The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Arrests
March 18, 10:23 p.m.: Target security caught two people taking items out of the store without paying. Two men were seen concealing numerous cosmetics items, as well as a four pack of Sutter Home wine. They attempted to leave through the store’s mall exit without paying. They were stopped and security found one man had cosmetics worth $31.53. The second man had a box of Kleenex and the Sutter Home white zinfandel. Security told police that they had security video showing the first man had been at Target on Feb. 7, March 11, March 12 and March 16 taking cosmetics, clothing and Crest white strips. The first suspect, a 23-year-old Auburndale man, was arrested on five counts of shoplifting by concealment. The other suspect, a 19-year-old Brockton man, was arrested on three counts of shoplifting by concealment and one count of a person under 21 in possession of alcohol.
March 19, 2:15 a.m.: Officers who had responded to the Residence Inn by Marriott for other reasons encountered a man in the lobby. After speaking to him, they discovered he had outstanding warrants. The man was detained and taken to the Police Station. When officers searched him they found he had five credit cards that they did not belong to him nor one of his family members. The 22-year-old Dorchester man was arrested on a charges of possession of four or more stolen credit cards, and the three warrants: one from Chelsea District Court for driving offenses, one from Lynn District Court for driving offenses and one from Salem District Court for larceny by check over $1,200.
March 19, 8:02 p.m.: Police were called to a Mt. Auburn Street for a disturbance between two people. Police learned one of them had an outstanding warrant. The 28-year-old Waltham man was arrested on the warrant from Lowell District Court for failing to report for jury duty.
March 20, 1:03 a.m.: An officer working a detail on Main Street spotted a vehicle which had stopped and the driver was slumped over. The vehicle was running and was in gear. After knocking on the window six times and yelling, officers were able to wake the driver. He showed signs of intoxication and and failed three of four field sobriety tests. The 37-year-old man from Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, a second offense.
March 20, 5:10 p.m.: While investigating a break-in to the upstairs unit of a two-family house on Langdon Avenue that occurred on March 15 police learned that another break-in at the same address, on Feb. 22, was committed by the man living downstairs. Police got a warrant for his arrest, and on March 20 an officer served the warrant. The suspect saw the officer and tried to run away. The officer caught him, but the suspect resisted and wrestled with the officer. The officer gained control with the assistance of back up units. The 35-year-old Watertown man was arrested on the warrant from Waltham District Court for breaking and entering, and resisting arrest.
March 24, 4:58 p.m.: Two men were spotted by police walking around a construction site at Pleasant Street and Rosedale Road. The officer spoke to the pair, and found they worked for the company constructing the project. Also, the officer discovered one of the men had several outstanding warrants. The 31-year-old Everett man was arrested on nine warrants from Chelsea District Court for failing to appear in court.
Incidents
March 18, 10:29 a.m.: The glass of the front door of a Main Street apartment building was shattered. Management showed police a video of a man who kicked the glass panel and broke it. Another man can be seen in the video, and management identified it as one of the residents of the building. Police found the suspect, who was staying with his friend in the building, and he admitted to causing the damage. The 22-year-old Marshfield man was summonsed to Waltham District Court on a charge of vandalizing property.
March 19, 7:06 a.m.: A man came to the Police Station to report that he was being extorted. On March 18, he accepted the friend request on Facebook from a woman whom he did not know. The man said he then had a video chat with her, during which he removed his clothing. Later he was contacted by a man on Facebook messenger demanding he send $450 or else the videos would be sent to his friends on Facebook. He sent the money to someone in the Philippines. Police advised him not to video chat with an unknown person.
March 20, 8:09 a.m.: A man took two spools of wire, worth $275, from Home Depot and drove away. Security got the license plate of the vehicle and got a picture of the suspect when he was in the store. The man was identified, and a summons was issued for the 54-year-old Billerica man for larceny from a building.
March 22, 4:49 p.m.: A vehicle was broken into on Morse Street. The vehicle was ransacked, and the owner reported that two Garmin GPS devices had been stolen. They were worth $150 each. Also, $5 in loose change was taken. The vehicle had been left unlocked.
March 23, 10:57 a.m.: An Edenfield Avenue resident reported vandalism to three vehicles. It was parked at 10 p.m. the previous night and in the morning the owner noticed puncture holes in two tires. The residents of the other unit of the two family home found punctures in two tires of their vehicle, as well as the tires of a vehicle belonging to a visitor. The punctures appear to have been made with a sharp object. Police are investigating.
March 23, 1:43 p.m.: A business owner came in to the Police Station to report that one of his salesman took an order for 12 Washlet toilet seats, totalling $12,246.25. The order, made on Jan. 30, was paid by credit card and the business sent an invoice to a construction company in Boston. The items were picked up on Feb. 4. Later, the owner of the construction company called to say that he never ordered the seats and he had reported to Boston Police to report that someone had used his company’s name to set up fake business accounts. Police are investigating.
March 24, 12:31 p.m.: A vehicle parked on Lexington Street was broken into overnight. The owner discovered that multiple items, worth an estimated $600-700, had been taken from her vehicle. The items included perfume, speakers, sunglasses and clothing. There were no signs of forced entry.
Is it just me or are there are a massive amount of people coming to Watertown to steal from local stores who do not live near here?