Police/Fire

Truck Driver Trapped by Live Wires After Knocking Down Poles

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A garbage truck driver was trapped after he knocked down poles, and had live electrical wires fall on his truck Wednesday morning. Around 10 a.m., a driver knocked down poles in the area of Templeton Parkway and Mt. Auburn Street. Firefighters responded and, according to scanner reports, put out a transformer fire. Traffic has been closed in Coolidge Square in East Watertown while the poles are being repaired and the area cleaned up.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Stroller Thief Caught, String of Car Break Ins

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

May 5, 5:11 p.m.: Two women were stopped at Target for removing tags from a number of items, placing them in their pocket books and attempting to leave the store. The items were worth a combined $249.34. A 20-year-old woman from Waltham and a 21-year-old woman from Newton were arrested on one count each of shoplifting. May 7, 2:21 a.m.: An officer patrolling spotted a vehicle make a turn on at a no-turn-on-red intersection and stopped it.

Police/Fire

Police Warn of Driveway Repaving Scam

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Area police warn residents to be wary of a scam involving people going door to door offering to repave their driveway at a discount rate. The Waltham Police Department put out the warning this week on their Twitter account (see the post here). In the scam, the paver uses high pressure tactics and when the homeowner agrees a work crew shows up quickly to begin work. In the middle of the work, however, they inform the homeowner that a mistake has been made and the person owes the pavers thousands of dollars and ask for a check, which is cashed before the homeowner realizes he or she has been scammed. “Paving scams like these occur regularly in Massachusetts and increase over the spring and summer.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Crashes into 2 Cars, Car Stolen from Lexus

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

April 29, 9:35 a.m.: Police went to Boylston Street to arrest a 49-year-old Watertown man on a bench warrant. April 30, 6:18 p.m.: Target security spotted a man taking a cell phone and leave the store. Police located the man and found a phone worth $234.99. The 23-year-old Fall River man was arrested on a charge of shoplifting of over $100.

Police/Fire

Gun Shown During Watertown Road Rage Incident

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A man flashed a hand gun during a road rage incident in Watertown Thursday afternoon, according to police. The incident began around 2 p.m. near the Mount Auburn Cemetery and ended on Edgecliff Road. A man driving a large white SUV got out of his car and showed a hand gun to the other driver, said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. The suspect described as a black man, about 5-foot-8, over 200 pounds and wore a baggy pastel colored polo shirt, Lawn said. He left heading eastbound on Belmont Street.

Government

Fire Chief: Adding Paramedics to Department is a Quality of Life Issue

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The move to have the Watertown Fire Department handle paramedic service in-house is a matter of quality of life, said Fire Chief Mario Orangio. The Fire Department will hire four paramedics with a grant from FEMA, and some current members of the Fire Department will train to in advanced life support so the Watertown can provide its own paramedic service (read more here). Right now the town uses Armstrong Ambulance, which is based in Waltham. When Watertown runs its own ambulances the response time will be cut down. “The best thing is it will save time,” Orangio said.

Police/Fire

Fire Department Douses Small Fire in Watertown

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The Watertown Fire Department put out a fire that started in mulch beds at a condominium building on Coolidge Avenue Sunday afternoon. The fire occurred outside the Charles River Towers at 151 Coolidge Avenue at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday, according to reports. The fire did not damage the building.

Around Town

Police Log: Shoplifters Busted at Target, Tires Slashed in Watertown

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

Arrests

April 21, 5:35 p.m.: A woman was spotted taking numerous clothing items from Target and tried to leave the store. She had $200.49 worth of clothing. Police arrested a 58-year-old Belmont woman on charges of shoplifting over $100. April 21, 4:48 p.m.: An officer on patrol on Main Street stopped a car and discovered the driver had an outstanding arrest warrant. A 36-year-old Dedham man was arrested on the warrant out of Dedham District Court.