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STEUBENVILLE POLICE
Upstairs, downstairs: A Wilkins Avenue resident complained her upstairs neighbor was letting his dog "urinate on the top balcony" Tuesday. He went downstairs to talk to the caller but said she wouldn't come to the door, even though he knocked for "about 30 minutes." He told police there are "ongoing issues" between the caller and other neighbors "due to (her) not picking up after her dog." The caller complained that the upstairs guy's dog "urinates on the top balcony and (it) runs down onto their fish tank and side porch" and said she told the landlord but nothing has been done about it. She also claimed that while he was pounding on her door "he threatened her with a gun." The upstairs guy said she's been known to "come outside with a baseball bat so he warned her not to do that" but didn't specifically mention a gun. Police said the two tried to "talk out their problems" but continued to argue instead, so they told them the issues are between them and their landlord and they'd "have to get along or avoid each other." Police also noted that they did not smell any urine while they walked through the area she claimed the urine was dripping into, and the upstairs guy's girlfriend said the liquid she was complaining about was "water from her watering her plants."
Move it or lose it: Individuals camping out on Slack Street at Wells were told they'd have to move on Tuesday. Police said they had a cabin and tent set up "with numerous personal items scattered about," but encampments are prohibited in Steubenville. They told them they could take time to gather their things but would have to vacate the area.
Drug money: A Belleview Boulevard property owner said he was cutting grass Monday when he realized someone had "stripped apart" the air conditioning unit and the copper wire was stolen. Police said it was "completely taken apart and the copper coils … cut from it."
Hit-skipped: A customer who spent about an hour inside Lowe's Monday said when he returned to his car he discovered the grille of his silver 2018 Volkswagen had been cracked and there was a dent on the side. He said store video captured footage of an older male with a shopping cart that got away from him, "rolling through the lot and (striking) the vehicle." Police said the video showed the man "running after the cart and after it hit … (he) got into a blue Honda sedan and left."
Out of patience: Multiple callers in the Kendall Avenue area reported hearing about 15 shots fired Tuesday, but once at the scene witnesses said it was a vehicle "backfiring." Police searched the area and didn't find the vehicle but pointed out a motorist had been warned several weeks ago about the exhaust being overly loud. The calls keep coming in, police said, and if the same driver is involved, a citation will be coming his way.
Friendly relations: A Market Street resident said a female "had threatened to damage his vehicle and/or residence with bricks due to an ongoing dispute" Monday.
Targeted: A city resident told police Tuesday a former co-worker was "posting derogatory comments on Facebook" directed toward her, telling police they weren't true. She was advised to look into a protection order.
Attempted break-ins: Residents in the 700 block of Broadway Boulevard said someone "attempted to enter cars in the neighborhood" over the weekend.
Noisy: Brady Avenue residents complained about a loud radio Tuesday and when police checked the area they said they could "hear the music from the roadway." They said the owner "was very cooperative and apologized" for causing problems for his neighbors.
Booked: Ryan Gooch, no age, no fixed address, criminal trespass. JMHA security advised police Gooch had entered a building on N. Sixth Avenue despite having been trespassed from the property following a prior encounter, confirming it on security video. Gooch was taken into custody a few minutes later on Seventh and Adams streets and said he claimed "to have swallowed narcotics and needed to be taken to" the hospital to be cleared before he was booked into the county jail without bond.
Cited: Stacie A. Travis, 59, 3010 Johns Road No. 207, Steubenville, driving under suspension and improper backing following a two-vehicle fender-bender in the Walmart lot Tuesday; Rankin Tran, 24, Pittsburgh, speeding.
JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF
Screams scam: A Germantown man is being played by a female at a location on US 250, Adena. The man said he's "seeing" the woman and recently took her and her sister "on a date to Waffle House in Dayton," near his home, then took her to Kroger and bought her flowers. He said he'd also used Cash App to send her money but it was "only $20 a few times." Last week he said she called to say she'd "been in a car accident and had just left the hospital," then spun a yarn about how she'd gone to a McDonald's and a strange man offered her, her sister and baby a ride from Bloomfield to Dayton to meet with him but after they were in the car the unknown man was "holding her and her baby hostage" at the US 250 location and claimed he took her phone so she wouldn't be able to contact him until the unknown male "allowed her to." No one came to the door when deputies knocked but they spotted the car the Germantown man said belonged to the woman parked in the garage. She quickly contacted the caller, claiming she was suddenly "able to grab her phone and run to the gas station and the police were there" so she was going to talk with them and hung up without saying where she might be.
Dukes up: A caller from East Main Street, Adena reported a fight "out in the street" Sunday. The caller said three women had been throwing punches but one left.
Plucked out: A Salineville woman told deputies she wants to file child abuse charges against her ex and his new girlfriend Sept. 9. She said they took her daughter for a "spa day" and had her eyebrows plucked. Mom claimed the procedure caused chemical burns around her eyes.
Theft: Someone broke into storage units on County Road 54, Bergholz. Police said the owner was advised Monday "locks were cut and items were missing." He said his John Deere tractor was stolen.
Long walk home: Two people were lying on the pavement in a parking lot in Yorkville Monday. The caller advised both were breathing. A deputy advised he'd spoken to them earlier and they said they "at a location on US 250 were 'taking a break before walking to Martins Ferry.'" They were gone when another deputy arrived at the location.
Daddy issues: A Dillonvale caller reported her father was "highly intoxicated and had been screaming and breaking things" Saturday. When he found out she'd called for help he left the house, which was fine with his wife, who wanted him to leave for the night. He did.
Screamer: A male in Dillonvale reported his wife was "highly intoxicated" Sept. 12. Deputies said they could hear her screaming in the background and reported she ran down the street. They gave her a ride to her home in Tiltonsville.
No. 1: A Tiltonsville woman wanted her fiancé removed from their apartment Sept. 11. She said he hadn't been physical with her but complained he was "refusing to help her" after a recent surgery and "not making her a priority."
Scammed: A Rayland woman said her son attending school in Wheeling had been taken for more than $920 after he replied to an email about a purported work-study opportunity. He said the scammer advised him to deposit a check they'd sent him and then send them the money through Cash App/bitcoin. She said once the scammer had his account number "they took even more."
Uninvited: A Yorkville woman reported men came up on her porch "yelling for her children and their friends to come out" Saturday. She said one of the men had "a large machete in his pants" but her fiancé chased them away.