Police Blotter: Man Brandishes Gun at Painter, eBay Fraud Reported

An Oakland Township resident is out $2,800 following a fraudulent transaction through eBay last week, according to a sheriff's office report.

The resident found a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee listed on eBay for $2,800, made contact with the seller and agreed to buy the vehicle April 6. He wired the money to the seller in Montana through Western Union.

The seller then contacted the resident again, this time asking for an additional $2,600 "to be sent for shipping insurance," according to the report. The buyer became suspicious and contacted eBay, which informed him that the online auction site does "not require insurance for the shipping of merchandise."

The resident has not yet been able to make contact with the seller, though he said the $2,800 he sent through Western Union has been picked up, the report said.

Resident brandishes gun at man hired to paint his condo

A resident of Silvercreek Condos pulled out a gun in front of the man who was hired by the condominium complex to paint the subject's unit, according to a sheriff's office report.

The incident occurred at the Silvercreek condominiums the afternoon of April 8, but it was not immediately reported to police because of a miscommunication between the employee and his boss, "who evidently misunderstood what happened and told him to go home after (he) said he wanted to call the police," the sheriff's office report stated.

According to the report, the employee was painting trim on a front door when the resident, a white male, opened that door and confronted the employee. "The subject was holding a black-colored revolver in his right hand and asked (the employee) what was he doing there."

The employee explained he was a painter hired by the condominium complex to paint the exterior of the buildings, including front doors. The man, who never pointed the gun directly at the employee, "didn’t have his finger on the trigger and never threatened him" but said he'd "heard a noise at the front door, became alarmed, got his gun and went to check it out," the report said.

According to police reports, however, the employee, who said he was dressed in paint-covered clothing at the time of the incident, said he had already made eye contact with the man when he was sitting on the upstairs balcony minutes before the incident.

Sheriff's deputies were still attempting to make contact with the man who reportedly brandished the gun.