Police Blotter: Grandmother Leaves Grandchild in Car in Sweltering Heat

The following arrest information was supplied by the Avon police department. It does not indicate a conviction.

Grandma doesn’t always know best. A potential tragedy was averted when a Cici’s Pizza employee called Avon Police after spotting a small child locked alone in a car in the French Creek Plaza parking lot just before 6:30 p.m. on July 20. The temperature at the time was in the low 90s, which can heat the inside of a car to well over 100 degrees in just minutes. Even cracking a window doesn't help much, if at all. According to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, a child's body heats up three times faster than adults. When the body temperature reaches 104, organs can begin shutting down.  Forty-nine children died from hyperthermia last year. The child’s grandmother came back to the car and told police she locked the child in the car …

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Man, Child in Car Tried to Lure Kid With Candy

Incident happened on Carleen Avenue

 A Carleen Avenue woman told Avon Police on May 3 that her son has been offered candy by a strange man and child parked where the boy gets off the school bus. She said the car was either a black car or a gold truck, with a Hispanic man about 30 years old and a Hispanic boy in it. They've offered her son candy four or five times in the last few weeks, she said. The woman told police that she wanted extra patrols of the area, and that she'd get the license number of the strangers' car if she saw them in the neighborhood. Another Creep A Derby Drive woman was frightened on May 3 after someone who identified himself as Alex Smith with something called the International Police Department said that he had a warrant for her arrest. And he said …

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Five Things You Should Know This Week

Five Things You Should Know This Week

School levy talk, heart health screening and Holy Week

Combine fun and safety at the Seventh Annual Child Safe Community Day Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. April 17 in Strongsville. In addition to games, face-painting and other fun, kids can also learn about safety and how to handle themselves in emergencies. Admission is free. Get the scoop on the Avon Local Schools renewal levy that's on the May 3ballot. The levy support committe will hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. April 18 at Avon Branch Library. The group will take questions from the public. Get your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure tested at the Healthy Heart Screening from 5 to 7 p.m. April 19 at French Creek YMCA. No reservations or fasting are required. It's Holy Week leading up to Easter. That means this is the last week of…

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Viewfinder: Hundreds Show for Avon Lake Safe Kids Community Day

From the Easter Bunny to self-defense tips, this fair provided hours of fun--and tips--on how to keep kids safe.

Hundreds of children and their parents turned out for the first Avon Lake Child Safe Community Day Fair at Troy Intermediate School April 3. The free fair was hosted by 8th Dan Black Belt and Master Instructor Shihan Jeff Ellis, owner of Jeff Ellis International Karate Centers and in addition to providing demonstrations and tips on keeping children safe, including self-defense tips, and had representatives from the Avon Lake police and fire departments. Avon Lake Patch was there to photograph the festivities.  Were you at the fair? Check out these photos from the event. 

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Moms Talk: Stranger Danger

Keeping kids safe while keeping fear in check

It's the sort of story a parent reads with a tight feeling in their chest. Last week, a mom on Fairfield Drive called Avon police after a man tried to lure her son into a car. The man reportedly told the elementary school-aged boy that he wanted directions. The boy didn't get into the car. Instead, he went home and told his mom, who called police. The only description of the man was that he was somewhere between 30 and 50 years old, with short dark hair. He was driving a small blue 4-door car with tinted windows. Police were unable to find him. With the weather getting warmer, the kids are heading outdoors. As they ride their bikes to friends' homes or head out to the park, the fear can be there for parents. Someone could be out there, …

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Christine Papesch

2:27 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

At this point, I still keep a close eye on my children, and will until I believe they are old enough to be responsible on their own. We can't hover over our kids 24/7 as they get older, and have to trust that they will learn from what we've taught them and hope for the best. That being said, I do teach my kids not to talk to or go near anyone who calls them who they don't know, but as parents we …   more ›

Mom Reports Man Tried to Lure Her Son Into Car

Police get description of suspect

A Fairfield Drive mother called Avon police after finding out that a man tried to lure her son into a car during the afternoon on March 30. The boy was approached by a man driving a small blue 4-door car with tinted windows. The man, who was alone in the car, tried to get the elementary school-aged boy to go into the car by saying that he needed directions. Instead, the boy went home and told his mom. The man left the neighborhood, possibly heading towards French Creek. He was described as being white, between 30 and 50 years old, with short dark hair. Police saw a similar-looking car nearby, but realized it wasn't the suspect's car because the windows weren't tinted. Police reported a similar incident happened March 17 near French Creek, …

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