Portsmouth, Ohio Police Officers searched for a gun feared to have been lost near Portsmouth Elementary. Find out how it got lost and where they found it. Plus a woman wanted to go to rehab but they wouldn’t take or in and neither would anyone else. You won’t believe where the police left her. Here are the highlights of the Portsmouth Police Chief’s Briefing.
1. Hammering Away
Just after 1:30 am, police found a man dressed in black hammering something on the ground. He told officers he found an electrical box in an alley off Summit Street and was attempting to open it. Officers advised him that if someone reported a missing electrical box, he would be the prime suspect. They advised him to go home.
At 9:04 am, police responded to a report of a man wrapped in a blanket, punching the ground at Gallia and Offnere. Officers could not locate him.
2. Hey! That’s My Stuff
- An employee of a Royce Street business reported someone busted out their window. A wallet containing money and ID and 2 water bottles were missing. Officers took information for a report.
- Just before 9:30 am, a Summit Street caller reported a stolen trash can.
- Officers responded to a report of a vehicle break-in at PSKC Crossfit on 3rd Street. The driver’s side window was smashed. Nothing appeared to be missing.
- Just after 3:30 pm, a resident reported a speaker missing from a vehicle on 20th Street.
3. Keep It Down
Just before 4 am, a 16th Street neighbor reported folks in an apartment being loud all night. Officers said it seemed quiet and no one answered the door.
4. Dangerous Guest
Just before 4 am, a woman reported a disturbing text to police. The message claimed the man staying at her home had kidnapped children previously and had warrants on him.
Officers determined the man had a warrant for parole violation and took him into custody.
5. Where’d I Leave That Gun?
We’ve all left stuff on top of the car at one time or another, but a woman called police just after 10 am to report she left a 40 caliber Smith and Wesson on the roof of her car.
She left her home, then drove to Portsmouth Elementary and then on to New Boston.
Police checked all of the intersections along the way and video from the school. The woman also went back to her house to make sure it didn’t fall off there.
Police located the gun and contacted the owner.
6. Taking Lights Off The Tree?
A 9th Street caller reported a man stealing Christmas lights from a tree in Tracy Park at 12:51 pm. Officers determined he had unplugged the lights to plug in his cell phone.
They also discovered the man had a warrant from the NBPD. Officers dropped him off in New Boston.
7. Catch and Release
Police responded to Speedway at 1:29 pm for a report of a man stealing candy bars. It turned out the man had a warrant out of Gallia County.
Police arrested him for a bench warrant, theft, and possessing drug abuse instruments. Both the Gallia County Jail and the Scioto County Jail refused to accept the suspect due to COVID.
Officers released him on his own recognizance.
8. Boarding Up The Bellomy
The Health Department alerted police that people were inside the condemned Bellomy Apartments on the Scioto Trail.
The people left before officers arrived. Police reboarded the buildings.
9. Assisting The Secret Service
Just after 3 pm, officers assisted the U.S. Secret Service in what they called a “knock and talk.” No one answered the door.
A USSS agent contacted the property owner who provided them with a key. Agents were able to talk to the person inside and get the information they required.
10. Custody Drama
A man called police just before 4 pm to report the mother of his child said “she was bout to freak out on the kids.”
Police went to the woman’s home. She said she had no intention of harming herself or others. When police spoke to the kids in private, they said their mother was good to them.
The man and woman have joint custody of the child, but no visitation agreement in place. She refused to let him have the child and officers suggested he go to court.
At 10 pm, the man once again requested a welfare check. Everyone seemed fine in the home. Officers told him he should call CPS or start court proceedings if he wanted to change the custody arrangements as the police have no authority.
At 11:41 officers contacted CPS to notify him of the complaint. They said they would check it out in the morning.
11. Under The Influence
A caller reported a baggie of a white powdery substance in an 11th Street parking lot. Officers picked up the bag just before 5 pm to destroy it.
At 6:49 pm, a Valley Street caller reported an overdose. The man admitted he had a drug problem and agreed to go to SOMC for help.
12. Misbehaving Fans
Officers answered a call to Portsmouth High & Middle School for a report of fans at the basketball game causing trouble.
The disruptive fans left the premises. Officers stayed until the game was over.
13. I Want To Go To Rehab, They Said ‘No, No, No.”
A local rehab center called officers just after 7 pm to report a woman who refused to leave the premises. The facility told police the woman and been in and out multiple times and they were out of options for her.
Police called her probation officer and her family but there were no takers. Police took her to the Speedway to get warm while she decided where to go next. They advised her of local homeless shelters.
14. Free At Last
At 10:35, officers responded to a report of a deer stuck in the fence at Greenlawn Cemetery. The deer was not injured and officers were able to free it.
15. Strange Sounds
A 5th Street caller told police there were people outside her apartment making noise. She also claimed children in the building had real guns and were shooting them as well as banging against her door and wall.
An office checked the building. they found it to be completely quiet. Police said the woman has a history of mental health issues. Dispatch attempted to contact her next of kin to advise them she was having a bad night.
