Northfield Village Police responded to 25 incidents over a two week stretch spanning late August into early September. Calls ranged from drug possession stops to a domestic violence arrest, a string of vehicle break ins and numerous rescue squad assists at the Northfield Park Racino. Here is a roundup organized by category.
Drug and Alcohol Offenses
A traffic stop on Ledge Road on Aug. 25 led to a drug possession case after officers noticed indicators of narcotics use during a stop for window tint and impeding traffic flow. A K9 gave a positive indication, and a search turned up baggies with meth residue along with a small amount of meth. The contraband was destroyed and the case is closed.
Officers towed a vehicle from the Northfield Park Racino parking lot on Aug. 26 after finding an Illinois registration that had been expired and suspended for two years. The driver was cited for expired plates.
A traffic stop on Northfield Road on Aug. 29 turned up three unknown pills after a driver with a suspended license consented to a search. The passenger had an outstanding warrant, but the warrant agency instructed officers to release him. The pills were logged into evidence.
Disorderly conduct charges followed a disturbance at the Racino on Sept. 5. An off duty officer working a side job called it in, and a man was cited for disorderly conduct by intoxication before being released.
The most serious alcohol related call came Sept. 7, when officers heard a radio call about a possibly intoxicated driver leaving the area in a silver Chevy SUV with a loud exhaust. An officer stationed near Lee Eaton Elementary School spotted the vehicle turning onto Firestone Lane and conducted a traffic stop for a faulty exhaust. Field sobriety tests led to an OVI arrest. The driver refused a breath sample and was cited for OVI, a prior BAC refusal within 10 years, and the exhaust violation. He is due in Stow Municipal Court.
Domestic Violence Incidents
An assault case that started at the Northfield Park Racino ended in an arrest on Aug. 30. Copley Police contacted Northfield officers after finding a couple in their city, with the man alleging his girlfriend had assaulted him at the Racino. Security footage confirmed the woman approached her boyfriend in the parking lot and punched him in the face. She was arrested, transported to the Northfield Village Police Department and booked on domestic violence charges.
Officers responded to a reported domestic in progress at an apartment complex on Ledge Road on Sept. 8. Investigators determined the incident did not meet the criteria for a domestic case. The man involved left the scene, and both parties declined to press charges.
Theft and Property Crimes
Multiple vehicles were broken into across the village in an incident reported on Sept. 3 near Heights Avenue. Investigators gathered camera footage, and an arrest was made the same day the report was filed.
A property damage report came in on Sept. 6 from May Avenue. Officers found no marks indicating a forced entry and no footage of the incident. Police plan to give the address special attention going forward.
Rescue Squad Assists
The department logged nine rescue squad assists during the period, most of them tied to falls at the Northfield Park Racino. A woman sought help finding her way home on Aug. 26 and refused medical evaluation after a squad was called. An 87 year old patron fell at the Racino on Aug. 27 and declined transport to a hospital, while a separate call that same day involved a man who fell and was found unresponsive before being transported for care.
Staff at Northfield Village Skilled Nursing called for a fallen resident on Aug. 28 who had visible blood from a head wound. That report was taken for documentation purposes only.
Two more falls at the Racino required medical attention in early September. A woman was found bleeding and unconscious on Sept. 1 and transported to Hillcrest Hospital. Two additional falls on Sept. 2 involved a woman with wrist pain who declined treatment and a highly intoxicated woman who could not get up from a bathroom floor and eventually left with a sober friend.
Two calls on Sept. 8 stood out from the rest. Officers responded to a found body and determined the man died with no signs of foul play. Later that evening, officers and firefighters performed lifesaving measures on a 58 year old man who had passed out and stopped breathing before he was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Other Notable Calls
A civil matter was documented on Aug. 27 after a resident reported that his neighbor’s U-Haul struck his vehicle nearly three weeks earlier in an apartment complex lot. The two parties had already reached a civil agreement, and the report exists for informational purposes only.
Police responded to a disturbance on Northfield Road on Sept. 1 involving a woman throwing items from a room, but she had walked away by the time officers arrived.
Officers cited a juvenile for a curfew violation early on Sept. 5 after responding to a report of juveniles throwing garbage in a parking lot. The juvenile was released to his father.
A welfare check on Sept. 5 led to a disorderly conduct citation for a man who was sitting on a curb with his legs obstructing traffic near the Racino. He was taken to the Macedonia jail.
Wildlife made an appearance that same day when a deer was struck near Midas off Northfield Road. The deer was dispatched, and a local resident claimed the carcass.
The department opened an investigation on Sept. 8 into an online incident involving material harmful to juveniles after receiving information about the case.
FAQs
Q: Was anyone arrested during this reporting period?
A: Yes. Arrests were made in connection with an OVI stop, a domestic violence case at the Northfield Park Racino, and a series of vehicle break ins near Heights Avenue.
Q: Where did most of the incidents take place?
A: The Northfield Park Racino was the location for the largest share of calls, including several rescue squad assists and two drug or alcohol related incidents.
Q: Was anyone seriously hurt in these incidents?
A: Several rescue squad calls involved falls and medical emergencies, including one death investigation with no signs of foul play and a case where lifesaving measures were performed on a man who had stopped breathing.
Q: Are any of these cases still open?
A: Most incidents were marked closed by police. A property damage report on May Avenue remains under a special watch, and a case involving material harmful to juveniles was still under investigation as of Sept. 8.
Q: What happened with the domestic violence arrest at the Racino?
A: Security footage showed a woman punch her boyfriend in the face in the parking lot. She was arrested and booked on domestic violence charges after Copley Police located the couple in their city.
