Bedfordtimesregister.com - Police News: Officers say security video led to tips on shoplifting case

Macedonia -- Police say they are seeking a man who allegedly shoved a Route 82 store employee who tried to stop him from leaving without paying for $195 in video games on March 27.

Police said April 6 that they received several anonymous tips identifying a suspect after store security video of the altercation aired on television newscasts.

According to a police report, the employee reported that at about 3:45 p.m., he saw the man put five games down the front of his pants, then walk to the front doors.

The employee said he confronted the man, who shoved him twice, hard enough to knock him off balance.

Police said the employee was uninjured.

The employee said he ran out of the store and saw the man get into a car and drive east on Route 82 at a high rate of speed. Police said they patrolled the area, including Interstate 271 northbound up to Miles Road in Bedford Heights, but did not see the car.

Police contacted area police departments with a description of the car, but none reported seeing it.

Property damage

March 31. Paint sprayed on vehicle: A Vintage Lane woman reported someone sprayed paint on the rear of her husband's small construction vehicle while it was parked at the end of the road during the previous few days.

March 30. Trailer lock broken: A North Bedford Road man reported someone forced his trailer door open since the day before. The man said nothing was missing and police said there are no suspects.

March 28. Trailer lock cut off: The owner of a Highland Road business reported someone cut the lock off the side door of an empty truck trailer while it had been in the business' parking lot since December.

Injured animal

March 30. Man finds cat shot: A North Bedford Road man reported that a bleeding stray cat he had found on his porch a week before had been shot. The man said a veterinarian treating the cat told him that fragments found in the animal were apparently that of a .22-caliber bullet.

The man said neighbors he spoke to told him they did not remember hearing any gunfire. Police said they are investigating.

Theft

March 30. Tools taken from van: An employee of a Highland Road business reported someone took $250 in hand tools from his van while it was in the business' parking lot over the previous few days. Police said there was no damage to the van and the man said he may have left it unlocked. Police said there are no suspects and they are investigating.

March 24. Man pleads guilty to stealing merchandise from store: An Oakwood Village man, 47, pleaded guilty March 25 to charges of theft and receiving stolen property, both first-degree misdemeanors, after police said he stole more than $500 in merchandise from a Macedonia Commons Boulevard store over a two-day period. The merchandise included a microwave oven, computer printer cartridges and printer paper, according to the report.

According to Stow Municipal Court records, the man received a 150-day suspended sentence and was fined $1,250, $1,000 of which was suspended.

According to a police report, a store employee reported March 24 that the man left in a vehicle without paying for $265 in merchandise. Northfield Village police stopped the man on Route 8 and police said they found an additional $282 in merchandise in the man's car.

Macedonia police said the man admitted taking the additional merchandise from the store the day before.

March 20. Man runs off with cigarettes: An employee of a Highland Road service station reported an unidentified man ran out of the station's store without paying for a $54 carton of cigarettes.

Identity theft

March 26. Purchases made with bank card: A city woman reported someone used her bank card number to purchase $429 in airline tickets and $80 in flowers online. The woman said someone attempted to make additional purchases totaling $153, but her bank declined them.

Police said the bank is investigating.

-- Northfield Center --
Theft

March 31. Woman accused of shoplifting: Police charged a Hudson woman, 40, with first-degree misdemeanor theft after an employee of a Route 82 store reported the woman left without paying for $61 in groceries. Police gave the woman an April 6 Stow Municipal Court date and released her.

March 29. Items taken from truck: A Meadow Brooke Way man reported someone took unspecified items from his unlocked pickup truck while it was in his driveway since the day before.

Editor's note: Police News, a compilation of incidents responded to by area law enforcement agencies.

It is not intended to be all-inclusive.