Suspects admit to two thefts in same day: Middleburg Heights Police Blotter (2024)

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio

Theft: Smith Road

An officer went to Gabe’s about three women who were inside the store shoplifting. One just left the store and the other two were inside. When the last two left, one of the women entered a silver hatchback that was parked in the lot. As the officer drove into the parking lot, several employees flagged him down and pointed to that parked car. He approached the car and contacted a man who was standing outside of it, which had a woman driver. Both were determined not to be involved in the theft. He left and went to Kingston Place apartments where another officer had the three women detained near the entrance. They had several bags filled with unopened merchandise in their possession. They had no receipts, however. They gave police their names and identification. They were transported back to Gabe’s with the property. The other officer reviewed the security tapes. They showed the three leaving the store with the bags, the same ones they now had. The store’s manager went through the items. They were valued at $74. One of the women did not have any items in her bag. The three admitted to also stealing from Dollar Tree prior to going to Gabe’s. An officer returned some property belonging to Dollar Tree. A store employee said she would tell the manager and would follow up the next day. Two of them were issued a citation.

Threats: Engle Road

An officer went to Motel 6 at 9:18 p.m. April 9 about a disturbance. A woman told the officer she and her fiancé were involved in a verbal argument earlier that night. Nothing physical occurred. She said her fiancé left the room prior to police arriving. She gave the officer a description of her fiancé. The officer knew of him due to previous incidents. He learned the man had warrants with three police departments. A man approached police and pointed to a location where a man was hiding between cars. They searched the area but did not find anyone. Two officers went inside the motel and searched for him. They found him at the bottom of the stairwell. An officer told him he was being detained for the active warrants. He was handcuffed and arrested. He was transferred to a location and given to Strongsville police.

Traffic stop: Pearl Road

An officer at 3:56 a.m. April 7 went to I-71 and Pearl Road to back up a Strongsville police officer. While he was walking back to his cruiser, a car nearly hit both officers while their cruisers were on the right berm of the highway. The officer got into the cruiser and tried to catch up to the car. He saw the car weave and switch lanes without using any turn signals. The car almost struck a SUV. It then weaved back into the center lane without a turn signal. The car traveled at least 100 mph. The officer caught up to the car, got its license number and activated its emergency lights. The car then switched lanes using a turn signal into the high-speed lane and stopped on the shoulder. The officer used the cruiser’s overhead speaker system and commanded the driver to pull it over to the right berm since there was insufficient room to safely conduct a traffic stop there. The driver followed his instructions. The officer noted the driver had his hands up looking out the driver’s side window while his front seat passenger was sleeping with an empty bottle of liquor at her feet. He asked the driver to roll down his window, turn of the car and hand over the keys. He did but he did not know why he was stopped. The officer said he almost hit two police officers who were on a traffic stop. He also told him he was speeding at least 100 mph. The suspect told the officer he was only doing 70 and was on his way home from a rap battle. He also said he was not “weeding” and had only a drink or two that night. The driver, however, showed signs of inebriation. The field sobriety tests were stopped since he was unable to follow instructions. He was placed in the cruiser to complete the tests at the station. The woman told the officer the bottle of liquor was not hers. A hard lemonade drink was found in a cup holder during the car’s inventory. The officers and the two got to the station at 4:27 a.m. The driver told the officer “Please don’t shoot me.” The officer said that was not going to happen. The suspect was confused and asked the officers what they were doing. The officer reported the driver repeatedly yelled that he should not shoot or kill him. He continued to say he was a black man and don’t shoot him. The suspect said he needed to use the bathroom but would not walk with the officer toward it. During paperwork, the suspect stood up and tried to pull down his pants to urinate while wearing handcuffs. The officer took him to the bathroom. The officer tried reading him material about the stop. However, the suspect yelled he did not understand what he was reading to him despite his trying to read with him. He was highly irate and unwilling to cooperate. A breath test was not completed due to his condition. He was cited with having an open container, speeding, weaving, no turn signal and drunken driving. He was given a court date. As he was being transported to Strongsville jail, he continuously repeated he was a black man and asked the officer not to shoot or kill him.

Car crash: Normandie Boulevard

A caller contacted police at 10:10 p.m. April 9 he saw a car in the parking lot hit a brick wall. The incident left car pieces behind. It also broke off pieces of the wall. The car parked in a space in the apartment complex. An officer arrived and found a car parked there with front end damage on the driver’s side. He observed an opened and empty bottle of vodka on the passenger side floorboard. He gave dispatch the car’s license plate number. He learned the woman who owned it had police coming to her apartment on prior calls for service. Two officers rang the doorbell and contacted the woman who was inside her apartment. The woman admitted she drove her car earlier that night. She was asked to step outside to view the damage to her car. As she exited the apartment she said, “Take me to jail.” An officer asked her the amount of alcohol she drank that night. She responded in part, “I’m an alcoholic.” An officer noted she appeared to be highly agitated and kept walking away as she spoke. When asked again about her alcohol consumption, she said, “I don’t know, that’s how f***** up I am right now.” She admitted to drinking from the bottle on her car’s floorboard. She did not want to take field sobriety tests since she said she was already drunk. She was placed in the cruiser. She did not know where the keys to her car were or her Ohio driver’s license. The officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.

Car crash: Sheldon Road

A man called police at 10:44 p.m. April 11 about a pick-up truck that struck his car in the rear. He told police at the scene he informed the driver of the truck to pull into a driveway, but the man parked his truck on the tree lawn almost hitting a roadway sign. The suspect then stumbled over to the victim, who told him to return to his truck and wait for police. He did. More police arrived at the scene. An officer noted signs of inebriation including a smell of alcohol on him. It took him several minutes to find his driver’s license. The suspect admitted to striking the car and drinking, about three to four shots of whiskey. He did not perform field sobriety tests well. He was arrested for drunken driving. He submitted to a breath test at the station, which measured .251, three times the legal alcohol level. He was charged with other citations. He was transported to the Strongsville jail and released when he was sober.