Excerpts from the Marblehead police log of Thursday, Feb. 23 through Thursday, March 2, 2023. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing to media outlets reports related to incidents related to domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation.
Thursday, Feb. 23
6:39 a.m. An officer investigated a report that a plow had struck a parked car on High Street.
7:41 a.m. A caller reported an issue with a manhole cover on Elm Street.
11:13 a.m. A caller on Cloutmans Lane reported having been targeted with a scam in which a caller pretended to be his grandson. The resident had hung up on the caller but wanted to report the incident. The officer advised the resident to not answer calls from numbers that he did not recognize and to let police know if any other suspicious incidents occurred.
11:57 a.m. A caller reported that a car was blocking a bus on Spring and Pleasant streets.
4:50 p.m. Officers investigated a disturbance reported on Hines Court.
7:28 p.m. An officer spoke at the police station with a woman who reported that she was being harassed by a contractor to whom she said she had given between $30,000 and $40,000 for a home remodeling job he had only half completed. She said she was upset that he was “bullying” her into giving him more money before he resumed work. The woman said the contractor was giving her a hard time about not being from Marblehead and commented that he knew members of the Angiulo family. The contractor reportedly threatened that he would report the woman to the police for giving him a check from an account with insufficient funds. Woman claimed she had instructed the contractor to wait a couple days before attempting to cash the check, but he had not waited, which was why the check bounced. The officer advised the woman that the contractor-customer dispute would have to be settled in court if they could not handle it civilly. The officer also explained to the woman her rights to obtain a harassment prevention order if she felt one was necessary.
9:54 p.m. Icy roads reported on Atlantic and Ocean avenues.
Friday, Feb. 24
9:51 a.m. An officer investigated a report of a tree or branch down on Maple Street.
11:23 a.m. A lost handbag was reported on Atlantic Avenue.
12:21 p.m. An officer investigated a report that there was a 17-month-old locked in a car on Green Street.
1:29 p.m. An officer investigated a report of larceny, forgery or fraud on Dodge Road.
2:48 p.m. A Maple Circle resident reported receiving unwanted letters.
Saturday, Feb. 25
1:35 p.m. A Gerald Road resident requested advice about a possible scam phone call he had just received. The man had received a call, purportedly from Eversource, telling him that his gas service was going to be shut off if he did not send them $250. The man had been instructed to go to CVS and purchase a certain gift card for that amount and send it to them. The man refused, and the caller insisted and argued with the resident until the resident finally hung
up and decided to call the police. The officer explained to him it was most likely a scam. The officer then called the phone number from which the call to the resident had originated, and a man answered. After the officer identified himself, the man hung up. The officer then called the number back twice, and both times it went to a full mailbox and before disconnecting. The officer reported what he had found to the resident and advised him to call the police again if he received any additional calls.
1:51 p.m. An officer responded to the scene of a vehicle crash on Humphrey Street and Brookhouse Drive.
2:42 p.m. An officer assisted with the response to a person sleeping in a car on Front Street.
Sunday, Feb. 26
9:56 a.m. A lost wallet was reported on Atlantic Avenue.
1:24 p.m. Lost eyeglasses were reported on Turner Road.
1:51 p.m. An officer spoke at the police station with a woman who on Feb. 14 had received a note in her mailbox from her next-door neighbor, whom she had served with a no-trespass order a year earlier. The note explained that the subject of the no-trespass order had entered the woman in the station’s driveway to retrieve her trash can lid, possibly dropping an earring in the process. The woman in the station said she did not want her neighbor charged but just wanted the neighbor to respect the fact she is not welcome on her property. The woman in the station requested the officer call the neighbor to remind her of the order and to express her wishes. The officer then called the neighbor and explained the purpose of his call, which the neighbor said she understood. The neighbor admitted to the trespass but thought it was silly she could not retrieve her trash can lid. The officer advised her to call the police if there was any reason why she needed to access the other woman’s property in the future.
4:31 p.m. An officer was dispatched to Washington Street to investigate a landlord-tenant dispute. Upon his arrival, the officer met with the tenant who said that, for months, her landlord, who lives in a neighboring apartment, had been harassing her. The woman pointed to the driveway, where the landlord had parked her car right up close to the tenant’s vehicle, despite the fact that there appeared to be plenty of room in the driveway to park elsewhere. The tenant told the officer that she wanted to break her lease and move because the landlord kept harassing her. She said the lights in the hallway were burnt out or had been unscrewed so the tenant could not see going up the stairs to her apartment. The officer advised the tenant how to obtain a harassment prevention order and advised her to document everything. As for breaking her lease, she was told she would have to handle that with her landlord or in court. The officer was called back to the property shortly before 6 p.m. to assist the Fire Department with investigating the report of smoke in the hallways, which turned out to be incense burning. The officer spoke to the tenant again, who theorized that the landlord may have tried to light something on fire in retaliation for her initial call to police. Officer then spoke to the landlord who said that, to the extent there was an issue with her tenant, it was because the tenant was not paying her rent. The landlord also said that she feared for her safety when the tenant’s boyfriend visits. She was likewise advised to call the police if there was any issue with the tenant or her boyfriend.
4:57 p.m. Officers went to the area of Humphrey Street and Clifton Avenue to investigate reports of gunshots. According to a couple of callers, the sound had come from the area of Brookhouse and Londonderry roads. After speaking with some residents in the area, it was determined to be fireworks. An officer found the spent case of what appeared to be the source of the noise on Westminster Road, one street over.
5:51 p.m. For about a half-hour, an officer conducted traffic enforcement in the area of West Shore Drive and Waterside Road but observed zero violations.
9:47 p.m. An officer assisted a resident with a car door that had been frozen shut on Clifton Avenue.
Monday, Feb. 27
8:31 a.m. An officer spoke in the police station with a man who was having a civil issue with a local body shop, which had completed the repairs to his vehicle but would not release the vehicle because the insurance company responsible had yet to complete payment for the work. The man claimed it was not his responsibility to pay for the repairs as the damage was not his fault. The officer advised the man to reach out to his insurance company for guidance or to pursue the matter in court if it could not be settled civilly.
9:08 a.m. A walk-in to the police station who works at a local real estate office asked for advice regarding a customer who had gotten in touch with her for help with a rental property he owns. After assigning the work on the man’s property to a male agent, the property owner had since reached out on his own to several of the company’s younger female agents directly. He was told that the agents to whom he had reached out do not work on rental property, yet he was insistent on working with only women, which had made people in the office uncomfortable. The woman in the station was advised how to obtain no-trespass and harassment prevention orders. She said the office planned to block the man’s contact across all platforms and would call the police if there were any further issues.
11:18 a.m. An officer spoke in the station with a woman who had recently closed on buying a home on Prospect Court. She stated that while the home was empty, they decided to have some minor renovations done, including redoing the home’s floors, using a local contractor. She said that on Feb. 14 she had received an irate phone call from one of her new neighbors and a trustee of the homeowners’ association, who began to yell at her about having the work done without informing him first. The man accused the woman of harming his family with the dangerous fumes from the floor varnish. The woman said the man at one point threatened to enter the unit and place a pillow in the fireplace to prevent the fumes from spreading. The woman told the officer she made it clear to the man that he was not to enter the home without her there. The woman explained to the man that walking on the floors would only cause damage and the need for more varnish. After the man ended the phone call, the woman’s contractor informed her that the man had, in fact, entered her unit and placed a pillow in the fireplace as he said he would. As a result, the man had left soot and footprints across the freshly varnished floor. The woman stated that the floors would need to be resanded and varnished as a result. She stated that the man also broke the fireplace’s damper when he stuffed the pillow in the fireplace. The woman then showed the officer the pictures of the man stuffing the pillow in the fireplace and pictures of the damage to the floor, which the contractor had sent to her. The woman stated that she had since emailed the man to inform him of all the work that is to be done in her unit as a measure to keep the peace. The woman told the officer she was trying to go about the work the right way and follow the association’s bylaws. The woman told the officer that she also informed the man via email that he is not to enter her home without permission for any reason. The woman stated that she was not interested in having the man charged with the damage to the floors or chimney damper but just wanted the incident documented. The officer advised her of how to obtain harassment prevention and no-trespass orders. The woman said she did not want the officer to speak with her neighbor and just wanted to move forward.
1:55 p.m. Officers assisted at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Pleasant Street and Baldwin Road. Both vehicles had to be towed.
5:39 p.m. A caller reported their vehicle’s bumper had been tapped but had not been damaged on Leggs Hill Road at Tedesco Street.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
8:46 a.m. Officers conducted a well-being check on Creesy Street and filed a report.
1:16 p.m. An officer investigated a report of a burglary or break-in to a structure on Edgemere Road.
11:46 p.m. Officers investigated a general complaint on Creesy Street and filed a report.
Wednesday, March 1
8:03 a.m. An officer was dispatched to Sheldon Road for a report of an overnight breaking-and-entering of two unlocked vehicles. The vehicles’ owner told the officer that she had been packing up her son’s belongings the night before in both cars because he is moving soon and believes that her cars had been entered by an unknown person sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The woman reported that she had gone into her home at 7 p.m., and that her son had gone outside at about 8 p.m., which she believes must have scared away whoever was going through the vehicles. It was not until the morning that the woman had noticed items in each car being moved around, compartments opened and items gone through. She had also
found her vehicle registration on the ground next to the car. She reported that there was a small amount of cash — under $100 in various bills — missing. She had deduced that the break-in occurred because a bag containing a large amount of loose change that had been in one of the vehicles was found in the other vehicle, which lined up with her theory that her son had scared the thief off. The officer reviewed footage captured by doorbell cameras at two nearby homes, but neither camera had detected any motion.
9:08 a.m. Officers investigated a report of vandalism on Humphrey Street and filed a report.
10:27 a.m. An officer investigated a report that “fake mail” had been received on Peach Highlands.
10:51 a.m. A caller on Lattimer Street reported receiving a grandparent scam call.
11:19 a.m. An officer spoke by phone with a Farrell Court resident who reported that he had been called a couple of hours earlier by someone posing as his grandson’s attorney, claiming that the resident’s grandson had been in an accident and was in custody and needed $9,600 for bail. The man soon figured out that the call was a scam attempt and ended the conversation. The man was not out any money and had not provided any personal or banking information other than his address.
12:04 p.m. A lost bracelet was reported on Elmwood Road.
3:35 p.m. An officer investigated the report of a shell (presumably ammunition) found on Preston Beach Road and filed a report.
4:50 p.m. An officer investigated a report of illegal dumping on Farrell Court.
5:46 p.m. A school bus with its interior light on was reported on Village Street.
Thursday, March 2
9:45 a.m. An officer investigated the report of a vehicle crash on Gregory Street.
11:09 a.m. A lost wallet was reported on Longview Drive.
11:38 a.m. An officer investigated a 911 call from an elevator on Pleasant Street.
1:15 p.m. An officer spoke by phone with a man who had been harassed three weeks earlier while surfing with his girlfriend at Devereux Beach. While they were changing into their surf gear, a man to whom the caller had spoken in the past drove past them, gave his girlfriend a “dirty look” and then had gotten out of his vehicle and had begun yelling at them that the beach was for “locals only.” The man on the phone explained that the man was known to have yelled similar comments at other surfers in the past. The surfer said the yelling man had neither threatened nor assaulted him or his girlfriend. Officer assured the surfer that he was welcome at the beach and encouraged him to call police the next time there was a negative interaction with the other man.
2:41 p.m. An officer investigated the report of a road-rage incident on Pond and Green streets.
5:59 p.m. Officers investigated a report of bicycles being ridden on the sidewalk on Atlantic Avenue. The call proved to be unfounded.
