Police Log: Drunk Driver Crashes Into Car, Man Busted for Lighting Trash Barrels on Fire

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrests

March 22, 12:05 a.m.: Police received reports of three fires in concrete trash barrels, two in Watertown and one in Newton. One of those in Watertown occurred on Watertown Street on March 21 at about 6 p.m. and another on Galen Street on March 22, just past midnight. Police got access to a surveillance video of the area around one of the barrels and were able to identify a suspect. The video showed him walking on Galen Street and as he passed a barrel he lit a book or box of matches and dropped it into the barrel. The trash and liner inside caught fire, and the Watertown Fire Department had to come and extinguish the blaze. Police placed the 59-year-old Newton man under arrest on March 22 at 3:36 p.m. on one count of burning personal property.

March 26, 4:31 p.m.: Two vehicles collided on Main Street near Whitman Road and when police arrived they found one of the drivers sitting on the curb. The people in one of the cars said the other vehicle coming the other direction crossed the double yellow line into their lane and sideswiped their vehicle. One of the three people in the car that was struck went to hospital to have injuries treated. A witness said he had seen the vehicle that crossed into the other lane being driven erratically in Waltham on Warren Street. The driver swerved and went up onto a footpath and lawn on Warren Street before getting back on the road and continue. When the vehicle reached the intersection of Warren and Main streets he made an obscene gesture to someone going past. When police spoke to the driver who caused the accident he showed signs of being intoxicated. They also found a three-quarter empty bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin on the passenger floor. The man had suffered injuries and was taken to hospital for evaluation. The 25-year-old Weston man was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, marked lanes violation and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

March 28, 2:16 a.m.: Officers patrolling on Arsenal Street near School Street spotted a white BMW facing westbound in the eastbound side of the road. The vehicle was on the sidewalk. Officers spoke with the driver, and they smelled a strong odor alcohol in the vehicle. The man showed signs of impairment and did not pass four field sobriety tests. A witness saw the white BMW on Arsenal Street, and the driver honked his horn and suddenly began backing up on Arsenal. The vehicle went across the roadway and up onto the sidewalk. The driver, a 23-year-old Watertown man, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and marked lanes violation. 

Incidents

March 23, 7:37 p.m.: A couple reported that they had been scammed out of at least $10,000. They got a call from someone who claimed to be an Apple employee. The person said their laptop had been hacked and during the call took control of their computers. The person then told them to go to Target or Stop & Shop and buy gift cards. The man did so, buying 25 gift cards from Target and six from Stop & Shop. All were for $500, and the man spent $15,500 on the gift cards. Police are investigating and are not sure exactly how much money they lost.

March 24, 12:44 a.m.: An officer in the parking lot of 7-Eleven on Mt. Auburn Street noticed someone in the driver’s seat of a vehicle who was hunched over the center console. The officer approached the vehicle to see if the person was OK. After knocking on the window, the officer got the driver’s attention. The officer observed a white powder on the center console area, which the officer believed to be an illegal narcotic. The driver was asked to get out of the vehicle and police searched inside and found a plastic pill holder with a white substance inside believed to be cocaine. The powder on the console is also suspected to be cocaine, as is some white powder in a small baggie found in the car. Police summonsed the 44-year-old Watertown woman to Waltham District Court on one count of possession of a Class B drug.

March 26, 3 p.m.: A 71-year-old woman told police she had been knocked to the ground by another woman when she was getting off the elevator of an apartment building on Watertown Street. The incident occurred on March 25 at 6:30 p.m. The woman did not know the person who knocked her over, and said the other woman had a shopping bag which knocked into her and pushed her over. The other woman did not say anything and walked out of the building. The woman sustained a minor injury to her hip. Police are investigating whether it was an accidental contact or if it was done intentionally.

March 27, 2 p.m.: An argument between a customer and an employee at Shiraz Persian Cuisine got physical. When police arrived two men were outside arguing, and they were separated. According to the employee, the customer ordered a lamb kabob plate, ate half of it and returned it saying he was not satisfied. The man then ordered another dish and when the employee charged him for both dishes they got into an argument and the customer kicked and punched the employee, and kicked the front door which shattered the glass. The customer said he ordered a lamb kabob, but it was not what he expected so he ordered another plate without eating the first one. He got upset when he was charged to for both even though he did not eat any of the lamb. He said when he got up to leave the employee pushed him out of the door causing him to fall and break the glass. Witnesses said they saw an incident, but did not know who started it. One witness said the customer was pushed into the door, and another witness said the customer was pushed into the front door which caused the door to break. Police were unable to determine who instigated the incident. They told both men they could seek a complaint against the other man at the Waltham District Court.

March 27, 7:15 p.m.: A Watertown woman said she was defrauded. She got an email from someone claiming to be a work colleague. He asked for her cellphone number, which she provided and then asked her to purchase $1,500 in Google play gift cards. He said he would reimburse her at a later date. She bought the gift cards and sent the gift card codes to the alleged colleague. She became suspicious when the person asked her to purchase more gift cards. She is out $1,500 and police believe it was fraud.