Weekly Clayton Police Incident Report: May 31 - June 6

From the City of Clayton:

June 7, 2021

For the reporting period of Monday, May 31st – Sunday, June 6th, CPD officers responded to 425 calls for service, including 9 automobile accidents & 19 calls to assist the CFD. Among those calls were the following incidents:

Tuesday morning, officers responded to a local convenience store after employees reported a man had stolen an assortment of lighters. When officers located the man an hour later, he was still in possession of the stolen merchandise. The lighters were returned to the store & the man was arrested for shoplifting. While in custody, the man purposefully exposed himself to officers & made several inappropriate statements. The case was submitted to the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office & the man was charged with 1st & 2nd degree sexual misconduct.

After being terminated from a restaurant Tuesday afternoon, a woman destroyed approximately $400 worth of kitchenware. She then verbally threatened to harm other restaurant employees & damage their personal property. Officers arrested the woman for the destruction of private property & assault 4th degree. She has an upcoming court date through the Clayton municipal court.

Meanwhile, a man contacted a local rental agency by phone & attempted to rent a vehicle. While speaking with someone he believed to be an employee of the rental agency, he was instructed to use an American Express card to obtain a promotional rate on the rental. Following those instructions, he purchased a pre-paid American Express card & provided the card information to the rental agent. When he didn't receive his anticipated confirmation for the rental, he re-contacted the company & discovered there wasn't a reservation in his name. Additionally, the funds from the pre-paid card had been stolen.

While reviewing bank statements Tuesday, a local church's bookkeeper discovered a fraudulent transaction. According to the bookkeeper, a check was written to a church employee for $150. However, the employee reported she never received the check. Instead, the information from the missing check was used to create a counterfeit check. The fake check was cashed out of state by an unknown subject for over $4,000. It is unknown where or how the original check was compromised & an investigation is ongoing.

Thursday night, St. Louis County PD reported 3 juveniles were seen leaving Memorial Park with property owned by the County. Officers apprehended & identified the juveniles before releasing them to their parents. The stolen property was recovered & returned to St. Louis County PD. This will be forwarded to the St. Louis County Family Court for consideration.

A resident responded to the PD Friday afternoon for assistance in disposing of an unwanted firearm. He is in the process of moving & does not believe the weapon is safe to fire. The gun was seized for safekeeping & will later be destroyed. Please visit Community Services | City of Clayton, MO (claytonmo.gov) for information on safely disposing of unwanted firearms or ammunition.

A CPD officer was conducting a foot patrol of the MetroBus station Saturday afternoon when she observed a shattered window in one of the elevator shafts. While investigating further, she found graffiti on the interior elevator window. The graffiti is identical to that found on the garage roof in early May. The damage was reported to the St. Louis County Department of Transportation.

A man parked his vehicle in the rear parking lot of a local restaurant Saturday morning. When he returned a few hours later, he discovered damage to his car, likely caused by another vehicle striking the parked car. No witnesses or suspects have been identified.

Saturday afternoon, a man embarked on what became a two-day crime spree. CPD officers first encountered the man after a witness reported he was attempting to enter a vacant business in the central business district. Responding officers contacted & identified the man. When officers determined no crime was in progress, he requested & was given directions to the MetroLink station. A short time later, employees at a nearby convenience store reported the same man was causing a peace disturbance & refusing to leave the store. However, the man left the area via MetroBus before officers returned.

Officers were contacted early Sunday morning by the property manager for a residential building in the 200 block of S. Brentwood. Upon returning to work, he found tools & other items were missing from a storage room. At the time, there was no evidence of forced entry & no witnesses or suspects could be identified.

Sunday evening, a CPD officer was patrolling in the north end of town when he noticed someone driving a golf cart without headlights or taillights. Upon closer inspection, he noted a bicycle & several construction tools/pieces of equipment were strapped to the cart's utility bed. The officer stopped the vehicle in an alleyway near the 8000 block of Forsyth & discovered the driver was the same man officers had encountered Saturday afternoon. As officers attempted to verify the man's identity, he fled on foot.

Officers found him hiding in a nearby building under construction & arrested him for trespassing 1st degree. The golf cart was seized as evidence & transported back to the CPD. While taking an inventory of the contents of the golf cart, officers recovered the items reported as stolen from the residential building Sunday morning. The man was subsequently charged with burglary 2nd. This case is being referred to the St. Louis County Prosecutor for consideration.

Finally, this morning, officers overheard U. City PD responding to a report of a stolen golf cart. U. City PD officers confirmed the same golf cart our suspect was driving had been stolen from their venue over the weekend. The U. City PD investigation continues.

Anyone with information related to these or other investigations is asked to contact the CPD at (314)645-3000. Until next week, stay safe!

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