Violent Crimes and Serious Offenses
Aug. 31: Domestic dispute escalates to assault charges at Walmart parking lot at 2:08 a.m. Joshua Edward Williams, 22, of Bedford Heights, was arrested after striking a police officer during a domestic escort situation. Officer Joshua Pappadakis was escorting Kayla Skylar Goczo, 22, to retrieve keys from Williams when he became increasingly hostile and aggressive. Williams made multiple verbal threats including “hey f@k n@#a stop talkin to me” and “touch me again, touch me again, touch me again I swear to god bro.” As tensions escalated, Williams told the officer “bro if you don’t get the f@k out my way bro, I swear to god” and “bro you gonna get yo a@ punched on my momma bro.” When additional officers arrived and commanded Williams to get on the ground, he responded “I ain’t getting on no ground” before fleeing through the parking lot. After a Taser deployment failed, Williams was tackled by Sergeant Matejka but struck Officer Pappadakis in the face with a closed fist before being subdued by multiple officers. Williams was charged through Stow Municipal Court with assault (fourth-degree felony), obstructing official business (fifth-degree felony), resisting arrest, menacing and disorderly conduct.
Aug. 28: Contraband discovered concealed internally during jail intake process. Satana I. Kent, 55, of East Cleveland, was being booked on an outstanding theft warrant when jail staff discovered she had concealed a crack pipe in her body cavity during the routine search. Despite repeatedly denying possession of illegal items and claiming the object felt during the search was “a tampon” and later “just part of her coochie,” Kent eventually admitted to hiding the drug paraphernalia internally. When confronted by officers and jail staff, Kent finally removed the crack pipe herself and admitted she used it to smoke crack cocaine. She was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with obstructing official business and possession of drug paraphernalia in addition to the original warrant.
Operating Vehicle Under the Influence
Sept. 8: Cleveland man arrested for OVI on Interstate 480 at 10:33 p.m. Jay Todd Hillsman, 38, was stopped for speeding 80 mph in a 65 mph zone and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. During the stop, Hillsman could not focus his eyes, had difficulty locating his driver’s license and failed standardized field sobriety tests. He admitted to having “a couple of drinks but was not drunk.” A breath test registered 0.162%. Five passengers, including minors, were transported to GetGo on State Route 82 for alternate transportation. Hillsman’s vehicle was towed and he was transported to Macedonia City Jail. He was charged through Stow Municipal Court with speed, OVI, OVI breath and display of license violations.
Sept. 6: Macedonia woman arrested for OVI with child in vehicle at establishment on Freeway Drive at 2:44 a.m. Melinda Marie Kainec, 37, was found intoxicated with a 4-year-old child in the back seat of her 2017 Ford Explorer at a local establishment. Officers observed extremely slurred speech and detected a strong odor of alcohol. Kainec initially claimed she had “one White Claw” at a Walsh Jesuit football game, later admitting to “a gin and tonic” at the establishment. She failed standardized field sobriety tests, showing lack of smooth pursuit, inability to follow instructions and using arms for balance. After being arrested and advised of Miranda rights, Kainec repeatedly refused commands to enter the patrol car, requiring three officers to place her inside. Video footage showed her drinking alcohol in the vehicle while the child was present and driving around the parking lot while consuming alcohol. She refused a breath test and was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with OVI, resisting arrest, obstructing official business and child endangering. The child was released to grandparents after child protective services was contacted.
Aug. 31: North Randall woman found unresponsive at Wendy’s arrested for OVI at 6:50 a.m. Branda Trina Flowers, 36, was discovered unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a 2023 Dodge Hornet with the vehicle running and not in park. Officers used a lockout kit to gain access. Flowers claimed she was “coming from a club in Cleveland called Masari” and showed signs of intoxication including glossy eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol. She initially refused to exit the vehicle but eventually complied and stumbled when getting out. During field sobriety tests, Flowers “continuously stated that she was not driving” despite video surveillance confirming she drove into the parking lot at 6:21 a.m., 39 minutes before officers arrived. She was arrested for OVI and refused a chemical breath test. She was charged through Stow Municipal Court for OVI and refusal.
Aug. 30: Munroe Falls man arrested for speeding and OVI on Interstate 271 at 1:54 a.m. Samuel Jeffrey Matuch, 24, was clocked traveling 95 mph in a 65 mph zone and showed signs of intoxication during the traffic stop. Matuch admitted to having “two drinks earlier in Cleveland” and failed field sobriety tests. A search revealed a small package of marijuana, and Matuch admitted to “smoking marijuana earlier.” A breath test registered 0.122% and a urine sample was collected for additional testing. He was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with speeding, OVI and BAC violations.
Aug. 30: Cleveland man arrested for OVI after possible crash at 10:57 p.m. Nathan Alexander Burns, 24, was found after EMS reported a possible intoxicated male who had been in a car crash. Burns claimed he “hit a road sign while coming from a concert gala in Akron” and was part of a Cleveland State University fraternity. He told officers he had “a can of Cutwater” initially, later changing his story to “two Cutwater drinks.” Burns showed slurred and stuttered speech, could not remember where the accident occurred, and failed all standardized field sobriety tests. A breath test registered 0.173%. An unopened 4-pack of Cutwater was found in his vehicle’s trunk. Despite searching the area, no accident scene was located. Burns was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with OVI, OVI BAC and expired plates.
Theft and Shoplifting
Sept. 9: Woman arrested for theft at Home Depot on Macedonia Commons Boulevard at 5:58 p.m. Elena Alexandru, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, was charged with theft after attempting to load unpaid merchandise worth $125.75 into a vehicle. When confronted by loss prevention, both Alexandru and her companion claimed they “did not attempt to take anything” and said they were “traveling back home to New York from Toledo.” Loss prevention observed Alexandru walking past all points of sale with paper towels, trash bags, propane and a rug in a shopping cart with a minor child. Alexandru was arrested and transported to Macedonia City Jail. She is charged through Stow Municipal Court.
Sept. 6: West Salem man arrested for theft and trespassing at Walmart on Macedonia Commons Boulevard at 10:55 p.m. Christopher M. Smith, 47, was observed by loss prevention agent Daniel Rodriguez placing merchandise in bags without scanning at self-checkout. Smith had been previously trespassed from the store. After being arrested, officers discovered his pockets were stuffed with stolen merchandise totaling $271 in value, with $154.72 in recoverable merchandise. He was transported to Macedonia City Jail and charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with theft and criminal trespassing.
Sept. 6: Cleveland woman arrested for shoplifting at Walmart during routine business patrol at 8:42 p.m. Cierra Michelle Brown, 26, was observed by loss prevention not scanning several items totaling $82.63 before placing them in bags at self-checkout. All merchandise was recovered by Walmart. Brown was arrested and transported to Macedonia City Jail, charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with theft.
Sept. 6: Major theft at Home Depot involves coordinated effort and nearly $4,000 in merchandise. Timothy S. Ballard, 30, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested at 1:52 p.m. after pushing two shopping carts containing $3,849.47 worth of merchandise past all points of sale. The accomplice, described as wearing blue flannel, escaped in a Kia Carnival minivan with Florida registration that was tracked using Flock cameras. Ballard was charged with fifth-degree felony theft through Stow Municipal Court.
Sept. 5: Two Bedford women arrested for shoplifting scheme at Walmart at 1:13 p.m. Delesha Rashay Reese, 34, and Courtney Kai Ryan Harris, 25, were observed placing $52.93 worth of merchandise in bags without scanning items at self-checkout. Both were stopped in the grocery exit vestibule, advised of Miranda rights and transported to Macedonia City Jail. They were charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with petty theft.
Sept. 2: Northfield woman arrested for concealing makeup at Walmart at 9:04 p.m. Julia Mary-Margaret O’Grady, 31, was observed concealing three makeup items worth $15.91 in her purse before passing all points of sale without payment. O’Grady admitted to the theft after being advised of Miranda rights. She was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with theft and possessing criminal tools.
Aug. 31: Sagamore Hills man arrested at Home Depot for concealing merchandise at 3:20 p.m. James D. Palsa, 67, was recognized by loss prevention from previous thefts and observed concealing items in a blue tote bag. Palsa told officers he “took the merchandise to work on flooring at his residence (daughter’s house).” Total value of stolen merchandise was $141.63. He was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with theft and possession of criminal tools.
Aug. 31: Repeat offender arrested again at Walmart for skip-scanning scheme at 2:31 p.m. Ramon Ismael Alatorre Gonzalez, 37, of Bedford, was arrested for skip-scanning items worth $10.65 and switching price tags on higher-priced items. This arrest followed previous incidents on June 15 and June 8 where Gonzalez stole $36.16 and $40.78 respectively using similar methods. He faces multiple theft charges through Macedonia Mayor’s Court.
Aug. 29: Brazen barcode switching scheme at Walmart leads to arrest at 10:47 p.m. Demonte Toreze Merriweather, 38, of Garfield Heights, was arrested after purchasing dog food and Elmer’s glue, then returning to use the glue to attach lower-priced barcodes onto large weight sets worth $218. After paying the lower prices, Merriweather fled when confronted by loss prevention but was intercepted by officers. All merchandise was recovered. He was charged through Macedonia Mayor’s Court with theft and possessing criminal tools.
Other Criminal Activity
Sept. 6: Residential property damage on Elizabeth Lane at 6:51 p.m. Joseph Michael Vitu, 43, reported a golf ball from Windmill Golf Course struck and broke his window. Officer took photos of the damage and golf ball. No way to determine who hit the ball.
Sept. 2: Traffic stop leads to weapons charges on State Route 82 at 1:25 a.m. Naisha Chanuty Gardner, 46, of Macedonia, was stopped for a non-functioning plate light. When asked about weapons, Gardner stated “No.” However, during an administrative inventory after her arrest for driving violations, officers found a loaded .38 Smith & Wesson revolver in the front passenger seat pocket. A criminal history check revealed Gardner had multiple disqualifying convictions, prohibiting her from possessing firearms. She was charged through Stow Municipal Court with multiple violations including having weapons under disability and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle.
