Police Log: Man Shorts Cashier Over $2,000, a False Job Offer Scam & More

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrests

None

Incident

Sept. 25, 10 a.m.: A man and woman walked into Nike on Sept. 21 at about 7:30 p.m. The woman began grabbing clothing, while the man took a shoe box off the shelf along with other items, and they walked out of the store without paying. The merchandise was valued at $542. Police are investigating.

Sept. 26th 10:30 a.m.: A man came into Best Buy on Oct. 24 at 4:30 p.m. He purchased multiple watches and a pair of headphones. The items cost a total of $3,350. The man placed some cash on the counter for the cashier to count. The man took the cash back, and the cashier called over another employee to count the cash again. The money was returned to the customer, who then walked over to a woman. He put the money down to pay, but it appeared that he kept some of the cash and put it into his pocket. The employee put the cash into the register and gave the suspect change. The register ended up $2,400 short. The suspect is described as a white or possibly a Hispanic male, wearing a parka and a blue button up shirt. Police are investigating.

Sept. 26 4:30 p.m: A person walking through the parking lot of Target found a small plastic bag with a white substance inside. It was turned over to police and was identified as cocaine. It is not clear where it came from. 

Sept. 28, 1:45 p.m.: A resident mailed a check on Sept. 24 at 8 a.m. at a mailbox on Galen Street. The check was written from a Rockland Trust account for $1,745. The bank contacted the resident because the check appeared to have been intercepted and was made out to a different party. Someone tried to cash it but the bank flagged it. The bank notified the Postal Police.

Sept. 28, 2 p.m.: A man showed up at a Watertown business after he received a job offer and a check. The job offer came through LinkedIn, but the company was not hiring and did not send out a check. It appears to be a scam, but neither the man nor the company lose any money.

Sept. 29. 2 p.m.: A man came into Best Buy and put merchandise into a backpack and walked out the entrance without paying. Police got a description of the suspect and located him sitting at a bus stop on Arsenal Street. The man admitted to taking the items — a portable microphone and a Phillips voice recorder — which are worth a total of $130. The 43-year-old Waltham man was summoned to Waltham District Court for shoplifting.

Sept. 29, 5 p.m.: A Belmont Street resident received a letter from the state Department of Unemployment Assistance asking for verification of a filing for benefits. The man is not unemployed and he did not apply to receive benefits. It appears that his Social Security Number had been compromised. The man was advised to monitor his accounts to see if there was any fraudulent activity.

Sept. 29, 9 p.m.: A man and woman walked into CVS on Main Street and took assorted Halloween decorations and cups off the shelves. In total, the items are worth $250. The incident remains under investigation.

Sept. 30, 9:40 a.m.: A pickup with a camper on the back was parked on Waverley Avenue near Goldie Street. The owner came out and found someone had used spray paint on the back of the camper.

Sept. 30, 12 p.m.: A woman was spotted in Target placing $484 worth of bedding and jewelry into a shopping cart. She walked out without paying, but security stopped her. The 29-year-old Dorchester woman was summoned to Waltham District Court for shoplifting.

Sept. 30, 4:45 p.m: Police were called to CVS after a man came in at about 12:45 p.m. with a shopping bag and filled it with items from around the store. He left through the entrance into the parking lot with approximately $1,300 worth of merchandise, including 75 cosmetics items, 13 deodorants, and four allergy medications. Police are investigating.