8/16/2012 - West Side Leader
     

WEST AKRON: Burglaries were reported at the following locations: the 1200 block of Weathervane Lane between July 27 and Aug. 8; the 1000 block of Emma Avenue Aug. 2; the 900 block of Cuyahoga Street between Aug. 3 and 6; the 300 block of Noah Avenue between Aug. 3 and 6; the 500 block of Glendora Avenue Aug. 3; the 300 block of Cloverdale Avenue between Aug. 4 and 6; the 700 block of Diagonal Road between Aug. 5 and 9; the 2400 block of Ridgewood Road Aug. 6; the 200 block of Kenilworth Drive Aug. 7; the 1100 block of Nome Avenue Aug. 7; the 200 block of Crosby Street between Aug. 8 and 9; the 1700 block of Cromwell Drive Aug. 8; the 800 block of Lawton Street Aug. 8; the 400 block of West Exchange Street between Aug. 9 and 10; the 2100 block of Cross Creek Trail between Aug. 10 and 11; the 900 block of Courtland Avenue Aug. 10; the 1600 block of Wiltshire Road between Aug. 11 and 12; the 200 block of South Maple Street Aug. 11; the 1700 block of Treetop Trail Aug. 11; and the 1300 block of Nome Avenue Aug. 12.

A 24-year-old Burton Avenue man was charged with domestic violence and domestic violence menacing Aug. 8. Police officers noted the man has two prior convictions for domestic violence.

On Aug. 9, a 26-year-old Mercer Avenue man was charged with domestic violence for an incident that occurred on Virginia Avenue in the Firestone Park neighborhood. The man allegedly threw a phone at the victim, hitting the victim in the chest.

A Dover Avenue man, along with an Everton Drive man, both 19, were charged with aggravated robbery Aug. 10. A victim positively identified the two men as having forced their way into the victim’s apartment in the 1200 block of Everton Drive. The Dover Avenue man allegedly ransacked the apartment and took $300 while the other man held the victims at gunpoint.

Officers charged a 44-year-old South Portage Path man with violation of a protection order Aug. 10. According to a police report, the man has a prior conviction for violating a protection order from September 2009.

A 53-year-old homeless man was charged with felonious assault Aug. 11. The man allegedly attempted to attack several people in a home in the 1000 block of Copley Road with a knife. Two of the victims tried to persuade him to leave, and one of them was cut in the hand with the knife, according to the police report.

On Aug. 13, a 32-year-old Hurlburt Avenue woman was charged with domestic violence, possession of drugs and escape. The woman allegedly assaulted a victim with a knife, and upon arrest she was found to be in possession of drugs. She was then taken to St. Thomas Hospital for a broken foot, where she slipped from a set of cuffs officers had placed on her and ran out of the Emergency Room. She was apprehended in the hallway, according to officers.

An 18-year-old Copley Road man was charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and obstruction of business Aug. 14. The charges stemmed from an incident that took place the previous day at the intersection of Crosby Street and Rhodes Avenue, according to police officers, involving a shot fired from a vehicle.

BATH: Police are seeking the person who entered an unlocked vehicle outside a Sellman Drive residence Aug. 6 and stole a credit card, which was used to make unauthorized purchases totaling $280.

Township employees reported Aug. 6 that posts and rails of a fence near the main driveway of an Everett Road baseball park were damaged.

A Berrywood Drive woman reported Aug. 7 that she responded to an email from a person she believed to be her Internet service provider and supplied credit card information. She later realized the email had been part of a scam, and cancelled her credit card and sent a fraud alert to the three major credit reporting agencies.

Police are investigating the burglary of a residence where someone broke into the home between 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Aug. 7, and stole gold and diamond jewelry and a laptop computer.

A woman reported she left her purse in the lobby of a Montrose hotel Aug. 7, and several children returned it to the front desk. When she looked through the contents, she discovered her wallet was missing.

On Aug. 7, a man reported he delivered a notice at a North Cleveland-Massillon Road residence and was bitten by a dog. He retreated to his vehicle, and several dogs followed and scratched at the doors.

A woman was arrested for shoplifting merchandise totaling $28 from a Medina Road market Aug. 8 and released with a court summons.

Detectives are investigating the theft of two pallets of shelving materials from the rear of a Montrose specialty store Aug. 8. The pallets had been covered with plastic and placed on top of a storage unit.

Police patrolling North Cleveland-Massillon Road Aug. 8 stopped the driver of a vehicle with a loud exhaust system. He was charged with possession of two marijuana pipes that were found in the vehicle, and released to the Norton Police Department on a warrant.

COPLEY: On Aug. 4, police responded to reports of an erratic driver on South Cleveland-Massillon Road and stopped the suspect in front of Copley-Fairlawn Middle School. The Norton man was charged with DUI and driving under suspension. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot because the passenger had no driving privileges.

Police responded to a disturbance at a Montrose restaurant Aug. 6 and spoke to a man and a woman who were arguing outside the business. The man was arrested on a warrant for child endangering and released to the Akron Police Department.

A Sunnyfield Drive resident reported people were smoking marijuana in her home Aug. 6. Police knocked on the front door, and the caller’s son and his friend opened the door, admitted smoking marijuana, then locked the door and refused to let officers enter. He also allegedly lied to officers, saying there was no one else in the residence, but there were three other people hiding inside. Police found three marijuana plants growing in pots on an upstairs balcony and confiscated them. All four suspects were charged with possession of marijuana and underage drinking. The man who answered the door was additionally charged with illegal cultivation of marijuana, obstruction of official business and advised not to return to the house, as requested by the owner.

Following a call from the U.S. Marshal’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force Aug. 7, Copley and Akron officers went to an Akron residence to arrest a man on a Copley warrant. He was charged and taken to Barberton Municipal Court.

Employees of a Brookwall Drive department store called police Aug. 8 after a woman who had been banned from all stores in the chain was in the store attempting to return merchandise without a receipt, which is against store policy. The suspect left the store before police arrived and entered a vehicle driven by another person. Officers stopped the vehicle and located the suspect in the backseat. The driver was charged with driving under suspension, and the suspect was charged with criminal trespassing. During a vehicle tow inventory, police found clothing with price tags but were unable to locate receipts for them.

On Aug. 8, police went to a Fairlawn retail center to pick up a man wanted on a warrant and transport him to the Barberton Jail.

Officers investigated an unoccupied, suspicious vehicle on Springside Drive Aug. 9 and determined the driver was wanted on a warrant for domestic violence. Police located her at a Rothrock Road motel, arrested her on the warrant and released her to Portage County sheriff’s deputies.

A former resident of Aberth Drive reported Aug. 10 that a package containing a purchase from eBay mistakenly arrived at the residence, and the new tenants marked it “not for this address” and put it beside the mailbox. The package was not returned to the sender, and it has not been seen since it was placed by the mailbox.

FAIRLAWN: Mall security officers called police to the parking lot Aug. 3 after finding an animal locked in a hot vehicle and in apparent distress. Police waited at the vehicle for several minutes, then used a tool to unlock the vehicle, remove the animal and place it in a cool cruiser. The dog owner showed up and stated he had been in the mall for an hour and ten minutes. He left bowls of food and water on the vehicle floor and one window slightly open, but the dog still suffered from extreme heat, according to police. The owner was charged with cruelty to animals and released with a court summons.

Also on that day, the owner of a newly purchased residence on Smith Road reported he took possession of the home and determined copper wires and plumbing fixtures had been stolen from the first level of the building. He said the fixtures were intact June 25 when the property was inspected, and the key was placed in a lock box outside the residence. The box was missing June 29, and police were unable to locate it.

Police investigated an Aug. 4 report filed by a physician who said an employee in his West Market Street office called phony prescriptions to two area pharmacies and retrieved the drugs, which included antibiotic and narcotic medications, on several occasions. The physician called the suspect from the police station, and she allegedly admitted the crime. Police signed a warrant for felony deception to obtain dangerous drugs, and she was informed her employment was terminated.

A Michigan woman reported Aug. 4 that her wallet was stolen when she left her purse on a chair at a West Market Street restaurant momentarily while she assisted her daughter in carrying food to their table. Minutes later, her credit card was used to make a $900 purchase at a nearby electronics store. She described three people who were near the purse when it was taken. Around the same time, the suspects she described were captured on video footage in the electronics store where the purchase was made. The suspects also were implicated in the theft of a credit card from a customer while he was receiving technical assistance. [See related report below.]

On Aug. 4, a New Philadelphia man reported he went to a West Market Street electronics store at 2:45 p.m. and waited at a counter to receive technical assistance. At 5 p.m., his wife called to tell him there had been suspicious activity on his American Express credit card, and he determined two unauthorized purchases had been made using the card at the store where he was. Another purchase was attempted at a mall clothing store. Police reviewed video surveillance footage, which showed a woman sit beside him at the help counter and a man who stood between the victim and the woman reach into his computer bag and take his wallet, containing the credit card. The woman was seen on video using the card to make the fraudulent purchases of $1,808 and $883 and signing the victim’s name. The suspects fit the description of people who were standing beside a table at a nearby restaurant where a woman’s purse was stolen and her credit card was used at the same electronics store at around the same time. 

Officers responded to a disturbance at a Chamberlain Road residence Aug. 4 after a man and woman became involved in a verbal dispute. The parties separated before police arrived and refused officers’ assistance. Police arrested the man on a warrant from the Bedford Heights Police Department and the woman on a warrant from the Akron Police Department.

An Akron man was charged with theft, released with a court summons and banned from a mall department store Aug. 6 after security agents reportedly observed him conceal merchandise in a fitting room and leave without paying for it.

A Chamberlain Road man reported Aug. 8 he discovered someone used his identity to establish a utility account at a residence on Balch Street where he has never lived, and the account is $800 past due.

NORTON: A Longwood Drive woman reported her husband’s $200 mountain bike was stolen from a rack on the wall of her garage the night of Aug. 3.

Police patrolling a Greenwich Road plaza Aug. 4 observed a vehicle parked in a fire lane and saw a man place a grocery store shopping basket in the back seat. The Akron man was arrested for driving under suspension, and a tow inventory of the vehicle revealed a container of marijuana and a knife in the driver’s side door. The suspect and a passenger, also from Akron, were arrested for possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon.

On Aug. 6, police investigated the burglary of a Beech Row Drive residence, where a resident reported someone entered and stole gold, diamond and platinum jewelry, tools, prescription medication and a key to the victim’s vehicle. Officers found no signs of forced entry into the residence.

A Romestant Road woman reported someone punched a hole in the gas tank of her vehicle the night of Aug. 6.

A Doylestown man stopped for lane violations on Wooster Road Aug. 8 failed a field sobriety test and was charged with DUI.

The neighbor of a Brookside Drive resident reported Aug. 8 she saw an unknown male park a vehicle in the neighbor’s driveway while the resident was not home. A man emerged from the vehicle, knocked on the door and went to an area behind the house. He then returned to the vehicle carrying a weed cutter and leaf blower, and placed the items in the vehicle. The witness provided a description of the male and the license number of the vehicle, which police traced to a Barberton man. Following an investigation of the incident, police went to the man’s residence and retrieved the stolen items.

A Norton Avenue woman reported Aug. 10 her children’s prescription medication was stolen from her residence while she was away.

Neighbors of a Whipple Drive resident called police to a disturbance Aug. 10, and officers arrived to find a resident and his brother, a Cleveland man, arguing loudly in the front yard. The Cleveland man reportedly refused police orders to cease his belligerent behavior, and he was arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to the Norton Jail, where he continued to be disruptive. He was placed in a cell to await a bond hearing.

A Barberton woman reported she left her purse in a Columbia Woods Drive playground Aug. 10 and returned to find it was missing.

A Norton Avenue man reported Aug. 10 someone entered his trailer while he slept and stole $50.

RICHFIELD: Detectives are investigating a report filed by a Brush Road woman who said she received a hang-up call on her cell phone and a second call from a man who stated his name and claimed to be from a pest control company that she received service from Aug. 2. She said the caller began asking personal questions about her shorts and asked her if she noticed him while she was out running. The victim stated her cell phone number is private, and she does not believe the pest control company has it, nor does she know whether the person who called actually works for the company.

The owner of a Brecksville Road trucking company reported he signed a rental agreement Aug. 2 to lease a trailer for a month. He loaned the trailer to an employee from Elyria who was to use it for one day. On Aug. 7, the victim reported the trailer had not been returned to him. He called the employee, who said he would not return the trailer until he is paid the money the victim owes him. Police contacted the suspect, who said the victim owes him $3,800 for some work he did and he was advised that he can hold the trailer until he is paid. Officers advised him he could not hold the trailer and turned the matter over to detectives.

On Aug. 5, a Ridgeview Road man reported a woman was driving a golf cart while walking her dog, and the dog walked away and went into a yard and attacked a dog, causing an injury that required surgery. The owner of the injured dog was uncertain whether he would prosecute.

Police responded to a disturbance in the driveway of a Brush Road residence Aug. 8, when a couple locked themselves inside their vehicle following an outburst by their 17-year-old son after a counseling session in Cleveland. Officers arrived to find the man and woman inside the vehicle and their son standing outside the passenger side. The teen was placed in the rear of a cruiser while police interviewed him regarding the incident. He was advised that if he continued his behavior and police were called back to the residence, he could be arrested for domestic violence. The parties were advised to separate for the evening.

A Motor Road woman reported Aug. 8 that she was walking along the road around 6:30 a.m. when she found the severed head and neck of a black and white cat. No other remains were found. The matter was turned over to the detective bureau for investigation. On Aug. 9, detectives spoke to a Five Oaks Drive resident who owned two black and white outdoor cats. One cat was present, but the other had been missing for several days. The county animal warden also was advised of the situation, and detectives are continuing the investigation.

The Akron police reports were compiled by Ariel Hakim, and the remainder were compiled by Maggie DeMellier.

Editor’s note: The police reports provided here are a sampling of those filed with each community’s police departments. For questions related to the reports we’ve included or others we have not, call the West Side Leader at 330-665-9595. To provide information on an alleged criminal act noted in this week’s report, call the local police department.

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