Best of the Blotter 2010

Excerpts from police calls are a regular feature in all nine Bee Group Newspapers. Some of the more unusual reports from 2010 are reprinted here. Each is an actual listing from a town police blotter.

• A Poinciana Parkway man wanted to file a missing persons report for his wife, who was staying with family and no longer wanted to speak to him. The man said she had to come home, because he didn't know how to cook for himself.
• Someone was reportedly blowing large piles of leaves onto Willardshire Road.
• An Orchard Park man discovered unauthorized charges that occurred in Virginia on his credit card.
• A Cayuga Boulevard woman reported that a neighbor piled snow against her trailer. The neighbor claimed that the woman called him a "no-good dog," which allegedly violated an order of protection.
• Police were called to Windermere Boulevard where a 13-year-old was refusing to get out of bed.
• A Lake Avenue woman reported that someone stole a wired reindeer decoration from her lawn. The suspect also unplugged her other decorations.
• An Arizona woman reported that her brother, a Lancaster man, had possession of her dog and refused to return it. The woman said that her brother told her that the dog caused damage to his home, and that he would return the animal after she paid him $300. State troopers encountered an occupied, disabled black Lincoln Navigator on Main Street. The driver claimed that he ran out of gas and said, "Please don't take me to jail."
• A road obstruction was reported on Sheridan Drive. The patrol removed a rake from the road.
• A Williamstowne resident reported hearing noises from outside the building, but the complainant just wanted to say goodbye to officers before moving away.
• A Lancaster man reported that as he was driving on Broadway, another motorist became irate. The suspect parked near the victim's vehicle and used a stick with a chain to smash the rear window of the victim's car.
• Several reports were received about a man who had taped a dog's mouth shut and then carried the animal over his shoulder while walking on Delaware Road.
• Police attempted to serve a warrant on Fairfield Avenue. Officers said they heard a woman talking inside the apartment, and they knocked, identified themselves as police officers and asked to speak to the woman. A man inside replied that she wasn't there but they could come back later. Officers again heard a woman inside and re-identified themselves, adding that if the occupants did not open the door, it would be forced open. After the residents again refused to open the door, it was forced open, and the woman was found talking to police and reporting that someone was trying to break into her apartment.
• A Depew resident reported that someone spray-painted a name and a hand depicting a rude gesture onto his fence.
• A 19-year-old Cheektowaga resident called police to say his mom was crazy and that he needs Valium and Xanax.
• A Cleveland Drive resident reported loud music coming from a car parked in the driveway of a gas station. The complainant said when he asked someone to turn down the radio, the person "flipped him off" and turned up the music.
• Representatives of a construction company working on Weiss Avenue told officers that 49 pieces of lumber worth approximately $700 were stolen from the work site.
• A Kenmore resident flagged down an officer and reported suspicious activity outside a local bar. The officer found a female coloring on the sidewalk with chalk.
• A manager with a land development company told police that a teenager drove over a private roadway on his property, leaving mud behind. Officers found the suspect vehicle at Lancaster High School and advised the driver that the complainant asked that he return to clean up the mud.
• Police responded to a report that a man was slumped over in a vehicle parked on Delaware Avenue. The man was leaning over to scratch off instant lottery tickets.
• A Kenmore Avenue resident reported that his mother was unresponsive and not breathing. An officer discovered the mother wasn't even at the residence and that the son appeared to be hallucinating.
• A Buffalo woman was charged with DWI after she was observed passing through a red light on Seneca Street at Orchard Park Road. The woman said she was coming from the home of a friend in Marilla, where she drank five Manhattans.
• Someone threw lemons and shrimp on the cover of the bed of a pickup parked in a driveway on Gervan Drive.
• A Buffalo woman was charged with DWI after she passed a stop sign at Hillview Terrace and Century Drive without slowing down. She pulled into a driveway on Milton Avenue and then backed into the patrol car that was blocking it, causing minor damage. The woman said she had been drinking at a wedding and had been up all night. She also noted that the neighborhood was "like a maze."
• A 500-pound lion statue at the end of a Tracy Lynn Lane driveway was knocked over, causing the right-front foot to fracture and the left-front corner to break off.
• A resident reported that children on Maryvale Drive were taking his golf balls and that he "pays too much in taxes to have this happen" to him.
• Police received a complaint about a woman soliciting prostitution and standing naked in a window overlooking a parking lot at a Lancaster motel. The woman admitted to the allegations and was released on $250 bail.
• Deputies responded to a report of a telephone pole on fire on Clinton Street near Bowen Road.
• A Henry Drive resident reported that strange things have been happening to her shrubs.
• A resident of Dutchmill Drive reported that an animal was stuck in the heating vent of her home.
• An Amherst motorist reported that four teenagers walking in the middle of the street asked him for marijuana.
• A Lancaster woman reported that someone took six bottles and boxes of wine from a refrigerator in the garage during the past week.
• A Woodbridge Avenue resident reported hearing a gunshot. It turned out to be a science experiment.
• Police received a call of 10 ducks in a sewer on Broadway.
• A Glenwood Court resident reported that a neighbor in another apartment was throwing dirty diapers in the yard.
• On Darwin Drive, a resident reported that a neighbor was making a ruckus by playing bongo drums.
• A Lancaster woman reported that she woke up because her dog was barking louder than usual. She then looked out the window and saw a man standing on her back porch and texting on his cell phone. When she yelled for the man to leave, he looked confused, smiled and waved at her.
• Police responded to a shoplifting call at a William Street business of a man stuffing underwear into his jacket sleeve.
• A woman reported that someone broke into her father's house on Poinciana Parkway and had been drinking in the basement.
• A vehicle covered in fresh mud was stopped by patrol on Union Road. The driver said he often goes to the vacant land at the end of Camelot Square and Louise Drive with his Jeep to "have a little fun."
• Patrol received complaints of an erratic driver on Union Road and followed the vehicle for several miles with activated lights before the vehicle came to a rest. The driver, who fell while exiting the vehicle, told the officers, "Just go ahead and arrest me."
• A resident of Longmeadow Road reported that a male was standing on her front lawn staring into the living room window. The woman called police again to cancel the call after she learned he was her son's friend, who was waiting for her son to meet him outside.
• A Williamstowne Court resident called police and said his friend was acting weird and taking his clothes off.
• Police received a call from a Carol Drive man in a hospital emergency room who said he sneaked up on his girlfriend and she stabbed him with a fork.
• Police were called to a property in Elma for a case of trespassing. The problem started when one neighbor mowed a strip of lawn on the edge of the other's property, and the neighbor became vulgar.
• Deputies responded to a complaint from an Elma residence where a male was walking on his porch naked, showing off his muscles.
• A resident of North Campus Drive reported that his garbage was being sorted through by an unknown man.
• A George Urban Boulevard woman reported that neighborhood children found a purse in a tree branch. The purse contained a Pennsylvania woman's identification, wallet and miscellaneous cards.
• At a Maple Road business, an employee reported that a male customer was attempting to sell jewelry to patrons and co-workers.
• Police received a call from Meadowlawn Road that a woman wanted to take her grandfather out to dinner, but the grandmother wouldn't allow it because the complainant had put an old lamp in the trash. The grandfather stayed in for the night.
• Officers responded to a disturbance call on Simpson Drive that someone was yelling at other people concerning a cat being taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that day. When police arrived, both parties were laughing and forgot why they called.
• A Depew woman reported that a man trespassed and stole a "no parking" sign that was resting against a fence. She reported that she told the man to put it back, but he told her that he was a scrapper.
• Sheriff's deputies responded to a neighbor dispute on Jamison Road. The subject reported that his lawn was damaged by a neighbor's child riding an all-terrain vehicle.
• A Nadine Drive resident reported that every car parked on the street had a piece of baloney on the windshield. Police received a call that a Linda Drive resident and her boyfriend were fighting over what to watch on TV. On Harwood Drive, a resident reported that a male was walking door to door in the neighborhood and asking people if he could see their gas and electric bills.
• A Transit Road restaurant worker reported that a group walked out on a bill, but one of the suspects had filled out a job application with his information on it.
• Patrol stopped a man on Route 400 who was speeding and driving without activated headlights or tail lamps. The subject also was observed changing lanes without signaling at least three times. The subject stopped in the right lane of travel - not on the shoulder - and was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
• Deputies responded to a report of a reckless driver on Route 400 in Elma; the subject was stopped and claimed he had to swerve because he was using his cell phone.
• A student at Continental Beauty School on Union Road reported that her gold and diamond engagement ring was missing after she took it off for a one-hour period.
• An unknown person spray-painted "bad company" on the side of a Powers Road garage.
• A Buffalo man was arrested for driving while intoxicated after attempting to drive from a French Road bar to McDonald's on Union Road. The suspect was observed to be traveling 21 mph over the speed limit.
• Police responded to reports of a shoplifting incident at a supermarket on Orchard Park Road. A man had allegedly stolen 15 Enfamil infant formulas and two Pampers diaper packs.
• Reports of an erratic driver led police to find a parked car in the left lane of travel on Union Road. The male suspect was sleeping while reclined in the driver's seat.
• Patrol stopped a male driver on Mineral Springs Road for driving with an obstructed view due to several air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.
• A Slate Creek Drive resident reported that a female was yelling at her child for an hour and the child was crying. The mother said she was discussing homework issues with the 10-year-old.
• A Wells Avenue resident reported that 10 children in the street had been "mouthy" with her.
• A North Seine Drive woman complained that the paperboy hadn't delivered the newspaper yet.
• A Lancaster man hired by the town to trap a beaver on the bike path reported that he had two "Town of Lancaster" magnetic emblems stolen from his vehicle as he worked.
• An officer saw a vehicle turn without signaling and drive in two lanes and stopped the vehicle on Transit Road. When the officer was about to issue tickets for illegal signal and driving while talking on a cell phone, the driver said, "Just give them to me. I've been through this plenty of times."
• A Griffith Road resident reported loud laughing coming from a neighbor's house.
• A Transit Road resident reported a break-in and told police the suspect was the complainant's "crack head grandson."
• A generator valued at $480 was stolen from a shed on Royal Crest Road.
• An Orchard Park woman said she received several unwanted telephone calls over the last month. When she answers calls from the number, she can hear numbers being pushed.
• The owner of a Broadway business reported that someone tipped over a portable toilet and attempted to break into a storage barn.
• A Gates Street woman reported a stolen television, then began saying the "F" word and hung up.
• An Alpine Place woman reported that a female who had delivered pizza to the address the night before showed up at 2 a.m. asking for money.
• A resident of Denrose Drive reported that an unknown person stole four solar lights from his garden.
• At a Niagara Falls Boulevard motel, a customer reported that the business's manager was nasty to her when she wanted to book a room for a second night.
• An Ivyhurst Road resident reported that two pumpkins were stolen from the front porch of her home and an empty antifreeze bottle was left in their place.
• Police responded to a complaint on Alexander Avenue of a group of youths walking down the street. Police advised two youths of the dangers of snowball fighting with discarded Zamboni ice.
• A village building inspector reported that the Halloween decorations at a specific home may be a fire hazard. Lancaster Police found a vehicle with heavy front-end damage in the middle of Erie Street. The driver struck mailboxes, a fire hydrant and a telephone pole with the vehicle. "I know I'm intoxicated. Just arrest me," he told officers.
• An alarm was reported on Forest Creek Drive. It was caused by a loose pet inside.
• A customer at a Delaware Avenue doughnut shop reported that there was a man sleeping at a table inside. The subject told police he had just consumed some pain medicine, which made him drowsy.
• Officers responded to a complaint of a vehicle that went off the road and struck a pole, causing both airbags to deploy, on the corner of Langner and Ridge roads. The driver fell while exiting the vehicle and required assistance to stand up. She failed several sobriety tests and told police she couldn't perform them - even if she was sober.
• A Delaware Road resident called to request the number for Poison Control, stating that her granddaughter ate some crayons. The woman later reported that Poison Control told her to give her granddaughter water and that she would be fine.
• A Tonawanda resident reported that her daughter wasn't following the house rules because she would not get off the computer. Deputies investigated a report of a suspicious vehicle on Two Rod Road at Porterville Road. A woman was obtaining water from a spring and was advised.
• An officer tried to stop a man who was walking in the roadway at Sanilac Street and Laverack, but the man ran. The officer ordered him to stop, but he continued through yards and jumped over a fence. The officer said he saw the man reach into his pocket and throw pink bags into the snow. The man finally was caught when the officer tackled him in a snowbank. At the station, police said they found marijuana in the man's jeans pocket, along with $129 and a scale.
• Police received a call about a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle at 1:35 a.m. in the parking lot of a Transit Road store. As officers approached the victim, he ran for no apparent reason. He reported being at a bar earlier in the evening and seeing his former girlfriend and her new boyfriend there and that the vehicle that hit him was being driven by one of them.
• A victim from Depew reported that an unknown person entered her locker at a gym on Union Road and stole her winter coat.
• A Niagara Falls Boulevard jewelry store employee reported that a man returned an engagement ring after he found his fiance cheating on him with his best friend.
• Police responded to an alarm at a home on LeBrun Circle where the woman on location was unable to provide identification or the proper code. She told the alarm company she was "the newest new wife."
• Patrols responded to a store on Seneca Street for an activated alarm and found one of the door windows smashed and cigarette shelves in disarray. It was later discovered that 147 packs of Newport cigarettes and 15 packs of Kools were missing, for a total value of $1,172.40.
• A Delray Avenue resident reported that the rear window of his vehicle, which was parked in his driveway about 120 feet from the roadway, had been smashed between 1 and 6 a.m. The victim reported no missing property, including the global positioning system unit affixed to the front windshield. Due to lack of evidence, patrol believes the window may have been damaged as the result of extremely cold weather.
• A man who appeared intoxicated attempted to return an open container of beer to a Sheridan Drive grocery store. He became belligerent when the manager informed him of the return policy.
• A Mount Vernon Road resident complained about a house on Washington Highway that had a bird feeder that was attracting too many birds. The complainant said she called the Erie County Health Department regarding the volume of bird droppings.
• A Kensington Avenue resident complained that someone walking on the street pointed a laser into the house.
• While officers were performing a search warrant on Orchard Park Road, they discovered a container of alleged cocaine in the jacket of a 52-year-old Buffalo man on whom they were serving the warrant.
• Police saw a vehicle with an expired registration and stopped the vehicle on Muskingum Street. The driver, a Cheektowaga man, didn't have a license. The officer said he noticed a Gatorade bottle and a piece of foil converted into smoking pipes, and they appeared to contain marijuana residue.
• An auto shop owner complained that 200 brake shoe cores, which were stored in a bin in the parking lot behind the building, had been stolen.
• A Dumas Place resident reported that someone stole a pot roast from his freezer. Canned food and a package of socks were taken from his home the previous week.
• Police responded to a call about a vehicle stuck in a snowbank on Carter Street. As they spoke with the driver, officers said they noticed an odor of alcohol and signs of intoxication.
• A representative of a Transit Road store reported that someone stole a roofing nailer.
• A Mill Street resident reported not seeing any lights on at McDonald's on Sheridan Drive and wanted it checked. Patrol reported that everything was OK - the restaurant is only open after midnight on Friday and Saturday.
• A 17-year-old Cheektowaga girl and a Hamburg man were stopped in a store parking lot on Transit Road. Both were driving their own vehicles. Upon approaching the man's vehicle, officers said they noticed the odor of marijuana and a pressurized tank with balloons nearby. The man allegedly told police that the tank was for making home-brewed beer. The girl, however, reported that she and the man were inhaling nitrous oxide fumes from the tank.
• Two 14-year-olds reported that they were robbed at knifepoint and their ice skates taken. It later was determined that the youths were lying. They recanted their statement and said they left the skates in the bushes near a business on Broadway, but when they returned, the skates were gone.
• The manager of the Quaker Crossing Regal Cinema told police he discovered both a large and small mirror in the men's bathroom had been damaged.
• An Amherst woman told police her teen daughter, who is pregnant, was out with a man who tried to run her over a couple of days before.
• A Broadway resident called to say her dog had locked her out of her running car.
• An extra patrol was requested by a Kenmore resident after her elderly mother received a phone call from a man stating that he had a crush on her.
• A caller reported that a suspicious male was sitting in a green vehicle parked on West Hazeltine Avenue. An officer spoke to the male, who stated that he was just getting some sun.
• Police responded to a Maple Road business where two male youths were reportedly relieving themselves inside the store. The manager asked the youths to leave, and they responded by repeating the offense in the corner. The teens fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers.
• A patrol responded to an accident in Elma, where a vehicle drove off the road into a llama pasture.
• Sheriffs deputies investigated a report of a stolen vehicle on Clinton Street. The subject reported that he went to warm up the car, and when he returned to it, the vehicle was gone. It was recovered in Buffalo.
• Police responded to a call from a Walden Avenue hotel that a man who was not staying at the hotel had been wandering around and smoking a cigar all day. The man stated that "Mr. Millennium" told him he could stay there anytime. Police escorted him off the premises.
• An Autumnwood Drive resident complained that "dem boom boom boomers" were starting early.
• A Fairgreen Drive resident reported that a stray cat was in his basement. He said the feline would not leave the house and each time he attempted to bait the cat out of the house, it hissed at him. The cat was finally baited out of the residence by using the scent from an open can of tuna.
• An employee of a Niagara Falls Boulevard business reported that approximately 30 people in their 20s were listening to loud music and consuming alcohol in the rear parking lot. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered seven youths playing Frisbee while drinking Mountain Dew.
• Police responded to a call on Walden Avenue of an intoxicated woman lying in a snowbank. She told police she was just "cooling off."
• A Cromwell Drive man reported that a female who was not his girlfriend bit him in the chest.
• Patrol responded to Seneca Street after receiving a report of a vehicle driving erratically. The driver was said to nearly strike the curb when attempting to pull over and then struck the patrol vehicle after putting her own vehicle in reverse. The woman failed multiple sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer by asking police, "Why would I?"
• Officers responded to a West Seneca home due to an intoxicated man who attempted to use a truck to push other vehicles out of his driveway.
• A disturbance was reported on Ransom Road. It was a child misbehaving, and his mother was advised.
• A motorist in Williamsville reported that a driver appeared to be falling asleep while his vehicle was idling at several red lights.
• A resident of McKinley Avenue reported that a raccoon was living in the attic of his home.
• Police responded to Clinton Street for the report of a highly intoxicated female who was walking in the middle of traffic. She told police she had been drinking in Arizona earlier that day.
• A caller reported that while he was walking on Delaware Avenue, he was approached by a man who knocked him to the ground. The caller said the man said, "Watch where you are going," and then walked away.
• A Lancaster couple reported that someone added his or her name as an authorized user of their Macy's credit card and charged a pair of $900 shoes in California.
• A Springfield Drive mother wanted something done about a 10-year-old boy who threw sewer water in her son's face.
• A Walden Avenue business complained that a male was threatening everyone because the customer service was too slow.
• Police responded to a call that a male was hanging out of a car window and throwing up on Wagner Avenue.
• A Grand Boulevard resident complained that a male in his early 20s was seen walking around the neighborhood with a basketball and appeared to be checking out the houses. The complainant said the male had approached her earlier in the day and asked to play in her yard.
• A vehicle was reported to be parked diagonally on Wichita Road, blocking a town plow and other traffic from getting through. The male driver was still asleep at the wheel with the engine running.
• Police were called to a Walden Avenue hotel on a complaint that a sweet 16 party was getting out of control. Police received a second call that a mother from the party was yelling profanities in the hallway.
• An elderly Cheektowaga woman called police, stating that someone was in her closet and wouldn't come out.
• A Union Road woman called 911 because she didn't know how to use her phone.
• A resident called police to complain that a neighbor was plowing snow into the complainant's yard after a verbal altercation. The neighbor then went down the street and plowed more snow onto the complainant's property.
• At a Main Street restaurant, an employee reported that a customer hit him with a mop. The report stemmed from the employee seeking to clean up food the customer had spilled on the floor.
• One day after police had a disabled vehicle moved that was left in a snowbank at the corner of California and Milestrip roads, a 17-year-old Orchard Park male came to the police station to claim it. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
• The owners of a laundromat on Abbott Road discovered that a rug worth $300 was missing.
• Police responded to an accident on Transit Road. Officers asked the driver where she was coming from, and she said she was drinking at a nearby bar because "I work my butt off and I deserve it."

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