Police Log: A Search for a Suspect, a Squatter and Gucci Thieves

Squatter at Casselman House

Police responded to the Casselman House on Sumner Street January 8 after a property manager reported a past breaking and entering.

According to reports, the property manager viewed security footage with police and noticed a man enter the building through an unlocked laundry room window around 4 a.m. The man had checked the front and back doors of the building before going in through the window. 

The man then went into the community room and left his backpack on the couch. Footage shows he propped doors open with a pair of gloves while he went outside to move his bike behind the building. He then reentered the building and slept on the couch.

Around 6:30 a.m., the man woke up and found a bag of popcorn in the cabinet, cooked it and ate it before going back to sleep. At 8:30 a.m., the man woke up and left through a rear entrance. 

The security footage showed the suspect was a white male, approximately 30-years old, 5'10" tall with brown hair and trimmed facial hair with a beard. He was wearing a black shirt with a skull on the front, a black or blue jacket, black gloves and a blue or black backpack, reports said. 

Car break-ins

Newton Police responded to the following reports of vehicle break-ins:

• Jan. 8 - Upland Avenue - The vehicle owner told police he parked his 2011 Jeep Cherokee in front of Woodward Street at 1:30 p.m. and when he returned to the vehicle at 5 p.m. there were a number of items missing. 

• Jan. 8 - Boylston Street - The vehicle owner told police he parked his Nissan Altima in his driveway around 11 p.m. on Jan. 8 and when he returned at 6 a.m. the next day, he noticed it was entered. The man said his doors must have been unlocked because there was no damage/forced entry to the vehicle. 

Break-in on Thornton Street

Police responded to a home on Thornton Street January 8 after a resident reported a past breaking and entering.

According to reports, the suspect forced entry through a rear basement door, causing damage to the glass and window frame. Nothing appeared to be missing from the home. 

Break in on Harvard Circle

A Harvard Circle resident told police on Jan. 8 that someone broke into her home while she was gone during the day.

According to reports, the woman left her house around 11 a.m. and returned around 2 p.m. to find her side door partially open. The resident didn't think much of it until around 9 p.m. she discovered her jewelry box missing from her room. 

Gucci thieves

A manager at the Gucci booth in Bloomingdale's told police on Jan. 9 that three suspects came into the store and stole two scarves.

According to reports, the suspects were described as one bald black male with facial hair and a black fur coat, and two black females in their mid-40s wearing puffy jackets. 

Newton man faces driving, license charges

A Newton man was arrested on Jan. 9 after police pulled him over for failing to stop in a crosswalk.

According to reports, a Newton Police officer was sitting near the corner of Pleasant Street and Centre Street when the officer saw a Buick drive through a crosswalk while a pedestrian was halfway across the street in the marked crosswalk. The officer then pulled the Buick over on Centre Street near Tyler Terrace.

After pulling the driver over, the officer found the driver had a suspended license.

Jordan Taylor Rabb, 22, of 95 Country Club Road was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license, police said. He was also cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in the cross walk.

Search for a suspect

Newton Police officers were dispatched to Tanglewood Road on Jan. 9 after reports of a breaking and entering.

According to reports, the reporting party told police he was on Tanglewood Road when he noticed a light was on in the second floor of his brother-in-law's home. He noticed a rear sliding door was open and called police.

A neighbor also told police he had heard noises coming from the Tanglewood Road home the previous three nights. 

When police arrived to investigate, it was clear the house had been broken into, reports said. The large flat-screen television, which was near the door, was unhooked and appeared to be ready for transport. In addition, every room had been rummaged through and the contents of each room were strewn around. 

The department's K-9 unit was called to the scene, reports said, and was able to track a path through the Tanglewood Road extension and into a wooded area. The K-9 then followed the scent to the rear of "The Residences" at 350 Boylston St. and around to the front parking facility, which is right off Route 9. At that point, the dog lost the scent.

For questions on this police blotter, email Editor Melanie Graham at Melanie.Graham@patch.com.