The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Arrests
Jan. 3, 6:17 p.m.: Loss prevention at Home Depot detained two shoplifters who were spotted taking items and put them into a backpack. The pair first went to the tool section and then to the electrical and light area. When they were stopped, the pair had a Copper Fit back support, two Roku streaming sticks, a Rigid 18-volt combo kit, a Google Home Mini Charcoal and a Google Home Mini Chalk. In total the items were worth $303.86. A 40-year old Brighton woman and a 23-year-old Brighton man were both arrested on a charge of shoplifting.
Jan. 5, 2:22 a.m.: Police spotted a driver run a stop sign on Rosedale Road. When the vehicle was pulled over the driver was seen moving erratically around inside the car, and appeared to be shielding the center console with his body. For the officer’s safety, the driver was asked to step out of the vehicle. He showed signs of impairment. When police searched the vehicle they found a glass pipe with burn marks on it, a pair of metal tweezers with white residue on it, and two cut straws. These items are consistent with narcotics use. The man admitted to using crack cocaine prior to driving and failed three field sobriety tests. The 39-year-old Waltham man was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of drugs and a failing to stop.
Incidents
Dec. 31, 12:50 p.m.: A man told police that while checking his credit report, he found someone had opened a Verizon Wireless account. He said he did not open it and when he contacted Verizon he learned the account had a balance of $1,358. He did not know how someone would have gotten his information.
Jan. 2, 4:36 p.m.: An eight-year-old girl was walking home from school with a friend. After her friend went into her house, the girl was walking a short distance to her own home and a black SUV stopped and the driver said, “Hey, stop. Are you walking home alone?” The girl became scared, ran home and called her mother. The SUV did not follow her and the driver was described as an African-American man. Her mother contacted police. They searched the area and spoke to neighbors and none reported similar incidents. One of the WPD School Resources Officers spoke to the girl. Police found nothing to suggest that the incident was a kidnapping attempt and did not believe there was any danger to the community.
Jan. 3, 10:32 a.m.: A man was walking down Mt. Auburn Street when a vehicle stopped and a man he used to work with got out and began yelling at him. The victim said the driver grabbed the him and he was thrown to the ground. Then he took his cellphone and smashed it. Witnesses gave the same account of what had happened. Police were able identify the suspect and the 33-year-old Watertown man was summonsed to Waltham District Court for malicious destruction of property. Other charges may be filed.
Jan. 3, 2 p.m.: A man went into Target and took a Fitbit off the shelf and hid it. Then he tried to leave without paying. When security confronted him, the man pushed the guard to the ground and a struggle ensued. The man took the Fitbit out of his jacket, placed it on the ground and left the store. The suspect is described as a middle-aged white male wearing a red sweater and blue jeans.
Jan. 3, 5:42 p.m: Home Depot security spotted a man who had been trespassed from the store in 2019 after being caught shoplifting. The man left the store before police arrived, but the 66-year-old Newton man was summonsed to Waltham District Court for trespassing.
Jan. 4, 8:28 p.m.: A man and woman got into an altercation in a car outside the Residence Inn by Marriott. The man had picked the woman up from her work in Brookline and took her to the hotel, where she was staying so she could get her dog out of her room. When they arrived, the pair got into an argument and the woman alleged that the man threatened to hit her with a baton. The woman, 33 from Watertown, said defended her self and hit the man in the face several times. The man, 55 from Malden, said he knew her from a recovery center and was helping her keep sober. He said they had a disagreement over her drinking alcohol and she yelled at him and scratched him with his fingernails. He uses a cane to walk and used it to shield himself from her. He allowed police to search the car and they did not find a baton. Police advised them both that they could seek charges in Waltham District Court if they wanted.
I agree. If it doesn’t shame them, at least we will know if they live in our areas and can avoid try to avoid these criminals. We are all paying more for products due to the frequent shoplifters that get away with it and know if they are caught, they won’t even get a slap on the hand. This will have an even more destructive effect on the small businesses who don’t make much of a profit anyway. It’s the old story of a broken window – if one window is never fixed, more will be broken as it appears to be acceptable!