Mingo Junction Police
Heavy lifting: A Sycamore Street resident told police that 22 bags of concrete, about $152 in estimated value, were stolen from the front yard of her property Tuesday. The woman said she has surveillance cameras, but her neighbor's truck blocked the camera's view. Police told her that they would check the surrounding area for other possible cameras and that if she saw anything suspicious to let them know.
Cited: Patrick Morris, 37, 425 Logan Ave., speeding, Thursday; Michele R. Baird, 50, 122 N. Highland Ave., Moundsville, speeding, Thursday.
Steubenville Police
Wild ride: Callers reported a pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed with a female in the bed and a young child on the hood, Thursday. Police said Aldon Powell, 64, 650 South St., Steubenville, ended up in the Jefferson County jail on an eight-hour intoxication hold and was cited for operating a vehicle under the influence. Powell told police he was "driving around the area looking for metal to scrap when he saw two bicycles he thought were garbage," but a crowd gathered after he loaded them on his truck and demanded he give them back. He said he allowed them to retrieve the bikes but somebody in the group got on his hood and broke his wiper and windshield, so he left the area. He told police "he didn't know someone was on his hood or in the bed of the truck." Police said the woman was in the bed of the truck when he was pulled over.
Booked: Lawrence R. Hicks, 35, 1241 Ridge Ave., Steubenville, was charged with strong-arm robbery after he allegedly tried to rob a delivery driver in the 1400 block of Maryland Avenue, Thursday. Police said Hicks "appeared to be intoxicated" when they questioned him and insisted "nothing took place and (they) only had an argument," but the other man said Hicks snatched a check out of his hands and pulled $60 from his pocket, then threw it on the ground after it ripped. Hicks told police they argued and had a small "tussle" but denied stealing or attempting to take the man's money or checks.
Telling stories: A car ended up stuck on a concrete slab on North Street, Thursday. The driver told officers he'd come there to pick up his girlfriend and was trying to turn around and didn't see the concrete jutting up, but when police pressed him for details, he said he "did not know what his girlfriend's name was and that he just met her today at the bar," police said. By that time the owner of the car had called to report it had been taken without permission. She told police she'd met him earlier in the day and he'd told her he was "26 and in college," and when he asked for a ride the two of them hung out at her place for a few hours then she drove him downtown while she visited a friend at Martha Manor. While she was there a resident told her he was leaving with her vehicle. Police questioned the driver again, and this time he said he was "going on a joyride." Dispatchers were able to make contact with his father in Brooke County, who said he didn't know where his son was and at some point, contacted the sheriff's office in that county.
Sad state: A city resident told police her adult son had broken a window and damaged a wall in her home, Thursday. She said he's been living with her for about a year but she's afraid of him and wants him to leave her home. She said he's been drinking and fled the residence when he found out she was reporting the property damage, and said she fears he has an undiagnosed mental health issue. Because he'd lived there for so long she was advised she'd have to obtain an eviction notice from the courts, and alo was advised what she'd have to do to get an order of protection against him. She went to a family member's home for the night "as she is afraid (he) may physically harm her for calling the police," they said.
Cited: Residents reported a motorist in a dark gray Dodge driving recklessly in the vicinity of Oregon Avenue and Pittsburgh Street, Thursday. Complaints continued to come in and an officer managed to get behind the vehicle but said the driver turned onto Belleview Boulevard onto Euclid Avenue and allegedly tried to flee "at a high rate of speed." Police said the driver, Ramon L. Moore, 39, 430 Canton Road, Wintersville, told them he was driving a rental and was "trying to see how fast it could accelerate due to it having a high-performance engine." The vehicle was towed and Moore was cited for driving under suspension, police said.
Draw: Two men involved in a fight in the 100 block of North Fifth Street refused to file charges, Thursday.
Stiffed: A Sunset Boulevard resident reported having received a bad check, Thursday. Employees said a customer wrote a check for $800 for some rental items, but the check bounced due to insufficient funds. He said they made at least two attempts to reach the individual using certified mail and posted a notice on the man's door, but he hasn't resonded.
Play nice: A Lincoln Avenue resident told police a man known to her "parked his vehicle on her property and will not remove it," Thursday. She said he also dumped his trash bags out and left them in her yard.
Targeted: A downtown resident said someone canceled his food stamp card and had a new one issued, Thursday. He said the card came to his residence, but he hasn't requested it. He said in June someone canceled his internet and had it transferred to another location, but he was able to stop that transaction.
Charged: Wal-Mart employees said they tried to stop a man suspected of trying to leave the store without paying for merchandise in his possession, but he fled, Thursday. Police located the man in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue and said he admitted he'd been at Wal-Mart and that "someone approached him and told him he did not pay for something." Police said he told them he "may have forgotten to pay for some Pokemon cards," and after confirming that was the merchandise missing from the store, with his permission they recovered seven packs of cards from behind the driver's seat. Four additional packs were found later after the owner gave them permission to recheck the vehicle. Thomas Allan Patterson, 45, Lewis Street, Weirton, was charged with misdemeanor theft, police said.
Stolen gun: A city resident told police he purchased a new handgun, but it was stolen before he got to his car, Thursday. He said when he left the store he got into an argument and physical altercation with an unknown male who grabbed the gun he'd just purchased and fled. He told police he didn't see the man who attacked him, nor did he see the vehicle he got into.
Code issues: Notices of violation were sent to owners/occupants of properties at 427 Washington St., high grass/weeds; 832 Lincoln Ave., household trash scattered in yard; and 1336-38 Pennsylvania Ave., litter and a couch in rear;
Cited: Lydia M. Forsthoefel, 23, 211 Lovers Lane, Steubenville; Kathleen M. Musacchio, 50, 1145 Wellesley Ave., Steubenville; and Shannon E. Simpson, 57, Bakersfield, Calif., all for speeding; Ronald D. Johnson, 32, 1230 Wellesley Ave., Steubenville, driving under suspension; and the owner of a vehicle parked facing the wrong way in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, criss-cross parking.
Jefferson County Sheriff
Additional charge: An inmate at the Jefferson County Justice Center is facing an additional charge after he allegedly kicked out a window in a cell, Thursday. Deputies said a vandalism charge is pending against Jason C. Darby, 40, 234 Garden Drive, Weirton. Deputies report Darby claimed responsibility and said video footage also showed him kicking the window twice with his heel. Darby was being held for a probation violation and a DUI charge earlier in September. Damage was estimated at around $300.
Blame game: A Mingo Junction woman said her friend's ex is threatening her after a bad break-up, Thursday. She said the two split up and he moved out, but now he's blaming her for the breakup, texting her that "you are the reason I am homeless" and advising "actions have consequences."
Recipe for disaster: Children walking past a Wilson Avenue residence told police their dog followed them, upsetting neighbors, Sept. 22. They said the owners of a residence in the 1100 block had guns and threatened to shoot their dog. The residents denied having guns, but admitted being upset because the dog came on their property. A witness later said one of the adults admitted they'd had guns.
Snatched: Someone grabbed two weed eaters belonging to Springfield Township, Bergholz, Wednesday. Two employees had been working around a cemetery by APEX and loaded their truck to move to another area but forgot to pack the weed eaters. When they returned for them they had been taken.
Stolen: An Adena resident told deputies her kayak had been stolen from her yard, Wednesday.