POLICE REPORTS Aug. 24, 2008

Staff Reports
Niagara Gazette

August 24, 2008 12:46 am

— Niagara Falls
• BURGLARY: A Niagara Avenue homeowner reported a break-in late Friday. Around 10:17 p.m., the resident came home and noticed lights on upstairs and a ladder propped against the house that he had not left there. When he attempted to enter the house, a light turned off, according to the report. Upon entering the home, the homeowner noticed the back door ajar. It was unclear if anything had been stolen, according to police.
• DRUGS: Carlton E. Harris, 51, 1129 Michigan Ave., was charged at 4:46 a.m. Saturday with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and drug possession while Sonya G. Ridgeway, no age given, 1914 16th St., was charged with criminal impersonation and drug possession. Police stopped Harris after noticing the car he was driving did not have an illuminated license plate. When asked for vehicle registration, Harris told police he was “test driving” a customer’s car, according to the report. When asked if he was working, Harris told police he was not, the report said. When asked her identity, Ridgeway initially gave a false name before police noticed her tossing her license bearing her real name on the ground, according to the report. She allegedly told police she had warrants and did not want them to know. Warrants were also found for Harris. A vehicle search found some crack rocks in between the seats, according to the report.
• ASSAULT: Around 5:58 p.m. Saturday, a 20-year-old Falls resident reported leaving a pizzeria and driving down Cayuga Drive when a gold Chevy Colorado pick-up truck began tailgating him. He pulled over along 95th Street, and the gold truck parked alongside him. The victim said he stepped out of his car and asked the other driver what his problem was, according to the police report. The other driver, a white male in his 50s with black hair and mustache, according to the victim, exited his truck with a pipe in hand. He struck the victim twice in the head, said police. The victim refused hospital treatment, according to the report.
• DISORDERLY CONDUCT: Howard P. Burtwell, 63, 649 Rainbow Blvd., Apt. 12, was charged at 7:54 p.m. Friday with two counts of disorderly conduct and parking in front of a fire hydrant. Burtwell allegedly went up to a patrol car along Third Street on foot to complain about cars parking illegally. The officer told Burtwell there was a concert taking place, so officers were using their discretion, when Burtwell allegedly became irate, screaming profanities at the officer for not doing his job, according to the report. Burtwell was told to relax and exit the street, as he was blocking traffic. He allegedly refused and was charged. Police discovered his vehicle was illegally parked and ticketed it.
• VANDALISM: A Michigan Avenue resident reported her driver’s side window being smashed between 11 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Police estimate $200 worth of damage.
City of Tonawanda
DWI checkpoint nets arrests
A drunk driving checkpoint on Seymour Street Friday night in the City of Tonawanda led to several arrests.
Charged were:
• Terri Weaver, 47, 2974 Saunders Settlement Road, Wheatfield. Weaver failed multiple field sobriety tests and refused to take a breath test.
• Michael D. Hubbard, 40, 1127 Ferry Ave., Niagara Falls. Hubbard failed multiple field sobriety tests and registered a 0.13 percent blood alcohol content on a breath test. Hubbard was also found to be driving without a license and was additionally charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
All suspects were held for court.
The checkpoint involved multiple law enforcement agencies and was part of the New York state Stop DWI program.