WPD Hosting Community Police Academy, Neighborhood Meeting

The Watertown Police Department is still looking for a few recruits to attend a Community Police Academy that kicks off on March 26. The Police will also hold the first in a series of neighborhood meetings at St. James Church. 

The Watertown Police provided the following announcements:

Community Police Academy

WHEN? From March 26 to April 30, every Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Topics will Include:

• Roles and Responsibilities of Detective, Patrol, & Traffic Operations. • Our School Resource Officers and Community Policing Initiatives. • The Legal Issues that shape law enforcement.

Police Log: Driver Arrested After Hitting 2 Parked Cars, Pair of Shoplifters Busted

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Feb. 25, 6 p.m.: A bike was damaged and a lock was vandalized at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center. The owner said the bike damage from what appeared to be an attempted theft that occurred between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The bike had multiple locks and the suspect was able to break away one of the locks while attempting to steal the bike. The spokes of the bike were damaged, making the bike unusable.

Man Arrested on Charges of Assaulting a Woman Along the Charles River Path

A Newton man was arrested in connection to an assault of a woman that took place on the path along the Charles River in Watertown. Sandeep Khandke, 69, of Newton, was arraigned on Friday in Waltham District Court on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, according to the Massachusetts State Police. The State Police received a report of an assault in Watertown on the Charles River Greenway, which is State property. Troopers from the Boston State Police Barracks responded. “The victim reported that a man with a cane had sat down next to her and while the two were talking, the man touched the victim’s leg and chest,” the State Police press release said.

Police Warn of Phone Scam Using WPD’s Phone Number

The Watertown Police sent out the following information about a scam that was reported on Wednesday, Feb. 28:

This morning, a private citizen received a phone call from the Watertown Police Phone Number (617-972-6500) and the caller Identified themselves as Chief Hanrahan. The caller knew the citizen’s full name and then proceeded to tell her “we have illegal orders for you, if you don’t cooperate we are going to come to your house and arrest you”. When the citizen asked how to cooperate, she was told to provide certain personal information. The citizens’ instincts were correct and decided not to cooperate and hung up the phone.

Police Log: Man Arrested for Taking Pair of Shoes, Check Stolen from Mail Box

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Jan. 27, 5:40 a.m.: Five people were seen exiting Milk Vape Shop on Arlington Street, got into a black SUV and sped away toward Arsenal Street. Four men and a woman, all wearing dark clothing, went into the store, jumped over the counter and took approximately $5,000 in merchandise. Detectives responded to the scene and found pry marks on the front door.

Three Men Indicted for Running Prostitution Ring in Mass. and Virginia, Including Watertown

The following announcement came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts:

Three individuals previously arrested and charged in November 2023 in connection with operating sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, Mass. 

The following individuals have each been indicted on one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution; and one count of money laundering conspiracy: 

Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.;

James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and

Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass. According to the charging documents, from at least July 2020, the defendants operated an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Va. It is alleged that the defendants collectively established the infrastructure for brothels in multiple states which they used to persuade, induce and entice women – primarily Asian women – to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution. 

Specifically, the defendants allegedly rented high-end apartment complexes as brothel locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. It is further alleged that the defendants coordinated the women’s airline travel and transportation and permitted women to stay overnight in the brothel locations so they did not have to find lodging elsewhere, therefore enticing women to participate in their prostitution network. According to court documents, the defendants established house rules for the women during their stays in a given city to protect and maintain the secrecy of the business and ensure that the women did not draw attention to the prostitution work inside apartment buildings. 

The defendants allegedly advertised their prostitution network primarily on two websites – bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog – which offered appointments with women in either greater Boston or eastern Virginia, respectively.

Police Log: Wallet Stolen Out of Car, Counterfeit Bills Used at Target

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Jan. 16, 1 p.m.: A Riverside Street resident moved her husband’s vehicle onto the street at 8:30 a.m. and left it running and unlocked. She came back out a half hour later and her wallet was missing out of the purse she left on the front passenger seat. It contained credit cards and her driver’s license.