City Councilman Calls it Quits; Portage Crossing Update; Suspected Drug-Related Death: Week in Review

Catch up on seven days worth of Cuyahoga Falls news with our Week in Review update.

Get the full story by clicking on the blurbs below: 1. Don't fall for this con: Cuyahoga Falls man scammed in phony sweepstakes.  2. Ward 3 Councilman Ken Barnhart has resigned from City Council. Ward 4 Councilman Mark Ihasz is considering dropping out as well. Who should replace these elected officials? 3. Cuyahoga Falls man pronounced dead after suspected heroin overdose. Not surprisingly, the unfortunate incident occurred at Studio City.  4. Did any of you celebrate the 1962 Cuyahoga Falls Sesquicentennial? Here's what you may have missed. 5. A Cuyahoga Falls man was found dead near the front entrance of his apartment building this week. Police are investigation.  6. Cuyahoga Falls City Council approved the Portage Crossing land deal …

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Driver Found With Heroin, Cocaine, Syringes; Thief Goes on Spending Spree: Crime Blotter

The following was supplied by the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department. It does not indicate convictions.

Smash and grab On May 6 at 8:44 a.m., the owner of Studio Eleven -- located at 1714 Portage Trail -- contacted police after someone smashed through her door and entered the business while it was closed.  The thief reportedly stole cash from a register and fled, according to a Cuyahoga Falls police report.  Total loss and damage: $1,000.  Busted Robert L. Bauer, 42, of Cuyahoga Falls, was hit with a pair of felonies on May 4 after police found heroin, cocaine, a burnt spoon and syringes in his car during a routine traffic stop, according to a police report.  Bauer was charged with drug possession, a fifth-degree felony; drunken driving, a first-degree misdemeanor; and drug abuse instruments, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was also cited …

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Funky Odor Dooms Suspected Chuck E. Cheese Weed Dealer: Best of the Blotter

Here are some of the weirdest police reports and incidents from departments across the region.

Here are this week's most bizarre police calls, reports and charges. All information was provided by police reports from departments in Patch communities. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction. Can't you smell that smell?   On Feb. 16, a Fairlawn Chuck E. Cheese security guard pulled Lamar E. Hill outside of the children's arcade after detecting a strong marijuana odor emanating from his clothes. The security guard – who also works as a Summit County sheriff's deputy – found eight bags of marijuana in Hill's possession, along with $360 in cash. Hill, 25, of Akron, later admitted to stuffing a handful of the bags in the trash before exiting Chuck E. Cheese with security, according to a Fairlawn police …

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Police: Meth Lab Busts Triple in Cuyahoga Falls From 2011-2012

Cuyahoga Falls police are seeing a remarkable increase in heroin overdoses, too

Meth Production, Heroin Use on the Rise in Cuyahoga Falls

Cuyahoga Falls Police Lt. Steve Guldeman offered statistics regarding drug activity in the city spanning 2010 to 2012.

Lt. Steve Guldeman, of the Cuyahoga Falls Police Narcotics Unit, provided the following statistics regarding the city's drug activity, and it may raise some eyebrows among residents. According to Guldeman's data, 17 suspected heroin overdoses were reported in 2012, which was the combined total for 2010 and 2011. After a decline in various pill overdoses (from 42 in 2010 to 32 in 2011), 2012 saw a spike to 45 overdoses, or a 41% increase. Methamphetamine lab busts tripled, from 6 to 19, in 2012 over 2011. Also, the number of people charged in connection with the drug labs almost quadrupled from 11 to 40, or a 264% increase. In addition, three people died from drug-induced overdoses in 2012 -- two suspected deaths from heroin and one …

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Kidnapping, Rape Charges Leveled Against Cuyahoga Falls Man

Hours after his arrest on Thursday, Cuyahoga Falls police added new charges -- from kidnapping and rape to the manufacture of drugs -- against Brandon J. Richards.

If the allegations are true, Brandon J. Richards is in a world of trouble.  Suspected Weed Trafficker Arrested After Felony Domestic Violence Dispute Richards, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls, was charged with kidnapping and rape -- both first-degree felonies -- after detectives examined evidence collected from his Bath Heights Drive residence on Thursday, said Cuyahoga Falls Police Sgt. James Singleton. The Cuyahoga Falls Narcotics Unit also seized evidence from Richards' State Road storage unit, which led to three additional drug-related charges, said Singleton. Those charges include: possession of chemical for the manufacture of drugs, a third-degree felony; illegal manufacture of drugs, a fifth-degree felony; and possession of criminal tools, a …

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Cuyahoga Falls Man Caught With Suspected Heroin Needle In Solon

The information in this report is from the Solon Police. An arrest does not mean a conviction.

A 19-year-old Cuyahoga Falls man faces drug charges after police found hypodermic needles during a traffic stop in Solon. Solon Police pulled over a car on U.S. 422 on Jan. 11 at about 10:30 p.m. because the car was weaving and also had an equipment violation, according to the police report. During a search of the car, officers found hypodermic needles they suspected were used for injecting heroin. The man was charged with possessing drug abuse instruments.

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Attempted Kidnapping and Rape in Cuyahoga Falls; Suspected Weed Dealer Busted

The following was obtained from Cuyahoga Falls Police reports dated Dec. 2-3. It does not indicate a conviction.

Utter depravity A man reportedly tried to kidnap and rape a woman after she walked out of the Red Fox Sports Pub & Grille early Sunday morning. According to a Cuyahoga Falls Police report, an unidentified man pulled the 30-year-old Akron woman into his car, parked off Falls Avenue and 20th Street, and tried to sexually assault her. Fortunately, she managed to escape and notify the authorities. The suspected rapist fled with her cash and purse in hand before officers arrived. Police are investigating.  Closed for business Brandon S. Richards was arrested on Dec. 3 after Cuyahoga Falls Police found him in possession of 119 grams of marijuana and five oxycodone pills. Police discovered the drugs in Richards’ trunk following a routine traffic …

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Cuyahoga Falls Police Catch Teenagers With Drugs, Gun

The investigation is ongoing and is being handled by the Cuyahoga Falls Detectives Bureau.

An eyewitness dialed 9-1-1 on Monday after spotting a 16-year-old juvenile showing off a stolen gun to his 15-year-old friend in the 300 block of Falls Avenue.  As officers arrived on scene, the teenagers split up and fled, according to Cuyahoga Falls Police Lt. Steve Guldeman.  Police chased down the 15-year-old, arrested him at the corner of Second Street and Sackett Avenue and charged him with possession of marijuana, a minor misdemeanor. He was released to his parents shortly thereafter.  The 16-year-old was tracked down and arrested Tuesday morning while in possession of a small .45 caliber handgun. It appears the teenager, who's a known thief, stole the gun from a car parked on Grant Avenue over the weekend, said Guldeman. He's been …

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Traffic Stop Leads to Drug and Gun Find

Cuyahoga Falls man's home searched Dec. 30.

Cuyahoga Falls Police found Terrell Jarvis, 23, in possession of drug paraphernalia and a 9mm gun. What began as a routine traffic stop, turned into suspicion enough to use a search warrant at 1771 Issaquah St. Following the search, Jarvis and Bonnie Lambert, 21, were charged as follows:  

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