BEREA, Ohio
Traffic altercation: Front Street
A Cleveland man, 38, called police at about 8:30 a.m. Jan. 7 and said another driver had threatened him.
The man said he was driving his Toyota Corolla on Front, in the northern end of town, when a Hummer traveling behind him honked. He said the Hummer’s driver had been maneuvering aggressively behind him and tailgating him.
The man pulled into a parking lot and the Hummer followed him. The driver of the Hummer rolled down her window and yelled, “You (messed) with the wrong person.”
The man interpreted this as a threat, but police said the comment did not rise to the level of a menacing complaint.
The man gave police the Hummer’s license plate number. Police identified the driver as a 59-year-old Berea woman.
She acknowledged telling the man he had messed with the wrong person, but also provided additional details of the incident.
The woman said she was driving behind the man’s Corolla on Ohio 237 southbound. The man activated his left-turn signal, indicating he would turn left onto Sheldon Road. She moved into the right lane on Ohio 237 to pass him. However, instead of turning left, the man kept driving straight, alongside her, with his left-turn signal flashing. She honked her horn at him.
The woman followed the man as he turned left onto Front Street. She said he slowed “excessively” while turning, and that her vehicle was almost hit by oncoming traffic due to his slow turn. The man continued to drive slowly on southbound Front.
The woman said she was headed to an ATM outside Huntington Bank. The man pulled into the same bank parking lot, and she followed him. That’s when she yelled at him. She then drove into a different parking lot to avoid the man.
Police called the man to report their findings, telling him that no further action was warranted.
Fleeing & eluding: North Rocky River Drive
A Cleveland man, 39, sped away in his Oldsmobile Alero after police tried to pull him over at about 9:45 p.m. Jan. 5 on northbound North Rocky River near Sheldon Road.
Police had checked the man’s license plate number and learned that he was wanted in Strongsville and that his driver’s license had been suspended.
The man continued onto Ohio 237 from North Rocky River. He was driving more than 80 mph as he approached Eastland Road, then accelerated to more than 100 mph.
Due to cold, windy, snowy and icy weather conditions and heavy traffic, police terminated their pursuit of the man near Eastland.
Suspicion: Dorland Avenue
A Dorland man called police at about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8 and said that someone had entered his home while he was away and turned on his natural-gas oven.
The man had been out of his house for about an hour and a half. When he returned, his house reeked of natural gas. All the knobs on his gas oven had been turned on.
Police didn’t smell gas in the home. The Berea Fire Department inspected the house to make sure it was safe. They detected no excessive levels of natural gas.
The man said he had not locked his back door while he was away. There were no signs of forced entry.
He said he wasn’t aware of anyone who would do this, except for a neighborhood boy he had exchanged words with several months ago. He had not seen the boy since.
Police advised the man to keep all his doors locked and call them again if he noticed anyone or anything suspicious.
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