Police Blotter: Man Falls Victim to Scam That Worked on Friend

A Beachwood man called at 6:35 p.m. June 21 and said he was approached by a suspicious man at a Mayfield Road gas station between 11 p.m. and midnight the previous day. He said the man begged him for a ride to see a friend at a drug store in South Euclid. He gave the man a ride and the friend was gone. The suspect then claimed to be a minister, asked if he believed in Jesus and said his child was having dialysis and he was in dire need of money to help pay for it. He gave the man $90 and then realized it was a scam. He said the same thing happened to a friend at the same location. The suspect was described as a clean-cut black man, with short hair, khaki pants and a multi-colored shirt.

A woman called at 1:01 a.m. June 23 because she was concerned about her husband on Maplewood Road. She was out of town and was not able to reach him on the phone all day. Police talked to the man, who had been sleeping, and told him to call his wife.

A woman called at 5:31 p.m. June 22 and said her laptop computer had been stolen on Sunset Road. She said friends were repairing it and were sitting outside when someone came up and took the computer. Police said the woman decided not to file a report on advice from her father.

Scattered power outages were reported around 10 p.m. June 21 in the eastern end of the city, including traffic lights out on Mayfield Road.

A Golden Gate Plaza business called June 20 after getting several calls from someone claiming to be with the Cleveland Crimes Investigation Unit. The caller did not want to file a report.