The Wellesley Police Department has documented the apprehension of three 15-year-olds after a stolen car pursuit that ended in Needham.

Wellesley has been riddled of late with car thefts, many involving unlocked vehicles with the keys in them.

In Tuesday morning’s incident, a patrol officer in the Garden and Colburn Road neighborhood targeted by thieves spotted a vehicle traveling very slowly and determined to be a car stolen from Great Plain Avenue on Monday.

The vehicle sped away and was pursued by Wellesley police into Needham Square. The chase had to be called off initially to avoid danger to others, but the driver smashed the car into a curb while heading toward Rte. 95 and inadvertently sent up smoke that Needham police could follow. Three occupants then escaped the vehicle on foot on Oakland street, with one being taken into custody and two others heading for backyards.

Wellesley put its drone to use, complemented by search dogs. The combination worked and the suspects were caught. The teens, who hail from Brockton, Medford, and Somerville, were charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle. They will be arraigned in Dedham District Court’s juvenile court. The teens were released to their parents.

Wellesley, Mass., police log for February, 2023 (we’re working with the department to get logs in a more timely way):

Arrests

On February 7, 2023 at 9:35 a.m. Officer Gover observed a Chrysler van proceed through a red traffic light at the intersection of Washington Street at Cliff Road.  He stopped the vehicle on Washington Street near Route 9 and spoke with the operator, and asked for his license and registration.  The operator provided his registration and stated he did not have his license in his possession.  A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. Additionally, there was an active warrant issued by the Taunton District Court for motor vehicle related offenses.   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 15, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. Officer Pino observed a Jeep traveling on Worcester Street with no headlights on.  He stopped the vehicle on Worcester Street near Route 128 and spoke with the female operator who initially provided Officer Pino with a false name and date of birth.   Officer Pino queried the information provided by the operator and noted the registry photograph was of a different female party.  He approached the vehicle again and asked the operator for information.  She indicated that her license was suspended and stated her name.  A query of her information confirmed that her license was suspended and there was an active warrant issued by the Uxbridge District Court for motor vehicle related offenses.  While conducting the motor vehicle inventory a baggie with a white powdery substance was located.  She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usually manner, afforded all rights and held on bail.

On February 16, 2023 at 11:50 a.m. Officer Mankavech was traveling on Worcester Street east when he observed a Jeep Grand Cherokee make an abrupt right turn onto Grantland Road.  He turned onto Oakland Street and noticed the Jeep had turned onto Cunningham Road, which is a dead end.  The vehicle then entered Worcester Street eastbound again.  Officer Mankavech stopped the vehicle and made contact with the operator.  A query [Read more…]

Wellesley, Mass., police log for January, 2023 (we’re working with the department to get logs in a more timely way):

Arrests

On January 10, 2023 at 8:20 a.m. Officer Cunningham went to a residence on Linden Street to locate a suspect who was wanted for two straight warrants issued by Dedham District Court for motor vehicle related offenses. She was located, placed into custody and transported to Dedham District Court.

On January 22, 2023 at 7:57 a.m. Officer Lucenta was dispatched to Bancroft Road for a report of a black sedan parked on the street with someone sleeping inside. Officer Lucenta observed that the vehicle in question was parked blocking the driveways to two residences. Officer Lucenta observed a female party asleep with the vehicle running. She knocked on the window to wake the occupant, who seemed confused and stated she was waiting for a friend who was a DJ. There was an open bottle of wine on the passenger side floorboard. The occupant’s eyes were bloodshot and her speech was slow. She agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination and was unable to successfully complete these tests. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner and afforded all rights. She was later released on personal recognizance.

Incidents

On January 1, 2023 at 1:16 a.m. a female party reported that she had been out with some friends the previous evening and when she returned to her vehicle she noticed an Apple Air Pods case on the driver’s seat that did not belong to her. The reporting party thought she had locked the doors to her vehicle and was unsure how the Air Pods ended up in her vehicle. Later in the day on January 1, 2023 the owner of the Air Pods contacted the police station and stated she had used the Find My Phone feature and it showed the Air Pods were at the police station. She was in the same shopping area as the initial reporting party and believed the Air Pods had been in her coat pocket and was unsure how they ended up in the reporting party’s vehicle. There was nothing missing from either individual’s vehicles. The Air Pods were returned to the owner.

On January 1, 2023 at 3:38 p.m. an officer met with the family member of a resident that had passed away that wished to turn in an old firearm for destruction. The firearm was properly marked for destruction and will be safely stored until it can be destroyed.

On January 3, 2023 an officer spoke with a property owner for a business on Washington Street who reported that someone had illegally dumped approximately 10 bags of trash in the dumpster for the business. The business manager had taken a photograph of the vehicle when it was driving away. The officer was able to find a telephone number associated with the vehicle owner and later spoke with the owner. The owner stated another family member was driving the vehicle and did not realize the dumpster was private and had disposed of 10 bags of trash after cleaning out a relative’s house in Wellesley. They agreed to reimburse the property owner for the cost of the additional trash in the dumpster.

On January 4, 2023 at 11:11 a.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated a neighbor had been videotaping contractors on her property and confronting them. The reporting party stated this had been ongoing and she was concerned that her neighbor had trespassed on her property. The officer spoke with the neighbor who stated she felt the reporting party was operating a business out of her residence in violation of Wellesley Town by-laws and was collecting evidence. Both parties were advised a report would be filed.

On January 6, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. officers were dispatched to a gas station on Worcester Street for a report of a male party overdosing in a motor vehicle. The officer observed the male party was laying across the passenger seat of the vehicle and was breathing but not responsive. The officer administered one dose of Narcan prior the arrival of the medics. The male party was transported to the hospital for treatment.

On January 4, 2023 at 1:15 p.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party who stated he had mailed a check on December 23 rd for $20 and it was later altered to the amount of $11,180. The incident is under investigation.

On January 5, 2023 at 5:36 p.m. an officer was dispatched to a restaurant for a report of a verbal altercation with a patron. The reporting party stated that a male party came into the restaurant and was asking for a ride or for the employees to pay for a ride share for him. They repeatedly told him they could not provide him with a ride and when they suggested he contact the police for assistance he became agitated and began yelling at them and then left the restaurant. The reporting party wished to issue a verbal no trespass order to the male party. An officer spoke with the male party and provided a ride to the Wellesley Farms train station.

On January 8, 2023 at 4:57 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated they had just returned from vacation and found that their motor vehicle had been stolen from the driveway. While gathering information about the stolen motor vehicle from the reporting party the officer was advised that a safe that contained a large amount of jewelry had been taken from the bedroom. Detectives responded to the scene to process it for any potential evidence. The incident is under investigation.

On January 14, 2023 at 9:58 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated someone had thrown eggs at the house. The reporting party stated that it might have been one of the neighbors. The officer spoke with the neighbor who admitted that he and his friends had thrown eggs. He was advised that he should not be vandalizing property or trespassing on someone else’s property.

On January 17, 2023 an officer was notified by an employee of the facilities maintenance department that the Cupola at the Wellesley Middle School had been vandalized with spray paint. The FMD employees were unsure how old the vandalism was. There are no suspects at this time.

On January 18, 2023 at 5:55 p.m. an officer was dispatched to the playground on the Wellesley Housing Authority Property for a report of suspicious male parties. The officer spoke with the juveniles who observed 3 male parties dressed in dark clothing walking around in the area. The juveniles were not familiar with the male parties and told an adult about them. They observed the male parties walk around the block and then enter a dark colored vehicle and leave the area. Extra checks of the playground area will be made by officers.

On January 23, 2023 at 11:27 a.m. an officer spoke to a female party who stated that her catalytic converter had been stolen from her motor vehicle overnight. She reviewed her ring camera footage and noticed a male party standing in her driveway at 3:00 a.m. with a tool in his hands. There are no
suspects at this time.

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Wellesley, Mass., police log for the week of

Arrests

On December 4, 2022 at 11:31 a.m. Officer Mankavech observed a Ford Bronco enter the left turn lane near 900 Worcester Street and then swerve back into the left travel lane on Worcester Street westbound.  He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, who exited her vehicle when she stopped. The operator advised Officer Mankavech that her license was suspended and she believed she had a warrant for her arrest.  Officer Mankavech confirmed that her license was suspended and there was an active default warrant issued by the Lowell District Court for motor vehicle related offenses. Officer Mankavech took the operator into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $200 bail.the   While conducting an inventory of the contents of the motor vehicle officers located drug paraphernalia and crack cocaine.  

On December 6, 2022 at 2:21 p.m. Officer Dennehy was dispatched to the area of Carver Road for a male party soliciting door to door.  Officer Dennehy located a male party, on Winslow Road.  A query of his information revealed there was an active arrest warrant issued by New Haven County, Connecticut.  The Emergency Communications Center contacted the Meriden CT Police Department who indicated that they would extradite the male party back to Connecticut.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held without bail. 

On December 29, 2022 the Wellesley Police Department Warrant Apprehension Unit responded to State of Rhode Island Department of Correction and took custody of an individual who had been arrested by the Cranston, R.I., Police Department on December 27, 2022.  He had four active warrants in Massachusetts.  A default warrant issued by the Dedham District Court on May, 18, 2022 for a Wellesley case for 4 counts of unlawful possession of a theft detection device, 1 count of receiving stolen property over $1,200 and 7 counts of receiving stolen property under $1,200.   The other three warrants were issued by the Attleboro District Court, Taunton District Court and Wrentham District Court.  He was transported to the Wellesley Police Department where he was booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to the Dedham District Court. 

Incidents

On December 2, 2022 at 6:10 p.m. an officer spoke to a reporting party regarding fraudulent bank transfers.  The reporting party stated that in November there were two fraudulent charges totaling $7,600.   She reported the fraudulent charges to her bank and they requested a police report.  The officer advised her to monitor her credit report and to call the police department if she noticed any fraudulent activity.

On December 3, 2022 at 12:54 p.m. an officer spoke to a reporting party about vandalism to their property.  Sometime between 11:00 p.m. the night before and 8:30 a.m. eggs and toilet paper were thrown on their property.  No permanent damage occurred.  They did not have any security cameras and were not aware of anyone who might be responsible for the damage.

On December 5, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. a male reporting party came to the police station to report that his wife’s wedding ring had been lost.  He stated that it had been missing for approximately 3 months.  The ring had 16 diamonds weighing 5.98 cts and valued at $60,000.  They have not noticed anything else missing and requested a report be filed for their insurance company.

On December 5, 2022 at 2:20 p.m. an officer was dispatched to a parking lot on Washington Street for a report of a male party sitting in a motor vehicle exposing himself.  The female reporting party stated when she returned to her vehicle she observed a male party in the vehicle next to hers that had exposed himself.  She stated after leaving the parking lot she called 911.  Officers searched the parking lot and area and were unable to locate the vehicle.

On December 6, 2022 at 4:49 an officer spoke with a reporting party regarding credit card fraud.   The reporting party stated that $9,100 was withdrawn from the account via five internet transfers.  On December 10, 2022 the bank closed the account, opened a new account and reimbursed her the stolen funds.  There is no further information available and no suspects at this time.

On December 7, 2022 at 9:30 p.m. an officer spoke with a reporting party who had received threatening messages from an unknown individual he had met through an online dating application.   The reporting party and unknown individual had exchanged naked photographs.   The unknown party then attempted to extort money from the reporting party.  The reporting party blocked the party’s phone number and blocked him on the dating app.  The phone number used by the unknown party came back for Onvoy, Inc and Bandwidth.com in Connecticut.   

On December 8, 2022 at 10:28 a.m. officers responded to a residence to speak with a reporting party who stated she was concerned she was being scammed by the contractor working on her chimney.  She stated on December 5, 2022 a male party knocked on her door and advised her there was a hole in her chimney and stated he was an employee of New Boston Masonry and Construction and he could repair the chimney for $100.  He provided her with a proposal document and flyer from the company.  On December 8, 2022 workers came to complete the work.  She stated she heard a lot of noise on the roof and felt the contractors may have been damaging the chimney rather than repairing it.  A short time later a male party approached her with photos on a cell phone to show her the current condition of her chimney and advised her the cost to repair it would now be $12,500 and he would require a deposit of $9,000.  He requested the check be made out to a 3^rd party.  The reporting party became suspicious and contacted the police, advised him she was contacting the police and they immediately left the property and left behind a ladder and tools.  The officer spoke with the reporting party who stated she did not wish to have the contractor complete the work.  The officer advised her to contact the company and advise them she wished to cancel the work.  The contractor contacted the officer at the police station to determine if the reporting party wanted to cancel the work or not.  The officer advised the contractor that the reporting party did not wish to have his company complete the work and explained her concerns about the unexpected cost.  After speaking with the contractor, the officer learned that he did not have a home improvement contractor registration in his own name and the workers had not applied for a building permit.  After reviewing the requirements to conduct masonry work the officer filed a complaint with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Officer of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations.

On December 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. an officer was dispatched to a business on Linden Street for a report of $17,000 worth of missing electronic equipment.  The equipment was delivered on November 21^st.  On November 29^th the installer for the electrical equipment advised the reporting party that several items were missing from the shipment.  The reporting party was unsure if the items were inadvertently left out of the shipment or if they were stolen after they were shipped.  

On December 9, 2022 at 7:53 a.m. an officer was dispatched to a parking lot on Linden Street for a report of a breaking and entering into a motor vehicle.  The reporting party stated the driver side window had been smashed and her purse was taken from the vehicle.  The purse contained two wallets with various credit cards, driver’s license and other items.   Later in the day the reporting party contacted the officer and advised that some of the credit cards stolen had been used at a Walmart in Walpole.  The officer conducted an investigation and was able to identify a female party who used the stolen credit cards.  The female party will be summonsed to Dedham District Court for Breaking and Entering into a Motor Vehicle for a Felony, Destruction of Property Under $1,200, and seven counts of Receiving a Stolen Credit Card.

On December 8, 2022 at 5:20 p.m. a male reporting party’s dog was bitten by a dog on Willow Road.  Animal Control Officer Smith followed up with the dog owner, quarantined the dog for 10 days per state guidelines.  The owner of the dog hired a trainer to ensure the dog does not bite another dog again.

On December 9, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party who works at a nursing home in Wellesley.  He stated a resident informed him that approximately $600-$800 in cash was stolen from a locked drawer in her room at some point over the last few weeks.  The key for the drawer was stored in another bureau drawer.  Several people would potentially have access to the room.  There are no suspects at this time.

On December 12, 2022 at 9:42 a.m. an officer spoke with a resident from Lincoln Circle who was the victim of check fraud.  The reporting party had mailed a check from the Babson Post Office on Saturday, December 3^rd and upon reviewing his bank transactions online noticed that the check had been changed from $2,523.24 to $9,000 and the payee had been changed.   

On December 13, 2022 at 7:20 p.m. an officer spoke to a male reporting party who was scammed via social media.  The male party had received a friend request from an unknown female party on Instagram and chatted with them for a little while.  The unknown party asked for a naked photo and

[Read more…]

The Wellesley Police Department, which has been getting more mail theft-related check fraud reports, is advising residents to take their mail directly into the post office to send it on its way.

Crooks have advanced from “fishing” schemes that involved using wires and sticky mouse traps to snag letters through mailbox slots to outright stealing postal carrier keys to open those big blue mailboxes and then overwriting people’s checks and cashing them. Wellesley and other communities replaced or retrofitted mailboxes a few years back to address fishing—while that served as a deterrent, criminals have found an even more efficient way to grab checks from mailboxes.

While heading to the post office to mail your stuff may be inconvenient and fly in the face of local efforts to cut down on traffic, the message also comes at the busiest time of year at the post office.

The theft of mailbox keys and subsequent check washing has become a national issue, with arrests for such crimes reported from Chicago to Maryland. A Chicago mail carrier recently reported being robbed at gunpoint for his key.

Not only are checks being altered and cashed, but personal information is being stolen from them and abused. The Wellesley police logs are filled with online fraud reports.

The Wellesley Police Department is advising residents not only to avoid official U.S. Postal Service mailboxes, but their own residential mailboxes as well.

“We want to be sure the residents are aware that these types of thefts are occurring in towns all across the state and that investigations into these thefts have revealed that the thieves have keys to the blue mailboxes.  If you need to mail a check please do not use the blue mailboxes and do not leave it out for your postal carrier.  All mail should be brought directly to the post office,” Wellesley Police Lt. Marie Cleary said to us in a follow-up email.

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Wellesley, Mass., police log for the week of Oct. 10-15:

On Monday, October 10, 2022 at 9:15 a.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party regarding identity theft.  He stated he received a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue indicating he owed money for an unemployment overpayment.  He indicated he had never applied for unemployment.  The reporting party has reported the unemployment fraud to the Department of Unemployment Assistance on three occasions.  

On October 10, 2022 at 10:15 a.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated she had taken an Uber from Revere to Wellesley to pick up some items before continuing to her final destination in North Adams.  She stated she left her personal belongings in the Uber and the driver left.  She had attempted to contact the Uber driver through the application and was not successful.  She also contact Uber and reported that the driver had left with her belongings.  She was advised to continue to follow up with the Uber company.

On October 10, 2022 at 5:18 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party about credit card fraud.  The reporting party had received a phone call from someone posing as Comcast customer service and stated they could save her 50% on her bill.  She was advised she had to pay $750 up front and could pay by sending a picture of a check or purchasing Target gift cards.  She purchased 2 Target gift cards and called the unknown male party back with the security codes on the cards.  The male party advised her they didn’t work and told her she would have to get more.  She became suspicious and ended the phone call at that time and called Target’s Fraud Department to report the incident.   The incident is under investigation.

On October 11, 2022 at 10:58 a.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who had located a Schwinn mountain bike that had been left on the sidewalk on Beverly Road.  The reporting party had posted that she found the bicycle on social media, but nobody came forward to claim it.  It was transported to the Wellesley Police Department and entered as found property.  It will be stored for 1 year in case the owner comes forward looking for the bicycle.

On October 11, 2022 at 4:18 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who was concerned that the vehicle in her driveway had been replaced with a replica vehicle that looked the same.  The reporting party felt the vehicle handled differently than her vehicle.  The officer was able to confirm by the vehicle identification number (VIN) that the vehicle was hers.

On October 12, 2022 at 2:40 p.m. officers were dispatched to the area of Washington Street in the Falls for a report of a black colored sedan with the passenger of the vehicle holding a gun to the driver’s head.  The reporting party provided a vehicle registration number which came back to a Wellesley resident.  Officers were able to make contact with the vehicle owner and learned that the vehicle was being driven by his high school aged son with a friend in the vehicle and that they had a toy gun and thought they were “messing around”.  The parents understood the severity of the situation and indicated that they would be speaking with their son about the gravity of his actions.

On October 13, 2022 at 2:27 p.m. an officer spoke to a resident regarding a stolen license plate from a vehicle that was parked in his driveway.  The last time he recalled seeing the license plate attached to the vehicle was on October 11^th.  The license plate was entered into the NCIC system as stolen which will allow the reporting party to request a replacement license plate.

On October 14, 2022 at 12:23 p.m. an officer spoke to a female reporting party who stated she had hired a contractor to do some work and allowed him to utilize her credit card to purchase materials needed for the work.  She stated he made two unauthorized charges with the credit card and when confronted about it advised her that he did not have the money to pay her back right away.  The officer worked with the contractor’s attorney to have all monies returned to the reporting party and the contractor was advised he was no longer welcome on her property.

On October 15, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. an officer spoke with a female reporting party who stated she inadvertently left a pair of Airpods in an Uber and attempted to contact the Uber driver to retrieve them.  The Uber driver blocked her messages.  The contacted the company who advised her to wait 24 hours to see if the Airpods were turned in.  When she called Uber back 24 hours later she was advised that they had not been turned in and she should file a police report.  

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