Local businesses have been struggling with addicted and homeless panhandlers for several years now. At one point, police even alerted shoppers in the Gallia Street area to avoid going to the store alone due to aggressive solicitations.
Just after 9:30 am, a witness reported a woman panhandling in the middle of the road in front of the Gallia Street Burger King. However, by the time officers arrived, she’d left the scene.
At 11 am, a local healthcare facility reported an apparently high man in the alley behind them on Spring Street. When officers spoke to the man, they discovered the man was not intoxicated, but sleeping. Officers warned him about sleeping on public property.
Police also notified City Services to remove trash and a toilet that was blocking the alley.
Residents at Hudson House Apartments reported a man in the laundry room on the second floor who they said did not live in the building. When officers arrived, they discovered a man with an open warrant and took him into custody.
Store Moves to Evict Homeless Campers
Area businesses continue to struggle with the problem of homeless people setting up camps all over town. They seem especially fond of businesses in the Gallia Street area and often cause problems leaving trash and aggressively panhandling customers.
Just before 11 am, the caretaker of the Big Lots property asked for police help to remove three squatters who’d set up housekeeping. He also wanted them to clean up their trash.
The campers agreed to leave the property.
Prowlers Stalk City
The rash of car and garage break-ins around Portsmouth has put many citizens on edge, wondering when these crooks will strike next.
Officers deal with a large number of people roaming the streets at night, many of them riding bikes, so it’s hard to keep up. At 12:36 am, a 13th Street neighbor spotted a man walking past her house with a bicycle.
She contacted the police to say this was the same guy who broke into her neighbor’s vehicle just a few nights before. Officers advised her to keep her doors locked and to contact them if she spots the guy again.
At 7:30 am, a Charles Street caller reported a man and a woman in the alley behind her home looking into yards. Police were unable to locate the pair.
Workers at a local daycare center reported a strange man loitering in the parking lot of the facility. She asked him to leave, but he refused. Officers told the man to move along, and he complied with the order.
