‘Lewd act’ on Red Line
Bank heist, murder and more
A Cambridge man was placed into police custody for open and gross lewdness after a woman told police that he sat directly across from her and committed a lewd act while “staring and laughing at” her, according to the MBTA Transit Police.
The woman photographed the suspect and showed the image to police, who soon say they matched the photo to Calebre Predelus, 23, who was still seated on the train. Police say they also linked him to another report on Feb. 1 for doing roughly the same thing, as they tweeted on Feb. 17: “Female reported a male committed a lewd act while staring at her.”
Suspect arrested within walking distance of robbed bank in Dorchester
David Laffey, 60, of Watertown, has been charged with unarmed robbery for a heist at the Santander Bank at 535 Columbia Rd. in Dorchester Monday afternoon.
According to the police report, the robber entered the bank sometime before 1:15 p.m., when police responded to a radio call of the incident, walked up to teller window number 3 and gave a note demanding money. The teller, while “visibly frightened,” told police that the man “told her multiple times not to move her hands and that if she did, he would shoot her.”
“The victim stated that she did not see a firearm, but that the suspect kept his hand inside of a bag as if he had something in there,” according to the police report.
Police canvassed the area and found Laffey sitting on the steps in front of an address that appears to be an assisted living community on Cushing Avenue about a three-minute walk from the bank. The police report states he matched the description given by the teller: an older white male with green eyes wearing a baseball cap, with a dark-colored jacket and backpack. He also matched surveillance footage and was confirmed by the witness, according to the report.
2 New Bedford residents die in crash
A 54-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman from New Bedford died in a crash off State Route 140 northbound Tuesday morning. While the accident remains under investigation, the State Police say speed may have been a factor.
Police were dispatched to the Freetown portion of the highway at around 8:15 p.m. for reports of a Kia Sedona being operated erratically, and received a second call that the vehicle had crashed off the roadway, struck three other vehicles and finally crashed into a tree, according to State Police.
Freetown Fire and EMS tried to save the lives of both occupants — the man was driving — but were unable to do so, and both were declared dead at the scene. The operator of one of the vehicles struck by the Kia also suffered minor injuries.
Jamaica Plain shooting victim identified
Boston Police have identified Orlando L. Watkins, 44, of Dorchester, as the man they found shot to death in Jamaica Plain late Sunday night.
Police received a request for a well-being check at the home at 940 Parker St. They found Watkins dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the home at around 11:35 p.m., according to a police statement.
Police ask that anyone with any information on Watkins’ murder to call homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470, or to provide an anonymous tip to the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).
High-tech scanners installed at Conn.’s Bradley Airport
Security at Bradley International Airport got an overhaul with the addition of eight new CT X-ray scanners “that will provide critical explosives detection capabilities in each checkpoint lane,” the Transportation Security Administration announced.
“TSA remains committed to installing technology that enhances security and improves the screening experience,” said William Csontos, TSA’s federal security director for Connecticut. “This CT technology substantially improves our threat detection capability at the checkpoint.”
It’s the latest installation of the 313 computed tomography, or CT, scanners the agency has ordered and plans to have installed no later than November. So far, the TSA has installed 287 of the “Analogic Mid-size CT Xray units,” which includes 23 at New England airports.
That includes the eight at Bradley, six at Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport, five at Manchester-Boston Regional and four at Burlington International in Vermont. Six more scanners are scheduled to be installed in New England airports this year.
While the TSA touts the CT scanners’ enhanced 3-D imaging for threat detection, the scanners also allow passengers to keep everything in their carry-on bags and no longer requires most electronics to be taken out.