Akron.com

West Side Neighborhood Watch



WEST AKRON: Police investigated the following burglary reports: Dec. 25 in the 200 block of White Pond Drive, the 400 block of West Market Street and the 1200 block of St. Michaels Avenue; Dec. 27 in the 1600 block of Dominion Drive; Dec. 28 in the 500 block of Crosby Street; and Dec. 29 in the 800 block of Copley Road.
A Waterford Court woman reported Dec. 19 a package delivered to her porch was stolen.
An Oakridge Drive man was charged with assault and criminal damaging Dec. 23 after police were called to a Stadleman Avenue residence where paramedics were examining a man who had been shot in the back. The victim stated his friend fired a pellet gun at him as he was leaving his home following an argument. His vehicle also was damaged when the man shot at the windshield. Police went to the home of the man, who was in the backyard firing a gun. He denied shooting the man and stated he was never at his residence. Following an investigation, police signed charges on behalf of the victim, who was transported to a hospital.
Police investigated a shooting that occurred in the 1700 block of Sheffield Drive Dec. 23 after someone dropped off a victim at a hospital. The man was transported to another hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A St. Michaels Avenue man reported someone entered his unlocked garage between Dec. 23 and Dec. 25 and stole a $600 leaf blower.
A Maxen Drive man reported his vehicle was stolen from outside a gas station at the intersection of Diagonal Road and Frederick Boulevard the night of Dec. 24. He stated he met a woman at a transit center in Akron and she asked him for a ride to the Kenmore area. When he stopped at a gas station, she exited the passenger seat of the vehicle, got into the driver’s seat and drove away toward South Hawkins Avenue.
Police investigated a report by a Treeside Drive man who stated he and his girlfriend had an argument while they were at a residence on South Hawkins Avenue Dec. 25 and she went outside and slashed two tires on a rented SUV. She left before police arrived.
On Dec. 25 at 12:10 a.m., police stopped a driver for lane violations at the intersection of Copley Road and Packard Drive. The Munroe Falls Kent Road man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and Xanax and released with a court summons.
Police investigated the theft of a $100 Star Shower holiday decoration from the yard of a Winhurst Drive residence the night of Dec. 25.
A Wiltshire Road man reported Dec. 25 someone threw a brick through his window the previous night. Police found a brick lying on a counter.
Officers investigated a report of criminal damaging at a church in the 1300 block of West Market Street Dec. 25. A security guard reported a light pole was damaged.
On Dec. 27, police were seeking a short, black male with a beard and mustache who wore jeans and a red shirt and a yellow shirt when he pounded on windows of an apartment building in the 900 block of West Market Street, broke several of them and left the scene.
A North Valley Street woman reported Dec. 27 she was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom and heard glass break. She found a downstairs window had been broken and a large rock was lying on the floor.
A Bye Street woman reported Dec. 29 she and her granddaughter heard gunshots and glass breaking and discovered someone fired shots into the home. Police recovered a bullet from the front door and determined several bullets had penetrated the home. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 330-375-2490 or text tips to 274637 (Crimes). Callers can remain anonymous.

BATH: On Dec. 20, officers located an erratic driver vehicle after being notified by the Fairlawn Police Department and observed the man make lane violations. They attempted to stop him, but the driver continued west on Medina Road and was finally stopped at Crystal Lake Road after an officer pulled a cruiser in front of his vehicle. The driver appeared to be intoxicated and reportedly admitted drinking before driving. He was unable to perform a field sobriety test and his BAC tested .178. He was charged with DUI, given a court summons and driven to his home.
Police and EMS responded to a cornfield on West Bath Road Dec. 21 around 6 p.m. after a hunter was found deceased there by a friend. A representative of the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office responded and released the deceased man to a funeral home.
Following a traffic stop on Interstate 77 Dec. 21, a passenger in the vehicle was released to the Akron Police Department on two theft warrants and one for possession of drug abuse instruments.
Police collected vehicle parts from North Revere Road Dec. 24 after the driver of a white vehicle ran off the road and destroyed a mailbox and part of a gas line in the front yard of a residence.
A Willow Lane woman reported Dec. 26 her daughter’s husband violated a protection order the previous day when he came to the residence. The man was not at the residence when officers arrived, and the victim was advised to contact the prosecutor’s office and her attorney regarding the protection order.
On Dec. 26, officers patrolling North Cleveland-Massillon Road stopped the driver of a vehicle with an equipment violation. A passenger got out of the vehicle, ignored officers’ orders to get back in the vehicle and ran from the scene. He was apprehended and released to Summit County sheriff’s deputies on a felony drug warrant. A search of the vehicle revealed items possibly stolen from a Copley store, and the driver was released while police investigated the possible theft.
A driver stopped for a traffic violation on Ghent Road Dec. 28 was arrested for driving under suspension and released to Medina County sheriff’s deputies on a felony warrant for possession of cocaine. A passenger in the vehicle obtained a ride from a friend and the vehicle was towed.

COPLEY: Police patrolling Rothrock Road Dec. 21 recovered a vehicle reported stolen from Maple Heights and notified police in that community. Following an investigation, a Copley Road man was charged with receiving stolen property Dec. 22.
Police responding to a report that armed people were inside a Copley Road automotive business Dec. 21 at 1 a.m. found the door unsecured, but the alarm had not been triggered. They did not see anyone inside and there was no sign of forced entry. An investigation was pending additional information regarding the premises and its contents.
A Goodenough Avenue woman reported Dec. 22 someone knocked over her mailbox.
Police reviewed video surveillance outside a Brookwall Drive store Dec. 23 after a customer reported his vehicle was damaged by a driver who crashed into it in the parking lot and left the scene.
Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Medina Road at the Interstate 77 north entrance ramp Dec. 23. A Maple Heights woman was arrested for DUI and released with a court summons.
On Dec. 24, police responded to a report than an impaired driver was arguing with employees at the drive-through lane of a restaurant on Flight Memorial Drive. The driver was gone when police arrived, but Fairlawn Police Department officers stopped her as she drove a vehicle with no license plates on South Cleveland-Massillon Road. Copley officers responded and arrested the woman, who exhibited signs of impairment and failed a field sobriety test. She was charged with DUI and released with a court summons.
Police responded to a one-vehicle crash in a wooded area in the 2500 block of Copley Road Dec. 24 at 3 a.m. and spoke to a driver whose vehicle left the road, traveled through a yard, damaging several items and striking trees before coming to rest in the woods. The driver exhibited signs of intoxication, failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI and released with a court summons. His vehicle was towed.
Officers responded to shots fired in an apartment in the 900 block of Kirkwall Drive Dec. 24 at 12:30 a.m. A man reported he was cleaning his Smith & Wesson firearm when it misfired a bullet, which police retrieved from the bottom of a couch.
A Penelope Drive man reported Dec. 25 an envelope containing cash, a video game and a golf game were stolen from his home during a family gathering.

FAIRLAWN: The owner of a business on West Market Street reported Dec. 20 he found a tall, thin, black man who had a mustache and wore a tan coat and black do-rag on his head in the front office. He left after asking for a business card, and the owner determined a bank bag containing cash and a check had been stolen from a drawer in a desk. Several hours later police investigated a report by the owner of a nearby business who stated video surveillance showed a man walking around inside his office, and after he viewed the video police determined it was the same man who took the bank bag.
Police arrested a Chinook Avenue woman for theft, advised her she is banned indefinitely from a mall store and released her with a court summons Dec. 20 after she allegedly stole merchandise worth $425.
On Dec. 21, police responded to a report that a man and woman were fighting in a vehicle in a mall parking lot. Police located the man, who got out of the vehicle and ran across a Mertz Boulevard parking lot, and found 8 grams of marijuana and a scale on him. The Briarwood Drive man was arrested for possession of drugs and paraphernalia and released with a court summons. The woman was gone from the lot when police arrived, and the man declined to identify her or state what happened in the vehicle.
Employees of a Montrose store reported Dec. 23 two shoplifters left the store with merchandise and fled in a vehicle. Police stopped the vehicle, recovered merchandise from the 15- and 17-year-old females, gave them summonses to Summit County Juvenile Court for theft and released them to their mother.
Police arrested a man for concealing a $111 cologne set Dec. 23 and leaving a mall store without paying for it. The 11th Street Northwest man was banned from the mall and released with a court summons.
Two women reported they were shopping at a Montrose store Dec. 24 when one of them dropped her cellphone near the shoe department and was unable to find it. They confronted a man who came out of the restroom with the phone in his pocket, and he gave it back. When they asked him for the $40 that was inside the case, he said he found the phone somewhere other than where they dropped it and there was no money inside the case. Police questioned him and he continued to deny seeing any money until officers showed him video surveillance that showed he picked up the phone where it had been dropped. He gave a $20 bill to the victim and said a female acquaintance had the other $20, but he declined to identify her. Officers are seeking her after seeing her on surveillance. The Kendall Road man was arrested for theft and released with a court summons.
A Baughman Street woman was arrested for theft and released to the Aurora Police Department on a warrant for receiving stolen property Dec. 24 after employees of a West Market Street store reported she concealed merchandise worth $190 in a large trash can and only paid for the can.
Police patrolling South Cleveland-Massillon Road the night of Dec. 25 observed a suspicious vehicle without headlights, stopped the driver and released the Moonlight Avenue man to Stark County sheriff’s deputies on a felony warrant. Police questioned a passenger, who reportedly made furtive movements inside the vehicle, and he denied having knowledge of any contraband. A Copley K-9 officer alerted police to the presence of an illegal substance and officers recovered a large bag that contained 8 grams of methamphetamine and a number of smaller empty bags. In a second bag, police found more methamphetamine, a scale and a drug pipe. The McTaggart Drive man was arrested for felony drug possession and trafficking in methamphetamine and taken to the Summit County Jail.

NORTON: Police responded to an Inas Drive residence Dec. 18 after a woman reported her friend’s mother came to her home and began fighting with her for allowing her daughter to stay with her. The mother reported her daughter pushed her against a wall, but she declined charges. Police advised all that when the daughter turns 18 in several months she can legally move out of her mother’s residence.
A Brookside Drive man reported Dec. 19 he learned his wife received a call Dec. 13 from a man who said he was a Texas police officer and told her someone had used her personal information to rent a vehicle. He said he would provide a new Social Security number for her, but she declined to give him any information and told him she needed to discuss the matter with her husband. The man never called back, but the complainant stated it was an attempt at identity fraud and wanted to report it.
A man turned over to police a bicycle he found lying along Johnson Road Dec. 19.
A resident of a Norton Avenue trailer park reported Dec. 20 the lock on her mailbox has been damaged on two occasions. After the first incident it was replaced, but she was told that she needed to file a police report in order to have it replaced again.
A foreign exchange student reported Dec. 20 his passport was lost during a flight from Thailand and he needed a police report to replace it.
Also on Dec. 21, police patrolling Wooster Road West stopped a driver of a vehicle with a dealer-issued license plate for a traffic violation. Officers determined he was wanted on a warrant and arrested him for driving under suspension. He reportedly told police he worked for a car dealer who let him use the plate, and he was placed in handcuffs and searched. He then admitted he didn’t work for a car dealer, and police determined he was wearing an empty holster. He denied having a gun or any contraband, but police found methamphetamine in a pocket of his sweatshirt, which he said someone let him wear because he was cold. Police also found a loaded handgun in the center console of the vehicle, along with a book bag containing hundreds of small plastic bags, two scales, measuring spoons, ammunition and more methamphetamine. His wallet containing his identification also was found in the book bag, which he stated was not his. He said he gave someone a ride and they left the book bag in the vehicle, but he could not explain why his wallet was inside. He said he knew nothing about the gun and told police a smoking device belonged to a friend who was using it for his child’s science project. He was arrested for felony drug possession, drug trafficking, improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and improper use of a dealer license plate, and taken to the Summit County Jail.
A motorist on state Route 21 reported Dec. 22 her vehicle sustained a flat tire when she ran over an object in the road. Police determined it was a steel skid plate that was lying partially in the roadway and moved it.
Police investigated a Dec. 23 report about a diamond wedding and engagement ring set stolen from a jewelry box in the bedroom of a Trotter Road home.
A Helmick Street woman reported Dec. 23 a male acquaintance drove past her house playing loud music and she raised her middle finger to him and he stopped and yelled that she was lucky she was holding her child because he would beat her up. A neighbor confirmed the altercation, and police spoke to the man, who reportedly denied threatening her. Police advised both that flipping someone an obscene gesture and threatening someone were both illegal acts. The woman asked that the incident be documented.
On Dec. 24 at 11 p.m., police responded to a Norton Avenue residence for an intoxicated man using a flashlight to look for his wallet. He stated his wife threw his belongings outside during an argument, and he found his phone, keys, cigarettes and book bag but could not find his wallet. He stated she locked the door when he went out and he pounded on it and accidentally broke the glass. They both denied any physical violence, and the woman agreed to let the man stay there because he was unable to pay for a motel without his wallet. Police advised the man that he would be arrested if they had to return.

RICHFIELD: On Dec. 16, police investigated tire tracks in an area along Brecksville Road and collected vehicle parts and other evidence from the scene after they found a fence and pole at a nearby business had been damaged. A witness reported seeing a dark-colored pickup truck in the area.
A Rainbow Acres woman reported Dec. 18 she agreed with several people to buy a puppy that was advertised for sale on a website for $650. She stated she sent an electronic payment to a man and received messages asking for more money. She refused to send more money or provide more personal information. She agreed to forward all messages and documentation to police for an investigation.
A woman reported Dec. 19 her wallet, with cash, identification, credit and gift cards, was stolen from her vehicle in a Broadview Road store parking lot.
Police responded to a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Streetsboro and Broadview roads Dec. 19 and interviewed the drivers. One woman exhibited signs of intoxication, reportedly admitted drinking four beers before driving, failed a field sobriety test and her BAC tested .136. She was charged with DUI, given a court summons and released to a friend.
On Dec. 21, police were called to a Streetsboro Road home where a woman was on the phone with a man who was attempting to scam her out of money. An officer spoke to the caller, who said the woman won $2.5 million and stated she should purchase a gift card to pay the taxes. The officer advised the caller not to call the woman again and stated that the police were there. The caller said the police were at his location and continued calling the woman. Police advised her to contact the phone company and have the call blocked from her land line.
The manager of a Brecksville Road restaurant called police Dec. 21 after an intoxicated man walked into the bar carrying an ax. The manager and employees met police outside and stated they took the ax from the man and put it in the bushes nearby. The manager declined charges and said he was concerned about the man due to his level of intoxication. The man had been driven to the location by a ride-sharing service and police placed him in a patrol car for his safety and contacted his mother, who arrived and took away her son and the ax.
On Dec. 22, police investigated a report by a Forest Brook Drive man stating credit cards were taken from his home Dec. 19 and several of them were used for fraudulent purchases totaling $1,221. He stated earphones were stolen at the same time.

 

The police reports were compiled by Maggie DeMellier.