INTRODUCTION The stories included in this publication are gathered from weekly “Police Report” columns published over a 20-year period (1983-2003) in the Yellow Springs News. Based on records kept by the Yellow Springs Police Department, the column documents police activity and incidents reported to police during the previous week by local residents and visitors to Yellow Springs. A typical column includes descriptions of serious crimes, followed by reports of lost and found items, attempts to disperse loitering juveniles, complaints about noise and roaming animals, and traffic citations. The “Police Report” serves a variety of purposes and interests. The practice of printing the names (and until recently the street addresses) of persons cited by police, for example, subjects these individuals to the scrutiny of the community and, some would argue, deters potential violators. In documenting patterns of crime (telephone scams, car break-in sprees, etc.), the report often instructs residents in how to avoid being victimized. Publicizing both major and minor incidents, the column serves as an index of criminal activity in the area as well as a record of official police responses to this activity, enabling, to some extent, the monitoring of the police by citizens of teh Village. The “Police Report” clarifies local laws and establishes standards of acceptable behavior. At times, it even serves as a lost and found service for the community. In addition to these various functions, the “Police Report” is a significant social document, reflecting the particular character and quality of life in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Our aim, in compiling this survey, was to bring together police items that struck us as unusual, startling, funny, obscure, mysterious, mundane and sometimes unbelievable. In presenting this material, we have omitted the names of persons involved in reported incidents. We hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Julia Dzwonkoski and Kye Potter, Editors
DOUBLES AND COINCIDENCES
A Yellow Springs resident and his daughter were driving in separate cars in separate directions last Wednesday at the intersection of Xenia Avenue and state route 343. Each thought the other would yield the right of way. Neither did. They collided. Damage from the mishap was minor, and no one was hurt. 8/27/86 A Cedarville resident hit the Kentucky Fried Chicken building in two places Wednesday of last week as he negotiated the drive-thru. 11/28/96 A Yellow Springs man was cited twice for theft in the past week. He was charged with taking magazines on Tuesday of last week from the Yellow Springs Public Library and this Tuesday for taking a water fairy from Open Books. 9/5/97 Two bicycles were taken from a North High Street front porch Saturday and two different ones were left in their place. 5/2/02 A local woman reported that the tires on her car have been flattened several times over the last month or so. 11/19/93 No toxins were found by sensors early Thursday morning following a complaint about an odor in the air near Vernay Laboratories. 9/5/97 Yellow Springs police cited two Antioch students for riding double on a bicycle built for one, enforcing a little-known Village ordinance. The law, passed in 1998, says more than one person can ride on a bike only when the bike is designed for more than one person. This one wasn't. 3/21/00
ANIMALS
A North Winter Street resident reported Friday that a big snake was killing a squirrel in her backyard. Police found it was a boa constrictor and located the owner, who removed the snake and took it home. 8/5/99 A distraught local resident, frightened by a sparrow that had flown into the North Walnut Street home she was housesitting, called police for assistance. The officer who responded used a laundry basket to capture and remove it. 11/1/01 On Friday, February 7, an Elm Street resident reported that she heard an argument upstairs and believed someone had moved into an upstairs apartment without permission. When police checked the apartment, there was no evidence of occupancy. 7/8/99 A mysterious intruder was reported in a barn, scaring the horses, at a Southview Drive residence early Tuesday morning. Investigation revealed the culprit was a pig. "A little pink pig" said police dispatcher Ann Burden. Greene County Animal Control was called in and took custody of the trespassing porker. Nobody knows where it came from. 11/29/89 Animal control would not respond to a groundhog sighted Sunday at Ridgecrest and Robinwood Drives. 7/6/95 The police department received two calls Thursday of last week about two Great Danes charging people on the bike path. The dogs were inside an invisible fence and wearing associated collars, police discovered. 4/5/01 Dogs were biting people in Kings Yard Friday, but when police officers arrived and issued a warning to the owner, the people who had been bitten had already left the area. 4/19/01 A deer that had become entangled in a fence near Rice Road Thursday of last week was destroyed and, after many phone calls, a local resident was found who would use the meat. 9/5/97 A Lisa Lane resident reported suspicious noises coming from his neighbor's back yard early Tuesday morning. Investigation revealed the culprit to be a skunk. 9/5/02 A dog that enters a Spillan Road yard and chases the resident cat will be cited the next time it happens, police told the dog owner Monday. 4/19/01 A Yellow Springs man reported he was bitten by his own dog on Thursday. 8/7/85 Police Monday destroyed a sick raccoon that was walking around in circles in the backyard of a Whiteman Street residence. 6/21/01 Police removed a non-resident dead cat from an Omar Circle porch Monday. 3/22/01 A possum was freed from the patio of a Lawson Place residence Friday. 10/24/96
On Monday a sick raccoon on Meadow Lane was gone when police arrived. Another one was found that day laying among children's toys on Southgate Drive. 11/18/01 A donkey running loose on North High Street, Fairfield Pike and Pleasant Street was rounded up and returned to its home last Saturday. 10/4/01 A squirrel was transported Tuesday of last week from the Gaunt Park pool to the Sutton Farm. 7/20/95 A Yellow Springs girl, age 10, was bitten on her finger by a dog while sledding on the Gaunt Park slopes Monday afternoon. 1/18/84 A steer on its way to market broke out of its truck-stall and ran loose through Yellow Springs for two hours this morning before police reluctantly killed the animal. Police officers said they feared the steer Ð which weighed 1,100 pounds Ð might injure someone if its run through town were not brought to a stop. The animal tromped through the yards of homes on Livermore Street and was near the Friends Care Center, on Herman Street near Xenia Avenue, when police bullets brought it down. The steer hopped off a truck driven by its owner shortly before 8:00 this morning as the truck approached the traffic light at Xenia Avenue and Corry Street. The driver was taking his beef to a slaughter house near Old Town. For two hours, police and several volunteers tried in vain to round up the steer, which ran in and out of Glen Helen, and around the Antioch College campus, eluding its pursuers. A Yellow Springs veterinarian was called in but his tranquillizer gun attempt to subdue the steer failed. It took, in fact, several bullets, from a shot gun and the hand guns of Village police officers to finally bring the animal down. The steer's market value was estimated at about $800. 8/15/84 Two sick raccoons, one that appeared to be having seizures, were destroyed this week. One was on Xenia Avenue Sunday. Another was on Shawnee Drive Monday. 8/26/94 A complaint Saturday about a cat that climbs trees at a West Center College residence was turned over to Greene County Animal Control. 8/19/99 Two pigs who were apparently on the lam Thursday of last week were corralled at West Center College and South High streets and retrieved by their owner. 10/31/96 After receiving one report that a raccoon had chased a boy and two others about a raccoon behaving strangely, police responded by calling in a local hunter to kill the animal. 1/21/93 The sound of a bear growling in the woods along Corry Street was reported on Saturday. Officers agreed it sounded like a bear but said there were none living in this area. 7/24/97 A cat owned by a Yellow Springs woman attacked her Wednesday of last week. She called 911 during the attack and authorities dispatched emergency care to the scene. 12/20/01 A woman walking her dog in the area of Meadow Lane and Spillan Road was knocked down by dogs at large Tuesday of last week. 3/1/01 A four-year-old Yellow Springs girl was bitten by a ground hog near her home at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. The girl was trying to pet it when it bit her on two fingers. 6/22/83
SCAMS A customer who ordered a small drink at the drive-in window at Kentucky Fried Chicken Thursday of last week and tried to pay with a roll of quarters fled when the cashier opened the roll and discovered a battery inside. 1/16/97 Three Yellow Springs High School students were reported to police for soliciting money for a non-existent school trip. 5/15/97 A Yellow Springs woman was cited Wednesday of last week for making a false report. She manufactured an emergency in town so a passing police officer would give her a lift from her Fairfield Pike residence to Pettit's BP. 12/28/00 A body shop told a Yellow Springs resident that her car would need a paint job to remove an unknown substance. However, on Friday police identified the glob as ice cream, which was "easily removed with soap and water." 3/13/97 A quick-change artist thoroughly confused the clerk at Peaches Grill / Village Drive-Thru Thursday of last week and left with about $150 and a bottle of wine. 4/15/01 On Tuesday, a young white male with short hair and baggy jeans presented himself to an Emporium employee, via pen and paper, as a deaf mute who wished to trade six rolls of dimes for cash. He requested two $20 bills in exchange for the dimes and a $10 bill. After the employee made the exchange and the young man left, the employee discovered the rolls of dimes actually contained pennies. The store lost $27.36 in the transaction. 2/27/03 Police investigated an alleged robbery, only to discover that the person reporting the crime had committed the robbery himself. Charged with making a false report, a Huber Heights man, who was delivering pizza in Yellow Springs, reported to police that he was robbed at Limestone and Corry streets around 8 p.m. on Saturday. After questioning him, police determined that the man had used the money to buy lottery tickets, cigarettes and pop. 10/8/92 A Yellow Springs man reported Wednesday of last week that on June 25th he gave a boy $10 to buy gas for his lawnmower, but the boy returned with $1.50 and no gas. 7/26/01
DAMAGES AND VANDALISM
UPS delivered a package to an Allen Street residence, but when the villager arrived home Thursday night, the box of engraved stationery had been taken and hurled to the west end of the street. 5/2/02 Someone spray-painted the word "slayer" on a sign in front of the Yellow Springs Library. 9/27/90 A concrete head of Jesus was thrown through the plate glass window of Margaritaville Music on Dayton Street Saturday, damaging the window and sunglasses display. The head, which came from a statue in nearby Garden DŽcor, had been broken prior to the incident. 6/8/00 Leaves and grass at the tennis courts on Mills Lawn property were ignited Sunday. 11/9/95 On Tuesday, a number of flowers were reported yanked out of the ground by their roots from the beds of the First Baptist Church. 6/29/00 A Yellow Springs woman reported that someone burned several holes in the front seat of her car while it was parked Sunday evening in the Yellow Springs High School parking lot. 12/13/90 The owner of Pyramid Perfumes reported that someone had spit on the shop's windows. 8/14/97 A throw rug was set on fire Sunday while hanging on a tree at a West Center College Street residence, destroying the rug and charring a tree limb. 7/21/94
A can of Dole pineapple slices was thrown through the rear window of a vehicle parked on Xenia Avenue Thursday of last week. 7/22/99 A Xenia man was charged with criminal damaging last Thursday in connection with an incident at a Yellow Springs residence during which three flower pots, a phone, and a 20-gallon fish tank were damaged. 4/11/91 Vandals went on an auto antenna snapping spree in Yellow Springs Saturday night Ð Sunday morning, breaking or bending at least 23 car-radio aerials. 5/23/84 Someone put superglue and toothpicks in five exterior door locks in the Kettering Building on the Antioch College campus Tuesday of last week, resulting in $625 work of damage. Yellow Springs police collected notes left on the vandalized doors as evidence. 5/2/02 What looked like a hunk of ice was thrown at a Yellow Springs resident's car as he drove near Yellow Springs High School. The driver reported damage to the hood of the car. 7/31/85 A Livermore Street residence suffered from water damage Thursday of last week after someone broke into the house, ran a garden hose into the living room and turned on the water full force. 7/21/94 A vehicle belonging to a Yellow Springs man was egged and all four door handles were removed while it was parked last week in front of his Corry Street residence. 6/14/01 Someone poured "sticky liquid" into the coin changer at the Highlander Laundromat on Saturday night, causing damage of approximately $100. 5/21/92
An outhouse at Ellis Pond was burned down Thursday of last week. 7/8/99 On Friday there were 21 cars parked at the Hawthorne "townhouse" apartments on West Center College Street. Vandals sweeping through the parking lot slashed tires on 19 of those 21 cars. In all 46 tires were slashed. On some cars, all four tires were cut. And the tire of one bicycle was punctured. Police said a knife or a knife-like object was used to wreak the havoc. 11/22/89 A Yellow Springs man was cited for disorderly conduct Monday after he repeatedly egged a vehicle belonging to another Yellow Springs resident while it was parked at the Antioch Theater parking lot Sunday and on Xenia Avenue Monday after the man had been warned to stop his egging. According to the Yellow Springs police chief, this charge is the culmination of a series of eggings that are being investigated. 3/28/02 Sometime during the night of Wednesday, Nov. 6, several potted flowers and two trash bags full of empty beer cans were thrown through the window of the Village Cyclery. The flowers had been outside the Epic Book Shop and the beer cans were from the Dayton Street Gulch. 11/14/02 Vandalism occurred at a President Street residence where a small statue was thrown through a swimming pool cover, police said. 3/2/83 Freshly planted shrubs at Yellow Springs High School were pulled from the ground and thrown atop the school roof last Wednesday, August 22nd. 8/30/90
Fifteen trees in the yard of a Yellow Springs resident were vandalized Ð 8 feet tall, they were cut off four inches from the ground Ð one night last week. 12/4/85
ACCIDENTS
On Friday, a car driven by a Yellow Springs woman went out of control and hit a pole at the intersection of Dayton Street and East Enon Road. Police said the mishap occurred when the driver sneezed. She was not injured. 4/30/86 A Yellow Springs man suffered a minor gunshot wound when a .22-caliber pistol accidentally discharged during a Boy Scout target-shooting exercise held at the Greene County Fish and Game Association near Xenia. 7/2/86 On Tuesday, a car driven by a Yellow Springs woman fell into a hole dug for an Ohio Bell telephone poll on Marshall Street as she was attempting to park. 9/12/84 No one was injured when a vehicle crashed into a Xenia Avenue living room where the occupants were watching TV Thursday of last week. The driver said he tapped his brake to avoid a vehicle that pulled out of Marshall Street and into his path. His Corvette skidded across the road, hit a mailbox, scattering its contents, and came to rest with its rear end embedded in the side of the house. 12/15/00 A Yellow Springs woman was injured, transported to Greene Memorial Hospital, and treated and released after she lost control of her car Tuesday of last week and struck a culvert on East Herman Street. Her cat had crawled under the car's foot pedals. 7/27/95
THEFTS
A three-foot green alien valued at $10 was taken from a Livermore Street residence last Thursday or Friday. 10/24/02 A VCR, cash, a double-barreled shotgun and children's clothing were taken from a Talus Drive home. 7/25/91 A black dog in the Lawson Place area on Tuesday of last week ran off with a ham a resident momentarily set outside her door while she was bringing home her groceries. 6/12/95 A surveillance tape at Speedway viewed on Tuesday of last week showed two people had taken a carton of cigarettes. 12/7/95 The same two men who were filmed with a surveillance camera taking cigarettes from Speedway recently were caught on film in the act of taking cigarettes again Tuesday of last week. This time they took 11 cartons. The two have not been apprehended. 12/21/95 A photograph was stolen from a South High Street residence. There was no sign of forced entry. 6/24/93 A Yellow Springs woman reported the possible theft of some furniture from her house on Fairfield Pike. 3/16/95 A Fairborn man, who was at the Greene County Learning Center getting fingerprinted for possible employment, was arrested for stealing a laptop computer from an office there. 10/12/00 A Fairfield Pike resident reported a pooh-bear stolen from her residence between December 31st and January 1. 1/3/90 Returning to the scene of the crime one year later, a man got caught and confessed. Police said last Wednesday, January 4th, a Springfield man brought to Eye 1 optical office in Yellow Springs a pair of eyeglasses whose frames needed repair. An employee recognized the frames Ð an unusual style Ð as having been stolen from Eye 1 a year ago on January 2nd, 1998. 1/11/89
A tennis-ball shaped quartz Sharper Image clock was stolen Saturday from a Phillips Street home. 12/12/91 A local resident reported a theft of yen Tuesday of last week from her Hill Hall dorm on the Antioch College campus. 12/7/00 Unknowingly, a Yellow Springs man drove all the way home from Xenia with a stolen purse hanging on his car's front fender [É] It had been stolen while its owner shopped in the same store the man was shopping in. The thief apparently threw the purse away in the store's parking lot as he fled the scene and it landed on the unsuspecting car. 8/2/89 Weaver's Supermarket reported the removal of four of the stainless steel characters in its name on the front of the store. Missing since July 4th are the ÔW,' ÔK,' ÔS,' and the apostrophe ('). 7/12/90 A man absconded with a box of turtles from the Trailside Museum Saturday. 5/15/97 Two persons were arrested for stealing Christmas trees in Yellow Springs Tuesday night of last week. 12/16/87
GET SMART
Police stopped a vehicle driven by a Springfield resident for failure to control Saturday, and while discussing the matter with the officer, the driver reached for the 40-ounce container of beer sitting in his lap and took a drink. He was cited for an open container, driving under the influence, driving under suspension, fictitious license plates and failure to control and was transported to Greene County Jail. 1/31/02 A Yellow Springs man called police for help Tuesday evening, when he accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his pistol. 12/5/02 An Antioch College student was charged with underage consumption of alcohol and criminal mischief last Thursday, Oct. 31, after a police officer found him painting "NO PIGS" on the pavement on Livermore Street. When the officer told the student to stop, he ran off, carrying a can of yellow paint. Several hours later the student showed up obviously intoxicated at the campus security office. 1/7/02 The driver of a truck carrying radioactive materials was charged with driving while intoxicated after her truck crashed in Clifton Friday night. 10/22/86 A Yellow Springs man was charged with reckless operation, operating a moving vehicle while intoxicated and driving with expired plates after police stopped him early Sunday morning. An officer first encountered the man as he left a downtown bar, visibly intoxicated. A short time later, the officer noticed him driving a car and waving to him. When the officer pursued, the man speeded up, driving at a high rate of speed. When the man finally stopped, police noticed that he had a large laceration on the back of his head, and drove him to the hospital, where he received 36 stitches. 12/12/02 On January 23, at 10:15 p.m., police were called to the Dayton Street Gulch to unlock a locked vehicle. After discovering that the vehicle's owner was intoxicated and his license was under suspension, police refused to unlock the vehicle. The vehicle's owner, who gave his address as at large, pushed an officer and became belligerent and aggressive. He was handcuffed and transported to the police station, where he continued to be belligerent. Police found marijuana and a steel pipe in his possession. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. 1/30/03 A Yellow Springs man was charged with public indecency and resisting arrest last Sunday. He was urinating at the intersection of Dayton and Walnut Streets and when a police officer tried to talk to him, he fled the scene. The officer walked to the man's home to wait for him to arrive. The man resisted arrest. A second officer was called and after speaking with a neighbor and the officers, he was taken to the police station. 9/27/01 A Springfield man was arrested and taken to Greene County jail after police were sent to Antioch College on a noise complaint last Saturday and heard the squeal of car tires. The police said the man's car peeled out of a parking lot at the corner of Corry and Glen Streets and crossed Corry Street before traveling to the bike path. The car then backed up onto Corry Street and nearly hit a police cruiser before traveling three more blocks until coming to a stop. When an officer approached the car, the man was "covered with vomit." 9/27/02 Pettit's BP reported that on Friday, February 14, a customer, after paying, drove away with the gas pump still connected to the car, breaking the pump handle. The driver remains unidentified. 2/20/03
NOISE Cattle rustling was the subject of a complaint Monday from a local resident who reported that "cow sounds" made sleep impossible. The investigating police officer found that the wind had carried the bovine noises from a distant field and that the animals themselves were not roaming around the neighborhood. 10/26/95 A Yellow Springs woman was charged with playing music and singing too loudly at 5:45 a.m. at her Xenia Avenue residence. 7/29/99 Reported noise Saturday afternoon at a Wright Street residence was actually "not-very-loud music" from a wedding in process. 7/5/01 At 10:30 p.m. Saturday, police, responding to a noise complaint, allowed Southview Drive residents to play "one more song." 8/17/00 A "window-shaking" noise was reported on Marshall Street Monday afternoon. 4/27/00 A Birch Street resident reported loud music emanating from a passing car Sunday. 5/24/01 Young people playing loud music in Kieth's Alley at 10 p.m. were dispersed because the noise was interfering with the sound track of a movie in the Little Art Theater. 8/26/99 Residents at a Fairfield Pike residence at 11 p.m. Thursday of last week were advised that their loud laughter was disturbing others. 9/16/00 Police shut down a drummer on King Street Monday and issued a verbal warning. 7/15/99 A girl who was afraid her neighbors would complain because her sister was playing music too loud Wednesday asked police officers to tell her to turn down the volume. She did. 12/29/95 Because of a noise complaint, police asked the person using a weed eater at 5:45 a.m. Friday to wait until 7 a.m. 7/1/99 Police asked the person clanging metal on Dayton Street at 11 p.m. Sunday to stop. 4/27/00 Police found that what sounded like someone trying to get into a Xenia Avenue residence at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday of last week was a neighbor dog attempting to visit the resident dog. 8/24/00 What was reportedly a woman crying at 5:30 a.m. Monday on Keystone Court turned out to be two cats fighting. 8/31/01
CRIMES FOR PEACE
All seven dream catchers and other artifacts were taken Thursday of last week from the porch of a Xenia Avenue business. 10/25/01 Four tye-dye tee-shirts were taken from the Import House by a shoplifter who fled the scene, Monday afternoon. 9/20/90 Four fairy books were taken July 5th from Open Books. 7/17/97 A Buddha and two dog yard ornaments were taken Saturday from a Livermore Street residence. 4/17/97 Several stones, valued at $50, were taken from a Randall Road residence Thursday of last week. 3/31/94 A Seattle, Washington, man reported the theft of his crystal quartz collection from his vehicle, parked downtown, on Saturday. 6/11/86 A Whitehall Drive resident reported that someone had cut the blooms off the daffodils growing outside his home. 4/12/01 A man reported three bird feeders had been taken from his West Davis Street yard. 4/19/01 An Antioch College student reported on Friday that a conga drum, valued at $300, was missing from the dance space at the Student Union. 3/20/03
DISPUTES AND COMPLAINTS
A dispute over parking downtown led to one party throwing a rock at another party Wednesday of last week. 8/16/01 A Yellow Springs resident was ordered to pay for damages to the windows and doors of a fellow resident's home following an incident between the two on Sunday. The former man and a Dayton Street resident complained that the latter had mowed their grass without permission. 5/4/95 A Yellow Springs man was cited for installing a spoiler on his mother's vehicle without her permission. 9/26/02 A Gardendale Drive resident was upset to find a box of shaving cream and toilet paper, which he took to be a communication from neighbors who wanted him to mow his lawn. 6/5/03 A disgruntled employee is suspected of running over three ladders belonging to Vernon Gray Painting that were at a job site on South High Street Monday. 7/8/99 An apparent road rage incident between a local resident and a Fairborn resident Wednesday of last week escalated until one party chased the other with a saw blade. Each party filed a complaint against the other. 7/14/01 A Xenia Avenue resident was frightened by a neighbor Monday who reportedly rearranged her flowers outside and set a garbage bag in front of her door. Police advised the neighbor to stay away and alerted the landlord about the incident. 6/27/02 Two West Center College Street residents took turns reporting one another for loud noise during the past week. 11/16/95 Two people yelling at each other on Xenia Avenue at 6 a.m. Monday were gone when police arrived. 8/29/02
SAGAS
Apparently more than one Nativity scene was violated during the past week. A shepherd and baby Jesus were reported missing Friday from the display in front of St. Paul's Catholic Church on Phillips Street. A lighted wise man bearing frankincense or myrrh was found plugged into a holiday display outside No Common Sense in Kings Yard last Friday, but he was not part of St. Paul's display, which uses unlit figures. Anyone with information about this figure should contact the police department. In addition, a statue of the Virgin Mary was spotted on top of the Yellow Springs Freeze, Inc. around the same time, but she disappeared the following day as mysteriously as she appeared. 1/9/97 Baby Jesus and a shepherd, both missing for a week from the nativity scene at St. Paul's Catholic Church, have returned to the fold. The pair were discovered Thursday of last week on the back patio of a Phillips Street residence a few doors away from the church. The whereabouts and origin of the Virgin Mary statue remain a mystery. As for the illuminated wise man, a kneeling figure in green robes found in Kings Yard, police still know not from whence he came. 1/16/97 A statue of the Virgin Mary, sighted atop the Yellow Springs Freeze at the same time other members of a nativity scene at St. Paul's Catholic Church were discovered missing early this month, has been found. She was discovered Monday morning resting on a dart game at the Southside Sports Palace on Xenia Avenue. The statue was found by a Sports Palace employee when he opened the business. "I was cleaning when I looked up and saw her," he said. He was not on duty the evening before, he said, and had no idea how she got there. The statue, like the unclaimed wise man still in police custody, is illuminated. 1/23/97 A large sum of money was lost last week between Star Bank downtown and the Lawson Place apartments. The money belonged to a Lawson Place resident, who dropped it on the way home from cashing her Social Security check downtown. The empty envelope that contained the money and the woman's I.D. was found at the intersection of Limestone Street and Xenia Avenue. Village Police are requesting that the envelope's finder return its contents to the Police Department. The woman planned to use the money to pay rent and buy food for this month., said Police Chief Jim McKee. 3/7/90 Last week's News reported the loss of "a large sum of money" by a woman resident of the Lawson Street apartments in Yellow Springs. Shortly after the paper came out, Village Police Chief Jim McKee received a cash donation for the woman from a village resident who prefers to remain anonymous. Said the donor: "It came from Jesus."3/14/90 A large red and white hot air balloon mounted over the pumps at Speedway last week was discovered missing Sunday after thunderstorms and heavy winds tore through the village in the early morning hours. Police and others who searched the area could not locate it. 5/16/95 The large red and white hot air balloon, which was missing from Speedway after heavy thunderstorms last week, was discovered Ð deflated Ð on the roof of the convenience store. 5/25/95
STRANGE BEHAVIOR
A Columbus man who was charged with driving under the influence, driving under suspension and weaving Friday was transported by Miami Township Fire Rescue to Greene Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released. He apparently cut his hand because he was agitated about being pulled over by Police. 1/18/01 The person mowing a lawn on Keystone Court at 10:30 p.m. Thursday was asked to stop and do the job at a more appropriate time. 6/15/95 Police responded to a call from Peach's Grill regarding a bleeding customer. The man asked not to be treated. 8/8/02 A Fairborn couple's car was damaged in a strange incident at midnight Wednesday on Dayton Street in Yellow Springs. The couple told police a man whose car had been tailgating them down route 68 from Springfield pulled them over, took an axe from his trunk and shattered the car's windows as the couple sat inside. Then the man got back into his car and left the scene. 5/27/87 Police are investigating reports of someone painting fire hydrants. 9/27/01 A Limestone Street resident reported on Tuesday that after she let a strange woman into the house to use the phone, the woman refused to leave. Police removed the woman. 2/13/03 At 10:50 pm on Saturday, June 7th, police stopped a man who was walking on Xenia Avenue near Limestone Street, after receiving a complaint from a local resident that the man reportedly took the resident's checkbook. The resident reported that, when the man heard the police wanted to talk to him, he stuffed something into the waistband of his pants and stated that there would be a showdown. 6/12/03 A Yellow Springs man was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after an incident early Friday that included a brush with the Canine Unit of the Greene County Sheriff's Department. According to police, Weaver's SuperValu employees called for assistance after the man allegedly passed out in the store. Police officers, who had planned to transport the man to his home, were escorting him to their vehicle, when he broke away, fleeing across the street and breaking through the glass front door of Unfinished Creations. He was not hurt by the breaking glass, police said. After the man entered the store, he refused to come out so local police called for assistance from the Greene County Canine Unit. That decision was made, said police chief Jim McKee, because the officers were uncertain about whether the man was dangerous. McKee said he felt the officers "handled the situation perfectly." Threatened with the possibility of an attack by Eric, the canine member of the unit, the man surrendered to police. Police said they did not know why he fled in the first place. 3/25/93A A naked man was reported on Lawson Place Saturday. 7/13/00 A Yellow Springs man who was stepping in front of cars on Corry Street Sunday around 3 a.m. was taken home. 4/6/00 On Sunday, a Whiteman Street resident reported that a female knocked on her door, requesting a ride to Springfield. When police responded, they advised the woman to return home. 11/23/02 A Xenia woman was charged with menacing by stalking after she sent two "disturbing" letters to a Yellow Springs resident, who didn't know the Xenia woman, and also contacted her by telephone. The letters, which contained photographs, cited the recent Washington, D.C., sniper attacks, the Manson Murder case in California and Osama bin Laden and were identified by police as "bizarre." 12/12/02 A Pettit's BP customer pumped $14 worth of gas Sunday, but only paid for $13. 4/19/01 Police received a complaint about a man who exposed himself Saturday to a group of walkers on the bike path. According to the report, the man, who was unclothed, appeared on the bike path near the Riding Center and jogged past the walkers. 6/10/93 On February 1, at 1:00 a.m., employees at Peach's Grill reported that an unidentified male had stuck his head into the restaurant and shouted obscenities, then left. 2/6/03
JUVENILES
Police on Friday sent home some children who were playing with fire behind the Methodist Church. 6/22/95 A local woman reported Sunday that her 12-year-old had possession of a number of Village-owned items, including utility pole numbers and a restroom sign and pamphlets from the Train Station. 3/8/01 Police responded to a complaint about juveniles throwing matches into piles of leaves in front of Weaver's Market but were unable to locate the juveniles in question. 11/15/01 A Yellow Springs High School student faces disciplinary action after bringing a stun gun to school Friday and zapping a classmate. 11/7/96 Snowmen were attacked by juveniles on Omar Circle Tuesday of last week and on West South College Street Friday. 2/10/00 A juvenile was reportedly hitting geese with a stick in the creek along Polecat Road Sunday. 5/3/01 Juveniles who were stripping leaves off trees at Mills Lawn School Thursday of last week were contacted by police and sent on their way. 5/24/01 Four juveniles were observed trying to set fire to a picnic table near the Train Station Wednesday afternoon of last week, but were gone when police arrived. 7/6/00 Juveniles got a verbal warning Monday about teasing a dog at a Tully Street residence. 6/1/00 Police officers three times in the last week, November 12th, 13th, and 17th, helped get a local boy to school who didn't want to go. 11/20/97 A juvenile who mooned a Pleasant Street resident while he and a friend trespassed on the property Wednesday of last week returned later to apologize. 6/5/97 A fight broke out between a couple of 8-year-olds waiting to play baseball at Gaunt Park Saturday. The juveniles, one from Springfield and one from Xenia, were equally bruised and no longer concerned about the altercation by the time the police arrived. However, the parents, who had become involved and were hurling verbal abuse at each other, had become the problem, according to the police report, which was filed at the insistence of one parent. 4/14/94 The Yellow Springs High School principal gave police a box containing several hand-rolled cigarettes found at the school Thursday of last week. The cigarettes, which contained "mostly tobacco," according to the police report, were destroyed. 2/24/94 Police gave a verbal warning to juveniles jumping in front of cars on Corry Street Wednesday of last week. 6/20/02 Police received a call from a local resident Sunday night complaining about problems with his children, but when police arrived, they found the man passed out from intoxication and were unable to talk with him. 11/15/01 A juvenile Monday packed his belongings and ran away from his Yellow Springs home to the police station. 2/1/01
LANGUAGE AND LOGIC
A Yellow Springs woman reported to police. that her car was vandalized Monday night, when the word "Hi" was scratched into its side. 11/2/83 A car with a loud car alarm that said, "Lady, please help me," caused concern at a residence and a business Saturday. The car, which belongs to a Springfield resident, was located at the Southside Sports Palace. No one was cited. 3/20/97 A villager whose cat was killed by a dog last week told police he would shoot any dog that came on his property in the head and kill it. When police said it was illegal to discharge a firearm within Village limits, he said he would instead hit the dog on the head with a shovel and kill it. 9/25/97 On Tuesday, two panes in a door at the McGregor School were broken by a brick that bore the words "Negotiate Fairly!!!" painted in white letters. 10/21/99 A Marshall Street resident reported an abandoned black boys 10-speed bicycle. 11/21/02 A white girls model Peugeot bicycle was stolen from a Yellow Springs woman Saturday. 4/17/85 A Dayton man was charged with littering August 9th. He was initially stopped for speeding. 8/14/97 Police are looking for the identity of a person who gained access to a local home page Tuesday and changed the heading to "nonsense." Although the person involved may consider this a harmless prank, he or she could be charged with unauthorized use of a computer, according to police. 11/18/99 A rock was thrown through a window at Ye Olde Trail Tavern between closing time Saturday and noon Sunday, breaking one outer windowpane and five inside. 1/24/02 A North College Street woman reported that her boyfriend would not let her leave their apartment. When an officer arrived, the woman had left. 5/15/03
VANISHED
Sometime during Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4, peace signs vanished from a Fairfield Pike residence. The signs, valued at $10 each, read "Peace is Patriotic" and "War is Not the Answer." 3/13/03 A bicycle vanished from a North Park Place residence Monday and a different bicycle was left in its place. 8/22/03 On Monday, May 26, a Dayton woman reported missing her 84-year-old father who was last seen heading down the bike path on rollerblades and had not returned in 15 minutes as promised. However, when police arrived at Caboose Bike and Skate, the man had returned from his rollerblading excursion safely and happily. 5/29/03 A boy's red Miata bicycle was reported missing from an Omar Circle residence. It had been missing since October or November of last year and the owner thought it might turn up somewhere in the Village. 3/22/01 The Greene County Learning Center reported the disappearance of six Adderall pills, which vanished from a bottle of the medication sometime between the afternoon of January 16 and the following morning. 1/23/03 Monday when a West North College Street resident checked on his poodle, the only thing in the cage was the dog's collar. 8/31/01
FOUND
The right forearm, wrist and hand of a human skeleton were turned into the police station Friday. 8/10/95 A security guard at Vernay Laboratories' Dayton Street plants found a color TV in the shrubs around the property. 10/24/02 Following up on a report, police found an elderly man lying in the snow Friday on Limestone Street and took him home. 1/27/94 A lawnmower was found hidden in the bushes of a Suncrest Drive residence Thursday of last week. 7/13/00 A VCR in a cardboard box was found on a picnic table at the Bryan Community Center Friday. 6/14/01 A complete wet suit was found in Glen Helen Sunday. 4/24/97 A local woman who was reported missing last week was found Saturday near the Village well field south of town. She has returned to her home. 8/26/93
DEBUNKINGS AND ANTICLIMAXES
At 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, police received several 911 calls about a man jumping in front of traffic on U.S. 68 near Young's Jersey Dairy. Police observed the man, who is from Dayton, pointing something that resembled a gun at passing cars. The officer, over his public address system, ordered the man to lay on the ground. The man was then taken into custody and found to have no weapons, only a cell phone. 6/5/03 A baggie containing white powder that was found near the Laundromat Monday and turned into police turned out to be detergent, not drugs. 10/26/00 A man was reported Friday wandering in the area of the main building on Antioch College campus at noon wearing a golf shirt and no pants, but upon investigation, he was found to be wearing very short pants. 8/19/99 Police were called Monday when an unwanted person was discovered inside a fenced yard on South Stafford Street. The intruder was an exterminator spraying for ants who had the wrong address. 7/11/02 Police received a report Monday from someone concerned about a man "acting strange" and stopping traffic near Vernay Laboratories' Dayton Street facility. Upon investigation, police learned the man was employed by Vernay in connection with a safety program. 8/17/95 Suspicious looking mail reported Wednesday of last week by a local resident turned out to be a consumer survey. 11/15/01 Police responded to a call from a Northwood Drive resident early Saturday morning about an unknown person who was knocking at her door. It turned out to be a foreign student who had become lost after attending a party and was trying to find a place to make a phone call. Police gave him a ride to his host home. 6/21/01 Police received a call from a local resident last week concerned about a suspicious vehicle parked near her home. Inside, she said, was a person dressed in red, just like Santa Claus. Upon investigating, police learned that it was only a Santa Claus impersonator, waiting to play Santa in the home of a nearby family. 12/19/91
A mysterious "spill" on Fairfield Pike reported to police on Wednesday of last week, turned out to be rabbit food. 9/5/02 A concerned neighbor reported an open front door at a Meadow Lane residence Wednesday of last week. When police arrived they found the home undisturbed and guarded by two cocker spaniels. 2/7/02 A suspected case of breaking and entering reported Wednesday of last week at a Glen Street residence was found to be caused by an amorous male dog that broke the glass out of a door trying to get to a female dog in heat inside the apartment. 9/8/94 Police responded to a call about suspicious activities behind Antioch Publishing Thursday of last week and found a couple on a blanket who were told to move along. 4/10/97 A concerned neighbor called police Sunday about an open front door to a South Walnut Street residence. When police arrived they closed the door. 2/21/02 Noise reported outside Friends Care Center Friday was believed to be caused by a deer walking on frozen ground. 12/14/00 Police responded to a complaint about a burning fire on North Stafford Street Saturday and found a barbecue. 8/15/02 A film crew from the high school triggered a report Monday that two men were at Gaunt Park with a gun. 6/12/95 A Whitehall Drive resident reported that eggs had been thrown at the house sometime during the night Saturday, but when police arrived they found no sign of defacement or damage. 9/12/84 People yelling in a field near Randall Road Wednesday of last week turned out to be playing a game. 12/7/00 On Sunday, Jan. 12, a Walnut Street resident complained of a stranger trying to enter her home. The stranger turned out to be delivering a package to the woman's husband. 1/30/03 On Monday, March 10, a Friends Care Community employee called police to report a man prowling between buildings. When police arrived, they discovered the man had been visiting a Friends Care resident. 3/13/03 Police checked out a report on Monday of objects thrown from the bike path bridge on Fairfield Pike onto cars as they passed and found paper plates but no culprits. 7/25/02 Two people on the ice at Ellis Pond Thursday last week left after police arrived. 1/25/01 A fight reported at Speedway at 10 p.m. Saturday turned out to be two cousins wrestling. 1/27/00 Two items reported stolen last week were recovered by police after having found to be not stolen after all. An air conditioner reported taken from a Lawson Place apartment was found in a storage area at Lawson Place. A chain saw reported taken from a Yellow Springs man was found by a member of the Village trash collection crew in the back yard of the man's residence. 1/16/86
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES AND THE SUPERNATURAL
There were tire tracks on a Union Street resident's lawn, a trash can damaged and cheese and crackers found in a mailbox which was also damaged last Friday. 5/9/02 Several pedestrians have reported over the past week that they were targets of what appeared to be a laser beam. 12/7/95 Mail in a mailbox owned by a Wright Street residence was torn up and replaced with rocks Monday of last week. On another day, rocks were placed inside the mailbox on top of the mail. 7/1/93 A loud noise awoke a sleeping Fairfield Pike resident Sunday but police could not find the sound's source. 3/19/02 A driverless car rolled down Xenia Avenue downtown Tuesday morning, crossed the busy Corry Street intersection and rammed Grote's Dairy Korner building causing damage to the building and the car. But nobody was hurt, as pedestrians and motorists managed to dodge the runaway auto. 8/23/89 An Antioch College student discovered a dead bird on a chair in her dorm room on Monday and also reported that she received an anonymous call regarding the bird. 9/26/02 A cloud of smoke appeared on the 900 block of South High Street Monday and caused irritation to the eyes of at least one resident there. Miami Township Fire-Rescue could not detect chemicals in the air. The cloud disappeared and the source was not discovered. 7/26/01 White powder was thrown on a van belonging to a Yellow Springs man while it was parked on Union Street Wednesday of last week. 7/8/99 A bat was reported in a West South College Street residence around 6 a.m. Wednesday of last week but police could not find the bat when they arrived. 7/4/02 Possible gunshots at the Antioch College "golf course" were reported at 4 a.m. Saturday. Police found nothing but dense fog. 8/4/94 Early Friday morning at 5 a.m., a Lisa Lane resident heard footsteps outside the home, but when police arrived they found no evidence of an interloper. 3/19/02 A Yellow Springs woman was paying for gasoline she had just pumped into her car at the self-serve Bonded Oil station, Xenia Avenue at Glen Street - when her driverless car began rolling toward Glen street. It rolled across the street and came to rest beside the Erbaugh and Johnson drug store. 6/19/85 Two residents on Spillan Road on Saturday reported seeing a laser beam coming through windows into their houses. 3/20/97 On Tuesday, police were contacted by a Ridgecrest Drive resident who was concerned about unidentified footprints visible in the snow in her back yard. 12/19/02 Late Thursday, police were called to Antioch College, where campus security reported the presence of unwanted people on the roof of Kelly Hall. Police investigated and heard sounds in the building's attic and crawl spaces, although no one was located. Campus security left a guard to stand watch in the building. 9/26/02 A truck with a high and wide load driven by a Louisville, Kentucky, man struck and slightly damaged a traffic light at Xenia Avenue and South College Street Wednesday of last week. It was not determined if the light was too low or the truck was too high and no citations were issued. 8/23/01 A West Davis Street resident had police catch a sick mouse in the backyard and wanted it tested for rabies. An officer contacted a local veterinarian and was told there were no active cases in the area. 8/2/01 A resident reported Tuesday he had found footprints on the front porch of his Xenia Avenue residence for two days in a row. 10/19/95 A Corry Street resident reported an intruder left muddy footprints, moved furniture and left the lights on Saturday. Nothing was taken. Police are investigating this on-going problem. 9/13/01
MISCELLANEOUS
Police unjammed the lock on the door of a bedroom in a Dayton Street residence on Saturday, freeing three young girls who had been trapped inside. 11/15/01 A local woman reported seeing a man expose himself to another woman Monday near South Stafford and Limestone streets. According to the report filed with police, the man, who was on a motorcycle and stopped at a stop sign, exposed himself to a woman who was passing by. That woman, said police, has not reported the incident. 8/6/92 A worried villager called police when a perplexing note attached to candy appeared on a vehicle belonging to the resident Wednesday of last week. Police called the telephone number inscribed on the note and learned the note was intended for a similar, but different vehicle. 6/27/02 Police detained a man passing out stickers decorated with red cartoon characters at Ye Olde Trail Tavern Saturday because they were suspected of being LSD. The sheet of stickers was sent away for testing and results have not yet been released. 7/20/00 An anonymous caller reported that two trucks were drag racing on Allen Street. Officers stopped the vehicles and issued a warning. 6/19/03 When a police officer spoke to a Yellow Springs man Monday about receiving complaints about his dogs, which were at large on Cemetery Street, he verbally abused the officer and apparently frightened people in the vicinity when his expletives were broadcast through the cruiser's keyed microphone. 2/28/02 It was a fire at Ð of all places Ð the firehouse. But it was "a very, very, very small fire," said the fire chief. It happened Tuesday night last week, in the Miami Township firehouse on Corry Street. Some papers in an in-house mailbox were burned. There was no damage, other than to the papers Ð "maybe two dollars worth," said the fire chiefÉ The fire occurred shortly after a training session for fire department members had been held. 11/19/93 Following the health fair at the Bryan Community Center Wednesday of last week, two pieces of blood pressure equipment left for a short time during loading were damaged after they apparently caught on someone's bumper and were dragged through the parking lot. 10/26/00 At 1:49 a.m. on Sunday morning, March 23, police observed a car speeding and weaving while southbound on Xenia Avenue. When police stopped the car, the driver stated she was weaving because she was eating food from Taco Bell. However, when she failed field sobriety tests, she was cited for operating a moving vehicle while intoxicated and failure to control. She was transported to the police station and released to her mother. 3/27/03 A solicitor selling frozen meat from a vehicle left town after he was advised that selling in this manner was against Village regulations. 10/20/94 Two people selling meat door to door without a permit Tuesday of last week were asked to leave the village. 7/19/01 Thieves stole a cash register containing $250 from the Camp Birch Boy Scout camp on Swimming Pool Road, near Yellow Springs, last Wednesday night. Greene County Sheriff's Department reports indicate three men in camouflage fatigues seen in the area are being sought for questioning about the thefts. "Survivalist" and military hobbyist activities have been reported in that area, sheriff's deputies said. 11/28/96 Someone threw a partially filled plastic soft drink container from a tan vehicle Saturday and hit a 76-year-old man who was bicycling on Marshall Street. 11/28/96 Three men who were attempting to sell perfume on Xenia Avenue without a license on Friday, Sept. 20, were given a warning and told to move on. 9/26/02 A Yellow Springs man was charged Tuesday with opening a junkyard within city limits on Xenia Avenue. 1/13/94 Miami Township Fire Rescue was called to Marshall Street Thursday of last week for a car leaking gas, but because it was parked in the grass, could do nothing. 11/13/97 A neighbor who noticed two men carrying items from an Elm Street apartment confronted them with a flashlight and a gun and fired the gun, but "not at them," when they dropped the goods and ran. 8/3/95 Police worked for almost an hour last week trying to unlock the car of an out-of-town visitor who had left it running at Reed's BP station, with two toddlers inside. After many unsuccessful attempts to unlock the door from the outside, the mother finally convinced the oldest child to unlock it from the inside. 12/12/91 Police responded to a report of a passenger trying to exit a moving car near DeWine's Pond Friday and found an out-of-town couple in the midst of an argument. Police offered the two the use of a conference room to settle their difficulties peacefully. 2/16/95 A Xenia man was charged with voyeurism and disorderly conduct after being arrested at 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said they received several complaints about a man peeping into windows in the Village, and that they spotted the man standing on a ladder outside a residence. He fell from the ladder and fled, but was found after a brief search, police said. 8/2/84 On Sunday, December 29, police intervened in a domestic dispute over a video game. 1/2/03
THE END |
||||||
