The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
Congratulations to Bay Village Police Officer
Bay Police Chief Robert Gillespie (left) with Lt. Tuisku
Congratulations to Bay Village Police Lt. Eric Tuisku, who graduated from the 290 Session of the FBI National Academy.
The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement managers nominated by their agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities.
The 10-week program—which provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science—serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide.
WPD’s School Resource Officers Earn Accreditation
Four of Westlake Police Department’s School Resource Officers participated in the Annual Ohio School Resource Officer Association Conference last week. Three earned the designation of Professional SRO Accreditation while Ptl Keenan Cook was awarded the title of Master SRO! Well earned.
WPD is proud to partner with the Westlake School district to provide WPD School Resource Officers full time in each and every public school.
Scams of the Week
6/8/24 – a resident received a call from “James St. Patrick” from Readers Digest stating that she “won the contest.” Not only had the resident not entered the contest, the rep from the fake Readers Digest indicated that the winner had to provide a $350 gift card to pay for taxes on the huge payout. The scammer said that they would stop by the residence later in the day to collect the gift card and award the winnings. Officers waited, but the scammers did not show up. The victim was not out any funds.
6/10/24 – A caller reported that her grandmother in assisted living was being scammed on the phone. The grandma had been instructed to buy gift cards at Walgreens and to provide the numbers to the caller. Luckily the family learned of the scam attempt before the elderly victim had lost any money.
6/12/24 – an elderly resident of Westlake received a call from a female purporting to be her daughter. The female on the phone said that she had been in a traffic crash and was injured to explain why her voice sounded different. Soon after, a male came on the line indicating that she was the daughter’s attorney and the daughter was in trouble for causing the accident. The attorney used the emotion of the moment to talk the elderly female into providing thousands of dollars in cash to bail out her loved one. The scammer even prompted the victim to tell the banker that she needed the withdrawal of cash to pay for home renovations to avoid suspicion. A white male, described as being 55-60 years old and driving a little gray SUV actually picked up the cash from the victim. Once the scammers called again and demanded more funds, the mom contacted her adult daughter to learn that none of the circumstances were true. Detectives are following up with the case.
Badly Weaving
On 6/7/24 at about 7PM, a concerned citizen called WPD to report a possible OVI. The suspect Jeep was reportedly driving between the lanes and weaving so badly that it almost struck several roadside mailboxes. The operator drew attention to himself as he loudly cursed at other drivers on the road. Officers caught up with the described SUV at Schwartz and Hilliard after witnessing additional dangerous driving. The driver could not explain his erratic operation. The officer noted that he looked and sounded intoxicated. The 51yo Westlake man was field tested and arrested for OVI. His vehicle was towed from the scene. The driver refused a breath test and was cited with OVI and marked lanes violations. His license was immediately suspended.
Uncooperative Guests
On 6/8/24 at approx. 2PM, an employee of the Extended Stay on Clemens called WPD to request help dealing with uncooperative guests. A group of 5 family members who had been staying at the facility were refusing to leave and were “filling the hallway with all their stuff.” Officers arrived to mediate the situation. A 40yo man who last listed a Garfield Heights address, explained that he was trying to get a U-Haul so the family could move out of the hotel. Officers discovered that the man had an entered warrant from Avon PD for obstruction. He was arrested and transferred to Avon’s custody. Other family members arrived to collect the remaining persons and property.
Jewelry Store B&E
On 5/29/24 at approx. 6AM, WPD received a call from an employee of a shopping center at Bradley and Detroit. They noticed that the door on the jewelry store in the plaza was damaged and glass was missing. Officers responded and discovered that the store had been forcibly entered overnight. Additional statements and evidence were collected for the B+E. Detectives followed up and developed a suspect. A search warrant was served on 6/4/24 at a residence on Huss Ave in Cleveland. A 60yo resident was taken into custody and charged with felony breaking and entering. Additional charges will be sought when the case is presented to the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury.
Aggravated Possession of Drugs
On 6/5/24 at approx. 1PM, an officer learned that a man staying at the Westspring Inn on Sperry had an entered felony warrant out of Trumball County for aggravated possession of drugs. The described male was spotted in a vehicle in the parking lot of the hotel at around 5:30PM. When officers approached, the 54yo Toledo male refused to follow direction from the police. He was soon taken into custody with a minor use of force. There were no injuries reported by the suspect nor the officers. The man’s son was also arrested on scene. The older man was charged with resisting arrest while both men were cited with failure to comply with lawful orders.
Broken Windshield, No License, Bullet Hole in Door
On 6/5/24 at approx. 1:30AM, officers stopped a vehicle on I-90 W/B at the Lorain County line for speeding and for having an unsafe windshield which was completely smashed. The driver, a 20 year old from Cleveland, had no license. The officers inquired to both the driver and the 19yo passenger about a bullet hole in the passenger door. They explained that the vehicle was recently hit by gunfire at a gas station but would not elaborate. Investigation revealed an open container of tequila, some marijuana and a loaded Glock 17 with an extended magazine in the vehicle. Both men were arrested. Charges included felony improper handling of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon. The passenger said he was on probation already for a felonious assault shooting.
Parking Lot Nap
On 6/6/24 at about 11:30PM, an officer on patrol noticed a female sleeping in the parking lot of the Speedway Gas Station on Dover at Center Ridge. After waking up, the 42yo Westlake resident said that she decided to nap in the lot during a late night walk. The female appeared intoxicated and needed officers’ assistance to stand. She was taken into custody and transported to the Westlake Jail to await a sober person to take responsibility for her. The female was cited with disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
Trailer Theft
On 5/14/24 at approx. 5PM, Crocker Park employees called WPD to report the theft of an 8 foot trailer. Video surveillance actually showed that the trailer was stolen by the operator of a Mercury Mountaineer on 4/25 at 6:20 in the morning. Investigators used surveillance footage and compared times and vehicles with local Flock license plate readers to develop a suspect vehicle and vehicle owner. On 6/6/24, interviews were conducted and a 39yo Elyria man was arrested and charged with the theft. The trailer has not been recovered at this point.
FLOCK Report
FLOCK License Plate Reader hits lead to the recovery of 2 stolen vehicles
**On 6/12/24 at approx. 2PM, WPD received an alert from the city’s FLOCK license plate readers that a stolen U-Haul truck was driving on Crocker Rd at Center Ridge. The moving truck had been rented in North Versailles, PA on 5/27/24 and was supposed to be returned the next day. It was reported as missing to the local authorities. The truck was stopped on Crocker near I-90. The driver was identified as the person who originally rented the truck but neglected to return it. The 30yo female, who indicated she was homeless, was taken into custody and charged with felony unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. U-Haul was contacted to pick up their vehicle from the tow yard.
** Also on 6/12/24, at about 10PM, WPD received another FLOCK license plate reader alert. A rental vehicle, entered as being stolen out of Cleveland, was traveling on Detroit at Crocker Rds. Officers caught up with the Nissan Rogue in the area of Detroit and Cahoon where it was stopped. Again, the driver was the person who neglected to return the rented vehicle. It was supposed to be returned to Enterprise Rental over a month prior. The 29yo Warrensville Hts female was arrested without incident. She was charged with felony receiving stolen property.
Squatters
On 05/27/2024, at 1148 hrs, a resident in the 23000 block of Lake Rd. called BVPD to report possible squatters living in a neighbor’s vacant house. He had observed several people walking around the house, and also observed the owner on scene. Responding officer spoke with the owner who verified the property is vacant, and there should be no one in it. When he arrived, there were people he did not know inside the house, but they fled prior to police arrival. Officers checked the inside of the house, but no one was located. Police are investigating.
Threatening Phone Calls
On 05/25/2024, at 1222 hrs, a resident in the 28000 block of Knickerbocker reported he had been receiving threatening phone calls and texts from an unknown person. The caller was demanding money for services rendered or his family would be hurt. After a brief investigation it was determined to be a scam. Police are continuing to looking the matter.
