Police Beat

Information provided by the Richfield Police Department, complied by Ken Miles

On Roberts Drive, the act of a dog dropping a deuce in a neighbor’s yard was still causing a sh*tstorm two years later. At the time, an officer explained that doggie doo intervention was not within the purview of the Richfield Police. He suggested the warring factions work it out. Trying to be good neighbors, the dog’s owners installed an invisible fence to contain the dog and its business in their yard. Fast-forward two years to when the dog owners recently caught the neighbor gesturing with his arms and beckoning the dog to come. I assume the neighbor expected when the dog crossed the invisible force field, they would both get a charge out of it. The dog didn’t bite. An officer exacted a pledge from the man that he would, henceforth, dispense with waving his arms at the dog. When it came to not calling the dog, he expressed some degree of stubbornness in that regard. 

• Responding to an accident on 77NB, an officer had to snake his way between two rows of vehicles. Misjudging the clearance, he clipped the rear of a tractor-trailer, damaging the cruiser’s right front fender. No damage to the truck. 

• On 77NB, a man hit a chuckhole with such force that it shredded his left front tire. Officers were able to change the tire. 

• Checking her credit reports, a resident discovered someone had applied for a credit card in her name through a bank in New Jersey. There had not yet been activity on the card.

• A woman was stopped for driving without tail lights. She had spent the prior four hours at a local bar. Failing the field sobriety tests, she was arrested for OVI. At the station she blew a .137 and received three citations and a court date.

• A resident reported an online scam involving a purported member of the Geek Squad. He gave the man remote access to his computer. Gaining access to the residents banking information, the man transferred $17,600 to an unknown location. The resident was advised to contact his bank and initiate fraud proceedings.

• At 3:27 a.m., dispatch received a call reporting a work van headed north in the 77SB lanes. An officer located the vehicle in the median pointed north, with tracks coming from the SB lanes. The driver was sound asleep. He was a maintenance worker for a company out of Canton, and was headed home to Fairview Park. He declined the field sobriety tests, stating he would fail them. He blew a whopping .217 and received several citations, including driving with a suspended license.

• According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Americans are the most scammed people in the world. We’re number one! We’re number one!

• A man called the station and said he had an accident in Richfield and his car was towed. When he retrieved his car, $3,300 of an original $6,500 that he had in the car, was missing along with a black blanket and three pairs of black gloves. Officers reviewed the inventory list filled out for the car and body cam videos.  Listed and filmed were a seat cushion, drinks, a bag of clothes and car parts. No money, no blanket, no gloves. The man was invited to file a police report, but declined.

• At the Richfield Heritage Preserve, someone cut the lock on the door at Kirby’s Mill. The property manager determined nothing was missing, nor was there damage to the interior.

• A resident received an email demanding $2,000 in bitcoin, or they would send explicit pictures of her to family and friends. Knowing that no such pictures exist, she concluded it was a scam. She printed the email and filed a police report.

• A man was on 271SB. As he passed under Brecksville Road, he heard a bang and his rear window blew out. The officer speculated it might have been caused by a rock or stressed glass.

• A man stopped at the station to file a report. He was flying to CLE from MSY (New Orleans). When he switched planes in FLL (Fort Lauderdale), Spirit Airlines lost his checked bag containing his Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol.  

Meanwhile, back at the motel

• A woman called to say a verbal altercation with her boyfriend had turned physical. When officers arrived the woman stated her boyfriend had been ignoring her son and refused to change his diaper. This started a yelling match until the boyfriend grabbed her keys and attempted to leave. That’s when things got physical. He was gone by the time the police arrived. The woman testified that the last time the boyfriend took the car he trashed the interior. She chose not to press charges.• The manager called to say he discovered a three-year-old girl wandering around the pool area, unsupervised. Shortly after officers arrived, a woman came running down the stairs. She stated she was sleeping and her daughter was able to open the door and wander off.