Road rager smashes sideview mirror; man defrauded of $11,000 on internet: Brook Park police blotter
BROOK PARK, Ohio –
Criminal damaging or threatening: Smith Road
A Newburgh Heights man, 30, damaged the passenger side mirror of another man’s vehicle around 2:30 p.m. Nov. 28 following a traffic dispute on Smith near Sheldon Road.
The victim told police he was driving southbound on Smith between Holland and Sheldon roads when the man’s Chevrolet Silverado cut off and nearly hit his vehicle. The victim said he had to slam on his brakes to avoid colliding with the van.
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, the man reached out his window and struck the victim’s passenger side mirror, causing the glass to crack. The man then sped southbound on Smith, traveling through a red light in the process.
The victim gave the truck’s license plate to police, who traced the plate to a Newburgh Heights woman, the suspect’s mother. She gave the man’s phone number to the police.
Police called the man, who denied breaking the victim’s mirror but offered to repair 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 with the victim, he never responded to their calls.
Theft by deception: Fryweg
A Fry man told police Dec. 6 that he was defrauded of $11,000 by an Internet scam.
Three days earlier, the man had answered 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 the man out of his computer, lied that she had found child pornography on his computer and told him she would call the FBI about the pornography. Then she said she would not call the FBI if the man sent her $21,000 to have the child pornography removed.
The man and his son drove to the bank and withdrew $11,000. The fake Microsoft representative ordered them to deposit the cash into a bitcoin ATM. The man and his son drove to a Valero station, which had a bitcoin ATM, in Berea. Using an account number provided by the scammer, they purchased $11,000 in bitcoin.
The man and his son discussed the matter after they arrived home and realized they had been duped. They were unable to provide the police with the pop-up phone number 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 a.m. Dec. 2 from the parking lot of Cambridge Court Apartments, 14917 Hummel.
The police found the plastic cover of the Kia’s steering column on the ground where the car was parked.
Grand theft vehicle: Hummel Road
A 2021 Kia Seltos was reported stolen around 8 a.m. Dec. 3 from the parking lot of Cambridge Court Apartments, 14905 Hummel. The victim said she locked the car doors.
Operating a vehicle under the influence: Smith Road
A Cleveland man (66) was arrested around 1:30 a.m. on December 3 for drunken driving.
Police pulled over the man’s Chevrolet Silverado on northbound Smith near Bowfin Boulevard after seeing the vehicle drift out of its lane several times.
The man admitted to drinking “a few beers”. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot and he smelled of alcohol. The man was confused, and when the police asked him to step outside the truck, he was unsteady on his feet.
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 reported damaged around 2 a.m. Dec. 5. The car’s rear passenger window was broken and the steering column peeled.
Theft: Brookpark Road
A catalyst was stolen between 6:30 p.m. Nov. 23 and 9:30 a.m. Nov. 28 from a van parked outside Malley’s Chocolates, 13400.
