Police/Fire

Fire that Destroyed 2 Cars in Watertown Garage Under Investigation

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A fire that erupted in the early hours of Friday morning and destroyed two cars at a Watertown home remains under investigation. The fire occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, May 13 in a detached garage at a home on Phillips Street, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “When officers arrived the two car garage was fully engulfed (in flames),” O’Connor said. “They were able to evacuate residents and there were no injuries.” The garage had no doors on the front, and was made from metal.

Around Town

Fire Department Hosting Blood Drive for Boston Children’s Hospital

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The Watertown Fire Department invites to public to come donate blood during a drive for Boston Children’s Hospital. 

The blood drive will be held on Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m at the Central Watertown Fire Station, 99 Main St. in Watertown. Be sure to bring an ID. To make an appointment please log onto halfpints.childrenshospital.org sponsor code for this drive is WATERFI or call Diego at 917-484-2982.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Men Face Charges After Drug Deal Goes Awry, Woman Uses Stolen Plates

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
May 6, 9 a.m.: Police received information that a man working at the Colonial GMC dealership was wanted on a warrant. The 30-year-old Jamaica Plain man was arrested on two warrants for larceny, one from Waltham District Court and one from Brighton District Court. May 9, 7:20 a.m.: An officer spotted a vehicle run a red light on Watertown Street at California Street. When the officer ran the registration the plates came back as stolen from Revere.

Police/Fire

‘Click It or Ticket’ – Watertown Police Participating in Seatbelt Law Enforcement

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The Watertown Police Department in partnership with the Highway Safety Division of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Massachusetts State Police, and more than 200 Massachusetts police departments will take part in the national Click It or Ticket campaign between May 9 and May 23. This high-visibility enforcement campaign will promote seat belt use through increased traffic enforcement. The campaign is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “As we begin the busy summer driving season, it is crucial that all motorists buckle up every time they go out, day and night,” said Sgt. David Sampson.

Around Town

Drug Overdoses Continue to Plague Watertown But Narcan Has Saved Many

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Heroin and opiate painkillers continue to be a problem in Watertown in 2016, but the anti-overdose medicine Narcan has helped save lives. 

Deaths due to overdose have been reported in Watertown for the past few years, but the problem escalated in 2015, with several deaths and scores of overdoses. Town officials hosted an event to bring attention to the crisis, which often begins with legally prescribed painkillers, and a candlelight vigil was put on by local citizen-run groups

This year, Watertown’s first responders have responded to dozens of drug overdoses, said Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn. “It was a quiet time for a little while,” Lawn said. “There have been overdoses in other towns, too. Fitchburg had like 10 over (a recent) weekend.”

Police/Fire

2 Women Caught Running a Shoe Theft Ring at Marshalls

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Police busted two women who tried to return shoes at the Marshalls in the Arsenal Mall which they had taken from another location of the store. 

On the afternoon of May 5, security at Marshalls spotted two women in line, and bother were seen returning shoes for gift cards, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. One woman returned two pairs of shoes and got a gift card for $698, O’Connor said. The second woman, identified as Brianna Andrews of Dracut, returned two pieces of clothing and two pairs of shoes for a total of $372.97, which she received on a gift card. “When she was leaving she picked up three notebooks off the sales counter and concealed them in her pocketbook,” O’Connor said. “She tried to leave without paying but she was detained by security.”

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Gets 2 Years in Federal Prison for Insider Trading

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A Boston-area real estate developer was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $1 million fine after he was convicted earlier this year of engaging in insider trading for buying – and later selling – shares of Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (“Wainwright”) based on a tip that Wainwright would be acquired.  Prior to the acquisition, shares of Wainwright traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Robert H. Bray, 78, of Watertown, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young. In January, Bray, the owner of R&B Construction, a construction and real estate development company, was convicted of one count of securities fraud following a four-day trial. In June 2010, Bray was tipped by a friend who was an executive at Boston-based Eastern Bank Corp. that Wainwright would be acquired.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Woman Tries to Use Fake ID to Buy MacBook, Wheels Stolen Off Car at Dealership

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
April 26, 6:15 p.m.: Best Buy security caught a woman who tried to use a fake ID and credit card to buy a MacBook Pro worth $2,500. The Pennsylvania license she used did not pass the machine that tests IDs, and the lamination was peeling. When police arrived, the woman produced a second ID that did not checkout, either. Finally she gave them an ID from New York that checked out.