City Of Clayton Weekly Police Incident Report: May 17-23

From the City of Clayton:

May 24, 2021

Our congratulations to the Meramec Elementary Girls On The Run team! The girls completed their season finale 5K this Saturday at an impressive pace. Way to go ladies! Also, a big thank you goes out to everyone who braved the heat yesterday morning for our Coffee With A Cop at Wydown Park. We truly enjoyed catching up with old friends & meeting new neighbors! We're already working on plans for our next event so check back often for updates. Read on for more about what happened around town last week.

For the reporting period of Monday, May 17th – Sunday, May 23rd, CPD officers responded to 485 calls for service, including 10 automobile accidents & 19 calls to assist the CFD. Among those calls were the following incidents:

Early Tuesday morning, a woman responded to the CPD to report someone had made several fraudulent ATM withdrawals from her bank account. A review of her financial statement revealed someone accessed her account late Monday night & made over $2,000 in withdrawals. At the time of the transactions, the woman was at work & her card was in her possession. It is unclear when or how her card & account were compromised. The investigation is ongoing.

Later Tuesday morning, a motorist experienced quite a fright when a wrong-way driver drove straight toward his vehicle on Forest Park Parkway. The man avoided serious injury by quickly steering onto the shoulder. The wrong-way driver struck the rear driver's side of the victim's vehicle before continuing westbound on the parkway. As of this report, no witnesses have come forward & the wrong-way driver has not been identified.

A woman's wallet was stolen from her purse as she shopped Tuesday afternoon. She reported leaving her purse in her shopping cart, which was occasionally out of her view as she shopped. As she spoke with officers, she received a notification someone was attempting to use her credit card for a nearly $2,000 purchase at Sam's Club. She declined the purchase & immediately received another alert from her bank, advising the same transaction was being attempted with her bank card. An investigation is ongoing.

CVS employees contacted the CPD early Wednesday morning after a man refused to pay for a beverage he drank while in the store. Employees requested assistance in banning the man from reentering the store. Officers located him nearby & informed him he was no longer welcome at the store & would be charged with trespassing if he returned.

While investigating a verbal disturbance Wednesday afternoon, officers learned one of the individuals was wanted by another agency for Possession of Narcotic Equipment. The warrant was confirmed as active & the man was arrested.

After discovering damage to her vehicle Thursday morning, a resident was contacted by her building's security department. A review of surveillance footage showed the vehicle was struck by a furniture delivery vehicle as it backed through the parking lot in the 900 block of S. Hanley. After the collision, the driver & a male passenger exited the delivery truck & visually inspected the victim's vehicle. Neither individual left a note nor attempted to notify anyone of the damage. Officers will follow up with the furniture company.

Thursday afternoon, a local law firm was notified someone was attempting to cash a fraudulent check against their business account. An unknown subject presented the check at an out-of-state bank & the fraudster did not receive any funds. It is unclear how the firm's account was compromised. The law firm will follow up with their financial institution.

CVS employees were verbally threatened by a man when they confronted him about stealing from the store Thursday night. Officers found the man near S. Brentwood Blvd. & Clayton Rd. & arrested him for assault 4th degree. He has an upcoming court date through the Clayton municipal court.

A Straub's manager contacted CPD officers Friday night to request assistance. She reported a man had been in & out of the store several times throughout the day. He disrupted customers each time & employees suspected he was stealing or attempting to steal merchandise. While speaking with the man, officers learned of a warrant for his arrest through the SLMPD for stealing. The warrant was confirmed as active & the man was arrested.

While conducting a traffic stop at N. Meramec & Kingsbury Blvd. Saturday afternoon, a CPD officer learned the driver was wanted for stealing by the SLMPD. The warrant was confirmed & the driver was arrested.

Finally, we've noticed you've been using your #9pmRoutine. Thank you for helping us prevent crime in our community. Keep up the great work & until next week, stay safe!

This press release was produced by the City of Clayton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.