Loaded Guns, a Missing Rental Car and Overnight OVI Arrests in Solon

Solon police handled a mix of theft, weapons and impaired driving cases in the week's reports, including two traffic stops that each turned up a loaded handgun and two OVI arrests within about an hour of each other early Sunday. Here is a look at what officers dealt with, grouped by category and listed by date. Firearms A traffic stop on SOM Center Road near Aurora Road turned serious on September 7 when an officer pulled over a gray Jaguar for a suspected tint violation and smelled burning marijuana coming from inside. A lit joint was visible in the car. The driver denied having any weapons when asked, but a search uncovered marijuana, a bottle of suspected prescription cough syrup and a loaded semiautomatic pistol tucked inside a backpack, along with a spare loaded magazine. A 38 year old Twinsburg man was taken into custody and booked into Solon Jail on a charge of Improper Handling of a Firearm in a Vehicle, a second degree misdemeanor, for not disclosing the gun. The suspected cough syrup was sent off for lab testing, and the car was towed. One day later, on September 8, a black Kia Telluride was stopped on Harper Road near Aurora Road, again for a tint violation. Officers discovered the driver's license had been suspended. Asked about weapons, the driver said there were none in the vehicle. A search before the tow found otherwise. A loaded semiautomatic pistol was recovered, and a 41 year old Garfield Heights man was arrested on the same firearm disclosure charge, plus a citation for Driving Under Suspension. The vehicle was towed. Theft At the Sheetz on Cochran Road on September 8, staff called police after a man left with unpaid merchandise in a black Dodge Ram pickup. A witnessed license plate led officers to an address in Oakwood, where a 52 year old man admitted his bank card had failed to process, so he took the items anyway. He agreed to pay and returned to the store, settling the forty dollar bill. He was banned from the property with a criminal trespass warning, but no charges are being filed. Warrants A routine stop for expired plates on US 422 westbound at Harper Road on September 10 turned up two outstanding warrants. The Hyundai's driver, a 26 year old Cleveland man, had an active Solon police warrant and was arrested, then cited separately for the expired plates and for Driving Under Suspension. His passenger, a 26 year old Cleveland woman, had a traffic warrant from Sheffield Village police and was also cited for transporting marijuana after two small open bags were found in the car. She was handed off to Sheffield Village officers, and the vehicle was towed. Stolen Vehicle An August rental turned into a felony case when a manager at the Enterprise Rental Car on Enterprise Parkway reported that a customer never returned a Volkswagen Taos booked for a four day rental. Credit card charges were declined, and a written demand for the car's return went unanswered. As of September 10, the SUV was still missing. A warrant was issued charging a 40 year old Willoughby woman with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, a fifth degree felony. Drugs A Dodge Journey driving without headlights was stopped on Solon Road at Kruse Drive late on September 11. The smell of marijuana prompted a search that turned up a small amount of the drug, a digital scale and a suspected rock of crack cocaine near the front passenger seat. The passenger seated there, a 31 year old Bedford Heights man, was arrested on a fifth degree felony charge of Possession of Drugs. The driver, a 42 year old Bedford Heights woman, had a suspended license and was cited for Driving Under Suspension. She was given a ride home once the car was towed. Impaired Driving Just after midnight on September 13, an officer watched a Ford Escape strike a curb and nearly clip a mailbox while heading north on Harper Road. The driver claimed she had simply taken a wrong turn, but she struggled through field sobriety tests and later admitted to drinking tequila earlier that day. Unable to complete a breath test at the jail, she submitted a urine sample instead, which is now headed to a lab. A 27 year old Mayfield Heights woman was charged with OVI, Endangering Children and Driving in Marked Lanes. A second woman in the car, a 27 year old Cleveland resident, also appeared to be intoxicated. Four children between the ages of one and seven were in the back seat and were released to a sober adult who arrived to take custody of them and the vehicle. Roughly an hour later, a call about a car parked oddly with an unresponsive driver sent officers to Richmond Road near Columbus Road. They found a Chevy Malibu that appeared to have run off the road while traveling north. The man behind the wheel would not wake up despite officers rocking the car and shouting, so a window was broken to shift the vehicle into park. Once awake, he was disoriented and combative, resisting officers before being pulled from the car and arrested. Paramedics checked him at the scene but he ne