Police reports

Aug 4, 2023

Steubenville Police

Charged: A woman in the 1200 block of Ridge Avenue was taken into custody after a homeowner reported property damage, Wednesday. Police said Clentona C. Gist, 52, no fixed address, Steubenville, was charged with disorderly conduct and held in the county jail on an eight-hour intoxication hold before being released on her own recognizance. Police allege that when they arrived at the scene, Gist was “yelling obscenities” at them as she walked away from them and entered another residence. The caller said she and her son heard glass breaking and claim they saw Gist running away. She admitted her son hit Gist and said she ran back to their property and tried to push her way into the house, breaking the screen out of the front door. Neither woman wanted to pursue charges, but police report they detained Gist “due to her actions as well as being heavily intoxicated,” claiming she again “began yelling in the roadway and cursing at officers, all while attempting to pull away from her friends/family members who were trying to get her to leave the area quietly.”

Cited: A man was cited after someone driving his vehicle allegedly left the scene after striking a car at Washington and Fourth streets, Wednesday. Jacob D. Strum, 23, of Sistersville, W.Va., was cited for hit-skip, police said. A woman stopped in the curb lane on Washington Street told them the light turned green and she’d started moving when a white Chevy pickup in the passing lane loaded with scrap attempted a right onto North Fourth Street, striking her vehicle. The rear door and fender on the driver’s side of her vehicle was damaged. Police were able to locate footage of the accident on the city’s cameras and tracked the vehicle to a scrap dealer, where employees were able to direct them to a storefront on Main Street, Weirton. Police report they located a white Chevy Silverado with damage to its front bumper at the location, and said Strum initially told them a man named “Carl” was at the wheel but he had no way to contact him. After speaking with him for several minutes, police said he told them, “Since I’m the owner of the truck I guess I have to take responsibility for it.”

Raging bull: A landlord said sometime in the past month, her tenant’s boyfriend damaged the interior of her property on Ross Street, Wednesday. She showed police “numerous holes in the dry wall, a door ripped off its hinges and cabinets ripped off the wall.”

At odds: A Rosswell Avenue landlord and tenant were at odds, Wednesday. When they arrived, the tenant told police they were no longer needed so they left, but a short time later they had to return because she said the landlord was “on scene and allegedly argumentative.” The landlord told police she’d threatened to damage the residence and he wanted them to stand by while he removed a stove and refrigerator from the back porch.

Cooler heads: A man wanted to put a milk carton in a cooler at a downtown store and when employees told him no, they said he did it anyway and grabbed a Snapple and drank part of it, Wednesday. The man admitted he drank some of it but told police when he got to the counter he tried to pay for the drink they told him no so he put it on the counter and left. Employees admitted he tried to pay. Police took a $5 bill to the store, paid for the item and returned the change to the man, who was advised not to return to the store.

Unleashed: A woman at South and South Fifth streets told police she was outside her residence when a man walking his pit bull on a leash spotted a cat and let it off. It attack the cat, Wednesday. She said the man and his dog left the area, but the cat is severely injured.

Pilfered: A Logan Street resident reported two signs were stolen overnight from her yard, Wednesday.

Dog fight: A Wildon Avenue resident was upset her neighbor’s dog was on her property, Wednesday. She said she had security footage of the dog in her yard, so police spoke with the neighbor who was “advised to keep the animal on her property and when walking it to do so with a leash.”

Egged on: A resident in the 800 block of North Sixth Street said someone threw eggs at her privacy fence, Wednesday.

Had enough: A city resident wanted a family member removed from her lease, Wednesday. Police said she was “argumentative and accused officers of not doing their jobs,” and told them the individual needs to leave “due to … erratic and unpredictable behavior.” She initiated the eviction process, but police told her the individual “is still a legal resident until (it’s) been completed.”

No answers: Another city resident attempting to serve a three-day eviction notice on a family member said the family member “would not answer the door,” Wednesday. Police tried several times but couldn’t get anyone to answer, either.

Drugs: A man in the 400 block of North Sixth Street was treated for an apparent overdose, Wednesday. Police said Steubenville firefighters/EMS revived him with two doses of Narcan. He was issued a drug overdose form and transported to the hospital for treatment.

Irritated: An Oregon Avenue resident said a man known to him had been pounding on his door all night and into the morning, Friday. Police said the door knocker wasn’t in sight when they arrived.

Served: Miles I. Simmons, 21, 249 Lovers Lane, Steubenville, warrant for petit theft, Sunday; Mary McAllister, 38, Weir Avenue, Weirton, warrant for failure to appear, Tuesday.

Code issue: Notice of violation was sent to the owner/occupant of a property at 815 Pekruhn Court, high grass/weeds.

Cited: The owner of a vehicle with expired plates parked in the 1500 block of Oregon Avenue. The vehicle also was towed.

Jefferson County Sheriff

Spiteful: A Richmond man reported his daughter’s former boyfriend pulled up in front of his property and dumped her possessions out of his Jeep, Tuesday. He said the two broke up months ago and she is living somewhere else in Jefferson County and told deputies he thinks the ex, who is from Slovan, Pa., threw her things in his yard “to get back at him for previous issues.” He said he told the ex not to leave the things in his yard but he responded with a four-letter word and continued to unload his vehicle. Deputies said the discarded household items included a dresser, clothes, a grill, coffee table and upholstered chair. The homeowner said he still wants to pursue charges as he did not want the items in his yard, nor did he give the ex permission to put them there.

Easy pickings: An Adena man reported someone broke into his shed again and stole several diecast vehicles, a chain saw and several sports figurines, Tuesday. Deputies said the shed seemed in poor condition “and not properly secured,” and said the contents were in disarray. The owner figures the items were worth about $3,000.

Booked: Michael Lee Sempkowski, 51, 64 township Road 113, Rayland, possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, Tuesday. Deputies reported finding suspected methamphetamine and a glass pipe in Sempkowski’s possession, and allege he told them he’d smoked methamphetamine “a few hours ago.”

Cited: David Edward Holder, no age listed, 104 Eyron St., Irondale, driving under suspension and turn signal violation; Caiden S. Irwin-Shepherd, no age listed, St. Clairsville, speeding; Aaliyah Irene Mitchell, no age listed, 1537 Euclid Ave., Steubenville, speeding; Alexandra G. Vaca, no age listed, 325 Logan Ave., Mingo Junction, speeding.

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