Police Log: Hit & Run Driver Strikes Pedestrian, UPS Driver Accused of Taking $10K in Packages

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Arrests

March 2, 9:43 p.m.: Police were called to Grandview Avenue for a man asleep in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Officers were able to wake him, and he said he dozed off because he was tired from working so much. He added he was waiting for a friend. Police discovered he had an outstanding warrant. Adam Baccari, 46, of Watertown, was arrested on the warrant for an assault and battery charge from Waltham District Court.

March 6, 2:14 a.m.: An officer patrolling on Arsenal Street came upon a vehicle that had been in an accident and struck a planter and sign in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle was disabled. Police spoke with the driver, the man said he had consumed alcohol before driving. Officers noticed signs of intoxication. They administered field sobriety tests to the driver, which he did not pass. Tawan Dottin, 38, of Cambridge, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and was cited for a marked lanes violation.

March 7, 11:42 a.m.: A report of a man urinating in public near City Hall was received by the Police. Officers went to the area and found a man who appeared disoriented. They did not find any indication that the man had urinated anywhere. When they spoke to the man they found he had a warrant for his arrest. Arthur Atkinson, 36, of Boston, was arrested on the default warrant for failing to appear in Boston District Court on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.

March 10, 9:29 p.m.: The Probation Department alerted Watertown Police that a man had violated the terms of his probation. Officers went to the man’s house and placed him under arrest. Jorge Villeda, 59, of Watertown, was taken into custody.

Incidents

Feb 28, 12 p.m.: The Fire Department and Police officers went to French Street for a fire alarm activation. They found smoke coming from a home. No one was in the home. Firefighters determined the fire was in the wall, and they opened it from the outside and extinguished the fire. The siding of the house was damaged. The total damage was estimated at $15,000.

Feb. 28 12:30 p.m.: A man dropped off his car at Pleasant Car Care for service on Feb. 23. It needed about $10,000 in repairs. The man was notified that the repairs had been completed. On the 28th, the man came in and took the car without paying the bill of $10,679. Police were able to identify the man, and put out a summons for the 49-year-old Boston man on one count of larceny over $1,200.

Feb. 28, 1:05 p.m.: Someone broke into the office of the Belmont Auto Clinic, at 180 Belmont St. and took some cash. The break-in occurred at about 2:30 a.m. The incident is under investigation. 

March 1, 9 a.m.: An employee of Number 1 Taste Chinese Food came in and found that the rear door had been pried open and had been left ajar. A small amount of money was taken from the cash register. Surveillance video caught an image of the suspect. Police are working to identify the suspect.

March 2, 8 a.m.: A man was walking east on Nichols Avenue near Melendy Avenue when he was struck by a vehicle. The driver did not stop and left the area. The vehicle is described as a black or grey SUV, and the driver is described as a white female, age 50 to 60, with short grey hair. The man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Watertown Police Department at 617-972-6500.

March 3, 2:40 p.m.: A man came into Best Buy on Feb. 27 and took a Samsung laptop from the display and walked out of the store without paying. The man came in again later that day and took a keyboard and a Dell laptop and placed them in a backpack and left without paying. The items were worth a total of $910. Police are investigating.

March 3, 3:50 p.m.: Three women came into Ulta Beauty at Arsenal Yards at about 12:10 p.m. and took several bottles of fragrance. They cut the security devices of the items, which were worth a total of $752. The suspects are described as: suspect 1 – a light-skinned black female, 18-20 years old, with a thin build, long braided hair and wore a red coat, green hoodie and green pants; suspect 2 – a light-skinned black female, in her early 20s, with a heavy build, and wearing black hoodie, white pants and red and blue sneakers; and suspect 3, a female, unknown race, in her early 20s, with a heavy build and wearing a yellow winter cap, yellow hoodie, black pants, and brown boots

March 3, 8 p.m.: Security at Target spotted a man they recognized from nine prior thefts from the store. He arrived on a bike, and was seen concealing items in a bag and then left the area on his bike. He took a $60 saucepan, a $40 frying pan and a $32 sleeping bag. He left the sleeping bag outside the store. He was last seen on Elm Street heading toward Arsenal Street.

March 7, 7:54 p.m.: A resident of the Elan Union Market apartments reported a stolen package. He had received a notification from UPS tracking that his package was delivered, but when he went to locate the package it was missing. It contained a Macbook Pro laptop valued at $5,000. 

March 7, 10:39 p.m.: UPS security conducted an internal investigation on a delivery driver suspected of taking packages. There were five missing packages on Feb. 2, 11 and 15 that were supposed to be delivered to people in the Metro Boston area. He took an estimated $10,359 worth of items, including laptops and iPhones. The 36-year-old man from Boston was summoned to Waltham District Court on a charge of larceny over. $1,200 by a single scheme.

March 9, 3:36 p.m.: An Edenfield Avenue residence reported a stolen bike. The owner said she left it up against the fence in the front of her property on March 8, and when she returned home later she realized it was missing. The is a light blue Cleary worth $400.

March 9, 4:14 p.m.: A woman reported that her iPhone and wallet had been taken while she was shopping at Stop & Shop on Watertown Street. While she was at the register she left the line for a moment to return something. When she returned, she realized she must have left iPhone and wallet on the counter and they were taken when she returned the items. The wallet contained a debit card, driver’s license and $40 in cash. The iPhone is worth $900.

March 10, 3:36 pm.: A man reported that he had been the victim of identity fraud. His bank, Santander, contacted him on Jan. 27 to report that someone made a $250 purchase at a Wal-Mart in Georgia using his information. He was issued a new card, and on Jan. 29 he was told the new debit card was delayed due to COVID issues. In early February he received a notification from his bank that his account had been overdrawn by $37,000. They said two accounts belonging to other individuals were linked to his account, and suspect his account had been hacked. The bank refunded about $10,000, and are continuing the investigation.

March 11, 7:16 a.m.: A Repton Place resident started a 2008 Toyota Prius and it made a loud noise. The person realized the catalytic converter was taken. It occurred sometime overnight. The estimated cost to replace it is $2,000.

March 11, 12:05 p.m.: A wallet was taken from a customer at Target. The woman from Fayetteville, Ark., noticed her cell phone battery was low so she went to the wireless charging station in the store. She placed her wallet on the counter and turned Ed around for a moment to look at her phone. When she looked back the wallet was gone. The Kate Spade wallet is worth $100 and contained credit cards and a driver’s license. Police obtained surveillance video and are investigating.

March 11, 1:23 p.m.: A Pleasant Street resident reported two missing packages. They were delivered to the lobby of 290 Pleasant St. One contained some animal products valued at $80 and the other had women’s products valued at $90.

March 11, 4:41 p.m.: A catalytic converter was taken from a 2008 Toyota Prius. It was parked overnight on Lexington Street. When the owner started it the next morning it was loud. A mechanic said the item had been taken from the car. 

March 11, 8:50 p.m.: Police responded to the European Wax Center in Arsenal Yards for physical altercation between employees. Two employees who had closed the store at about 8:30 were cleaning before leaving. They got into an argument about the trash. One of the employees became aggressive. They were swearing back and forth and the victim attempted to turn away from her co-worker, but she was punched in the mouth. The co-worker then grabbed the victim by the hair, pulled her to the ground, and kicked her in the face three to four times. Other co-workers intervened and separated them. The victim suffered a bloody lip, and a significant amount of her hair and scalp had been ripped off. Prior to Police arriving, the suspect left. The woman was identified and a warrant was issued. The 20-year-old woman from Boston faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (for kicking with a shoe), and two counts of assault and battery. The victim was a 36-year-old woman.