The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
Westlake Police: Arrest of Child Molester
On Friday 10/20/23 at approx. 1:45 p.m. Westlake Police received a call from a local Catholic priest reporting a disturbing incident he had become aware of.
A man, purporting to be a retired priest, was visiting the area and performing spiritual ceremonies to the nearby Spanish-speaking population.
The reporting party, along with others, had learned that this man, a 76 year old Colombian national, had been accused in the past of sexual misconduct with kids. The man had evidently been in Lorain County for several months and stayed with local families.
On 10/10/23, the “retired priest” was driven to Westlake to bless a 15 year old child. Unfortunately, this girl was sick with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. The family heard of the Spanish-speaking “retired priest” and requested that he pray with the juvenile. The man, Luis Jesus Barajas, came to the house.
According to witnesses, Mr. Barajas touched the juvenile inappropriately during the blessing. Mr. Barajas’ used blankets and clothing to hide some of his actions from witnesses but his touching made several uncomfortable. Witnesses said Barajas’ movements were “unconventional” compared to past blessings they had seen.
Investigators learned that Mr. Barajas had supposedly been ordained a Catholic Priest in 1982. He had been accused of sexual misconduct involving juveniles in the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA around 1989 and was sent back to Columbia.
Reports are that he was removed from the Priesthood at some point but it is unclear when this happened. What is known is that Luis Jesus Barajas was arrested in 2019 by Virginia authorities for Felony misconduct with a minor. He had been “acting in the capacity of trusted family friend and as church clergy” at that time as well.
Westlake Police developed probable cause to charge Luis Jesus Barajas with Gross Sexual Imposition, a felony of the 4th degree. Arrest warrants were obtained for the incident with the 15 year old Westlake victim. On 10/23/23, the warrant was executed at a residence in Elyria. Barajas was taken into custody without further incident. His initial appearance will be in Rocky River Municipal Court on 10/24/23.
Six Suspensions, No License
On 10/7/23 at approx. 9:15AM an officer on the road received an alert from the city FLOCK LPR system that a vehicle, who’s owner had an active warrant, was traveling on Crocker at Center Ridge Rds.
The officer soon found the particular car and attempted to stop it as it pulled onto Devonshire Oval. The driver did not yield to the lights and siren but continued onto Essex Ct where it pulled into a residential driveway.
The 24yo female driver said that she knew she had an outstanding warrant. Despite never having a driver’s license, the Cleveland resident also had 6 open driving suspensions due to past driving violations and not having car insurance.
The vehicle was towed from the scene. The driver was arrested and transported to the Westlake Jail before being charged with driving under suspension, failure to comply, possession of marijuana and traffic violations.
She was later seen by a Rocky River Court Judge to answer to her new charges in addition to the prior driving under suspension warrant from North Olmsted PD.
Parking Lot Bumper Car
On 10/10/23 at approx. 11:45AM, an employee at the BP Gas Station at Columbia and Detroit Rds called to report that another employee had been drinking on the job and was trying to leave in a vehicle.
Before officers arrived, the suspect did enter her car and began to drive around the parking lot, unable to exit due to the traffic on Detroit Rd. She struck an unoccupied SUV in the lot.
A detective in an unmarked WPD vehicle got behind the suspect and activated the emergency red and blue strobing lights on his cruiser in an attempt to stop the suspect from continuing to drive. The employee backed into the detective’s vehicle but could drive no further. The 62yo Westlake resident stepped from her car without putting it into park.
Officers located an empty bottle of Vodka with the female who appeared intoxicated. She was also in possession of anti-anxiety pills. She was field tested and arrested for OVI. The driver refused a breath test. She was ultimately charged with OVI, refusing a chemical test after a prior OVI conviction and shoplifting. It was confirmed that she left the store with several bottles of alcohol that had not been purchased.
Rented Car Heisted
On 10/12/23 at about 7:30AM WPD received a call from a guest of the Double Tree Hotel on Crocker. The Indiana resident had gone outside to find that their rental Kia was missing. The complainant still had the keys to the vehicle and glass was found on the ground where the sedan was last seen. A check of local license plate readers showed that the car left the area at about 4:20AM. The car was entered into police databases as being stolen. The rental company was contacted.
Scammed for $2500
On 10/13/23 a citizen responded to the WPD lobby to report being the victim of a scam. The 79yo female had been searching online for her job when she began to receive pop-up messages indicating that her Apple computer had been hacked due to being on an unsecured website.
The victim said she used Google to find a phone number for Apple Support which she called. The fake support person said that the victim’s account was “severely compromised” and she needed to share her screen with the IT person to fix problems.
Eventually the scammer talked the victim into traveling to local stores to buy gift cards. The victim did not realize she fell victim before she was out over $2500. A report was generated.
No Insurance, No License
On 10/17/23 at about 7AM, officers responded to the report of a motor vehicle crash on Westwood. No one was injured, but the victim, who had been struck from behind by the other car, had learned that the at fault driver had no insurance or license. Investigating officers also learned that the 32yo Cleveland female had an entered warrant out of Bratenahl PD. Although the other agency would not pick her up, the female was cited with failure to maintain assured clear distance, driving under suspension and having expired plates.
Just a Joke!
On 10/18/23 at approx. 10:45AM WPD received a call from the Hampton Inn on Detroit Rd reporting a suspicious condition. A cleaning crew had located a note in a room which said “I am being held against my will.” No one was in the room when officers arrived and the staff had only seen 1 adult man in the hotel room. After assuring that no one was hiding in the room, officers followed up at a local business where the registered guest allegedly worked. It took about an hour to track the hotel guest down as he was actually working at a remote location. In speaking with the hotel guest, it was determined that no one was in actual peril. The man apologized as he explained that the note was actually part of a joke between him and his kids during a video chat. He had accidently left it out on the desk.
Gift Card Scammed
On 10/16/2023, at 1501 hrs, a Juneway resident reported that someone had fraudulently accessed and used a prepaid gift card he had purchased. He went to purchase something with the card and realized there was over $140 missing. Police are investigating.
Pickled on the Pickleball Court
On 10/17/2023, at 2007 hrs, a pickleball player at Reese Park called BVPD to report an intoxicated male was harassing park patrons and creating a disturbance. Responding officers located the male in the area of the basketball courts. The highly agitated and obviously intoxicated male stated he had gotten into an argument with people at the park. Witnesses indicated the male was swearing, taunting patrons, and creating a disturbance. The 47-yoa Bay Village resident was cited for Disorderly Conduct-Intoxication. Due to his level of intoxication, he was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Warrant Trade-In
On 10/18/2023, at 1119 hrs, a resident arrived at BVPD to claim property from a prior incident. Upon identifying the 39-yoa female, officers learned she had an active arrest warrant with the Lakewood Police Department. Once the warrant was confirmed, she was taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and later turned over to Lakewood.
Drunk Driver
On 10/21/2023, at 0324 hrs, a BVPD officer stopped a vehicle on Lake Rd. near Rye Gate for a traffic violation. After speaking with the male driver, the officer suspected the driver had been drinking. Field sobriety tests were administered, and as a result, the driver was arrested for OVI. The 33-yoa Denver, Colorado resident will face charges at RRMC.
Gunshots Reported
On 10/10/2023, at 0141 hrs, a resident in the 27000 block of Knickerbocker called to report she heard what she believed to be gunshots in the area. Officers responded, but were unable to locate the source.
Do Not Knock!
On 10/11/2023, at 1722 hrs, a Hurst resident called BVPD to report a solicitor was at her house and she is on the Do Not Knock Registry. An Officer located the solicitor nearby and advised her of the complaint. She was advised to get a permit with the City before she solicited.
Plate Swiped
On 10/11/2023, at 2045 hrs, a Norfolk resident reported the license plate from his car was stolen. Police are investigating.
Midnight Paint Job
On 10/13/2023, at 0010 hrs, a resident reported there were two people parked at a business on Clague Parkway spray painting a car. Upon arrival, officers located the couple in question. They were in the process of painting their car. They pulled into the parking lot and parked under the street light so they could see what they were doing. They were advised and sent on their way.
Loud Teens
On 10/13/2023, at 1430 hrs, a patron at Reese Park called BVPD to report two males were yelling profanities at the playground and pickleball courts. Officers located the pair of teenagers who were out walking their dog. They admitted to swearing loudly and apologized to the groups that were affected.
Loud Party
On 10/14/2023, at 2128 hrs, a Narragansett resident reported there was a loud party in the area and they were discharging fireworks. Responding officers located the party and advised the homeowner of the compliant.
OVI
On 10/15/2023, at 2309 hrs, a BVPD officer stopped a vehicle on Lake Rd. and the Rocky River line for a traffic violation. After speaking with the male driver, the officer suspected the driver was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Field sobriety tests were administered, and as result, the driver was arrested for OVI. The 41-yoa Olmsted Falls resident will face charges at RRMC.
