Portsmouth police handled multiple trespassing complaints involving businesses and private property, including a shirtless man near Star Adult Workshop, a woman accused of asking for money, and a later call about smoke from a campfire on a hillside.
Officers were first called to Star Adult Workshop on Gallia Street after a report of a shirtless homeless man trespassing on the property.
The caller said the man had been in the fenced employee parking area and was walking toward the hillside. Staff wanted him trespassed if officers found him.
Police located the man at the top of the hill.
Officers verbally advised him of the consequences if he returned. Police said the man did not want to walk to the cruiser to sign the no-trespass form.
A staff member signed the form, and police left it with the business to keep on file.
About 30 minutes later, police were called to Robinson Avenue after a report of a woman in a parking lot asking people for money.
The caller said the woman had stolen donations in the past and wanted her trespassed from the property.
Police served the woman with a no-trespass form.
Officers were later called back to the area of Star Adult Workshop after a report that a man named Dylan was up on the hillside and had a fire or something burning that was causing a lot of smoke. The caller also said he was barred from the property.
Police found a campfire burning on the hill.
According to the police log, the man put the fire out when officers asked him to.
Police also determined he was on property belonging to Applegate, not the Vern Riffe property.
No arrests were listed in the information provided.
For businesses and nonprofits, trespass orders are often the first step when someone keeps coming back, panhandling, sleeping, entering fenced areas, or causing problems on private property.
Once someone is warned and served, returning can turn a move-along call into a criminal charge.
And when a campfire gets added to the mix, a simple trespass complaint can turn into a smoke call fast.