The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Sept. 4: A small black bookcase was abandoned on the side of Irma Avenue.
Sept. 4: A man took 87 items from the CVS on Mt. Auburn Street worth a total of $803.
Sept. 4: The owner of a wheelchair left it outside of their Arsenal Street apartment on Aug. 26 and went away. When the resident returned on Sept. 4 they noticed someone had cut the wheelchair’s tires. Police are investigating.
Sept. 5: A credit card was fraudulently opened in the name of a Pilgrim Road resident.
Sept. 5: A man went into Ulta in Arsenal Yards and took $620 worth of products.
Sept. 5: A charging cable for an electric bike was taken from a building on Arsenal Street sometime between Aug. 31 and Sept. 5. The cable is valued at $40.
Sept. 5: A Spruce Street resident discovered someone opened a Social Security card in their name.
Sept. 6: A check was taken from a mailbox in front of the Galen Street Post Office. It was washed, written out for a higher amount, and cashed.
Sept. 6: A woman went into Carter’s and took 17 items valued at $558.
Sept. 6: A man shoplifted $71 in merchandise from Target.
Sept. 7: A man was seen trying to take items from Best Buy. Officer Mike Hill responded and discovered the man had warrants for his arrest. Bildad St. Louis, 42, of Malden, was arrested on the warrant from Cambridge District Court for motor vehicle infractions.
Sept. 7: A backpack was stolen from the Watertown Library. It contained two laptop computers and accessories valued at $3,300.
Sept. 7: A shoplifter believed to be a juvenile was seen in Target taking $132 worth of merchandise.
Sept. 8: A resident received a statement for a Home Depot credit card and discovered $2,247 in charges that he did not make. He had the card in his possession so the purchases were made online.
Sept. 8: A Tesla on Nichols Avenue had a key scratch on the body of the vehicle.
Sept. 8: A customer put towels in a washer at Coolidge Sq. Self Service Coin Laundry. The person went back to retrieve the load and it was gone. The towels are valued at $300.
Sept. 9: A man was arrested at the Residence Inn by Marriott on Arsenal Street. He had five warrants for his arrest. Michael Mancuso, 50 of Arlington, was arrested on the warrant for disorderly conduct, assault and battery, driving under the influence of alcohol — a third offense, and possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Sept. 9: Watertown Officer Khalil Mafhom responded to Best Buy for a man who was acting suspiciously. Security spotted a man in the computer section who was recognized from previous shoplifting incidents in another store. The man had five warrants for his arrest. Michael Mara 36 of Metheun, was arrested for a warrant from Woburn District Court for shoplifting, one from Cambridge District Court for possession of a Class A drug, and three from Boston District Court: one for possession of a Class B drug, one for shoplifting, and the third for possession of a Class A drug.
Sept. 9: While police were at Best Buy for the previous incident, security alerted officers about a man leaving the store carrying a backpack. He had taken $202 worth of items. Officer
Mike Grzelcyk stopped Tyler Burgess, 36 of Somerville, and arrested him on a charge of shoplifting — a third offense.
Sept. 9: A resident discovered that someone filed a fraudulent tax return in the resident’s name using a third-party company.
Sept. 10: A brown sofa was dumped on the side of Fayette Street.
Sept. 10: A Warren Street resident discovered fraudulent charges on an Apple credit card.
How do they know the exact count (87) and value ($803) of items shoplifted from CVS in the second entry reported above? Is someone following the thief around counting the number of items the thief puts in a bag and computing their value and then just letting him leave? Or was this person stopped and the entry just didn’t say so?
Similar question about the woman who took 17 items worth $558 from Carters on Sept 6.
Good question. I think the stores do an inventory afterward.
I was just happy that the WPD had four arrests this week. Excellent work, officers. I also note that those detained were from out of town: Somerville, Methuen, Malden, and Arlington. If the malls attract business to our town, they also attract crime. It’s not too much to ask for more of the former and less of the latter.