Steubenville Police
Wild ride: A tow truck driver trying to move an abandoned pickup that was partially blocking Richland Avenue got more than he bargained for, Saturday.
The vehicle's tags were expired and the owner left the key in the truck. When it wouldn't start, he put it in neutral and the officer pushed it over the curb into the street, but instead of coasting toward the truck the vehicle picked up speed and took off. The officer said he could "hear the gears stripping as it continued down the hill without slowing or stopping," and as the runaway truck approached the intersection of Richland and Devonshire Road, he said the tow truck operator steered left, through the empty park, to avoid striking any houses. The truck struck several small trees and a rotten utility pole before coming to rest in the woodline behind a property in the 2500 block.
He said the driver told him he'd tried to use the brakes and emergency brake, but neither would engage, nor was he able to shift.
The owner will be getting tickets for prohibited parking as well as expired registration.
Do no harm: A man having an allergic reaction to being stung by yellow jackets while doing yard work got into an argument with the triage nurse at Trinity Medical Center West when he was told to wait in the lobby, Saturday. Police said when they arrived, the man was curled up on his knees with his forehead on the pavement in the parking lot and appeared to be in duress. The officer observed him "to be in pain with a red, swollen face, (and) eyes and mouth appearing to be having some kind of allergic reaction." Hospital personnel said he'd "broke(n) down the lobby doors" and had been laying in the ambulance hanger bay prior to police arriving. The man told them he was having a serious reaction to the bee stings and didn't know what he was doing when he walked out, but advised he wished to receive treatment though he wanted no part of the original nurse who'd argued with him. Police spoke with the hospital staff but they said they did not want to treat him and wanted him to leave the property. Police offered to call an ambulance but he ended up trying to drive himself to Weirton Medical Center.
Time to go: A man told police he and his girlfriend were arguing Friday at her residence in the 400 block of South fiurth Street when her child's father joined the fray, pulling him away from her. When the two men began arguing the female grabbed her ex's gun from his holster and pointed it at him. He said her ex told him to leave and then yelled at her to give him his gun back. He wants to pursue charges.
Hurt: A caller reported a female in the 400 block of Maxwell Avenue walking in the street who needed assistance, Saturday. Police located the woman, who told them she hurt her foot when her father threw her off a porch. She did not want an ambulance and told them she was walking home.
Bad move: A man who'd done concrete work for a Sunset Boulevard business got drunk and harassed the business's employees, accusing them of ripping him off, Saturday. The employees said he was "belligerent and threatening." They said he left and came back about 10 minutes later and stood outside, pointing at them through a window. Someone who knew him agreed to take him home.
Booked: William Jones, 34, Bald Knob, Ark., fugitive from justice, Saturday. An officer on patrol spotted Jones slumped over on a chair behind a trash can in the 400 block of North Sixth Street. They were able to wake him, but said his speech was "extremely slurred" and he had difficulty keeping his eyes open. After being assessed by Steubenville firefighters/ems Jones was taken to the Jefferson County Jail, where he's being held without bond pending extradition.
Lovely: A woman in the 1200 block of Claire Avenue was "yelling and cussing" in the roadway, Friday. Police said she went back in her father's residence without incident.
Fraud: An Earl Drive Apartment resident told police someone used a debit card she misplaced to make unauthorized purchases of $30 and $191 at Maryland Market, Friday. The larger transaction was caught on surveillance cameras and the woman told police he looked familiar.
Ouch: A Sherman Avenue resident said someone stole $1,300 from her purse, Friday.
Lost: A McDowell Avenue resident who is moving told police he lost his wallet and the $140 cash, debit card and driver's license he kept in it, Friday.
Bad work: A Moreland Drive resident said she paid a contractor $3,600 to do some home repairs but he didn't have the right equipment and dented the new gutters and also damaged her fence, Friday. She said he hadn't returned to her house in three weeks and now he won't return calls.
Booked: Rickey Lee Noviski, 44, 125 Aetna St., Mingo Junction, warrant for failure to appear, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of drug abuse instruments, Friday. While taking Noviski into custody on the warrant, police allegedly found a used hypodermic in his pants pocket along with a burnt metal crack pipe which they claimed still contained a small amount of unused crack.
Family fun: A Sunset Boulevard resident told police her brother is causing problems for her, Friday. She said he's harassed her before and even called her employer, making false allegations of wrongdoing to her supervisors. She said the company has advised him to stop contacting them, but he called again asking if she was working, which she found concerning.
Rolled: A Jeep struck the side of Taco Bell, Friday. The owner said he'd parked and pulled the emergency brake and while he was inside it coasted back and struck the building. Police said there was a small dent in the wall and a large dent and broken tail light on the Jeep. The assistant manager said she didn't see it.
Kicker: A Ridge Avenue resident said a man was trying to kick in her door, Friday. She was able to identify the man, but when police arrived, he was nowhere to be found. Her forehead was red and she told police he'd punched her twice, but she didn't want to pursue charges. She did tell them she would get a protection order.
Shot fired: A gunshot was heard in the 1300 block of Euclid Avenue, Friday. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the source.
Hit-skip: The owner of a pickup truck parked in the 1600 block of Ridge Avenue said a neighbor woke him up to tell him a BMW had rammed it, pushing it on the sidewalk against a tree before fleeing the scene, Friday. Another officer spotted the heavily-damaged BMW headed east on Sunset Boulevard at McDowell Avenue and pulled the driver, Jorian Jones, 21, 428 Lawson Ave., Steubenville, over. Jones was charged with hit-skip.
Booked: Diana Faccuito, 70, 221 Lovers Lane, Apt. 2, Steubenville, petit theft, Saturday. Wal-Mart employees allege Faccuito grabbed multiple items from her cart but scanned only the bottom item, then bagged all of them, and occasionally just bagged items without attempting to scan any of them. They claim she'd been observed "several other times doing the same in the past but had not been caught." They told police she paid for about $70 in groceries and skip-scanned roughly $100 in food items.
Last chance: Police were asked to assist an intoxicated male in the 400 block of N. 4th Street, Saturday. They said the man was "very intoxicated, as he was unable to speak clearly or stand still under his own power." He admitted being intoxicated and said he'd had three beers, but after observing him stumbling throughout the area and slurring his speech they said it was obvious he'd had more. He told them he didn't need medical assistance and was going to walk him. They gave him a courtesy ride to his home, but warned him it's the second time they've found him walking the streets while intoxicated and the next time he'll be arrested.
Kid: A caller reported seeing someone carrying a firearm, Friday. Officers determined it was a juvenile and he had a BB gun. He was advised to go home.
Concerning: A man sleeping on the steps behind Fort Steuben Apartments was told he could not sleep there.
Cited: Tristan M. Painter, 20, 2604 Devonshire Road, Steubenville, excessive speed and improper passing; Michael T. Young, 54, 1424 Sunset Blvd., Steubenville, speeding.