Akron.com

West Side Neighborhood Watch



Editor’s note: Regarding area residents’ reporting of fraudulent activity related to receiving unemployment benefits that weren’t sought, police advise victims of this type of fraud to file a police report, contact the Federal Trade Commission and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ fraud hotline, notify their financial institutions and credit reporting agencies, monitor their credit and bank accounts and report any suspicious activity to police.

 

WEST AKRON: Police investigated burglary reports April 21 in the 900 block of Roslyn Avenue; April 22 in the 200 block of Madison Avenue; and April 26 in the 1300 block of Weathervane Lane.
Following a traffic stop on Wildwood and Hoye avenues April 16, a Madison Avenue woman was arrested for driving under suspension and possession of crack cocaine found in her pocket during her arrest.
At 3 a.m. April 20, police responded to a vehicle crash on West Market Street, where a vehicle had struck a light pole and tree, snapping both off at the base, spewing debris across three lanes of the road and causing disabling damage to the vehicle. An Eller Avenue woman, who reportedly admitted consuming liquor before driving, was stumbling outside the vehicle and displayed other signs of intoxication, was unable to complete a field sobriety test and was charged with DUI and failure to control her vehicle.
Police responded to a shooting at a bar in the 1700 block of Merriman Road April 21 and learned the victim was in a vehicle with people who were transporting him to a hospital. Officers located the vehicle at the intersection of Portage Path and Hereford Drive, where the occupants had flagged down a medical unit, which transported the victim to a hospital. He stated he had an altercation with an unknown person inside the bar, and when he walked outside, someone shot him. Police are seeking two people involved in the incident.
Officers recovered shell casings from an area in the 800 block of Work Drive April 21, when bullets struck a house and several vehicles. No injuries were reported.
A South Rose Boulevard man reported April 24 a downspout was stolen from the outside of the house the previous night.
At 1:30 a.m. April 24, police responded to reports of shots fired at a bar in the 1700 block of Merriman Road. A woman reported she heard gunshots as she walked out of the bar and found a bullet hole in the windshield of her parked vehicle. Police recovered shell casings from the parking lot.
Police responded to a Dawes Avenue residence April 24, when a man reported his vehicle was missing. Officers advised him the vehicle had been involved in an incident the previous night and towed to an impound lot.
While patrolling Merriman Road the night of April 24, officers came close to being involved in a head-on collision with a driver, who was passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone. Seconds before a collision, the driver swerved into the other lane, cutting closely in front of the vehicle she was passing, and sped away, according to the police report. Police stopped her and observed an open container of liquor on the vehicle console. The Kent woman failed the first part of a field sobriety test, and she was unable to complete the test at the police station. She refused a BAC test and was charged with DUI and traffic violations.
Police were called to a home in the 500 block of Hoye Avenue April 24, when a woman reported she had an altercation with an unknown woman, who shot her and fled before police arrived. The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of a shoulder wound.
At 1:50 April 25, police responded to a shooting in the area of Woodland Avenue and found an unresponsive man, who had sustained a gunshot wound, lying in an alley. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and police recovered shell casings from the area.
Officers investigating a separate incident April 25 observed two women screaming and throwing items at each other in a yard on Hardesty Boulevard. The women were separated, warned regarding disorderly conduct and advised to have no contact with each other.

BATH: On April 17, a man who had been banned from a West Market Street store after being discovered in the women’s restroom was stopped in Fairlawn after stealing a backpack from a Copley store. He was charged with theft and released to Bath police on a theft warrant.
Following a traffic stop on Springside Drive April 17, police confiscated a small amount of marijuana, which they logged into evidence to be destroyed.
Police patrolling Medina Road April 18 stopped the driver of a vehicle with a license plate that was registered to a different vehicle and arrested her for having fictitious plates and driving under suspension. The woman was wanted on a felony drug warrant by the Akron Police Department (PD). One passenger was released to the Norton PD on a felony drug warrant, another passenger was wanted by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for probation violation and a third passenger was wanted in Belmont County on a felony warrant.
Also on April 18, officers patrolling Springside Drive and Medina Road stopped the driver of a vehicle reported stolen from Cleveland. Police arrested the driver and passenger for receiving stolen property, notified the Cleveland PD and had the vehicle towed.
The Copley PD issued a bulletin to surrounding police agencies April 20, stating a man who was being sought by the Willoughby PD on felony warrants for felony assault and drug charges was believed to be staying in an area hotel. Bath officers located his vehicle in the parking lot of a Springside Drive hotel but determined he was not in his room. Later, police observed him drive out of the parking lot and stopped him on Medina Road. He fled from the traffic stop in the vehicle, and police pursued him with lights and sirens. He reached a speed of 100 mph in Medina County, and police canceled the pursuit in the interest of public safety. A warrant was signed for the man’s arrest for felony fleeing and Bath PD notified the Willoughby PD and the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office of the incident.
Police stopped a driver for a traffic violation on Medina Road April 21, confiscated a large bag of raw marijuana and four bags of suspected methamphetamine from the vehicle and advised the driver that felony charges were pending identification of the crystals in the bags.
The night of April 21, police responded to a fight involving a man and woman outside a Medina Road bar. Witnesses stated the couple began arguing in the bar and continued in the parking lot, and then the two got into a vehicle, where the woman stomped on the man, who was her ex-boyfriend. The woman refused to allow police to photograph bruises on her arm and admitted hitting the man with her car keys. Officers photographed the man’s injuries, but he declined charges and the parties left separately.
Officers investigated an April 22 report by a woman, who stated she was stalked by a man from her past on two occasions.
Police investigated an April 23 report by a North Cleveland-Massillon Road man, who stated his ex-girlfriend stole items from him and pawned them.
Employees of a Medina Road store reported April 24 that a man stuffed 20 packages of socks in a trash bag and left the store without paying for them.
A woman reported April 25 she left her car running outside a Medina Road hotel and went inside to walk her sister to her room. When she returned, she discovered that a friend, who had been waiting in the vehicle, took it without her permission. She was unable to reach him by phone. Police contacted him and told him he would be criminally charged unless he returned the vehicle. He returned the vehicle and all its contents and the victim declined charges.

COPLEY: Police responded to a disturbance at a Montrose West Avenue hotel April 16, when a woman reported a male companion struck her. She refused to provide information and left the hotel. Police arrested the man on a warrant for assault and released him to the Bath Police Department (PD).
Also on April 16, police patrolling Rothrock Road saw a trailer parked in a motel lot. The vehicle identification number (VIN) had been defaced, but police determined the trailer had been stolen from Bath Township in January and contacted Bath officers, who had the trailer towed to the owner’s home.
A man who reportedly stole an $85 backpack from a Medina Road store April 17 was located while walking on the road in Fairlawn. Copley police charged him with theft and he was transported to a hospital by Fairlawn EMS after he complained of a medical issue.
A citizen gave police prescription sunglasses in a black case found at the intersection of Minor and Medina roads April 18.
Police patrolling Medina Road April 18 observed a vehicle with a license plate that had been reported stolen. Officers located the unoccupied vehicle parked outside a business on Heritage Center Drive and had it towed. Charges were pending completion of an investigation.
Officers picked up a man arrested by the Cuyahoga Falls PD on a Copley warrant April 18, held his pellet gun at the police station and took him to the Barberton City Jail.
Police attempted to contact the owner of a white purse found on Montrose West Avenue April 18.
A representative of a Springside Drive charity reported April 19 a catalytic converter was stolen from a van parked in the lot.
Police responded to a medical emergency at a Montrose West Avenue hotel April 19, when EMS treated a man for a drug overdose. Officers told a woman to stop collecting needles and syringes from a bathroom floor and then confiscated the drug abuse instruments. The woman admitted they belonged to both her and the man, and they were both arrested for possession of drug abuse instruments.
Officers assisted Bath PD in the pursuit of a violent felon wanted by the Willoughby PD who fled from a traffic stop in Bath and was headed west on Medina Road April 20. The pursuit was canceled, in the interest of public safety, when the driver reached a speed of 100 mph at the intersection of Medina Road and state Route 94.
Police responded to a fight involving two residents of a Ridgewood Road facility April 20 and both parties were transported to a hospital by EMS.

FAIRLAWN: A South Maple Street man was arrested for theft April 16 for allegedly under-ringing merchandise at a self-checkout register, causing a loss of $173 to a Medina Road store.
Police investigated a report of criminal damaging April 17, when a customer of a West Market Street store reported she parked a car in the lot and returned to find it had been scratched.
Employees of a West Market Street store reported April 17 they confronted a shoplifter, who threw some items at them and fled. She ran to a vehicle driven by a man and police stopped it on West Market Street. Officers recovered stolen merchandise worth $274 and arrested a Raymond Street woman, who was lying on the back seat, for theft and obstruction of official business.
Police responded to a report that a man fled from a Medina Road store April 18 after failing to scan merchandise worth $114, and stopped his vehicle on Bywood Avenue. The Beach Road man, who had been banned from the store, was arrested for driving under suspension, theft and criminal trespassing.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper notified police of the location of a Bobcat skid-steer loader, which was possibly stolen, after he obtained information from a person who saw an advertisement for the sale of the $15,000 construction vehicle on a social media site. Police went to the location, behind a garage on Kenridge Road, April 19 and found the vehicle, which they determined was owned by a Canton contractor, who reported it stolen from a construction site in Springfield Township April 3.
A Brownstone Avenue man who had been banned from Summit Mall on multiple occasions, most recently in March, was arrested for trespassing April 19 after security officers reported he was on the property and police located him.
Also on April 19, police arrested a Chester Avenue woman for theft after she reportedly concealed items worth $303 and left a West Market Street store without paying for them.
A Wiley Avenue man was arrested for theft of two $20 tote bags from a Medina Road store April 20. His companion reportedly lied to police about her identity, and the West Tallmadge Avenue woman was arrested for misrepresentation and released to Portage County sheriff’s deputies on a felony warrant.

NORTON: Police responded to a dispute involving a man and woman at an Oakpoint Drive residence April 16 and determined they had a verbal argument. Family members agreed to keep them separated until the dispute could be resolved.
A Rush Road man reported his property was vandalized the evening of April 17, when condoms and feminine hygiene products were strewn on the lawn and his driveway was covered in red paint.
Officers attempted to contact the owner of a vehicle abandoned on South Hametown Road April 17, and the vehicle was towed to an impound lot.
On April 18, police responded to a report of a suspicious man, who was shaking when he attempted to get a ride from a motorist in the area of South Hametown and Sheridan roads. Police located the man, who stated he was suffering from multiple medical conditions, and took him into custody on a warrant for parole violation. Officers located a loaded handgun in his bag, and he requested assistance for a medical condition. He was transported to a hospital by EMS and police signed warrants for his arrest on felony weapons charges.
Police investigated an April 18 report by a Krancz Drive man, who suspected his juvenile niece received an inappropriate phone call from a man, who showed up at a restaurant where she works. Officers determined the call, regarding the man’s step-daughter, was not inappropriate, and he went to the restaurant to pick up an order.
Officers went to a location on Wooster Road April 18, picked up a man who had been arrested by the Akron Police Department on a Norton warrant and took him to the Barberton City Jail.

PENINSULA/BOSTON: On March 11, a Peninsula Police Department officer was dispatched to a Boston Mills Road location regarding illegally parked vehicles in a work zone area that was preventing the removal of some trees. Officers found four vehicles sitting on the side of the roadway and requested tow trucks. Before they arrived, three vehicle owners showed up and removed their vehicles, but they were issued a citation. The fourth vehicle, which had a Michigan registration, was towed from the scene. A Summit County Engineer’s Office official contacted police to inform them the owner of that vehicle was an employee. The officer transported that owner and her friend to retrieve the towed vehicle.
On March 20, an officer stopped a vehicle with an expired registration tag and found it actually belonged to a different vehicle. The driver told police the car belonged to his sister, but her name did not match the registration. The driver could not provide the vehicle registration or proof of insurance and had a suspended license and three noncompliance suspensions. The vehicle was towed and the driver, who was issued citations for the noncompliance suspension and fictitious plates, was transported to a gas station to be picked up by a friend.
Officers stopped a vehicle traveling 64 mph in a 40-mph zone March 21. The driver reportedly stated he did not have a license and then admitted it was suspended. Police found the driver was under a noncompliance suspension and had the vehicle towed from the scene. The driver was issued a citation for speeding and driving under suspension.
Officers had a vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 271 towed after first seeing it there three days earlier, when the driver said he stopped because his car was overheating.
Officers responded to report of a man wearing a blue beanie type hat and a black coat carrying an ax March 28. The man had reportedly used the ax to strike the door and enter a residence. Witnesses followed the man to his residence and entered the open trailer to find the man in the kitchen with the ax. He reportedly stated he had too much steel inside his body, wanted to die and wanted the officers to kill him. The man was transported to a hospital for an evaluation.

RICHFIELD: On April 12, police searched the area for a woman after her estranged husband reported the woman, who had been staying with a friend in a Brecksville Road motel, was missing. Police issued a bulletin to law enforcement agencies in Northeast Ohio to be on the lookout for the woman and her vehicle, and traced her cellphone to an area in Independence, then Richfield and located her alone in the motel. She agreed to be transported to a hospital for an evaluation.
A Humphrey Road man reported April 13 he received a letter at his residence regarding an application for unemployment benefits and a letter to the former owner at his address. He stated he was uncertain whether an application had been made in the name of the former owner or in his name. Police assisted him in reporting the matter to the state and advised him to monitor his financial accounts.
On April 15, police attempted to contact the owner of a tennis bag found by someone at the intersection of Humphrey and Streetsboro roads. Police determined it belonged to a high school student and gave the bag to a school resource officer, who returned it to its owner.
A Ramblewood Drive man reported April 15 a man called him claiming to represent his internet service provider and attempted to get personal information and money from him. He reported the matter to his provider and police traced the phone number to a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) number registered to a wholesale communications company that provides internet texting and phone service and is commonly used by criminals, according to the police report.
A man went to the police station April 15 to report that a fraudulent application for unemployment benefits had been filed in his name and he had reported it to the state. He was advised to monitor his credit accounts and report any suspicious activity.
A Grant Street woman reported April 15 she made an online purchase and was contacted by a person claiming to represent the company and demanding she pay a $700 charge on her account. She called police, who attempted to call the person’s phone number, but it had been disconnected.
Employees of a Brecksville Road gas station called police to a disturbance involving an irate customer April 16. He was gone upon the arrival of officers, who searched the area but were unable to locate him.
At 3 a.m. April 17, police patrolling Wheatley Road observed an erratic driver, who pulled into the parking lot of a closed business on Kinross Lake Parkway and passed out behind the steering wheel of the vehicle, which was partially in the driveway, with the engine running. Officers pounded on his window several times, got no response, opened his vehicle door and woke him. He reportedly was disoriented, cursed at police and went back to sleep before then waking and exiting the vehicle. He was unsteady on his feet and refused to complete a field sobriety test after performing the first part poorly, according to the police report. He refused to perform a breath BAC test or provide a urine sample, and police arrested him for DUI.

 

The Peninsula/Boston reports were compiled by Sean Patrick and the remainder by Maggie DeMellier.