Public safety report: Man arrested after alleged altercation involving a soda bottle

Joseph Stallings, 46, of Waltham, was arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and armed robbery after an incident at a local hotel.

On May 11 at 4:06 a.m., police responded to reports of two men fighting at the Holiday Inn Express on Winter Street. Upon arrival, officers reportedly observed two men yelling at each other in the hallway, one of whom was identified as Stallings. According to the police report, the argument began after Stallings was accused of taking $93 from another man at the hotel. During the argument, Stallings allegedly attempted to strike the other man with a soda bottle but did not make contact.

After speaking to both men and an additional witness, officers arrested Stallings on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon (the soda bottle) and armed robbery. 

Additional police and fire activity from May 6 to 12:

On May 6 at 5:41 p.m., police responded to reports of a cryptocurrency scam on Crescent Street. Someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office called a woman and told her there was a warrant out for her arrest for missing a court date. The woman was told she could clear all charges by depositing money in Bitcoin. After making the deposits, she realized it was a scam and contacted the police.

On May 8 at 5:11 p.m., fire crews responded to reports of a fire on Woodcliff Drive. A small area of mulch near a residence had ignited, and the fire spread to a deck attached to the house. Crews extinguished the fire before it reached the house, and damage was limited to a small portion of the deck.

On May 9 at 10:06 p.m., an officer observed a moped operator in the area of Elm Street swerving erratically and not wearing a helmet. The officer attempted to stop the moped but was unsuccessful. The officer later found the moped parked on a side street near the area. It didn’t have an ignition and had damaged handlebars, which led the officer to infer it was stolen. Police are investigating the incident.

On May 11 at 3:29 p.m., police responded to reports of a suspicious incident on College Farm Road. A woman said she found a bag with a white, powdery substance that appeared to be drugs. Officers located the bag, which appeared to contain a substance resembling cocaine. The bag and its contents were taken to the police evidence department to be destroyed.

On May 12 at 12:30 p.m., police responded to a call from Cutter Street reporting two vehicles parked next to each other with identical license plates. After a brief investigation, officers learned both vehicles were owned by the same person. The owner was cited for attaching plates to an unregistered motor vehicle.

On May 12 at 3:31 p.m., police responded to reports of a man masturbating in his vehicle on Moody Street. Officers located the car and observed the man inside pulling up his pants and showing signs of having performed significant physical activity. After speaking to the man and a witness, police arrested David F. Keefe, 57, of Newton on charges of open and gross lewdness.

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.