Displaying items by tag: akron police

Akron Police are looking for help finding a woman they say assaulted and robbed her elderly grandfather. According to the report, about 8 o'clock Monday night, the suspect, 28-year-old Leandrea Wright tried to get her 86-year-old grandfather's wallet from him. He fought back, she pushed him to the ground, and then took off with the wallet and the $39 inside. Charges of domestic violence and robbery have been filed against Wright, who was last seen leaving her home on Bellows Street in Akron.

Akron Police, U.S. Marhals, and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force are looking for the public's help finding this week's Fugitive of the Week, 26-year-old Chris Johnson. 

According to a press release, Johnson is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and APD for the murder of Brandon Belleville back on September 19, 2017. 

No details related to the murder have been released, but Johnson (pictured) has been described as a black male, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, around 230 pounds, with a last known address in the 1300 block of Andrus Street in Akron. 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Johnson is asked to call the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or Text keyword WANTED and tip to 847411 (tip411). Tipsters can remain anonymous and reward money is available.

An Akron Police Motorcycle Officer was seriously injured when he was pinned underneath the van of a suspected drunk driver after a crash Saturday night. 

According to the APD report, the officer was on his motorcycle and was attempting to stop another vehicle at the intersection of South Portage Path and Bloomfield Avenue, when Corrie Sharpe, 65, who was driving her minivan eastbound on Bloomfield, failed to yield to the officer. She collided with the officer's motorcycle, sending him off the bike and pinning him underneath her van. 

The officer was transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital with serious injuries. Other officers responding to the scene conducted a field sobriety test and gave Sharpe a breathalyzer, both of which she reportedly failed. The report states that her blood alcohol content registered at .125; the legal limit in Ohio is .08. Sharpe was arrested and charged with OVI, Aggravated Vehicular Assault, and Child Endangering, as her 11-year-old granddaughter was reportedly in the back seat of her van. 

As of Sunday morning, the officer involved in the accident was still listed in serious condition. 

An Akron Police cruiser that was escorting a funeral procession along Darrow Road, just a block from the Newcomer Funeral Home, was hit by another driver, according to police.

The officer had to be extracted from the cruiser, and was taken to Akron City Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The other driver, a 21-year-old woman, had minor injuries, and was cited for several violations, including driving under a suspended license.

See the full release from the Akron Police Department below: 

(APD) Accident involving cruiser doing a funeral escort:

Shortly before 2:00pm this afternoon, an officer in a marked cruiser was doing a funeral escort for the Newcomer Funeral Home, located at 131 North Canton Road.  As the procession drove north bound on Darrow Road, about a block north of the funeral home, the cruiser was struck by a Chevy Malibu driven by a 21 year old female from Dudley Street in Akron.  The officer was confined, due to the damage of the cruiser.  The officer was removed from the cruiser and transported to Akron City Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The 21 year old female driver and her passenger where transported to Cleveland Clinic Akron General with non-life threatening injuries.  The driver was cited for left turn approaching traffic, driving on a suspended driver’s license, and right of way for a funeral procession.  The driver also had a warrant for driving on s suspended license from Copley Police Department.

Akron Police are looking for two, rather brazen theives, who stole an ATM from the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott at 41 Furnace Street downtown Sunday night.

The masked men ordered a hotel employee to lay down on the ground, then rolled the ATM out the front door and into an navy blue older model Jeep.

The employee didn't quite follow the thieves' direction, and immediately called 911. Too late, though, as the robbers had already driven off by the time police arrived. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Akron Police or the Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.

An 18-year-old man was robbed of his cellphone in broad daylight Monday afternoon, around 3:30 at the intersection of Kenmore Boulevard and 13th Street Southwest.

The victim told Akron Police that a man walked up behind him, put him in a chokehold and slammed him to the ground, before taking off with the phone.

See more from the Akron Police below: 

(APD) Around 3:30pm yesterday afternoon, officers responded to a robbery at the intersection of Kenmore Boulevard and 13th Street SW.  The victim, an 18 year old male, reported the suspect approached him from behind and put him in a choke hold.  The suspect then threw the victim to the ground and stole the victim’s cell phone.  The suspect fled eastbound on Kenmore Boulevard.

The victim was not injured.

The suspect is a white male, 20 – 30 years old, 5’11”, thin, with blonde or strawberry blonde hair, and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and white shoes.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490; or 330-375-2TIP, or the Summit County Crimestoppers Inc. at 330-434-COPS.  You can also text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637 (Crimes).  Callers can remain anonymous.

On Wednesday afternoon, Akron Police Officers responded to a call of a woman overdosing at a gas station on Mogadore Road about noon, according to the report. When they arrived, they found the woman passed out in the front passenger seat of a Buick and an 11 month old baby boy in the back seat.

Paramedics responded to the scene, reviving the woman with narcan, and then transporting her to Akron City.

While police were still there, the child's father, 29-year-old Andrew C. Carter of Mogadore, was arrested when he returned to the car. He's been booked into the Summit County Jail on felony child endangering charges. The baby, meanwhile, is in the custody of Child Services.

The woman later told police they'd bought Fentanyl along Manchester Road.  

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(APD) Around noon yesterday, officers responded to an overdose at a gas station in the 2500 block of Mogadore Road.  When officers arrived, they observed an unresponsive female in the front seat of a 1998 Buick Century.  Officers then observed the female’s 11 month old son in the back seat of the car.  While paramedics were administering Narcan to the female, the male driver came over to the car.

Paramedics revived the female and transported her to Akron City Hospital for further treatment.  The adult male, Andrew C. Carter, 29, of Herbert Street in Mogadore, was charged with child endangering and booked into the Summit County Jail.  The child was placed into the custody of the Summit County Child Services.

The female stated they bought Fentanyl on Manchester Road.

Tuesday afternoon a man walked into the PNC Bank at 181 Massillon Road, armed with a knife, demanding money. He jumped the counter and proceeded down the line of tellers, taking money from each of the cash drawers and stuffing it into a backpack he was wearing on his chest. 

After the robbery, the suspect got into a black Chevy Malibu and drove away from the bank. 

Not too long after the robbery, Akron Police Officers spotted the Malibu pulling into a parking lot in the 500 block of Sherman Street. That's when they arrested 22-year-old Darrion L. Powers (pictured) of Akron, who is now charged with armed robbery and more. 

Addiitonally, Police Detectives charged Powers in connection to the January 4th robbery of the Huntington Bank on South Arlington Street. Both robberies played out the same. 

Powers has been booked in the Summit County Jail, and according to Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards' press release, he's likely responsible for several other robberies in Cuyahoga Falls. So far he's charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. 

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has announced changes to the process for recruiting police, fire, and EMS, including an increase in the maximum age for new hires.

As of Monday, the maximum age to be hired as a police officer is up from 35 to 40, while the max age to be hired as a firefighters is now 35, up from 31. Also on Monday, thanks to funding from Issue 4, the Akron Police Department is able to host an in-house police academy, opposed to farming out the academy to other departments, including Columbus, as they've done since 2008.

The minimum wage for new recruits has gone up to $26.22 per hour, according to the press release (read below), thus making the job more attractive to young and older cadets. 

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Akron, Ohio, February 4, 2019 – Today, Mayor Horrigan is announcing several changes to the process for recruiting police officers and firefighter/medics, including increasing the maximum age for new hires and bringing the police academy back in-house.

“As a city, we are competing for qualified candidates for public safety positions, and I am committed to attracting and retaining the most qualified, diverse, and dedicated personnel to Akron,” Mayor Horrigan said. “These changes are designed to widen and deepen the pool of potential candidates and make the process more accessible.”

First, the Department of Human Resources will be increasing the maximum hiring age for an Akron police officer to 40 years of age (from 35), and the maximum hiring age for an Akron firefighter/medic to 35 years of age (from 31). 

“Expanding the age range for qualified candidates will help us recruit individuals who may be pursuing a second career or who have recently retired from the military,” Akron Police Chief Ken Ball said. “More mature applicants are likely to have an increased sense of purpose, greater life experiences and deeper community ties that can help them succeed in serving our neighborhoods.”

In addition to expanding eligibility, the City will once again be hosting a Peace Officer Basic Training Academy for new police recruits. 

Due to funding restraints, the City stopped holding an internal police academy in 2008.   Instead, for several years the City sent new recruits to Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) academies hosted by other agencies. New recruits would not be formally hired or receive a paycheck from the City until after they graduated with their OPOTA certification (approximately 24 weeks). The financial burden of this unpaid training period discouraged or prevented some recruits from pursuing a career as an Akron police officer.

“We knew that a lack of an internal police academy was negatively impacting our ability to recruit qualified, diverse candidates,” Mayor Horrigan said. “We knew we had to do something. Thankfully, the funds provided by Issue 4 will help us once again host a police academy and compensate our new recruits appropriately.” Now, new APD recruits will be hired by the City and paid a starting wage of $26.22/hour from the first day of the training academy. 

The next entrance exam for Akron police officers is slated for April 2019.  The next entrance exam for Akron firefighters will likely be held this fall. 

“Making these changes demonstrates that we are serious about building public safety forces that better reflect the diversity of our community,” Council President Margo Sommerville said.  “I look forward to working with the administration to continue to improve our recruiting strategies and policies to compete for the best candidates available.”  

Akron Police are investigating one attempted robbery and another actual robbery, both committed Friday night within a couple of hours of one another and within just about 5 miles of one another, too. 

First, just after 7 o'clock Friday night, a man wearing a ski mask walked into Two Monk's Brewery Company at 352 Massillon Road. Walking toward the bar, and motioning to his waistband like he was pulling out a knife, demanded money. That's when the bar owner pulled a handgun and the suspect fled. 

Later Friday, at about 9:30, a suspect walked into Italo's at 1910 Brown Street, jumped the counter, and actually pulled a knife, demanding money from the register. In the second robbery, the suspect did get away with an undisclosed amount of cash. 

According to the police report, though, APD says that during the second robbery the suspect dropped the knife inside the restaurant. 

It's hard to get a spot-on description, given the suspect was wearing a mask in both incidents, but APD has released a description of a black male, between 18 and 23, wearing a black mask, all black clothing, standing between 5'10" and 6'. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Akron Police at 330-375-2490.