Read article : Akron Ohio News - West Side Police News & Notes
8/24/2017 - West Side Leader
On Aug. 16, an officer driving on West Market Street past Casterton Avenue noticed a man sticking up both middle fingers at him as he drove by and in view of children on the sidewalk and people dining nearby, according to the police report. The officer stopped and advised the man his actions were offensive to those around him, and the 30-year-old West Market Street man said he did not like police and asserted it was his right to make the gesture. He did it again, and the officer charged him with disorderly conduct and issued a court summons.
A 23-year-old Mercer Avenue man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle Aug. 17. He was driving on a suspended license when officers stopped him for a traffic violation at Norway and Beechwood drives. When he was placed under arrest, officers found a loaded handgun in his jacket pocket.
Officers were on foot patrol in the parking lots of Weathervane Lane bars Aug. 17 due to a recent increase in drug and alcohol violations and crimes of violence when they came across occupants in a parked car who had an open bottle of tequila in plain view. Officers also said they smelled a strong odor of marijuana. After the driver, a 25-year-old South Akron man, appeared to reach for a gun, officers ordered him to show his hands and removed occupants from the car. When officers patted down the driver, they discovered he had more than 8 grams of fentanyl and no weapon, and he was charged with trafficking in and possession of drugs and taken to the Summit County Jail. One passenger, a 23-year-old Greenwood Avenue man, was charged with possession of drugs for having two Percocet pills in his pocket and also taken to jail. Two other passengers were not charged.
A 41-year-old Cleveland man was stopped at a Summit County OVI checkpoint at West Market Street and Bryden Drive Aug. 19. He had an open bottle of beer in a cup holder and a bottle of brandy in the driver’s side pocket and was driving under suspension. Officers also found marijuana and a grinder in the car. He was booked into the Summit County Jail.
A 35-year-old Goodyear Heights man was arrested Aug. 19 on warrants for abduction, domestic violence and theft stemming from a July 26 incident that occurred in the 300 block of Noah Avenue.
On Aug. 20, a gas station in the 1600 block of Copley Road was robbed. An employee said a man with a gun entered the gas station and demanded that money be put into a plastic bag. Once he had the money, the man ran around the side of the building, got into a vehicle and fled. Officers are seeking a black male, 15 to 25 years old, who was wearing a white mask, blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490.
A 25-year-old Kingsley Avenue man was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, having weapons under disability and obstructing official business Aug. 20. The man was standing outside a parked car in Downtown Akron as officers drove by and noticed something in his hand. They ordered him to stop and show his hands, but the man ran from them and threw the handgun down. He was soon apprehended.
BATH: Employees of a North Cleveland-Massillon Road residential facility reported Aug. 12 an elderly patient had walked away. Officers searched the Montrose area, located the man at a cemetery in Fairlawn and returned him to the facility.
Following a traffic stop on Ira Road Aug. 12, the driver was arrested for driving under multiple license suspensions and released with a court summons. The vehicle was released to the owner.
An off-duty Norton Police Department officer notified police of a suspicious vehicle at a Medina Road gas station Aug. 13. The driver pulled the vehicle, which had a flat tire and front-end damage, into the gas station from Springside Drive, nearly struck the building and remained inside the vehicle, yelling. Police responded and ordered the driver to exit the vehicle. He was reportedly extremely agitated, sweating profusely and unable to respond to officers’ questions. He was evaluated by EMS after police determined he exhibited signs that he was under the influence of an unknown drug. The man reportedly admitted he had ingested kratom, an herb that is legal in Ohio but under investigation by the FDA. Police located a plastic bag containing a substance believed to be kratom and sent it to a lab for testing. The driver was placed in the back seat of a cruiser and continued to rant and spit out the vehicle window. He experienced a panic attack and was taken to the police station and arrested for DUI. His vehicle was towed.
Police were called to a Montrose store Aug. 13 after two females reportedly concealed items and left the store without paying for them. An employee reported she confronted them outside the store and demanded the merchandise. One female reached into a large purse and gave her two shirts. The second suspect reached down her pants, pulled out a T-shirt and returned it to her. They both fled in a dark-colored Lincoln SUV. Police gathered information from employees and witnesses and were able to get the vehicle license number.
On Aug. 14, employees of a Medina Road hotel reported a woman had been in the lobby for an extended period of time. Police arrested her on a warrant and released her to the Munroe Falls Police Department.
COPLEY: Police were searching an area of Bender Lane for a red Ford Focus Aug. 11 after a man reported he and his brother were walking along the road and the driver of the vehicle struck him with the car and left. The victim was evaluated by EMS and declined transport to a hospital.
On Aug. 11, the Silver Lake Police Department arrested a man wanted on a Copley warrant for trespassing. He was charged and taken to the Barberton Jail.
A woman staying at a Rothrock Road motel was arrested for prostitution Aug. 11 and released with a court summons.
Police investigated the theft of a trailer and Kubota tractor from the parking lot of a Rothrock Road motel Aug. 12.
Officers responded to a disturbance at a Terrier Drive residence Aug. 13 after a woman reported her ex-boyfriend and a male acquaintance attempted to break in. Police located the men in a vehicle outside the residence and arrested them for attempted burglary. The driver was additionally charged with improper handling of a firearm while intoxicated after a loaded gun was found in the vehicle and taken to the Summit County Jail. The passenger was released with a court summons.
On Aug. 13, a Karl Drive man reported a DeWalt air compressor was stolen from his garage.
A Westview Drive man reported Aug. 15 someone shot a pellet gun that damaged an upstairs window of the home.
Police responded to a report of a dog at large at a South Cleveland-Massillon Road residence Aug. 16, cited the dog owner and advised her of ways to control the dog.
Following a traffic stop on Earhart Avenue Aug. 16, police arrested two men for improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle and took them to the Summit County Jail after a K-9 officer indicated the presence of contraband in the vehicle and police recovered a revolver. Neither the driver nor the passenger would admit possession of the weapon, and they were both charged.
FAIRLAWN: Detectives are investigating an Aug. 4 report that two males attempted to cash fraudulent checks drawn on the account of an Embassy Parkway business.
An Akron man reported he went to a West Market Street parking lot Aug. 11 to sell an iPad for $450 to a man he contacted via a social media website. The man was in his 20s, with dark hair and eyes. He pulled up beside him in an older model beige vehicle with a Florida license plate, handed him a roll of money and took off with the item. The victim determined the roll contained only $28, and he has been unable to contact the man.
Police arrested an Akron man for criminal trespassing Aug. 11 after he was located on mall property despite being banned indefinitely. He was released with a court summons and again advised to stay off the property.
Two Akron males ages 15 and 16 were arrested for theft of headphones worth $600 from a mall store Aug. 11. They were taken to the Summit County Juvenile Detention Facility.
Officers reviewed video surveillance of a jewelry counter following a reported theft Aug. 12. A man allegedly stole diamond earrings worth $2,200 and left in an older model GMC Jimmy with tinted windows.
Employees of a West Market Street store reported Aug. 16 an intoxicated female was staggering in the store and falling, exposing her buttocks. The Akron woman was evaluated by EMS, charged with disorderly conduct and taken to a detoxification center.
A Kenridge Road man reported Aug. 17 he found a dog in his yard and called a number on the dog’s tag to advise the owner. He stated the owner was too intoxicated to come for the dog. Officers went to the dog owner’s address on Morewood Road to ask that he retrieve his dog, but he appeared to be intoxicated and incoherent. Police retrieved the dog, returned it to him and cited him for having a dog at large.
A 16-year-old Akron female was arrested for shoplifting merchandise worth $114 from a mall store Aug. 17. She was banned from the store and taken to the Summit County Juvenile Detention Facility.
NORTON: A Neitz Drive woman reported Aug. 9 two juveniles threw a homemade slime concoction onto the roof of her shed. Police located the youths and spoke to their parents.
Police responded to a report of suspicious activity in the parking lot of a Newpark Drive business Aug. 10 and found an employee sleeping on his motorcycle. He was arrested for felony possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia after officers located methamphetamine in his possession. He was taken to Barberton Municipal Court.
On Aug. 10, police went to a Hametown Road residence to serve a felony warrant on a man and spoke to his girlfriend, who told them several times he wasn’t there. Officers found him hiding inside the home, arrested him on the warrant and released him to the Twinsburg Police Department. The woman was charged with obstruction of official business and released with a court summons.
A Caroline Street woman reported Aug. 11 someone entered two vehicles the previous night and stole her wallet and an ignition key from one of them. The wallet was recovered in a neighbor’s yard, but the key is still missing.
Police stopped an erratic driver on state Route 21 Aug. 11. He appeared to be under the influence of a substance, failed a field sobriety test and was charged with DUI. A urine sample was sent for testing and additional charges were pending those results.
Officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence on Union Street Aug. 12. A male and female at the residence gave conflicting information about the incident and the parties were separated for the night.
Following a traffic stop on Interstate 76 Aug. 12, a woman was charged with drug abuse and released with a court summons after she reportedly surrendered marijuana to officers who questioned her about the odor of marijuana in the vehicle.
A driver stopped for speeding on Hametown Road Aug. 12 was arrested for consuming beer in a motor vehicle and released with a court summons.
RICHFIELD: An employee of a Kinross Lake Park business reported vandalism to her vehicle, which was parked in the lot while she worked. On Aug. 4, she reported the front emblem of the vehicle had been pried off and on Aug. 7, she discovered the passenger side of the vehicle had been scratched.
On Aug. 9, a Galloway Drive woman reported a package delivered to her address by UPS on Aug. 2 was stolen.
A woman reported Aug. 9 that her child’s father failed to return her daughter following a visitation and she was unable to contact him.
A Hawkins Road man reported Aug. 10 that his girlfriend moved out of their residence and took a vehicle they shared and some other items.
Police were called to a Townsend Road residence Aug. 10 by a man who reported a small plane has been flying low, just above his tree line, and he provided information regarding the date and time of each incident. He asked that police document the information.
An erratic driver speeding on Interstate 77 Aug. 11 was stopped by the Independence Police Department. Richfield officers arrested him for driving under suspension and released him with a court summons, and the vehicle was towed.
An employee of a Streetsboro Road business reported Aug. 12 he paid $300 for tickets to a concert at Blossom Music Center sold by an unknown male on Craigslist. The exchange took place at the business, and he later found the tickets were fraudulent. He also told police the seller may have been photographed by the business’ surveillance system, and police asked that he forward any photos or video to them.
Police responded to a disturbance at a Brush Road residence Aug. 13 and spoke to a woman who said she is the ex-girlfriend of one of the residents. She went to the residence with her girlfriend to get some of her belongings and she said her boyfriend’s father began yelling at her and opened her car door when she tried to leave. Officers spoke to the man, who stated the woman is welcome to come for her belongings when someone is home, but she showed up with people he didn’t know and he was upset. Police remained at the residence while the woman and her ex-boyfriend sorted through some boxes she was taking.
Officers located the owner of an iPhone 6 found on the ground during a community event on Broadview Road Aug. 13 and returned the phone to him.
The Akron police reports were compiled by Ariel Hakim and the remainder by Maggie DeMellier.
