For the reporting period of Monday, September 22 – Sunday, September 28, your CPD officers responded to 576 calls for service. These included 16 vehicle crashes and 60 requests to assist other agencies. Among those calls were the following incidents:

On Monday afternoon, the CPD Business Officer observed a man he recognized from previous encounters, and due to complaints of someone sleeping in the garage, he followed the man. When he entered the garage, the Officer found the man attempting to hide by crouching between two parked cars. The man admitted to sleeping in the garage and was arrested for Trespassing. He has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

Later that afternoon, employees at a restaurant in the central business district reported a man had stolen a chair from the outdoor dining area. Officers found the suspect sitting in the stolen chair in a nearby alley. The chair was returned to the restaurant, and the man was issued a summons for Larceny. He also has a pending court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

That same day, the Accounting Manager of a local law firm reported several of the firm’s checks had been fraudulently altered. She was first alerted when a bank in South Dakota contacted her to verify funds for a suspicious check. After confirming the payee information had been changed, she instructed the bank not to honor it. Later, she received a call from a man claiming to be the one who attempted to cash the check, though he refused to say how he obtained it. The manager reviewed the firm’s account and identified six additional altered checks dating back to mid-August, several of which had been mailed at the Clayton Post Office. The case has been forwarded to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for further investigation.

Monday evening, a guest at a local hotel reported his watch was missing from his room after it had been cleaned. The housekeeping staff denied seeing the item when they tidied the room. The investigation is ongoing.

Early Tuesday morning, a traffic stop on Big Bend Blvd. resulted in the arrest of a driver for an outstanding warrant through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. During the stop, Officers located syringes, suspected fentanyl, crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and multiple debit/credit cards belonging to other people in the possession of a passenger. He was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The report will be forwarded to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office pending lab results.

Later that morning, Officers responded to a crash with injuries in the central business district. A driver admitted his foot slipped off the brake, causing him to strike another vehicle. A passenger in the second car complained of neck pain but declined medical attention. Both vehicles sustained minor damage but were driven from the scene.

Tuesday afternoon, Starbucks management requested assistance with a man loitering in the store. Responding Officers confirmed the man had been previously trespassed from the location. When he refused to comply with their instructions to leave the business, he was placed under arrest. The man refused to walk on his own and had to be carried to a patrol car. He was issued summonses for Trespassing, Failure to Comply, and Resisting Arrest, and later transported to the St. Louis County Justice Center.

A resident in the north end of town returned home Tuesday evening to find her house had been burglarized. She reported someone had rummaged through her bedroom and bathroom and stolen her jewelry. Neighbors recalled seeing unfamiliar vehicles in the area earlier that day, and Officers continue to investigate.

On Wednesday evening, a CPD Officer was assisting Clayton Fire Personnel with a medical emergency in the central business district when he noticed another individual behaving suspiciously. The man admitted to using fentanyl earlier, and when the Officer discovered suspected fentanyl in a plastic tube at his feet, the man attempted to destroy the evidence. He was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Resisting Arrest. He was transported to a hospital for treatment and released pending warrant application.

Later that night, a box truck struck a local hotel’s metal awning, causing thousands of dollars in damage. The driver left the scene without notifying staff. The incident was captured on surveillance cameras, and the investigation is ongoing.

A traffic stop in the east end of town late Wednesday night resulted in an arrest for Driving While Suspended. The driver was released on summons and has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

On Thursday, a healthcare employee reported that her purse had been stolen from an employee-only closet at The Clarendale. She later learned someone had made over $6,000 in unauthorized purchases at the Galleria Mall and the Brentwood Promenade. The case remains under investigation.

That afternoon, bank staff reported that a man had attempted to deposit a forged check. Responding Officers detained him as he tried to leave the scene. As they spoke with the man, they discovered that a passenger in his vehicle had attempted to conceal the fraudulent check by sitting on it. Both men were arrested for Forgery, and the case will be referred to the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office.

A man reported he had been turning onto westbound Clayton Rd. from Big Bend late Thursday night when another vehicle entered the intersection. He stated he was unable to stop and struck the front end of the other vehicle. The second driver confirmed she had been driving southbound when she was struck by another car. She complained of pain from the collision but refused transportation to a local hospital. Both vehicles were severely damaged and were towed from the scene.

Friday afternoon, Officers arrested a man for trespassing and disorderly behavior at a Carondelet Plaza condominium. Throughout their encounter, the man was combative, refused to walk, and later urinated on the holding cell floor. He was issued summonses for Trespassing, Failure to Comply, Destruction of Property, and Resisting Arrest. He was transferred to the St. Louis County Justice Center to await warrant application.

Later, CPD Officers assisted Richmond Heights Police with a suspicious subject who had entered a vacant building in Clayton. The man resisted attempts to detain him and was ultimately arrested for Peace Disturbance and Resisting Arrest. He has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

A man and a woman were struck by a car as they crossed a street in the central business district on Saturday afternoon. The driver stated he had not seen the pedestrians in the crosswalk as he made a left turn into the intersection. Both victims were injured and transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Officers responded to a three-vehicle crash on southbound I-170 Saturday evening. As traffic slowed due to congestion ahead, one of the drivers failed to stop, causing a chain reaction collision. One driver complained of head and neck pain while a passenger in one of the vehicles was treated on the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. Both declined transportation to a hospital for additional treatment. The original striking vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage and was towed from the scene. The other two vehicles sustained moderate damage but remained operable.

Finally, on Sunday morning, Flock Safety cameras alerted CPD to a vehicle displaying stolen plates. An Officer stopped the vehicle on Big Bend Blvd., and the driver admitted the plate did not belong to him. He was issued summonses for Possession of Stolen Property and several traffic violations and has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.

Anyone with information about these or other investigations is asked to contact CPD at (314) 645-3000. Until next week, stay safe!