YOUR INFORMATION NEWSLETTER FROM NORTHFIELD CENTER TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE PAUL G. BUESCHER
~ KEEPING NCT RESIDENTS INFORMED SINCE 2005 ~
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#555 FRIDAY JANUARY 17, 2020
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MAJOR STING OPERATION NETS 22 ARRESTS
While most folks were going about their routine business last Wednesday, our Sheriff’s Office and many other law enforcement agencies were involved in a much different routine right here in our area.
Fifty (50) personnel from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Northfield Village PD, The Ohio Highway Patrol, The Ohio Investigative Unit and the Summit County Prosecutors Office were staged for briefings at a local parking lot in Northfield Center, to embark on a sting operation involving human trafficking, prostitution, and drugs. I was invited to attend and watched as this extraordinary event unfolded.
It was 3:30PM as I arrived at an undisclosed location. The parking lot was full of unmarked police vehicles along with the Sheriff’s mobile command center and other command units. I met up with Captain Scott Cottle from the Sheriff’s Office who introduced me to some of the other personnel, many of whom I already knew well from prior operations and events.
At approximately 4PM, everyone was summoned for a briefing where the plan for the sting was discussed, including assignments, procedures, radio coordination and everything else you would expect for an operation of this type.
The staging occurred in Northfield Center but the actual operation was being set up in Northfield Village. Undercover agents were posing as truck drivers, Uber drivers and other positions. Through their investigative and innovative techniques, they were able to begin making arrests soon after the sting began.
After a brief departure, I returned at around 5:30PM and was joined by fellow Trustee Russ Mazzola. As night fell and rain began falling, we watched as several prisoners were brought to the staging area to be processed. They came one after another, both female and male and were eventually loaded into the Sheriff’s “paddy wagon” and taken to their new ‘home’ at the Summit County Jail!
The whole operation lasted until around 2AM. A total of 22 arrests were made and there could be more based on their followup investigations. During the sting, a high-speed pursuit occurred when an alleged pimp dropped off one of his ‘workers’ but was called off for safety reasons because he was fleeing without headlights. His car was eventually found in Walton Hills so his days of freedom are numbered. In another incident, another driver attempted to flee and collided with a police vehicle! Thankfully, there were no injuries reported.
This is just another example of the work that our Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement personnel conduct behind the scenes. Some of these perpetrators came from North Canton, Elyria and other areas to bring their crimes to our communities. Most residents are not aware of this but it occurs on a nearly daily basis yet these crimes and the dedicated work of our law enforcement personnel to solve and prevent them, are grossly under reported.
I’ve personally witnessed how all of our local safety forces and Sheriff’s Office work together to protect us. They watch each other’s backs and they watch ours as well. So, the next time you see a Sheriff’s deputy, or a police officer from Northfield Village, Macedonia, Sagamore Hills, the Highway Patrol, or any other law enforcement officer or firefighter, just tell them, THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!
NOTE: This article was cleared by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office prior to publication.
Thank you,
Paul G. Buescher
Northfield Center Twp. – Vice Chairman
330-467-9451
TrusteeBuescher@aol.com
