Bedfordtimesregister.com - Police News: Officers say men wracked up $2,451 bill for business

Macedonia -- A Summit County grand jury will hear the cases of three Cleveland men accused of purchasing a refrigerator and air compressor using an unauthorized credit card Feb. 24.

According to Stow Municipal Court records, police charged a 38-year-old man with one count each of forgery, misuse of a credit card and theft, all fifth-degree felonies.

He did not enter a plea to the charges at his Feb. 26 arraignment and was released from Macedonia City Jail that day on a $1,000 bond.

Police also charged a 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old man with fifth-degree felony complicity to commit theft.

In addition, police charged the younger man with fifth-degree felony theft, and misdemeanor charges of giving false information to police and obstruction of justice. Neither man entered a plea to the felony charges and the younger man pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanors at their Feb. 26 arraignments.

Both were released from the city jail on personal bonds that day.

According to a police report, store employees called police to the Macedonia Commons Boulevard store, alleging the men charged the $2,451 purchase to an account belonging to a Maple Heights plumbing business.

Police said the men left with the purchases in a sport utility vehicle before they arrived, but were located and stopped on Route 8 just south of Ledge Road with the help of Northfield Village Police.

Police said the 31-year-old man initially gave them a false name.

Lt. Vince Yakopovich said the department is investigating whether the incident is connected with fraudulent purchases made at other area branches of the store.

Theft

March 3. Man says gun stolen in 1990s: A Valley View Road man reported a man who had boarded with him stole a handgun from him 10 years ago. The man said he did not report the theft sooner because it was only recently he found the gun's serial number. Police said they are investigating, but the man could only provide the boarder's first name.

March 1. Vehicle broken into: A man reported someone pried the lock off his pickup truck's door while it was parked outside a Route 8 business in the late morning. The man said a radio/CD player was pulled out of the dashboard and taken, along with six CDs and a package of 10 lightbulbs. According to a police report, the missing items totaled $410.

Feb. 28. Woman charged with theft from store: An Akron woman, 24, pleaded not guilty to first-degree misdemeanor theft March 2 in connection with the alleged Feb. 28 theft of $210 in merchandise from a Macedonia Commons Boulevard business.

According to a police report, a store employee alleged the woman walked out of the store with the items in a shopping cart.

Police said they arrested her in the parking lot. According to Stow Municipal Court records, the woman was released from Macedonia City Jail on a $500 bond March 2. She is scheduled for a March 13 pretrial hearing.

Feb. 26. Couple use worthless gift cards: An employee at a Macedonia Commons Boulevard restaurant reported an unidentified man and woman gave her three gift cards to pay for their meal, then left before she discovered that the cards had no monetary value assigned to them. The meal's value was not included in a police reported.

Feb. 24. Car window smashed: A Valley View Road man reported someone smashed his car's side window while it was in his driveway in the early morning. The man said a radar detector, a case containing six CDs, and a wallet, containing $50, his driver's license and college ID card were missing. The value of the stolen items was not included in a police report.

Harassment

Feb. 28. Woman says someone harassing her: A city woman reported that for two mornings in a row, someone rang her doorbell and screamed before running away at about 5 a.m. The woman also said someone put a strong glue on her vehicle's gas cap, forcing her to pry it off.

Possible burglary

Feb. 23. Women report furniture was searched: A Fieldstone Lane woman and her teenage daughter reported someone apparently entered their home when no one was home during the day and searched through dresser drawers in several bedrooms.

The woman said nothing was missing. The girl said she came home at about 3 p.m. and discovered dresser drawers in three bedrooms were open and appeared to have been searched.

The girl said she went to a neighbor's house and waited for her mother to come home.

Police said they investigated, but were unable to find any evidence and there was no sign of forced entry.

-- Northfield Center --

Criminal trespassing

March 7. Man trespasses in wetlands area: Police charged a 29-year-old Akron man with criminal trespassing, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, after an anonymous person reported seeing him riding an all terrain vehicle near Kitner Boulevard in a wetland conservation area south of the Crossings at Golden Link shopping center in the early evening.

The Summit County Sheriff's deputy said he found the man sitting on the ATV on Kitner. The deputy said a sign posted in the conservation area near Kitner states "No bicycles or motor vehicles allowed."

The man was given a

Stow Municipal Court summons and released.

Theft

March 6. Copper plates stolen: An employee of a Broadview Heights company reported that someone took two $125 copper plates from a Route 82 cell phone tower the company owns in early October.

March 4. Woman allegedly tries to steal 30 video games: A 22-year-old Macedonia woman did not enter a plea to a charge of fifth-degree felony theft March 5 after an employee of a Golden Link Boulevard store reported she tried to leave the store without paying for 30 video games, valued at about $545.

Editor's note: Police News, a compilation of area incidents, is not intended to be all-inclusive.