Crime Log: Renter out $1,400 after fake Craigslist ad

BY MOLLY NICHOLAS

Miami University Journalism Student

A 37-year-old woman told police she was bilked out of $1,400 when she tried to rent a house from someone who posted the listing on Craigslist, according to Oxford police reports.

April Wallen told police on Oct. 9 she found a house for rent in the 200 block of Hedginton Court in Hamilton. She expressed interest in the house through text message to an unknown woman, who asked for money to secure her spot.

Between Sept. 14 and Sept. 30, Wallen sent several money order payments via Wal-Mart totaling $1,400 to pay a security deposit and first month’s rent. The woman sent Wallen a copy of the lease agreement to fill out and return.

“That’s the problem with money orders, they just disappear,” Oxford Police Lt. Lara Fening said. “When someone asks for a money order, that’s when you should be suspicious.”

After Wallen returned the signed lease agreement, she asked to retrieve the keys to the house. The unknown women said she couldn’t give Wallen the keys because she still owed money on the mortgage and asked if she could send more money toward the next month's rent to speed up the process of paying off her mortgage.

Wallen did not have the money to send at the time, so she asked again if she could have the keys to start moving in. The unidentified woman did not respond.

Wallen drove by the house she had rented and noticed that someone was living there. She messaged the unknown woman asking if the house was occupied, and she stated that they were moving out by the end of the month so Wallen could move in Oct. 1. Wallen asked for the keys again and she said she would send out the keys. After several attempts to retrieve the keys, Wallen said she wanted to back out of the deal and asked for her money back.

“If my hunch is right that the property isn’t even for rent, that money was sent from a Walmart to another Walmart, and that is all we’ll know,” Fening said.

Even if they can find video of the Walmart where the transaction was sent, it will be hard to identify the suspect, Fening said.

Mother choked by son

A 47-year-old woman told police her son choked her during an argument she was having with another son at her apartment on October 11.

Lisa Ross told police her son, Tyler Ross, 28, assaulted her during an argument at the Parkview Arms apartments, 5032 College Corner Pike.

Her son and his girlfriend ran from the apartment after she called police. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Ross on charges of domestic violence and he was arrested on Oct. 15 on another call unrelated to his charges.

“He was upset because we arrested him after someone called on a different matter,” Fening said. “But, he was just using this to try to get out of his arrest.”

Tyler Ross is currently in custody at the Butler County Jail facing charges of domestic violence, contempt of court and failure to comply with court order.

Two women reported a third woman assaulted them at a bar

Two women told police third woman, who they know, confronted them in the bathroom of an Uptown bar and assaulted them on Oct. 12, according to Oxford police reports.

Daisee Toledo, 21, and Dylan Camerick, 20, said they were confronted by the drunk woman in the bathroom of the Brick Street Bar and Grill, at 36 E High St.

According the incident report, the suspect thought the victims were speaking badly about one of her friends, so she decided to start the fight.

The woman grabbed Toledo’s face and slammed the back of her head into a mirror a couple times, according to the incident report. The suspect also took Camerick’s iPhone out of her hand and threw it on the ground, shattering the screen.

Police had not arrested the woman, who faces charges of assault and crhiminal mischief, according to the incident report.

Fening said she's unsure if the victims will follow through with the prosecution.

“That’s what makes me wonder if they’ll follow through with it because they know her,” Fening said. “Sometimes alcohol just clouds everything at the time, and then when everybody’s sober, things are handled differently.”

Photo 1: Tyler Ross is in custody at the Butler County Jail facing charges, including domestic violence, after an argument with his mother -- Photo provide by Butler County Sheriff's Office

Photo 2: Annie Meachum also witnessed the events in the bathroom at Brick Street, but was not present when the crime was reported -- Photo by Molly Nicholas