Public Safety Report: Pair arrested for vandalism of Metropolitan State Hospital
Two men were arrested on Sept. 1 for allegedly spray painting a section of the abandoned Metropolitan State Hospital, according to a police spokesperson.
On Sept. 1 at around 3 p.m., police responded to a report of vandalism in the area of the Metropolitan State Hospital at 475 Trapelo Road.
A witness told police that two men had propped a ladder against the building and were spray painting it.
Upon arrival, officers saw the two men, Lucas Guimaraes, 35, of 38 Clapp St., Malden, and Israel Oliveria-Lopes, 28, of 619 Union St., Rockland, flee to an area behind the building.
When questioned by officers, Oliveria-Lopes and Guimaraes maintained that they had been playing soccer behind the building. Officers observed paint residue on the hands of both men, and the witness identified the pair as the two who had allegedly spray painted the building.
Officers also observed new spray paint on the side of the building.
When officers attempted to arrest Giumaraes, he allegedly pulled his arm away, but stopped once officers placed handcuffs on him, according to a police spokesperson.
Giumaraes was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and vandalizing property. Oliveria-Lopes was arrested for vandalizing property.
Both pleaded not guilty to these charges at their arraignment at Waltham District Court on Sept. 2.
Additional public safety actions
A summary of public safety activity from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2 is as follows:
On Aug. 27 at 10:59 a.m., officers responded to a report of a package theft at an Amherst Avenue residence. The reporting party’s Amazon package, with items worth $9, could not be located. Police filed a report.
At 8:08 p.m. police responded to a report of a fight in the area of the former Gaebler Children’s Center at 275 Trapelo Road. Two people allegedly broke into a fight following an argument about using a rideshare app. When officers arrived, one of the parties had left the area and the other had a cut on his forehead. Authorities transported the injured party to a local hospital for treatment. No charges were pursued.
Jennifer Blanchette, 44, of 118 Hammond St., Waltham, was arrested at 8:37 p.m. on warrants for possession of class B and E drugs, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs.
On Aug. 28 at 10:37 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle break-in. A driver of a gray transit van discovered that the front driver’s side window had been smashed. Police filed a report.
At 11:33 a.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at BJ’s Wholesale Club at 66 Seyon St. A member of the store’s loss prevention department reported that a man walked out of the store without paying for an LG television, worth $1,200, using a fraudulent receipt. The incident is under investigation.
At 6:52 p.m. police responded to a report of a motor vehicle hit-and-run in the parking lot of Shaw’s Supermarket at 130 River St. Officers discovered that the reporting party had found damage on their vehicle after returning from the store. A report was filed.
On Aug. 29 at 12:54 a.m., police received a report of a bike larceny on Bright Street. The reporting party allegedly saw someone riding a bicycle that looked similar to his son’s that had been stolen. He tracked down the bicyclist on Willow Street and was able to retrieve the bike. He did not press any charges against the person who allegedly committed the larceny.
At 2:25 a.m. officers attempted to assist the Manchester, New Hampshire, Police Department with locating a missing juvenile. Officers knocked on the door of the Charles Street residence where the juvenile might have been staying but were unable to get anyone to answer the door.
Selvin Venture-Flores, 29, of 626 Moody St., was arrested at 10:48 p.m. for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
On Aug. 30 at 9:13 a.m., police responded to a report of a motor vehicle break-in outside of a Stearns Hill Road residence. The reporting party discovered that her car had been broken into overnight and two credit cards had been stolen out of the glove box. The incident is under investigation.
At 1:13 p.m. police responded to a report of a motor vehicle break-in outside of a Derby Street residence. A landscaper reported that someone had stolen two leaf blowers, worth a total of $600, off the back of his truck. Ring Camera footage from a nearby resident showed someone walking away from the vehicle with the leaf blowers.
Yusuf Kibirango, 41, of 275 Ridge Lane, Waltham, was arrested at 5:34 p.m. for an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle and on warrants for multiple license plate violations.
Robert Boucher, 44, of 340 Cabot St., Newton, was arrested at 11:12 p.m. for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lane violation and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
On Aug. 31 at 8:59 p.m., Babak Jafari, 39, of 90 Old Farm Road, Norwood, was arrested for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
On Sept. 1 at 11:46 p.m., the Fire Department responded to a small fire on Lord Street. A propane tank being used for roadwork had caught fire. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.
On Sept. 2 at 12:44 a.m., police responded to a report of a past break-in at the ReNew apartments at 30 Middlesex Circle. Two residents came home to find a television, soundbar and gaming system, worth $4,000, missing from the apartment. The incident is under investigation.
At 11:39 a.m. police responded to a report of a motor vehicle larceny outside the Hyatt House at 54 Fourth Ave. The owner of a Ford van told officers that the vehicle was gone from its parking spot. The incident is under investigation.
Bianca Lavargna, 32, of 30 Middlesex Circle, Waltham, was arrested at 12:38 p.m. on a warrant for shoplifting.
All information was obtained from spokespeople with the Waltham Police and Fire Departments, the publicly available police blotter and police reports available at Waltham District Court.
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Mackerel Hill is the name of the city’s recreation area on Trapelo Road. I don’t know if it is called “the former Gaebler Children’s Center” in this article by the police blotter, the Times, or the author, but really? The Gaebler Center closed over 30 years ago, and even when it was open, few people had ever heard of it. I hope the Waltham Times policy going forward is to utilize “Mackerel Hill” — this land was Mackerel Hill long before there was an institutional use here.
It’s harder to criticize the article’s use of “the area of the Metropolitan State Hospital at 475 Trapelo Road” even though the hospital was shuttered in 1992 and the area has been a city park for decades. The vandalized building, owned by Waltham, is a beautiful historical structure, intended to be restored and utilized as a clubhouse for the city’s 9-hole golf course that never materialized, and as a ranger station for the abutting Beaver Brook North Reservation, sadly never able to budget for a ranger. The building is now almost a ruin, and the park of nearly fifty acres of rolling meadow and century-old specimen trees remains unnamed. The Commonwealth labeled the thru-road “Metropolitan Parkway,” and the city erected a sign proclaiming “Conservation Park and Recreation Area.” Neither Metropolitan Park nor Conservation Park seem to have caught on — I hear people calling it the Dog Park, the Greenway 5K Park, and the Met State Lawns. This is one of the few bits of open space in Waltham protected in perpetuity by a conservation restriction. Doesn’t it deserve a good name?