Clayton Weekly Police Incident Report: March 1-7

From the City of Clayton:

March 8, 2021

For the reporting period of Monday, March 1st – Sunday, March 7th, CPD officers responded to 465 calls for service. Those calls included 6 automobile accidents, 24 calls to assist the CFD & multiple phone scams. Among those calls were the following incidents:

A woman was defrauded of thousands of dollars Monday afternoon when she fell victim to a grandparent scam. The fraud started Monday morning when the woman received a phone call from someone impersonating her granddaughter. The caller claimed to have been arrested by local police & needed the woman to post her bond. A short time later, a man claiming to be a public defender called the woman & instructed her to use an ATM located in Clayton to transfer several thousands of dollars to an unknown account.

Like other phone scams, grandparent scams have been around for years & can take on various forms, all involving the need to send money to the caller fast. To learn more about these scams & how to protect yourself from fraud, visit http://ow.ly/aRLW50DTb4z or http://ow.ly/LZQO50DTb4y.

A man was driving southbound on I-170 Monday evening when a second vehicle entered his lane, striking his driver's side. The man exited the highway to exchange information. However, the driver of the striking vehicle continued southbound without attempting to stop or exchange contact information. An investigation is ongoing.

Residents awoke Thursday morning to discover one of their vehicles was missing from their driveway. The resident parked & secured the vehicle Wednesday night & placed the keys on the kitchen island. Investigation revealed a subject or subjects entered the home in the early morning hours & took the keys before fleeing with the vehicle. The kitchen island is visible from the home's rear door & the door was inadvertently left unlocked. The investigation continues & we ask anyone with information to contact the CPD.

Later Thursday morning, someone claiming to represent the Department of Social Security called a resident & informed him there was a warrant for his arrest. The caller instructed him to speak with a contact at the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office to arrange for the warrant's disposal. The man was defrauded of several thousands of dollars when he followed the contact's instructions to purchase multiple gift cards to local retailers.

Please note that neither the Social Security Administration nor other law enforcement entities will ever request or accept payments in the form of gift cards. For more information on identifying & protecting yourself from http://ow.ly/xpPB50DTb4w & http://ow.ly/eB0b50DTb4x

Saturday afternoon, a CPD officer was on foot in Shaw Park & the surrounding area when he discovered fresh graffiti in the Clayshire tunnel & on the MetroLink overpass. The property owners were contacted & notified of the damage.

A witness contacted the CPD Sunday evening after observing a group of people on the roof of a building in the central business district. Officers responded & found six juveniles on the rooftop. They were all released to their parents, or guardians & the building was secured.

Finally, late Sunday night, an officer observed a juvenile subject riding a bicycle through the central business district after curfew. Officers contacted the juvenile & conveyed them to their residence, where they released the youth to a parent.

Although it's convenient to store keys, purses & backpacks in your mudroom, laundry room, or kitchen, these locations are often visible from your home's exterior. Please consider alternate storage places & avoid putting yourself or your property at risk. Practice your #9pmRoutine all day, every day. Never leave your keys, remotes, or fobs in unattended vehicles & secure your home & use your security systems even while you're home.

Until next week, stay safe!

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