Clayton Weekly Police Incident Report: April 26- May 2

From the City of Clayton:

May 3, 2021

For the reporting period of Monday, April 26th – Sunday, May 2nd, CPD officers responded to 452 calls for service. Those calls included 6 automobile accidents & 39 calls to assist the CFD. Among those calls were the following incidents:

Country Club Hills PD contacted the CPD Monday morning, asking officers to notify a resident they had towed his SUV from their jurisdiction. The vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the street & was described as severely damaged. When officers met with the resident, they discovered someone stole the SUV from the 100 block of N. Central overnight. The resident reportedly parked the vehicle in front of his home between 7 & 8 pm. He stated he left a backpack inside the SUV, which contained, among other things, a key to the vehicle & his wallet. Officers processed the vehicle for evidence & the investigation is ongoing.

A CPD officer was conducting a business check at Walgreens early Tuesday morning when a man approached & stated he wished to turn himself. The man was arrested after a computer inquiry confirmed outstanding warrants for criminal non-support through STL County PD.

Later Tuesday morning, a commuter was driving eastbound on Maryland Ave. in the area of Gay Ave. when he was struck from behind. The striking vehicle did not attempt to stop. Instead, the victim watched as the vehicle, a white Dodge Dakota, made a U-turn in the middle of Maryland Avenue & struck a tree & a street sign before fleeing west, toward I-170. Witnesses described the driver as a Caucasian male wearing a neon green construction style shirt. An investigation is ongoing.

In late March, we reported a vehicle was stolen from the 8000 block of Davis Dr. SLMPD officers located the car in their jurisdiction Tuesday afternoon. The sedan was unoccupied & badly damaged. A CPD officer processed the car for evidence & the investigation continues.

The manager of a local hotel contacted the CPD Tuesday night to report a man was trespassing in the building. Officers located the man nearby & arrested him for trespassing 1st degree, a felony. The man has been repeatedly banned from several locations within the central business district. Despite multiple warnings & arrests, he continues to trespass & has a pending court case through the St. Louis County Courts involving 5 counts of trespassing 1st degree.

While conducting an audit of one of the cash drawers, a Walgreens employee discovered 4 counterfeit $100 bills in the till. He reviewed the transaction history & found the bills were accepted early Wednesday morning when a man presented them as payment for a $300 reloadable debit card. The card had a $4.95 activation fee & the man received $95.05 in change. Walgreens corporate management canceled the card before the man used it & $300 was credited back to Walgreens.

A cleaning crew was working in an office building Wednesday night when they found a man "sleeping" on the 4th floor. Officers responded & spoke with the man, who admitted he had been previously banned from the property. They arrested him for trespassing & released him on a summons through the Clayton Municipal Court.

Residents were walking near the intersection of Forsyth & Jackson Friday morning when they heard a loud crash & scraping noise. They looked towards the sky bridge connecting 7425 & 7501 Forsyth & observed a red, flatbed pickup truck pulling a trailer with a large backhoe traveling northbound under the sky bridge. The backhoe's arm scraped along the bottom of the sky bridge, damaging it as the truck continued. They last saw the truck heading northbound into University City.

A woman damaged a parking gate arm in the 7700 block of Forsyth when she drove through it Thursday morning. Surveillance footage showed a traffic cone was blocking the exit lane. The woman drove over the cone & straight through the gate arm, which was in the down position.

In preparation for selling her home, a resident has been storing several collectible items in her garage. She returned home Thursday morning & discovered an antique sign had been stolen. The garage was left unsecured for approximately 45 minutes while a family member completed yard work nearby. No witnesses or suspects have been identified & the investigation continues.

A woman was working in the 900 block of S. Hanley Friday night when she observed 5 male juveniles ride their bicycles to the rear of a nearby construction site. She watched as they abandoned their bikes & climbed into the secured private property. Officers responded & identified all 5 juveniles. They were each released to their parent or guardian & the report has been forwarded to the St. Louis County Family Court for consideration.

Officers responded to southbound I-170 & Forest Park Parkway for a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning. While on the scene, officers determined the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Further investigation led to his arrest for DWI.

A man reported his camera was stolen from the area of Clayton Rd. & Glenridge Sunday morning. He stated he & a colleague were photographing the intersection for an upcoming court case. He reportedly set the camera on top of a stone wall & the two men walked to a different part of the intersection. When he returned to the wall, he discovered the camera was gone. He recalled several vehicles passing through the intersection while the camera was unattended. However, he did not witness anyone walking past or exiting their vehicle.

Finally, our thanks to everyone who joined Chief Smith during his mobile check-in/bicycle patrol through Ward III Sunday morning. He enjoyed the chance to spend time with everyone & looks forward to another patrol through town later this month. Check back for details soon.

Until next week, stay safe!

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