Police Log: Two Pricy Bikes Stolen from Hotel, Fraudulent Checks Written

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrest

May 10, 11:50 a.m.: A man that had been trespassed from the Watertown Mall came back to the mall. Police were called and employees pointed the man out to them. The man had been sent a trespass order after being told to leave because he was unwanted. He had also been drinking alcohol in the Mall. On May 8, the man returned and once again was consuming alcohol. Officers responded that day and reminded the man that he was not allowed on the property and he left. On May 10, he came back once again. Officers placed the 59-year-old Cambridge man under arrest for violating a trespassing order.

Incidents

May 10, 12:30 a.m.: A taxi driver from Revere picked up a man in Chelsea and dropped him off on Dexter Avenue in Watertown. The man said he did not have money but would go into his home to get some and come back to pay the driver. The cab driver asked for the man to leave a wallet or cell phone as collateral but the man refused. He got out of the cab, walked down a driveway and that was the last time the driver saw the man. The suspect was described as a middle-aged Hispanic male with short dark hair, about 5-foot-7 in height, with a heavy build. He was wearing a black jacket and black pants.

May 10, 9:14 p.m.: The owner of a work van came out of his home to find that it had been vandalized. The white 2004 Chevy van was parked outside his home near the corner of King Street and Carey Avenue. Someone sprayed black paint on the driver’s side door, on both passenger side doors and the rear door.

May 11, 2:39 p.m.: A Watertown man discovered someone had written three false checks from his Citizens Bank account for a total of $250. The checks were forged, they were not stolen from his checkbook. The person who wrote the checks used an old address for the victim, at which he had not lived for more than 10 years. Also, the signature on the checks was not his, and the checks were made to someone the victim was not familiar with. Citizens Bank is investigating the incident.

May 14, 11:39 a.m.: A shoplifter was spotted by Home Depot security. The man was seen taking a trimmer, a chain saw, chains for the saw, chain oil and a reciprocating saw, worth a combined of $807.62. The 37-year-old Fitchburg man was stopped and Home Depot will handle the case. They were told they could take the police report and go to Waltham District Court to seek charges.

May 14, 1:28 p.m.: An elderly woman reported that she had been the victim of computer related fraud. She received an email from a group called Team Vision Software that confirmed her purchase of spyware for $100. The woman did not buy the software, so she called a phone number in the email. The person who answered asked her for her bank’s name and asked her to download software to her computer so she could receive a refund. A deposit of $9,999 was immediately made to her account. She was told that the deposit was made in error, and was told she should withdraw $9,500 from her bank and return it by mail. She sent the cash to an address in Las Vegas. The money was received on May 10, but the deposit from the company did not clear. Police are investigating, but the resident appears to have lost $9,500.

May 15, 3:46 p.m.: A vehicle was broken into on Lexington Street. The owner said he parked the vehicle at about 11 p.m. on May 14. At 6 a.m. on the 15th he returned to his car and noticed items on the side floorboard of his car that had been taken from other places in his car. He also saw the spare change from his cup holder was missing. He did not think much of it, but later he noticed that two framing guns were missing from the back seat, valued at $350, along with a $150 pair of sunglasses and a $10 pocket knife.

May 16, 3:46 p.m.: Two bikes were stolen from the Residence Inn by Marriott. The hotel guests had left their bikes locked on a bike rack on the exterior of their vehicle. They parked at about 2 p.m. and when they returned at 3:30 p.m. they found the lock on the bike rack had been cut and the two bicycles were gone. One was a Trek Diamante valued at $5,000, and the other was a Cannondale valued at $800. Police are investigating.