MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio
Drunken driving: Pearl Road
Police went to the McDonald’s parking lot at 7:07 p.m. Sept. 11 regarding a man sleeping in his car in the drive-thru lane right in front of the pay window.
The fire department arrived and found the car’s engine was off. They banged on the window to try to wake up the driver. After several minutes, the driver woke up, but appeared to be disoriented.
An officer asked the man if he knew where he was, and the man said, “Brook Park.”
The officer smelled alcohol on him. The driver also had red, glossy eyes and slurred speech. The motorist denied drinking alcohol that night.
He was escorted to the ambulance, but became unsteady on his feet while walking. He then said he had consumed several beers. Paramedics cleared him of any medical issues.
The officer asked the man to perform field sobriety tests. He did not perform the tests well and was arrested for drunken driving.
Officers moved the suspect’s car to a marked parking spot and locked it. He was told not to operate it after he was released to a sober party. His breath test measured .266, which is three times the legal limit. He was cited and released to a friend at the police station.
Reckless operation: Bagley Road
An officer at 1:35 a.m. Sept. 2 saw and heard a car squeal its tires when taking off. It then traveled at high speeds along Bagley Road. The car made a left turn near Southwest General Health Center. The officer lost sight of it at that time and turned into the hospital’s parking lot.
He then heard a loud engine and squealing tires on Old Oak Boulevard. He saw the car reversing down the center of the roadway at high speeds near the hospital crosswalk.
The officer activated the cruiser’s emergency lights and pulled behind the car. Another officer arrived at the scene and helped. The motorist was asked to turn off the car’s motor and step out of the car.
The driver said he was driving so recklessly because he was looking for Days Inn. One of the officers found an open 12-ounce light beer in the center console.
The motorist was arrested. He had an Ohio temporary driving permit.
He admitted to drinking two beers, but said he was not drunk. He stopped trying to perform field sobriety tests and was cited for driving under the influence.
Once inside the cruiser, he said he was sorry for “all this.” He said this was the first time he drank since he got out of prison. He also apologized for driving “like an a**hole.”
He declined to take a breath test. He was also charged with weaving and driving under suspension.
Traffic offense: Interstate 71
An officer was on patrol at 11:15 p.m. Sept. 2 when he decided to check Speedway’s parking lot. One of the cars in the lot showed that its owner’s driver’s license was suspended. The car also had expired plates.
The driver drove out of the lot and into the I-71 turning lane without signaling. The officer stopped the car and asked the driver if she knew why she had been pulled over. She said it was due to her expired plates.
The officer saw a glass pipe in the console. She told the officer it was a marijuana pipe and that she likes to smoke on her work breaks.
She was cited for not signaling, expired plates and driving while suspended. The officer then addressed the pipe issue. She said she smokes at work since she cannot do so at home. She said there was nothing in the car that was illegal.
The officer searched it and found a clear plastic bag with three capsules between the driver’s seat and center console. Two of the capsules were empty. The woman said they were Adderall capsules, for which she did not have a prescription. She said they belonged to a relative.
The officer told her to park the car and wait for a valid driver to get it. The pills were later identified as amphetamine and dextroamphetamine extended release. She was then charged with aggravated possession of drugs.
Grand theft auto: Newton Road
Parma police called local authorities at 5:17 a.m. Sept. 4 and asked an officer to go to a home to speak with a resident about her car. They said that about 20 minutes earlier, they had been in pursuit of a car that was registered to her.
The woman told police that she had noticed her car was missing from her driveway. She last saw it at 9 p.m. Sept. 3. It was unlocked and the keys were in the center console. She did not give anyone permission to take it. It was then listed as stolen.
At 6:04 that morning, Parma police said they recovered her car during the pursuit. It was towed and removed as stolen.
Fraud: Jefferson Park Road
An officer went to a residence at 3 p.m. Sept. 5 about fraudulent phone calls. The resident said she had received two calls Sept. 1 from an unknown number. The next day, she received another call from that phone number with a message saying her son had an outstanding balance of $11,000 on a credit card.
She returned the call and was told her son had accumulated the debt from 2000 to 2009. She said she could pay for some of the debt. She was asked to pay about $5,800. She agreed, however, to pay $5,000 using one of her credit cards.
She opened an email that appeared to be from a California law group. She was asked in the email to sign the document and return it. She did.
While the payment was pending, she contacted her son, who said he never had the mentioned credit card. He also had received phone calls about the debt, but never called the person back.
The victim then called her credit card’s fraud department. The payment was already processed. She was told to file a police report and provide a report number. She told the officer she wanted to pursue criminal charges if the perpetrators are found.
The victim said she knew her son still had outstanding student loans. The officer spoke with the son, who said he did have federal student loans, but not with the entity that contacted his mother. He said all his loans were in good standing. The report was forwarded to the detective bureau.
Drunken driving: Bagley Road
An officer on patrol at 12:06 a.m. Sept. 8 checked a license plate number that showed the car’s owner had a suspended license. The motorist stopped in the Raising Cane’s parking lot after seeing the cruiser’s emergency lights. The officer verified that the driver was the car’s owner.
He immediately smelled alcohol in the car and saw an open case of beer on the passenger side floor. After speaking with the motorist, the officer noticed the driver’s slurred speech. The driver also would not look at him.
The officer asked if he had had anything to drink that night, and the motorist replied, “Do you really need to ask me that?” The officer asked the question again and the driver admitted to drinking about six or seven beers at a friend’s house.
The officer asked where he was headed. The driver asked him if he could have a friend pick him up. The officer noted a few cues from the driver that led him to ask the driver to exit the car and perform field sobriety tests.
Again, the driver asked if he could ask a friend to pick him up. The officer said that request was no longer an option.
The driver declined to submit to field sobriety tests and was arrested for drunken driving. An inventory of the car found three unopened beer bottles in a 12-pack, an empty alcoholic drink in the trunk and another in the rear seat. The man refused to give breath samples.
Warrant: Humphrey Road
Police were at the intersection of Humphrey Road and Middlebrook Boulevard at 2:44 p.m. Sept. 9 due to an emergency with a motorist. The area was blocked off, but a pickup truck continued to drive toward that location, then appeared to go off the road as if it were going to go through a front lawn to get around the blocked area.
An officer told the driver he needed to turn around. The driver appeared to be confused and said he needed to get to a Middlebrook home for work. The officer gave him alternative directions. The man slowly reversed his truck.
At that time, an officer recognized the man from several previous encounters. The truck’s plates were registered to the man’s father. The passenger also has had several previous encounters with police.
The officer then learned that the driver had a warrant for his arrest. He was stopped.
The officer saw that the suspect’s eyes had pin-dot pupils and he had fresh blood coming from the crease of his inner elbow, where tract marks were seen. He denied using drugs that day.
He was transported to the police station.
Police learned that the passenger had a suspended driver’s license. She also had pin-dot pupils, but she denied doing drugs that day. The truck was towed.
The driver’s mother arrived at the scene, but did not introduce herself as such. She parked in the middle of the scene and was very uncooperative and argumentative and yelled at officers.
Grand theft: Engle Road
An officer went to Days Inn at 6:23 a.m. Sept. 10 about a car that had been stolen earlier that day. The victim said he got to the motel at 11:45 p.m. and went to bed. He was awakened by the car’s alarm outside his room at 6 a.m. Sept. 10.
He went outside and saw his car gone. The officer did not see any glass on the ground or signs of forced entry. The victim had his keys with him and said there was only one set. The officer was unable to view any security video until the general manager arrived. The car was listed as stolen.
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