Road Rager breaks the side mirror; Man scammed out of $11,000 online: Brook Park police blotter
BROOK PARK, OH –
Criminal Damage or Danger: Smith Road
A 30-year-old Newburgh Heights man damaged the passenger side mirror of another man’s vehicle around 2:30 pm on November 28 following a traffic dispute on Smith near Sheldon Road.
The victim told police he was driving south on Smith between Holland and Sheldon roads when the man’s Chevrolet Silverado stalled and nearly struck his vehicle. The victim said she had to hit the brakes to avoid colliding with the truck.
The victim honked at the man, who responded with an obscene hand gesture. The victim made the same gesture to the man.
The man slowed down, changed lanes, and allowed the victim to pass. As the victim passed by, the man leaned out the window and struck the victim’s passenger side mirror, causing the glass to shatter. The man then sped south on Smith, running a red light in the process.
The victim gave the truck’s license plate number to police, who traced the license plate back to a Newburgh Heights woman, the suspect’s mother. He gave police the man’s phone number.
Police called the man, who denied breaking the victim’s mirror but offered to fix it anyway. Police gave the man’s contact information to the victim so he and the man could arrange to have the mirror repaired. However, when the police tried to follow up on the victim, they never returned their calls.
Robbery By Deception: Fry Road
A Fry man told police on Dec. 6 that he was conned out of $11,000 through an Internet scam.
Three days earlier, the man responded to a fake Microsoft pop-up ad on the Internet. He called a number listed in the ad and spoke to a fake Microsoft representative. The scammer told the man that his computer was infected with a virus.
The scammer then locked up the man’s computer, lied that he had found child pornography on his computer, and told him he would call the FBI about the pornography. He then said he wouldn’t call the FBI if the man sent him $21,000 to get the child pornography removed.
The man and his son went to the bank and withdrew $11,000. The fake Microsoft representative ordered them to deposit the cash at a bitcoin ATM. The man and his son headed to a Valero station, which had a bitcoin ATM, in Berea. Using an account number provided by the scammer, they bought $11,000 worth of bitcoins.
The man and his son discussed the matter after they got home and realized they had been conned. They were unable to provide police with the phone number from the pop-up ad or the bitcoin account number. The police advised the man and his son how to avoid scams in the future.
Grand Theft Vehicle: Hummel Road
A 2019 Kia Forte was reported stolen around 6 am on December 2 in the parking lot of Cambridge Court Apartments, 14917 Hummel.
Police found the plastic cover for the Kia’s steering column on the ground where the car had been parked.
Grand Theft Vehicle: Hummel Road
A 2021 Kia Seltos was reported stolen around 8 am on December 3 in the parking lot of Cambridge Court Apartments, 14905 Hummel. The victim said she had locked the car doors.
Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence: Smith Road
A 66-year-old Cleveland man was arrested around 1:30 a.m. on December 3 for drunk driving.
Police pulled over the man’s Chevrolet Silverado on northbound Smith near Bowfin Boulevard after seeing the vehicle drift out of its lane multiple times.
The man admitted to drinking “a couple of beers.” His eyes were glassy and bloodshot and he smelled of alcohol. The man was confused, and when police asked him to get out of the truck, he was reeling.
The man failed field sobriety tests. Police found a small amount of marijuana in his jacket.
Criminal Damage: Hummel Road
A Kia Optima parked outside Cambridge Court Apartments, 14901 Hummel, was damaged around 2am on December 5. The car’s rear passenger window was broken and the steering column came off.
Robbery: Brookpark Road
A catalytic converter was stolen between 6:30 p.m. on November 23 and 9:30 a.m. on November 28 from a truck parked outside Malley’s Chocolates, 13400.