Man drives through red light, causes crash; in car is loaded gun, $1,150 cash, marijuana: Cleveland Heights police blotter

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Carrying a concealed weapon: Euclid Heights Boulevard

At 11:25 a.m. June 14, police were called to the scene of a two-car crash at Euclid Heights Boulevard and Superior Road. There, a man had driven his car through a red light without stopping, striking the car of another man.

When officers arrived, the car that caused the crash, driven by a 35-year-old, was on its side. As Cleveland Heights Fire Department firefighters were tending to the scene, one informed an officer that he saw inside the car a gun and a large amount of cash.

The man who caused the crash told officers that he had a gun on his person. The gun was seized as the man once had a permit for the weapon issued in Lake County, but allowed that permit to expire in April, 2019.

Inside the car, officers found another gun, loaded with 22 rounds of ammunition, $1,150 in cash, and containers, some empty, some holding marijuana. Also found was a digital scale that had on it marijuana residue, and the man’s cell phone.

The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital. The suspect was cited for failing to stop at a red light, driving with a suspended license and driving without a license. More charges are pending as the man is now the subject of a felony investigation.

Aggravated robbery: Euclid Heights Boulevard

At 5:50 a.m. June 11, a woman reported that, 10 minutes earlier, she was robbed as she stood at the bus stop at Euclid Heights Boulevard and Lancashire Road. The woman, while at the bus stop, saw a black SUV drive by, then park nearby. Two males got out of the vehicle and approached her from behind.

Both suspects brandished guns and demanded her cell phone and the phone’s pass code. After getting the phone and pass code, one of the suspects used his gun to strike the woman in the forehead.

The men headed back to the SUV, carrying the phone and the woman’s book bag. The woman ran after the men, pleading for them to give back the book bag as it contained important school items. One of the suspects rummaged through the bag, removed the woman’s wallet, then threw the bag out of an SUV window. The bag contained the woman’s Massachusetts ID card and several credit cards.

The woman refused medical attention. She found shortly after that several Amazon purchases had been made on her account. The thieves asked to have the Amazon items delivered to an Eddy Road address in Cleveland that is unfamiliar to the women. The suspects had apparently used the woman’s pass code to block her ability to locate her phone.

On June 11, University Circle police contacted Cleveland Heights police, stating that the suspect’s SUV had been found. It had been reported stolen, at gunpoint, minutes before the men used it while robbing the woman at the bus stop. The suspects, upon carjacking the SUV, left behind another vehicle in University Circle that was also believed to have been taken at gunpoint.

Police are investigating the matter.

OVI: Noble Road

At 11:10 p.m. June 13, police were called to Mayfield and Maplegrove roads in South Euclid. A woman, 22, reported that as she drove south on Noble Road, a car that was weaving while heading in the same direction, hit the side of her car, knocking off the side mirror. The caller followed the suspect’s car to a bar on Mayfield Road in South Euclid. The driver got out, went into the bar, came out shortly after, and drove to Maplegrove.

Police met there with the caller. When an officer pulled up, he saw the female suspect, 38, crouching and urinating on the pavement. The suspect’s speech was slurred and she had glassy eyes. The suspect said she was unaware that she had hit another car.

When asked where she had been, the suspect said she had been at a friend’s graduation party and admitted to drinking alcohol while there. In the suspect’s car, police found a half-empty bottle of an alcoholic beverage. The police report notes that the woman was erratic and emotional as she spoke with officers.

The suspect failed field sobriety tests and was found to have a blood-alcohol content of .187. The state minimum for drunk driving is .08.

Police charged the woman with OVI, having a prohibited BAC, driving drunk with a previous OVI license suspension, operating a vehicle without reasonable control, and failure to control. She was additionally cited for having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

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