An officer responded to the call about the attempt at 3:03 p.m. July 16, the day after the thief had been in the store. Police were called by the store’s asset protection officer who said she had been eating lunch in the Subway store within Walmart at 7:33 p.m. the day before when she saw the man pushing the cart through the self-checkout area. He did not pay for the items in the cart and spoke to an employee.
He then went up to the service desk and, within a minute, headed out of the store passing all points of sale.
The asset protection officer told police the man had asked the employee where the service desk was located. She had also checked surveillance cameras and saw him being picked up in the parking lot by a white or silver Dodge Caravan.
The officer was also told the man had told the greeting associate on his way out that the service desk had not allowed him to return his items.
He was described as a Black male wearing a grey T-shirt and dark-colored shorts. He appeared to be in his 30s with a beard, a mustache and possibly long hair. The vehicle was described as having a large dent and scratch on the entire passenger side.
The cameras showed him go to the infants department and select two boxes of diapers, a box of wipes and three packages of toddle underwear. The merchandise was valued at $95.31. A receipt for the value of the items as well as the video of the incident were entered into evidence by police.
Roommate dispute results in attack
Police were called to an address on Arrowhead Drive at 9:30 a.m. July 13 on a report of assault that had just occurred, reportedly with the victim struck in the head with a glass candle while sleeping. He was reportedly struck by a roommate, who had fled on foot after the attack.
Two officers arrived at the same time and found a trail of blood on the sidewalk breezeway leading to one of the apartments. The victim approached them with blood on his face coming from a swollen area above his left eyebrow.
He identified himself to the officer and led him into the apartment and to the bedroom where the trail of blood could be seen on the floor.
He said the roommate had attempted to hit him again but he pushed the attacker away. The roommate, named Clint, then grabbed the victim’s phone and left. He took the phone to the office of the apartment complex and gave it to an employee. The victim then appeared and retrieved his phone to call police.
Medics were called to the scene and treated the victim, who refused transport to the hospital.
The victim said things were fine between him and Clint and the attack came as a surprise.
An apartment complex employee identified the attacker as Clint Combs, 32, and said he had seen Combs earlier beating a television with a hammer and then throwing the hammer against a door. The employee said Combs had told him he was going back to the apartment to evict someone. He returned with blood on him and handed over the phone and then said he was going to McDonald’s. He returned when an officer was working with the victim on his statement.
Combs returned and the employee pointed him out to one of the officers. He was taken into custody and taken to the police department. He was read his rights and agreed to speak without a lawyer present. He said the other man is a friend of another resident of the apartment and had moved in with the understanding he would be there for a week. Combs said he kept getting a runaround from both about when he would move out and complained about the other man eating his food and cleanliness.
He said he woke up to find him still in the apartment and got upset. He allegedly admitted taking the candle and confronting the other man but denied hitting him while he slept, saying they had a verbal argument prior to his hitting the other man with the candle.
Combs was charged with assault, a first-degree misdemeanor, and taken to the Butler County Jail.
No gun found, but suspect had needle
An officer spotted a bicyclist suspected of having a gun several days earlier and followed the male around businesses and several streets before getting him stopped. He did not have a gun in his pocket but was found in possession of a hypodermic syringe which may lead to drug-related charges. The sequence of events started at 5:01 a.m. July 12 when the officer saw the male on his bicycle on South Locust Street by the Speedway station.
The officer turned the cruiser around and found the bicyclist on Lynn Avenue. He turned around to look in the direction of the officer before turning into the parking lot of LaRosa’s, traveling toward the rear of the building. The officer followed and next saw him drive through the parking lot of U.S. Bank and back out onto Lynn Avenue. The officer went back to the street and then saw the male running with the bicycle up an embankment by Contreras Road.
The officer activated the cruiser’s light bar and signaled for the male to stop, which he did.
The officer identified the male, but that identification was not part of the public release of the report because no charges had yet been filed. He was searched and no gun was found, but he said he had a needle in his pocket. He was found in possession of a capped hypodermic needle, another hypodermic needle without a needle attached to it, a syringe plug, two orange hypodermic needle caps and one orange cap with a crystalized substance inside.
The area where the uncharged suspect had been riding was searched and no gun found.
When questioned, he said he used methamphetamine. He was released but possible drug charges are pending the laboratory analysis.
Woman tells police she was attacked
A dispute between two women which escalated to an assault at an apartment complex on College Corner Pike brought police there at 7:22 p.m. July 14.
The complainant accused Timika Lennon, 49, of attacking her while she was standing outside near the breezeway to her apartment. She said she and a few others were about to start grilling for someone’s birthday. She said Lennon walked over and was told to go away because they do not get along very well. She said Lennon then pushed her neck and face, knocking her against the wall.
The complainant was found to have a small red abrasion on the left side of her neck. She said she told Lennon again to leave, which she did when 911 was called. She said she wanted to press charges against Lennon because she wants to get a restraining order against her.
Lennon returned to the scene and said they had an argument but it was done. She said they had gotten into each other’s faces and some spit from the complainant got on her glasses and she reacted and struck the other woman.
Lennon was issued a citation for assault.