Westlake Police: Snow Job from Westlake ‘Vacationers’ Foiled

Westlake Police arrested a couple of itinerant credit card suspects after hearing them say they had come to Cleveland on a vacation from Florida to see the snow!

On 12/3/18, an officer stopped to check on a suspicious occupied vehicle just sitting in the lot of the Red Roof Inn on Clemens. The males in the SUV said that they were from Florida and were “vacationing” in Cleveland to see the snow. The officer noted that there was not currently snow on the ground. Investigation revealed that the duo had numerous fraudulent credit cards as well as various driver’s licenses with real and fictitious names. A check of their nearby hotel room revealed high tech credit card skimmers as well as other tools to steal others card information and make fraudulent cards. The type of skimming devices recovered are often surreptitiously installed in gas pumps and allow thieves to capture victims’ card information. The males, both 23 years old and from Orlando, FL were charged with felony Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity. Both subjects are being held on $150,000 cash or surety bond.

I-90 Drugs Found

On 12/12/18 at approx. 2:50PM an officer stopped a vehicle on I-90 for an equipment violation. While the officer was speaking to the driver and his juvenile brother, indicators of drugs were observed in plain view in the vehicle. Investigation revealed that the 20yo from Cleveland was in possession of a scale along with suspected marijuana and crack cocaine. The 20yo was arrested and brought back to the Westlake jail. The juvenile was transported off the highway and was later turned over to a caregiver. In the jail, the arrested male also was found to possess a crack cocaine rock on his person. This prompted a felony conveyance charge along with possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia complaints.