The calls investigated by the Marblehead Police this week included one from a woman who figured she might as well agree to the delivery of a microwave, even though she had not ordered one, and another from a woman who fears her puppy might have pinched her precious diamond ring.
Friday, Oct. 17
Vehicle stops, citations: 3
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 3
12:52 a.m. An officer on proactive patrol on Pleasant Street ran a random plate query of the vehicle in front of him, and the search revealed that the registration was “expired non-renewable.” The vehicle also had a validation sticker on the rear license plate that had expired on July 31. The officer pulled the vehicle over, and when the driver was informed about the issue, he was “surprised but understanding,” according to the officer’s report. The officer-in-charge approved towing the vehicle and removing its license plates. The vehicle was towed to the home of the owner, who was “calm, cooperative and understanding” throughout the interaction, according to the officer.
8:47 a.m. An officer and later a detective spoke by phone with a woman about a possible chimney cleaning scam. The woman explained that she had reached out to a company to schedule an appointment to have work done on her chimney. Several days earlier, a man with a strong Middle Eastern accent — she had asked about it, and the man said he was from Israel but that his grandmother was from Morocco — had shown up to do the work. After using a telescoping instrument to inspect the chimney, he quoted her $1,900 to do the work and requested a $600 deposit, which he said was to purchase a crown for the chimney. After some initial difficulty using a mobile payment app, the man had been able to get the payment to go through by using what he said was his boss’ account. While the man did return to her house the same day to retrieve a phone charger he had left behind, he had subsequently failed to return to do the work. The woman described the man as very personable and kind, so he did not trigger any immediate suspicion. However, upon further reflection, she realized that he had brought only a short ladder, which now seemed strange, given the size of the chimney. The woman had left messages with the numbers she had used to communicate with the “business” but had not received any return call. The number the man had given her, which he said was his personal cellphone number, was not working. The detective explained how she would be investigating further and instructed the woman to contact her bank, which might want to take extra steps to protect her from further fraud.
10:37 a.m. An officer responded to the scene of a vehicle crash on Pleasant Street.
6:49 p.m. An officer spoke at the station with a man and woman who had a pair of disturbing encounters with a boy they estimated to be about 13 years old on the railroad path. The first incident occurred between the Tower School and Hawthorne Pond. The woman said the boy was on an electric-powered BMX style bike and had intentionally driven towards her at high speed before veering off at the last moment. She had a second encounter with him about 20 minutes later where Maverick Street and the railroad path intersect. This time, the boy had stopped the bike and had spoken aggressively to her, placing her in fear, before they each went their separate ways. The boy was wearing a tan jacket, black pants and no helmet. He was described as having medium-length brown hair and being “short and chubby for his age.”
9:31 p.m. Officers restored the peace after a disturbance on Pleasant Street.
11:05 p.m. Officers investigated the report of a disturbance that proved to be unfounded on Pleasant Street.
11:07 p.m. Officers restored the peace after a disturbance on Kenneth Road.
Saturday, Oct. 18
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0
10:50 a.m. An officer spoke with a Summit Road couple about suspicious activity that the husband had noticed after getting up to use the bathroom around 3:30 a.m. The husband had looked out the window of their home and noticed a person standing and holding a flashlight near the end of his pipeline driveway, which is adjacent to an easement Summit Road residents use for beach access. The husband watched as the unknown person walked down the easement approximately 20 feet towards the water. After about 30 seconds, the person reappeared and walked over to a small sedan, got in and drove away. The husband had been unable to get a description of the person or the vehicle because of the poor lighting. The officer advised the couple to call police immediately if there were any more suspicious activity and suggested that they consider getting additional motion sensors at the end of their driveway to illuminate the area.
11:09 a.m. An officer spoke at the station with a man who had tried to mail a check to his landlord in Brighton, only to have the check intercepted, “washed” and then attempted to be cashed at Marblehead Bank. The man had spoken to a bank manager, who said that the bank has the person who tried to cash the check on video and also has a copy of the ID he had presented. The man said the bank was still in possession of the check. The officer said he would share the information with detectives for follow-up.
1:44 p.m. A caller reported the apparent recent theft of a vehicle from the Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA on Leggs Hill Road.
1:48 p.m. Police, firefighters and an ambulance responded to the scene of a vehicle crash on Beach Street and Atlantic Avenue.
3:55 p.m. Police assisted with crowd control at the “No Kings” rally at the corner of Maple and Lafayette streets.
9:15 p.m. An officer went to Pond Street to speak to a man whose boat trailer had been damaged in a hit-and-run crash at about 5 p.m., which had been captured by the surveillance camera attached to his home. The officer reviewed the video and saw what appeared to be a gray BMW SUV strike the back left side of the trailer, which caused significant damage to both. A neighbor had also left the resident a note with a possible license plate number, though the officer’s search did not come up with an immediate match. The officer then canvassed the area but was unable to locate any vehicles matching the one in the video. The next day, however, officers received a tip that the vehicle might belong to a neighbor of the man with the boat trailer. The officer returned to Pond Street and found a gray BMW SUV with significant damage to the right front bumper. The officer knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. Another officer later made contact with the BMW owner by phone. The BMW’s owner acknowledged having crashed into the trailer, though he said that he did not initially realize there had been any damage, only noticing the damage to his vehicle later in the day. The man questioned whether boat trailers are allowed to park on the street and suggested the trailer should have had a flag on it. The officer informed him that, as long as the trailer was registered, as this one was, it was allowed to be parked on the street.
Sunday, Oct. 19
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0
1:38 p.m. An officer investigated a 911 hang-up call from Pleasant Street.
4:14 p.m. Two officers investigated a 911 hang-up call from Countryside Lane.
Monday, Oct. 20
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0
12:57 p.m. An officer investigated a 911 hang-up call from Lorraine Terrace.
1:41 p.m. A phone and wallet were found on Roundhouse Road.
2:41 p.m. An officer investigated a report of a disabled vehicle on Lafayette and Maple streets, but it could not be found.
5:52 p.m. An officer assisted with a disabled vehicle on West Shore Drive.
Tuesday, Oct. 21
Vehicle stops, citations: 2
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 2
2:58 p.m. An officer investigated a report of larceny, forgery or fraud on Woodfin Terrace.
5:05 p.m. An officer responded to the scene of a vehicle crash on Jersey Street and West Shore Drive and filed a report.
10:13 p.m. Annoying phone calls were reported on Gerry Street.
10:28 p.m. Officers investigated a disturbance on Pleasant Street and filed a report.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0
10:32 a.m. An officer went to Summer Street to speak to a woman who had received a call the day before from a man claiming to be a subcontractor for an appliance store, who said he was calling to arrange the delivery of a microwave she had ordered. The woman had not ordered a microwave and suspected it might be a scam. However, she agreed to let the man come, since she happened to need a microwave. She explained that she had not signed any contracts and had not provided the man with any form of payment. The officer advised her to cancel the order and that she should not exchange any personal information or other financial information with the man. The officer told her that if anyone showed up trying to make a delivery, she should refuse and ask them to leave and, if they refused to do so, to call police for assistance.
10:42 a.m. An officer was dispatched to Gregory Street to take a report of a ripped window screen and some minor damage to a window. Upon his arrival, the resident showed him the damage, which he photographed. The resident said she wanted the damage documented because she has been having ongoing issues with the tenants in the unit above hers and did not know if it was related, though she had heard a loud noise sometime around 6 a.m. Later, another resident in the building called in to say that they, along with a landscaper doing work, had caused the damage.
11:49 a.m. An officer was dispatched to Taft Street to take a report of stolen license plates. Upon his arrival, the officer spoke with a man who explained that his vehicle had been totaled in a February crash, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles had advised him to get rid of the license plates. The man could not remember whether he threw the plates out in the trash or placed them into the RMV’s drop box but knew that he had gotten rid of them. He had recently begun to receive bills in the mail for toll payments tied to the license plates from places he had not traveled, like Charlton, Ludlow and the Ted Williams Tunnel. The officer did an inquiry and found that the plate had been searched six times recently, four times in Attleboro and twice in Chicopee. An RMV employee had advised him to report the plates as stolen to the police, which he was now doing.
12:56 p.m. Annoying phone calls were reported on Brown Street.
2:44 p.m. Officers investigated a disturbance on West Shore Drive and filed a report.
3:35 p.m. An officer responded to the scene of a vehicle crash on Pleasant Street and filed a report.
5:09 p.m. An officer spoke by phone with a Southampton woman on whose debit card a fraudulent charge for a $135 Banana Republic sweatshirt had been made. She had received an email that the sweatshirt was set to be delivered to an address on Sagamore Road in Marblehead the following day. The woman had already let her bank know about the fraudulent charge but wanted the local police to be aware of the situation. The officer said he would document the information and share it with detectives.
9:55 p.m. A 22-year-old Lynn man was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent driving and unlicensed driving after a crash on Clifton and Atlantic avenues.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 2
1:59 p.m. An officer spoke by phone with a resident who was missing a $90,000 diamond ring, which she last remembered wearing at the Dolphin Yacht Club about a month earlier. She said that her usual practice upon returning home is to take off her jewelry and leave it on her bedside table. She had searched her home to no avail. The woman said that no one had been in her home, and she did not believe that there was anyone in her life who would steal from her. She thought it was possible that her puppy could have ingested the ring, though she had not seen it in his waste, nor had he thrown it up, though she thought it was possible that he could have passed it while at doggie daycare.
Friday, Oct. 24
Vehicle stops, citations: 0
Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0
2:45 p.m. An officer investigated the report of a vehicle crash on Pleasant and Lafayette streets.
3:20 p.m. An officer investigated the report of a vehicle crash on Pond and Lime streets.
5:15 p.m. An officer was flagged down by a jogger who informed him that there was a group of three or four kids on the roof of the Marblehead Community Center. As he arrived to investigate, the officer noticed three youths on the roof and another one attempting to join them. The officer instructed the three on the roof to climb down, and another offer arrived to assist. The youths explained that they had climbed onto the roof to watch the sunset, which they acknowledged was unlawful. The officer asked each one of them to contact a parent and have them come to the Community Center to pick them up, which they did. The officer spoke to each parent about what had happened and informed them that their children would not be charged. Each parent thanked the officers and left with their respective children, according to the officer’s report.
