City of Clayton, MO
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Weekly Police Incident Report: August 25th - 31st
The Clayton Business Officer was on patrol Monday morning when he noticed a man in the outdoor seating area of Starbucks. He immediately recognized the man as someone who had been repeatedly arrested for trespassing at the coffee shop as well as other locations throughout the central business district. He was subsequently arrested for Trespassing, and the case was presented to the City of Clayton Prosecuting Attorney for consideration. Given the man’s extensive and repetitive history of Trespassing, he recommended the case be submitted to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was reviewed, and a warrant was issued for Trespassing in the 1st Degree, with a cash-only bond of $1,200. The man was later transported to the St. Louis County Justice Center.
A man reported he had been driving southbound on the interstate Monday afternoon when he witnessed an SUV in the far left lane cut off a driver in the middle lane of traffic. The driver in the middle lane swerved to avoid the SUV and struck his driver’s door. The force of that collision pushed his vehicle into a barrier on the side of the highway, damaging his front bumper. His vehicle was later towed from the scene. Thankfully, neither driver reported any injuries.
Officers responded to Walgreens on Monday night for a delayed report of a larceny. The manager explained that a female customer had caught her attention when she began to fill her shopping cart with an array of items. As she watched, the woman positioned her cart as though she was waiting to check out, but abandoned it to exit the store briefly. When she returned, the woman began talking to the manager, but did not push her cart forward to allow her to start ringing up her items. Instead, a man entered the store and immediately pushed the woman’s cart past all points of sale without attempting to pay for the merchandise. Both subjects were seen leaving in a white sedan. The investigation continues.
Later that night, Officers were called to the 100 block of N. Bemiston for a report of someone leaving the scene of a vehicle crash. Upon their arrival, they found a car partially off the roadway with its front bumper wrapped around a speed limit sign. A nearby resident stated he had been in his home when he overheard a loud crash. When he went outside to investigate, he found the vehicle in its damaged condition and contacted the CPD. He stated he recognized the car as belonging to a neighbor.
Officers contacted the registered owner and learned they had last driven the vehicle the day before. Surveillance cameras captured footage of a second vehicle, a black 4-door sedan traveling southbound and striking the driver’s side of the parked vehicle. An unknown driver exited the striking vehicle and appeared to inspect the damage to their car before leaving the scene, heading northbound. The investigation is ongoing.
Tuesday morning, an Office Manager in the 200 block of S. Central contacted the CPD Business Officer to report someone had burglarized their office suite the day before. Surveillance footage showed a man entering the rear door of the suite on Monday afternoon and removing items from the break room refrigerator. The man proceeded to store those items inside the break room microwave before stealing the microwave and walking out of the suite. The Officer recognized the suspect as the same man responsible for burglarizing other businesses in the central business district.
As the Officer continued to investigate, he noticed the suspect walking toward the metro station. He gave the man verbal commands to stop and informed him that he was under arrest. However, when he attempted to handcuff him, the man actively resisted. The man was arrested, and the case was presented to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office for consideration. Charges were issued for three counts of Burglary 1st Degree and Resisting/Interfering with Arrest for a Felony. A cash-only bond was set at $25,000, and the man was released to the custody of the St. Louis County Justice Center. At the time of his arrest, he had a box full of pipe couplings in his possession. We were unable to establish where they came from or who the owner was, and they have been seized and stored as evidence.
That afternoon, Officers were called to the 900 block of S. Brentwood for a report of a stolen check. The reporting party explained she had mailed a check from the mailbox outside of her office on August 22nd. She was alerted that the check had been altered when she was contacted by a fraud investigator on Tuesday. The investigator informed her that someone had attempted to present the check at a credit union in Michigan, but they had left with the check before it was processed. The check has since been cancelled, and the case has been forwarded to the United States Postal Inspectors for further investigation.
Later Tuesday afternoon, Officers returned to I-170 for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries. One of the drivers stated he had been traveling southbound in the far left lane when traffic ahead of him had come to an abrupt stop. In his attempt to stop, he swerved and struck the concrete median before hitting the rear of the vehicle in front of him. The other driver stated he had been fully stopped before the collision. His passenger complained of neck and head pain and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Both vehicles were severely damaged and were towed from the scene.
A short time later, a man reported he had been turning onto Clayton Rd. from Glenridge when he was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound on Clayton Rd. The westbound driver admitted his signal had turned red before he entered the intersection, and he could not avoid the collision.
Thursday morning, Officers were alerted that someone had glued posters to City of Clayton-owned light poles and electrical boxes along the 6400 and 6300 blocks of Forsyth Boulevard without permission. While they were canvassing the area, a Sergeant with the Washington University Police Department informed our Officers he had recently stopped and identified two people who were applying red stickers, related to the posters, to the backs of Washington University stop signs. He later provided surveillance video from the university, which showed four individuals hanging the posters on the night of Sunday, August 24th. Those individuals have not been identified, and the investigation continues.
That evening, Officers were called to Concordia Seminary for a report of a stolen check. The office staff explained that several checks had been written from the seminary’s bank account on Friday, August 22nd, and that they were placed in the outgoing mailbox outside the Student Center that afternoon. On Thursday, they were notified that one of the checks had been altered and made payable to someone the staff did not recognize. That check was then deposited into a credit union account in Flint, Michigan, on the 26th. It is not clear when or where the check was compromised. The investigation is ongoing.
Thursday night, a CPD Officer initiated a traffic stop in the 6700 block of Clayton Rd. When he approached the car, the driver rolled down his window, allowing a cloud of marijuana smoke out of the vehicle. When he looked inside the car, the Officer noticed a lit marijuana cigarette in the cup holder. When asked if he had been smoking while driving, the man claimed he and his passenger had just lit up as he parked his car. However, following a roadside investigation, the Officer determined the man had been driving while impaired by marijuana, and he arrested him. He has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the Officer discovered a clear plastic bag containing more marijuana. On the back passenger side floorboard, he found a purse containing a loaded pistol. The handgun was equipped with an aftermarket feature that allowed the weapon to become a fully automatic firearm. The passenger claimed ownership of the purse but insisted he was holding the gun for a friend. However, inside the passenger’s backpack, the Officer found a 30-round magazine for the same firearm. All items were seized as evidence and will be sent to the St. Louis County Crime Lab for analysis. The man was arrested for Possession of Certain Weapons and transported to the St. Louis County Justice Center. The case has been taken under advisement by the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officers returned to Walgreens Friday night for another shoplifting report. The manager explained she had witnessed a woman concealing merchandise in her clothing and a duffel bag. She stated she had not immediately confronted the woman and had momentarily stepped away from the sales floor. When she returned, she watched as the woman entered the passenger side of a white four-door sedan in the parking lot. The investigation continues.
Last week, we reported that a Hyundai Sonata had been stolen from the 6600 block of Alamo. Early Saturday morning, Officers were notified that the car had been found in the 7400 block of S. Grand in the City of St. Louis. The vehicle’s interior and the steering wheel column were damaged, and three of its tires were missing. Unfortunately, the victim’s sports equipment is still missing. An investigation is ongoing.
Officers responded to the central business district for a report of a vehicle leaving the scene of an accident Saturday evening. The caller explained he had parked his vehicle on the street in the 200 block of S. Meramec on Friday evening. When he returned on Saturday evening, he discovered that items inside the car were out of place, and he initially thought someone had rummaged through it. However, as he began to reverse out of his parking space, he heard what he described as a crunching sound. He exited his car to investigate and discovered fresh damage to the rear of his vehicle and the right front corner panel and bumper. Officers observed red paint transfer, debris littering the ground, and what appeared to be the imprint of a partial license plate on the victim’s rear bumper. No suspects or witnesses have been identified. The investigation continues.
Finally, when he noticed a vehicle displaying a license plate that had expired in 2023, a CPD Officer initiated a traffic stop on Hunter Ave. Sunday morning. As he spoke with the driver, the Officer learned the man had a suspended driver’s license and was wanted by the St. Louis County Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for traffic offenses. The warrants were confirmed as active, and the man was arrested.
Before completing an inventory search of the vehicle, the Officer asked the man if there was anything illegal inside the car. The man informed him he had cocaine concealed inside a compartment in front of the vehicle’s gear shift. Inside, the Officer found a small, pink plastic zip-lock baggie containing a white powdery substance believed to be a controlled substance. The baggie was seized as evidence and will be forwarded to the St. Louis County Crime Lab for analysis. Pending results, this case will be submitted to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney for consideration of charges.
Anyone with information about these or other investigations is asked to contact the CPD at (314) 645 -3000. Until next week, stay safe!