Police Beat

Information provided by the Richfield Police Department compiled by Ken Miles

A couple moved from California to Richfield on Dec. 25. They booked their move through a moving company in Florida, which subcontracted the job to Peak Van Lines out of Sacramento. Their belongings were loaded Dec. 20 but as of Jan. 6, four days behind schedule, had not arrived. They were unable to reach the movers.

A man said three men arrived at his mother’s house on Broadview Road, said they were from the electric company and needed to come inside to check things. She refused this time, but it happened once before and many items in her house went missing. She was unable to provide a description. Time: 2 p.m.

A resident on Broadview Road stated a company clearing his neighbor’s lot cut his trees and piled brush on his property.

A resident’s debit card was stolen in New Orleans and used for $8,107 in purchases. Key Bank reimbursed the man but wanted an incident report.

A minor explosion was reported at a truck-stop parking lot. A truck had been idling when the air compressor beneath the driver’s door exploded. The only damage was to the truck itself.

During a confrontation at the local rehab and nursing facility, a resident struck a nurse on the side of her face. When put in his room, the man began throwing things. He was transported to the hospital, while the nurse drove herself.

On Apple Ridge Lane, a construction company dug a large hole on a neighbor’s property destroying internet wires.

A man received a message that Apple had locked his computer, but it could be fixed by calling a number. A Peter Johns told the man he must send $200 to get the fix, which he did. The next morning Mr. Johns called and said because the man had a firewall they were refunding his $200 but he needed to fill out some forms. Mr. Johns called back and said they mistakenly deposited $52,000 in his account and would he withdraw the cash, take it to an address in Kent and “put it in the box.” He was in the process of doing this when someone told him it was a scam. He had given them all of his personal and financial information including his social security number.

If you are contacted for ANY REASON and told to buy gift cards and mail them to some address for ANY REASON, it’s a scam! Same goes for cash. This is the second warning in two months.

A woman stated someone charged $1,965 to her debit card at a Burlington Coat Factory in Illinois. The woman was having a dispute with her credit union because her account was supposed to be locked.

A truck driver called the station and said while his truck was being serviced in Missouri, someone copied his rewards card information and, with an accomplice, charged $1,200 at a truck stop in Richfield.

Meanwhile back at the motel:

Someone called to report two small children had been running the hallways for three hours and their parents had not been located. Because of soiled diapers and a lack of basic hygiene the children, ages two and three years old, were transferred to Child Protective Services. After two more hours, the parents were found asleep in their room. Both were visibly agitated and blamed each other. They were transported to the station for further questioning.

The manager called for a welfare check on an extended-stay guest. Officers entered a room in disarray and found the man lying on the bathroom floor. EMS was able to confirm that, yes, the man was indeed deceased. White powder, burnt foil, empty pill bottle, multiple bottles of alcohol and small aerosol cans for “huffing” were all possible sources of the victims demise.

Officers helped agents from the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force locate a wanted fugitive. His girlfriend had rented a room and was harboring him. They were both arrested. Drug paraphernalia and mail belonging to local residents were discovered.

Officers were called to an altercation with possible physical violence. They separately questioned a male and an intoxicated, emotionally distraught female. Both parties said they were arguing over a past event in their relationship, nothing physical had happened and they did not need further police assistance. They were reminded where they were and what time it was. They apologized for the noise. Time: 3:45 a.m. ∞