Clayton Weekly Police Incident Report: May 3-9

From the City of Clayton:

May 10, 2021

Before we begin, the men & women of the CPD wish a belated happy Mothers' Day to you all!

For the reporting period of Monday, May 3rd – Sunday, May 9th, the CPD responded to 425 calls for service, including 17 vehicle accidents & 34 calls to assist the fire department. Among those calls were the following incidents:

While reviewing surveillance footage, security at a residential building in the 800 block of S. Hanley discovered subjects attempted to break into vehicles on their parking lot. At approximately 2:40am, a white SUV entered the lot & 2 suspects, believed to be males, checked the doors of several vehicles before leaving the area. As of this report, nothing has been reported as stolen.

Later Monday morning, employees in the 8200 block of Forsyth discovered a large glass window on the front of the building had been shattered. A review of nearby surveillance camera footage revealed the damage occurred between 9pm & 9:30pm Saturday night. The investigation is ongoing; however, no suspects or witnesses have been identified.

Your surveillance cameras could be the key to solving crimes like these. For information on the community camera program, please visit: Community Camera Program | City of Clayton, MO (claytonmo.gov)

Monday afternoon, a local business manager reported an ex-employee was disgruntled over his last paycheck. He made two calls to the restaurant threatening to harm the manager & other employees. Officers arrested the man for Harassment 1st degree Saturday morning & the case has been forwarded to the St. Louis County Prosecutor's office for consideration.

Tuesday morning, a parks department employee discovered damage to the interior of the ice rink concessions building. Sometime overnight, forced entry was made into the building & the walls & elevator shaft were spray-painted with undecipherable graffiti.

Officers arrested a man Wednesday morning after parkgoers reported he was harassing them as they exercised. The man was released from custody with a pending court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

Just after 10:30 am Wednesday, officers received information a bank in the central business district was robbed. Witnesses reported a woman demanded & received an undisclosed amount of money before leaving the area in a cab. With the assistance of the North County Police Cooperative & the taxi company, the woman was located in the area of Hanley Hills, where she was arrested without incident. At the time of her arrest, a suspected controlled substance was found in her possession. Following additional investigation, she was charged with robbery 1st degree & is currently being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond. The possession charge is under advisement, pending the results of lab analysis.

Residents awoke early Friday morning to discover one of their vehicles was missing from their detached garage. The car was last driven Thursday evening & both the vehicle & the garage were left unlocked. The resident believes a spare key may have been left inside the unlocked vehicle. After reviewing footage from his surveillance system, a neighbor reported a subject was seen stealing change from his unlocked vehicle at approximately 2:30am.

The stolen vehicle was spotted in St. Louis City Friday afternoon. Following a traffic stop by SLMPD officers, the car was towed & a driver & 3 passengers were taken into custody.

While patrolling the area Saturday morning, a CPD officer observed a man behaving suspiciously near a vehicle on the Walgreens parking lot. When the man noticed the officer, he abruptly entered the store. Through an on-scene investigation, the officer learned the vehicle was recently reported as stolen from Sikeston. He contacted the man who admitted he had taken the car from his ex without permission. The man was arrested for Tampering 1st degree & the case has been forwarded to the St. Louis County Prosecutor.

A CPD officer was conducting an early morning foot patrol of the Metro parking garage Sunday when she discovered extensive fresh graffiti on the 8th floor. The damage was documented & the St. Louis County Department of Transportation was notified.

Just after 1:30am Sunday, officers observed a male subject trespassing at a vacant property in the central business district. The subject, a juvenile, was accompanied by 2 friends, also minors. They informed the officer they were using the property as a hangout space without permission & had snuck out after curfew. The youths were identified & released to their parents or guardians. This report has been forwarded to the St. Louis County Family Courts for consideration.

Finally, an early morning traffic stop by Washington Park (Illinois) PD Sunday resulted in the recovery of a handgun stolen from Clayton in 2018.

Anyone with information regarding ongoing investigations is asked to contact the CPD. Until next week, stay safe!

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