February 2
12:25 am: Unknown perpetrators broke into vehicles parked in the Melrose neighborhood.
3:04 am: An officer on patrol in the Longview Highlands neighborhood noticed a damaged Hyundai Elantra parked in the driveway of an unfinished house. The car was missing a back bumper, the trunk was smashed, and a winter coat was stuffed into the open passenger side window. Upon approach, the officer noticed that the Hyundai’s dashboard had also been damaged. Dispatch verified that the car had been stolen from Columbus. The front door of the house had been left ajar, and in the front room, a large propane heater was left running. Nobody was located inside the house.
9:10 pm: After clocking a Toyota Camry traveling 40 mph on Cross Street, which has a limit of 25 mph, police stopped the car on Columbus Street. Police also informed the 18-year-old driver that her license plate had expired.
February 3
2:04 am: While on patrol, an officer witnessed a Chevrolet truck turn northbound onto Hill Road from the Interstate 70 exit ramp. The officer observed that although the vehicle traveled forward, the Chevy’s taillights emitted a white light as if in reverse. Dispatch reported the license plate to be fictitious and the tag expired in 2013. The officer conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of the former TGI Fridays. When asked when he had last registered the vehicle, the 63-year-old driver allegedly motioned toward the taillights and said, “You stopped me for that, so what’s the problem?”
The officer explained that the man was driving a vehicle that did not have his name on the title and the registration sticker was two years out of date. To which the man reportedly replied, “When you drive that means commercially, when you travel, you travel freely.” When the driver could not provide proof of registration and dispatch learned that he lacked a driver’s license, the police impounded the vehicle. The man became upset and accused the police of stealing his truck. He reportedly asked why the officer was treating a disabled veteran in such a manner. The officer explained that the issue was not the man’s military service, but rather the fact that he could not provide evidence that he owned the vehicle. Eventually, the man removed his belongings and arranged for a ride.
9:16 pm: Police cited a 35-year-old woman after pulling over the Hyundai Elantra that she was driving near the Hunter’s Run shopping center. The vehicle was missing a tag light, and the registration had expired in 2022. She told the officer that the vehicle belonged to a friend.
10:33 pm: An officer pulled over a Hyundai Elantra near the intersection of Columbus and Center Streets for a missing headlight. The 41-year-old driver had a suspended license, and she was wanted on a Pickerington warrant.
February 4
10:22 pm: Police followed a Hyundai Kona to a home in the George’s Creek neighborhood after witnesses reported that while traveling on Hill Road, the man in the vehicle was hitting the woman in the vehicle. When officers approached the car, the 44-year-old man allegedly ran into the home then out through a backdoor.
February 6
3:33 am: A 41-year-old man living in the Monebrake Drive neighborhood called the non-emergency number for the Pickerington Police, asking them to take his dog because he feared it would bite his family. The police department advised the man to contact either the Fairfield County dog warden or animal control during regular office hours. The man replied that he would shoot the dog in self-defense with his .45-caliber Glock. Officers arrived at the home, and the man led them to where the light-colored shepherd was held in a crate. After multiple tries to remove the dog using the capture pole, followed by several unsuccessful attempts to apply a muzzled leash, the shepherd willingly left his crate when presented with his leash and a promise of a walk. He obediently climbed into a cruiser and quietly rode to the police station kennel. Officers reported that the shepherd remained peaceful and would lick them when they entered the kennel. Allegedly, multiple red marks and bruises were documented on the dog’s back legs.
February 7
10:11 pm: A flock camera near Blacklick-Eastern Road recorded a stolen Kia Forte traveling southbound on Hill Road. The driver allegedly refused to pull over, therefore multiple units were called to assist. The Kia reportedly began accelerating and was clocked traveling past Dairy Queen. Officers placed stop sticks near Meadows Boulevard, which struck two of the tires. The Kia continued southbound, allegedly passing through the four-way stop at Columbus Street at 45 mph. The shredded tires forced the vehicle to drop to 17 mph, then stop completely at Stonebridge Drive. Police detained the driver, a 28-year-old woman, and read her Miranda Rights. Officers allegedly found a powdery white substance in an open container wedged behind the driver’s door handle. She had an outstanding warrant for violating her parole.
2:01 pm: After conducting a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Cruze on Hill Road near Interstate 70 for an improper lane change and no license plate light, the 52-year-old driver was arrested for a warrant out of Lancaster.
8:54 pm: Police stopped a Honda Accord at the BP parking lot for expired plates and the 24-year-old driver having a suspended license.
February 8
5:24 pm: An officer dispatched a distempered raccoon near Town Square Drive and Hill Road.
February 9
12:18 pm: A 27-year-old man reported that his brother, who was visiting his apartment in Turnberry, became upset over a video game and angrily left. He allegedly threw a garbage can at the front door and broke a window.
Police Reports January 18 – February 1, 2025
