and one bank account using the reporting party’s information. All of these attempts were flagged as fraudulent and were denied. The reporting party had requested information from the respective financial institutions regarding the information used on the applications to open the accounts. On January 7 th the reporting party contacted the officer and shared that there had been another attempt to open an account using his personal information. The incident is under investigation.

Note: We’re working to revive more regular police log reports.

Please support your local news source, The Swellesley Report