The Saugus Review

Saugus residents are advised to watch out for phone scams that have been taking place recently.

In nearby communities, two incidents have already been reported that have both been linked to people operating in Canada.

Just last week, a caller phoned a Wakefield woman, telling her that he was her son and that he needed  $2,200 to be wired to him immediately after being hurt in an accident in Canada. Luckily the woman suspected that it wasn’t her son and hung up the phone.

A similar incident took place in Melrose though this time it was a female calling. The person In called an elderly couple, claiming to be their granddaughter and convinced  them to wire $1,000 by saying that she needed the money for legal fees because she had been detained by the Canadian police following a traffic accident.

And on April 27, a resident from Davis Street also reported someone in Canada pretended to be his grandson and scammed him out of $2,900. It was the same modus operandi, the caller pretended to be the elderly man’s grandson and that he had been arrested and needed money for legal fees. The elderly man believed that his grandson was in trouble so he quickly went over to Shaw’s and wired the money.

Only after speaking to other family members did the victim realized that he had been scammed and then reported the incident to the police.

The victim also headed back to Shaw’s to try to stop the wire transfer but the transaction had already been completed.

Although Saugus Police are investigating the crime and will work with the Canadian police on this matter, Campanello remarked that scam victims frequently fail to receive restitution for the money they lose.

Residents who have experienced the same phone call scams or are suspicious of anyone calling them who might have similar interests, call the  Saugus Police immediately at 781-941-1199.

A suspect described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s, 5-foot-8-inches tall, 160 pounds is at large as of April 21 2010 for. This man seemed to speak English well and was last seen wearing a dark green or brown puffy jacket, red shirt, jeans and Timberland boots.

The suspect was first reported on April 12 regarding a breaking and entering in process outside China Buffet on Main Street, Saugus. When the owner of the Honda Civic was alerted of this, the owner confronted the suspect in the parking lot.

After the momentary scuffle  a white Acura Integra drove by and tried to take off with the suspect according to Police Lt. Leonard Campanello. But he didn’t make it far as the Civic owner attempted to keep the driver’s side door open to catch him. The suspect fell out of the car but managed to run after it after and then drove off.

The Acura however was later found abandoned beside a dumpster near Steven’s Pond Complex.

The suspect is also said to have suffered multiple cuts as a result of the confrontation and received medical treatment for his injuries.

If you have knowledge regarding the suspect’s whereabouts call Saugus Police at 781-941-1199.

Man who filed for unemployment but was actually working all the while was charged with 22 counts of fraud and larceny over $250.

Gustavo Pina, 29, applied for unemployment benefits from the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Unemployment Assistance in June 2007 and began receiving benefits from August 2007 through January 2008.

For each week that Pina would collect unemployment benefits, authorities allege that he notifies the EOLWDDUA that he was not working every time he would collect benefits, but in truth, Pina was able to work and has always been available for work for which he earned$24,000 from.

From 2007 to 2008 Pina has managed to while collecting a total of $13,200 of fraudulent unemployment benefits, EOLWDDUA later found out.

A Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against Pina on March 18 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on April 6 in Suffolk Superior Court.

Richard Carter of Saugus, MA was one of many Northshore residents who received a phone call from strangers claiming that their family members are held hostage and would be hurt and killed if they were not wired $1000 ransom. Carter contacted the Saugus Police department who found that his family members were safe.

Several such calls were made to different Northshore residents in the span of 24 hours.

The police were able to trace the calls to Puerto Rico.  Police Detective Lt. Ronald Giorgetti warn residents to be alert for such scam phone calls and to “call your local police department and let them investigate if it’s extortion.”

The case that was filed against WWE superstar Randy Orton on February 20, 2010 did not go through as the case was dropped by the court the following day. The courts stated that there was ‘no probable cause’ to lay charges and that there was insufficient material for the ‘spitting case’ to move forward.

This whole case started on January 12, 2010 when a 15-year old boy reported to the police that the wrestler assaulted the boy in the parking lot when he asked Orton for an autograph. According to the teenager, Orton spat gum on his face and called him names. The mother saw the incident happen and tried to confront Orton who reportedly replied ‘So sue me’.

Two individuals smashed the drive-thru window of a Dunkin Donut store along 86 Broadway on Valentine’s Day. Luckily two policemen who were on patrol nearby noticed the suspicious activity.

Anthony Dedominicis and Frank Joseph Faiella were arrested after they stole money from the Dunkin Donuts store they broke into. Dedominicis was charged with intention to commit a felony, nighttime breaking and entering, larceny from a building, malicious destruction of property, possession of a burglarious instrument, and conspiracy for nighttime breaking and entering; while Faiella was charged with intention to commit a felony nighttime breaking and entering, larceny from a building and conspiracy for nighttime breaking and entering.

The suspects were booked and arraigned at Lynn District Court on Feb.16, Tuesday.

Police observe that various crimes have been occurring in the past few months but have taken necessary measures to counter this.  Despite the fact that they have limited manpower these days Police Lt. Leonard Campanello lauds his officers for a job well done.

Police Lt. Campanello also said police patrols have been reinforced in several areas in order to prevent crime.

Last Sunday it was known that, Citizen’s Bank at 400 Lynn Fells Parkway was robbed by a woman who came in the bank at around 1:00 pm that day as an employee contacted the police after.

The woman, identified to look Hispanic or Middle Eastern, passed a note around that said “Do not do anything” and that someone was in the parking lot with a hostage and that the person had a gun.

The woman also reportedly told the teller that she was just being forced to do this.

As of now nothing is known of the woman or who was behind this yet, but the woman was identified as being Hispanic or Middle Eastern-looking, approximately 50 years old. She was also reported to be between 5-feet-1 to 5-feet-3 tall, with brown hair color and was said to be wearing black sunglasses, a red scarf, and a black winter coat with black gloves.

Wresting star Randy Orton allegedly spat gum at a teenager’s face and swore at him in the parking lot of Kowloon Restaurant last Friday night, January 8.

The incident was reported on January 12 to the Saugus Police Department by a 15-year-old boy claiming that Orton assaulted him. The wrestler had allegedly reacted angrily to the boy’s request for a photo, spitting gum at the boy and using a derogatory name at him.

The boy’s mother and another young man witnessed the incident, confirming the complainant’s allegations.

A hearing request has been filed by police for simple assault and battery. It will be determined by the clerk magistrate whether the report warrants a criminal complaint.

A masked man walked into Burger King at 1449 Broadway the night of January 11, robbed the place, and then forced the restaurant employees into the walk-in freezer.

The man, who was later identified as suspect John Rosenthal, came in with a knife at about 8 PM and ordered everyone to get down to the floor. He demanded money from the employees, then herded them all into the freezer before taking an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register. The restaurant didn’t have customers at the time.

Rosenthal was arrested the next morning (Tuesday, January 12) after a witness alerted the police. This incident is still under investigation.

46-year-old Paul Peterson was arrested in Saugus last week for allegedly spying on people. Peterson, a bird watching enthusiast, was reported to the police for spying in people’s windows. Peterson’s interview with WBZ TV showed his apartment filled with bird books and stacks of notebooks where he logged his observations and discoveries.

Peterson said he was bird watching at Rumney Marsh when a policeman called him out for being suspicious. A resident near the marsh had reported a man spying at them. Peterson was then charged with resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, and disorderly conduct. His binoculars was also taken in as evidence.

Peterson maintained his innocence by saying “I have no interest on spying on people, I just want to spy on the birds.”