Published in the July 25, 2016 edition.
WAKEFIELD —A 17-year-old juvenile from Greenwood was arrested at about 7:45 p.m. yesterday for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly sprayed a Melrose youth with mace during a fight on Foundry Street.
Police responded to a report of a fight in a driveway of a Foundry Street business. Three men standing in the driveway of that business denied that any type of altercation had occurred. But further investigation by police turned up another witness who said that there had been a fight and that someone had been sprayed in the face by one of the individuals that police had spoken to in the Foundry Street driveway. That 17-year-old youth subsequently admitted to police that he had set up a fake drug deal to lure the victim to Foundry Street because he believed his girlfriend was cheating on him with the victim. When the man arrived as a passenger in a car and rolled down the window, the assailant sprayed him with pepper spray.
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In other business over the busy weekend, police investigated a report of a stolen front door from a piece of construction equipment on Quannapowitt Parkway at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday. A construction crew said that the door enclosure had been stolen from a Bobcat sometime after Wednesday night. The item was valued at $1,200.
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Police and firefighters responded to a minor accident between a 2002 Toyota and a 2008 Chevy at North Avenue and Albion Street at about 1:20 p.m. on Friday.
The Melrose woman driving the Toyota said that she thought that the Chevy that was stopped in traffic in front of her was parked and had attempted to go around the car when the accident occurred. She was cited for a marked-lanes violation.
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A 41-year-old Stoneham man was cited for impeded operation of a motor vehicle after he crashed his 2007 Ford van into a parked 2006 Mercury Marquis on Madison Avenue at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The driver admitted to police that he had been distracted by his cell phone. Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
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Staff at a group home on Woodcrest Drive reported some missing medication at about 4 p.m. on Friday. The staff member said that 27 Klonopin pills had been discovered missing from a locked medication closet.
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A 49-year-old Wakefield man will be summonsed to court for assault with a dangerous weapon and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle following a road rage on North Avenue at about 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Police were called by a woman who said that a man was punching in the window of her car. On arrival, police noticed blood on both of the women in the car who told officers that a man in another car had cut them off and then got out of his car and punched in the window. The women were able to provide a license plate number, which came back to a local man. When police located the man, he matched the description given by the women and had cuts on his forearm and blood on his shirt. He admitted to his involvement, but said he did not intend to break the window, but just wanted to scare the women.
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Police investigated a hit-and-run accident on Albion Street after a man discovered damage to the driver’s side of his parked 2016 Toyota Camry at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday.
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Police will summons four individuals for shoplifting from the Main Street Dunkin’ Donuts at about 7 p.m. Saturday night. The store clerk reported that two of the individuals distracted the clerk while the other two stole bags of coffee. The clerk said that she knew at least one of the people involved. On arrival of police, one of the alleged shoplifters was arguing with the clerk. The man admitted to police that he took the coffee to pay for gas. Police contacted the Dunkin’ Donuts on North Avenue, where a clerk confirmed that two bags of coffee valued at $16.98 had been returned there for a refund.
Police were able to view security footage of the incident at the first store. Two of the individuals charged, a 19-year-old and a 25-year-old, were from Wakefield. The other two, both 21-years-old, were from Bennington, Vt.
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A 52-year-old Medford man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and having a defective tail light after the white Nissan Altima he was driving was stopped by police on Lowell Street at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. Police said that Officer Amy Toothaker was monitoring traffic on Salem Street near the Masonic Lodge when she saw and heard a car drive by that appeared to be dragging something. While speaking to the operator, she detected the smell of alcohol. The man said that he was coming from a friend’s house in Lynnfield. He was unable to locate his driver’s license and had red, glassy eyes and slurred speech, according to police. Police contacted Lynnfield Police, who confirmed that they were looking for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident in their town. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody.
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A 28-year-old Wakefield man was arrested on a warrant after police questioned him for allegedly making inappropriate and threatening comments to a female clerk at the 7Eleven store on Gould Street. The clerk called police at around 5:30 a.m. today to report the incident and said that the man was now walking down Richardson Avenue. The man denied making the comments to the clerk but police discovered that he had an active warrant for an unrelated matter. The man was taken into custody for the warrant.
