Needham Police Log: Icy Crashes and a Bus Hit-and-Run

The following reports were provided by the Needham Police Department. Charges where mentioned do not indicate a conviction.

Monday, Jan 14

• A laptop computer was taken from a vehicle parked in the driveway of a Bridge Street home, which the owner reported at about 1 p.m.
• A police officer saw a driver looking at his cell phone on Highland Avenue near the route 128 intersection. The officer says he went through an intersection, still focusing on the phone, at which point the officer pulled him over. Investigation revealed that the driver was operating with revoked insurance. At about 5:15 p.m., the 27-year-old man from Boston was cited for driving without insurance, driving with a revoked registration, and impeded driving.

Tuesday, Jan 15

• A past breaking-and-entering incident was reported at about 4 p.m., where property was taken from an unlocked vehicle in the garage of a Bridge Street resident, and from the unlocked residence. 
• Vandalism was reported at a Second Avenue parking garage, where vehicle was keyed on both sides before 9 p.m.
• At about 9:30 p.m., police arrested and charged Michael Murphy, 40, of Broadmeadow Road with assault-and-battery at his home.

Wednesday, Jan 16

• No injuries were reported in a crash on Hillside Avenue at Sunnyside Road, at about 6:45 a.m. Both vehicles involved were towed from the scene. 
• Police responded to a two-car crash on School Street before 7 a.m., near the police station, where a town-owned vehicle and piece of snow-removal equipment were damaged. Neither person was injured, but the at-fault driver was issued a citation for following too closely.
• Police were dispatched to a crash on Webster Street involving town property. Three vehicles, including a town vehicle, were involved. No injuries reported, but one car was towed at about 7:15 a.m.
• At about 7:20 a.m., police were dispatched to Old Farm Road and South Street where a school bus was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run crash. The other vehicle was an older-model Toyota Camry, which fled the scene. The driver was described as a middle-aged white woman with salt-and-pepper hair. Police were able to get a possible suspect from witnesses, but the matter remains under investigation. 
• At about 7:30 p.m., an officer pulled a vehicle over for an improperly-placed registration sticker. When speaking to the driver, the officer also learned the driver was operating without an ignition interlock device. The 27-year-old Needham man driving the car will be summonsed to Dedham court for driving without an ignition interlock and an improperly-placed registration sticker. 
• At about 11 p.m., Animal Control received a report of a fight between two dogs. One Needham resident was cited on a town bylaw violation of an unleashed dog.