The Swellesley Report » crime

Wellesley police track suspicious footprints in the snow

bbrown — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +0000

From Wellesley Police Department:

The Wellesley Police Department is investigating several breaks into unoccupied homes that occurred overnight, and possible ties to an arrest made by the Newton Police Department.

The incidents began at 1:55 AM on Jan. 20, when a resident of Orchard Street called to report hearing breaking glass and seeing footprints in the snow near his home. Responding officers found a screen had been cut and a basement window broken, but it did not appear entry had been gained. Officers followed footprints in the newly fallen snow to another home on Orchard. There they discovered an open door and entered to check the home, but found it vacant. It appeared the home had been entered but the owners were not home and it is unclear what, if anything, was missing.

Officers continued to follow the footprints which brought them to a home on Washington Street, also vacant, which had been entered. Officers checked that home but it was empty. During the search, Wellesley police officers communicated with the Newton and Weston police departments, and Weston officers joined in the search for the subject. Officers found that the subject had slashed the screen of a porch at a home on Glen Road, but did not get into the home.

As officers were following the footprints and searching the neighborhood, they heard a call for a break in Newton near the Wellesley town line. Newton police officers responded to the scene and caught a man inside the home. He was arrested by Newton police and charged with the break.

At this time, Wellesley detectives are processing several scenes and investigating the man’s ties to the Wellesley breaks. In addition to the breaks described here, officers followed the footprints to the doors and windows of approximately ten homes in the neighborhood.

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Wellesley police investigating weekend break-ins

bbrown — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:10:47 +0000

From Wellesley Police Department:

The Wellesley Police Department is investigating two residential break-ins over the long holiday weekend. The first occurred in the Lowell/Cliff Road area and was reported to the department on Sunday, Jan. 15 in the late evening. The homeowner, who was away for two days, discovered the break-in upon returning home. Entry to the home was gained by smashing a window to a door in the rear of the dwelling. Small items were taken from the bedroom.

The second break-in was located in the Brook Street/Great Plain Ave area and reported to police on Monday, Jan. 16 in the late afternoon. A resident returned to find the rear door to the home had been forced open. The resident had left in the morning and returned in the afternoon. Nothing was taken.

Wellesley Police officers and detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) responded to both scenes to locate and process evidence. Both cases remain under investigation.

Reported Edmunds Road break-in/assault case

Speaking of reported break-ins, there’s not much new to report on the late November reported break-in/assault on Edmunds Road that garnered so much police and news attention at the time. Wellesley police say the “incident is still an ongoing open investigation. There is evidence that was sent to the State Police lab for analysis and it can take several months if not longer to receive all of the results for the evidence analysis back from the lab.”

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Schools share tragic news of former Wellesley family

bbrown — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:59:57 +0000

Wellesley Public School administrators Friday shared very sad news with families about a former Wellesley couple killed violently in Canada this week in what’s being described as a domestic attack and later, an altercation with police. The couple had 3 children and remained close to many in the Wellesley community even after moving four years ago. Condolences to those who know the family. The school system is offering counseling services to those in need. More from the Toronto Sun.

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Wellesley Police release surveillance video of gas station armed robbery

bbrown — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:17:24 +0000

Wellesley police have charged a Framingham woman with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the Christmas night Westside gas station robbery on Rte. 9 east. They update the case in this video, and share video footage.

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Scary Wellesley Christmas scene

bbrown — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:41:39 +0000

UPDATE: 12/26: A woman was arrested after allegedly robbing a Newton gas station and is suspected of being the same person who robbed the Wellesley gas station and Framingham CVS on Rte. 9 on Christmas day. More from Boston.com.

A woman was reported to have wielded a knife and demanded money at the Westside Mobile gas station on Rte. 9 east in Wellesley on Christmas night around 7pm, according to Fox News Boston. The woman is believed to have possibly committed a robbery in Framingham earlier, working her way up Rte. 9.

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Police warn: Packages disappearing from Wellesley doorsteps

bbrown — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:38:19 +0000

From Wellesley Police Department:

Officer Mike Lemenager and Officer Kathy Lameiras are investigating several thefts of packages which had been delivered to homes on Pine Street. The thefts occurred on Wednesday, December 21, during the day. Residents on Pine Street reported that packages delivered to their front doors by UPS, FedEx, and the United States Postal Service apparently had been stolen during daylight hours when residents were not home.

In one case, an opened package was discovered on Pine Street. Thieves apparently had opened the parcel after stealing it from the front step, and then discarded it on the street. Although these types of thefts have been occurring in some of the surrounding towns, this is the first known instance of package thefts in Wellesley this holiday season.

The Wellesley Police Department urges residents to have packages delivered to areas of their homes that are not readily visible to people on the street. This includes side doors, inside of porches, or other inconspicuous locations. Package delivery services will often honor requests to leave parcels in other areas of the home if residents leave instructions on where they should be placed. Placing a small sign on the front door with these instructions is often sufficient.

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Inside job: Wellesley cops arrest 2 for $28K copper theft

bbrown — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:29:23 +0000

Wellesley Police Department has arrested 2 construction workers they say swiped $28K worth of copper wire at the 27 Washington St., project where the new CVS, Newton-Wellesley Hospital ambulatory surgery center and Waterstone senior facility are being built. The thefts took place at two separate times and video surveillance footage helped identify the suspects.

Wellesley has been a hotbed of copper thefts, though is not alone given that rising copper prices have made the metal attractive to crooks. Earlier this year, Wellesley police used DNA evidence to crack a case of copper theft at Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, and last year a couple of churches in town, as well as the Recreation Department, were victimized by copper thiefs.

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Wellesley PD Chief Cunningham on Edmunds Road case

bbrown — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:10:34 +0000

From Wellesley Police Department regarding the reported sexual assault on Edmunds Road earlier this week:

Several citizens have contacted the police department or Town Hall asking if there is any further information available about the incident Monday on Edmunds Road. We understand that the event itself, as well as the subsequent search of the area, were unnerving. The very tactics we use to make sure a neighborhood is completely safe can, unfortunately, make people feel less safe. But as a result of the steps we took, and the Wellesley and State Police assets we utilized, by the time we pulled out of the neighborhood we were confident it was safe.

Currently, our detectives are working tirelessly on the case. The ongoing status of the investigation, as well as the nature of the incident itself, require that we withhold any comments, theories or speculation. Unfortunately, residents should not expect updates on the case unless something definitive develops. There will be no composite or sketch prepared in this case. This is an issue of investigative protocol and no inferences should be drawn from it.

There have been some housebreaks in Wellesley recently, and residents have inquired about any potential nexus to Monday’s incident. There is no reason to believe that Monday’s case is related. Notably, two weeks ago our detectives arrested three subjects in connection with one of the housebreaks in the area. On Thursday, two additional subjects arrested by another agency were positively identified in another of our housebreaks. Those two individuals are currently in custody.

We have increased patrols in the Edmunds Road neighborhood. This was done to reassure residents and help families feel secure, not because we have any reason to believe that the neighborhood is unsafe.

Residents who still have questions should feel free to call Police Headquarters, or email us through this website, and an officer will contact you.

We appreciate the community’s support.

Chief Cunningham

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Latest on reported sexual assault in Wellesley: not much

bbrown — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:38:55 +0000

In an effort to reassure neighbors, Wellesley Police have stepped up their presence in the Edmunds Road area, where a sexual assault was reported on Monday by a teen. But the WPD is keeping quiet beyond that. The police have been careful to date to refer to the incident as “a reported sexual assault.”

From WPD: “This is an active investigation and we cannot comment about the investigation due to highly sensitive nature of the crime. We are continuing to investigate the incident.”

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Attempted robbery reported at Babson Monday night

bbrown — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:25:53 +0000

From the Babson College Police Department:

The Babson College Police Department received a report last evening at 10:26pm from a Babson student who stated he was the victim of an attempted robbery. The student described the suspect as a black male, 5’10″-5’11″ tall, wearing all black clothing and a black ski mask. The suspect approached the victim in the lower BECC parking lot and demanded his money. Nothing was taken from the victim and the suspect fled through the Bryant lot toward Wellesley Ave. The Babson College and Wellesley Police are investigating this incident and if you have any information please contact the Babson Police Department at 781-239-5555 or the Wellesley Police Department at 781-235-1212. Additional updates will be sent as necessary.

The reported robbery attempt took place on the same day that a sexual assault was reported on Edmunds Road. Police are still investigating the reported assault case.

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