Police Log: UPS Employee Busted for Stealing Packages, Man Faces Second OUI Charge

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrests

Feb. 1, 9:15 a.m.: Security at UPS conducted an internal investigation after suspecting that an employee was taking items from boxes. They determined that the employee had taken $8,800 worth of merchandise. UPS contacted the Watertown Police and said he had taken a Canada Goose jacket worth $1,125 and two iPhones worth $800 each. When officers found the suspect, he was wearing the jacket, and after placing him under arrest they found the two iPhones when they searched him. The man, Lamont Brookings, 22, of Dedham, was arrested on three counts of larceny from a building. He was also terminated by UPS.

Feb. 2, 1:50 a.m.: An accident was reported on Dexter Avenue and Mt. Auburn Street. Officers found a parked vehicle with heavy damage, and another vehicle slowly pulling in front of the parked vehicle. The vehicle had heavy front-end damage and the airbag had deployed. The driver got out and was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol on his breath. He admitted to having a couple glasses of wine before driving. The man, Mitch Wilcox, 31, of Brighton, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol — a second offense — and was taken to a local hospital for possible injuries.

Incidents

Feb. 1, 2:29 p.m.: A Dartmouth Street resident had several guests in his home, and after they left he discovered that his prescription medication was gone. Police are investigating.

Feb. 1, 8 p.m.: An Edward Road resident was the victim of an online scam. She received a message on Instagram from someone she thought was her friend. It said, “You should invest $500 like I did. You can make $10,000 in an hour.” The message, however, was not from her friend. She was told to send money using the Coinbase app, and she sent a total of $1,390. Police are investigating.

Feb. 3, 10:45 a.m.: A Keith Street resident responded to an ad on Craigslist for tickets. She accidentally sent the $500 payment twice, and when she reached out to the seller, the account had been shut down. The resident never received the tickets, and she believes it was a fake ad.

Feb. 3, 5:15 p.m.: A Brighton resident parked her moped in front of Target at about 4 p.m. and when she came out about an hour later it was gone. It was a grey Piaggio brand moped. Police are investigating.

Feb. 3, 5:20 p.m.: An elderly woman received a text saying it was from PayPal, and it told her that she was approved to receive $1,150. She was told to get the money she had to transfer it from her Santander bank account. She spoke to someone claiming he was from the bank, and said that her account had been hacked, and that it was an “inside job.” She was told to download an app called AnyDesk and then to remove the money from her account. She took out $30,000 from one branch, and another $15,000 from another. She was instructed to send it to the U.S. Treasury, and to do so by depositing it into a BitCoin ATM. She made one deposit at a Shell gas station on Memorial Drive in Cambridge and another at a Shell Station in Newton. The man said he would contact her, but she didn’t hear from him. She could not contact him either. She contacted Santander and was told it was a scam and there was nothing they could do because she had withdrawn the money. Police helped her delete the AnyDesk app and are investigating.

Feb. 3, 8 p.m.: A rock was thrown through a car window while it was parked on Main Street. The owner has no idea who would have done it. Police are investigating. 

Feb. 4, 2:40 a.m.: Police got a call from a security company reporting that a store on School Street had been broken into. Police went to Convenience Plus, and found that the front door and window had been smashed and the ATM was missing. Security video shows a white car pull up, and three men getting out and hitting the glass with big rocks, shattering the glass. They carried out the ATM and drove away. The men were in and out in about 2-1/2 minutes. Reports of similar incidents have been made in several other communities in the area.

Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m.: One of the basement doors at Grace Chapel on Main Street was smashed. One of the employees noticed the shattered glass. No one got into the church, and it appears to be a case of vandalism. The church repaired the door and police are investigating.