Well, the mini-mystery is over. The identity of the young boy with a heart of gold has been revealed. He is Devon Johnson and he is all of 8 years of age. In case you missed it, Devon was a winner of a brand new bike at our C-11 Bike Rodeo in June, but he already was sitting on the exact same type of bike he had just won. So in an amazing act of kindness, he gave his winning prize to a young girl who didn’t own a bicycle. But the boy and his dad left the Rodeo before we found out his identity. So I mentioned his act of kindness in my July column and the boy’s dad read about it in the Dorchester Reporter and the mystery was solved. Devon was given a plaque of appreciation at Boston Police headquarters. He truly is an inspiration.

April 27, 3:22 p.m.
Officers were called to the Stop & Shop on Freeport Street for a report of a shoplifter. On arrival they spoke with loss prevention officers who stated that they had stopped a 50-year-old Dorchester woman for stealing $255.16 worth of groceries. To be more specific, inside of her cart was 71 bottle of Axe deodorant. Seventy-one bottles! She must have the sweat glands of a Calcutta camel.

June 12, 3:50 a.m.
Sgt. Broderick was operating an unmarked police cruiser down Dorchester Avenue near Columbia Road. While he was waiting at a red light, a 52-year-old Quincy woman suddenly and without invitation hopped into the front seat of the cruiser and told the good sergeant that her car had been towed and that for $46 she would “take care of him” and not to worry “because she was clean.” Minutes later the near-sighted prostitute was arrested for Sex for a Fee. Hope she got her car back.

July 20, 1:34 p.m.
Officer Harte responded to a call for a woman locked inside a Codman Square furniture store. On arrival the officer and members of the Boston Fire Department observed a 37-year-old Dorchester woman standing inside the locked building. She was let out a side door and explained that she was in the back of the store pricing items and when she went to get an employee for help, she found herself alone. They had closed for the day and left a customer behind. I guess they lost that sale.

August 9, 3:45 a.m.
A cab was parked at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Wrentham Street and the driver was outside the cab preparing it for shift change when he was approached by a 28-year-old Dorchester criminal genius armed with a knife. He pressed the knife against the cabbie’s neck and demanded all his money. The startled victim took a couple of steps back, the suspect took a couple of steps forward, clumsily dropping his knife a she did so. Yup, he dropped it down a City of Boston sewer; this brainiac had successfully disarmed himself. Now unarmed,he fled on foot toward the Ashmont MBTA station where he was found sitting on a bench, trying to mix in with the crowd at 3:45 in the morning. He was arrested and charged with armed robbery. A true member of MENSA.

August 9, 11:50 a.m.
Several officers responded to a Fenton Street address for a report of a braking and etering. On arrival they observed the suspect wearing a bright orange shirt and blue shorts as he sat on the sidewalk looking like a deranged Oompa Loompa. The victims stated that the suspect walked into the fenced-in yard, went to the rear of the house, and entered through a back door and into the kitchen. The homeowner told the suspect, “You’re in the wrong house,” to which the suspect stated, “Really, I am?” The suspect reached into a kitchen drawer, removed a knife, then opened the refrigerator and removed an apple, which he devoured. You can’t make this stuff up. He then left the home and attempted to climb over the back fence, but he couldn’t get his 52-year-old, 225-pound butt over it, so he went out front and awaited the BPD’s arrival. The use of some strong pharmaceuticals may have taken place here. Just a guess.

Take care of yourselves!