Police Beat

Information provided by the Richfield Police Department compiled by Ken Miles

Bath Police requested assistance in pursuit of a stolen vehicle on 77 NB. It took the Wheatley Road exit and continued north on Brecksville Road at speeds above 100 mph. The tires were spiked near Whitey’s but the car continued northbound another mile before veering off the road. The driver and his female passenger fled into the woods. They were located, handcuffed and released to Bath P.D. for processing.

On Motor Road, a woman reported her ex-boyfriend was intoxicated and refused to leave her house. He finally left and officers located him walking north. A number of smaller irritations earlier in the evening led to this moment in time. The man and some of his possessions were transported to a motel. The woman placed the remainder of his belongings in her garage for later pick-up.

On Brecksville Road, a couple broke up and the woman moved out. When she returned to collect her belongings an argument ensued and she commenced damaging property inside the house. When she grabbed a knife, he called 911. Visibly upset, the woman stated she wanted to say goodbye to his dogs and retrieve her icemaker. That accomplished, she agreed to leave. She was advised not to return without the man’s permission.

A resident reported that he was the victim of a scam. An unknown suspect contacted him, and believing that person would help him obtain a loan, he provided his bank account and social security numbers, date of birth and home address. He lost almost $2,000 before placing a freeze on his credit.

A local woman was stopped on Hawkins Road for repeatedly straddling the double yellow line. Glassy eyes and slurred speech demanded a field sobriety test, which she failed. During booking at the station, she displayed a range of emotions: crying and upset, happy and talking about her TikTok videos, then anger at the police officer while accusing him of causing her divorce. All the while she was concerned about her hair and how it looked. She consented to a breath test and blew over twice the legal limit. She was charged with OVI, placed under administrative license suspension, and released to her husband. Time 12:00 a.m.

On Broadview Road headed north, witnesses saw a Toyota swerving before going left of center and striking a Lincoln. The Toyota ended up on its side with the Lincoln in the ditch. The driver of the Toyota said she was “moving around” because she thought there was a bee in her car. Three beers and three shots may have been a contributing factor. Time 5:30 p.m.

An alarm was tripped at the Kenmore Construction site on Wheatley Road at I-77. Security camera footage revealed a Ford work van had been stolen. Because all company vehicles had GPS trackers installed, the van was soon located in the Hough neighborhood of East Cleveland. Richfield Police had it towed back.

On Apple Ridge, several Ring cameras recorded a man attempting to enter multiple houses at 2:30 a.m. Appearing highly intoxicated and extremely frustrated, the man would aggressively attempt to open the front door before moving on to the next house. At one stop, he took a nap on the front porch. Officers speculated the man may have been a guest of someone in the neighborhood and forgot where he was staying.

A man attempted suicide by ramming a large tree on Broadview Road. Despite the severity of the crash, his external injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

Meanwhile back at the motel:

Police were called to a verbal altercation between guests in adjoining rooms. Two women were creating so much noise a man in the next room ordered them to be quiet. This made matters worse and the police were called. Because of the noise, a third patron chose to spend the night in his truck. The parties were separated, ordered to their respective rooms and to cut the noise. Alcohol was involved. Time 2:32 a.m.

A woman and her four children left their bug-infested apartment and checked in to a motel. After several days of cramped living, the woman and her oldest daughter were at wit’s end with each other. The officers heard their stories about a boyfriend in the hospital, being scammed out of food stamps, and the mother making inappropriate remarks to the daughter. All five were counseled as to the importance of cooperative living as opposed to being taken into state custody. Child Protective Services had an open file on the family and had received reports spanning several counties.

A man using his personal Dodge Durango to shuttle packages for Amazon pulled into the parking lot to check on his packages. He left the driver’s door open, engine running while he opened the rear hatch to organize his cargo. He closed the hatch and turned away when, lo and behold, a woman jumped into his SUV and drove away. Utilizing the Flock camera system, officers were able to identify the vehicle and track it’s movement through East Cleveland then notify Cleveland Police. Later, the man hitched a ride to some intersection in Parma. While walking in the area, lo and behold, if the man didn’t spot his vehicle, minus the Amazon packages, in a parking lot. It was a miracle.