The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Arrests
June 10, 2:28 a.m.: An officer patrolling in Watertown Square spotted a Toyota Highlander with a revoked registration. The vehicle was pulled over on Mt. Auburn Street near Walnut Street. While speaking with the driver and the passenger, police learned that the passenger had warrants for her arrest. Heather Lynch, 34 of Burlington, was arrested on five warrants: three from Waltham District Court (two for possession of a Class A substance and one for distribution of a Class A substance) and two from Boston District Court (one for larceny from a person and one for traffic violations). The driver, a 50-year-old woman from Waltham, was summonsed to Waltham District Court for driving a vehicle with a revoked registration, driving an uninsured motor vehicle, and driving an unregistered motor vehicle.
June 10, 5:37 p.m.: Police departments in the area have observed a recent increase in bicycle thefts, including Cambridge, Arlington and Boston. Watertown Police conducted a reverse sting operation where an officer rode in on a bicycle owned by the WPD and parked it at a rack at Arsenal Yards. About 30 minutes after leaving the bike, a man approached the bike (which had been left unlocked), took it off the rack and began riding away. A Watertown detective stopped him and placed the man, identified as James Bean, 34, of Woburn, under arrest on a charge of larceny over $1,200. Bean also had six warrants for his arrest: three from Boston District Court (larceny over $1,200, larceny under $1,200, and trespassing), two from Cambridge District Court (larceny under $1,200 and receiving stolen property), and one from Brookline District Court for larceny under $1,200.
June 11, 10:15 p.m.: Police responded to the scene of an accident between a vehicle and a bicycle on Arlington Street. When officers arrived they found the bicyclist who had suffered injuries to his shoulder, knees and had a cut on his forearm. A witness said the man had been driving down Arlington Street and he looked like he was looking off into the distance when he was driving. When police spoke to the man he said he did not know what happened. When asked how much alcohol he had consumed, he said, “A lot.” He had glassy eyes and was unsteady on his feet. The man did not pass three field sobriety tests. He was arrested and when he was being booked, police found a white powdery substance on him believed to be cocaine. The man had four previous OUI convictions. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol — fifth offense, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and possession of a Class B drug — a subsequent offense.
Incidents
June 7, 4:15 p.m.: A Summer Street resident reported a missing package. The resident said he ordered a package with five shirts worth $108. It was confirmed delivered by FedEx on that day, but when he checked the porch it wasn’t there.
June 7, 8:27 : Two bicycles were stolen from an apartment building on Pleasant Street. They had been left in a locked common room. One was a green Cannondale road bike valued at $2,800, which was last seen on June 2. The other was an orange Specialized valued at $1,300, last seen on June 4. Both had been locked but the chains had been cut.
June 8, 8:21 p.m.: A Swetts Court resident observed that someone made an unauthorized $650 purchase on his credit card. The charge was made using the Drizly app for four bottles of tequila at Arsenal Wine & Spirits. The account was opened using the man’s credit card but he did not create the account. The credit card company is investigating.
June 10, 9 a.m.: A vehicle was vandalized while parked on Carey Avenue. Blue hand prints were found on a 2007 Chevy SUV, which appeared to have been made by a child, were found on the passenger-side mirror and on the gas cap door. The incident occurred sometime between 9 p.m. on June 9 and 9 a.m. on June 10.
June 11, 8 a.m.: A generator was stolen from Rosedale Avenue. Charles Contracting reported that the generator, valued at $850, was taken off the back of an open rack truck parked next to the storage yard. The theft occurred sometime between June 10 at 6 p.m. and June 11 at 6 a.m.
June 12, 2:30 a.m.: Two Watertown residents got into a car in Boston thinking that it was an Uber. There was another passenger along with the driver in the white BMW. The two 21-year-old men got a ride to Katherine Road. When they arrived, one of the people in the car asked for their phone so he could enter his Instagram account. After they handed over the phone the car drove off. The second man’s phone was in the back seat where it had been charging. Later that day, one of the residents discovered a $1,000 charge had been made using Apple Pay. The suspects were described as African-American males in their mid-20s to 30s.
June 12, 12 p.m.: A Gilky Court resident reported being scammed. The 50-year-old man received a call from an unknown person who said he was from from Apple. He said the resident’s iPhone and Apple products had been compromised, and the man needed to pay to restore his account. The resident provided his bank information. Later he saw that $2,030 was missing from his account. Police are working with the bank to investigate.
Congrats to the Watertown police for the bicycle sting! Way to go!
Recall that I recently suggested in a comment here that the police do stings in Watertown, but then someone commented that you can’t do that because it’s “entrapment.”
I replied that that is not true, and I was right. The person also said that such incidents are minor or a nuisance.
No, having lots of bicycle thefts, car breakins and porch thefts are not minor. I want to see that person apologize to all of Watertown.
I hope the Watertown police conduct more stings: put out fancy cars and wait for a breakin or theft. Do this for all kinds of crime, including porch theft and shoplifting.
Such tactics are frequently used by police around the nation. See here:
https://behindthebadge.com/thieves-getting-stung-left-right-not-bees/
Let’s clean up the theft and breakin racket in Watertown with some innovative tactics, and please don’t listen to those who claim that these sorts of crimes are minor or a nuisance.
Excellent proactive work by the Watertown Police! Thank you for keeping our city safe.
Sal:
There is no way those charges will stick. The bike was unlocked. Who is to say he wasn’t going to return it rather than steal it? This is much different than entrapment.
How about our police spend their time on much more important crimes including catching illegals who steal $10,000s per year including money spent on healthcare, educating their kids, housing, taking jobs that could have otherwise gone to tax paying citizens, etc.? Maybe a mugger or two.
Quite frankly, I am more interested in the WPD catching someone who might try to steal one of my bikes than catching illegal immigrants. There has been a spate of stolen bikes lately and it is concerning to those of us who have bikes. It seems like bikes have been specifically targeted.
Mike, you are assuming that you know police work better than the police. I have got to assume that they would not set up a sting that wouldn’t produce a conviction. Even if it didn’t, being arrested might deter the thieves from working in Watertown. I am very happy the police did this.