BELMONT COUNTY SHERIFF’S

DEPARTMENT

At 11:55 p.m. Thursday, an officer on a traffic stop on Valley Centre Boulevard in St. Clairsville issued a warning to an Ohio motorist for driving outside of marked lanes.

At 7:26 p.m. Thursday, a caller from Walmart in St. Clairsville reported that three females under rung at a self-checkout and were loading items into a vehicle in the parking lot. Officers responded and located the vehicle with no occupants in it outside of Five Below at the Ohio Valley Mall. Officers located the three suspects at Five Below. The females were released, and items were taken back to Walmart, according to the report.

At 4:45 p.m. Thursday, a caller from Lafferty asked to speak to a deputy about his tattoo gear being used to tattoo minors. A deputy returned the call and was advised that this was a misunderstanding. He said this was not happening — friends were messing with him about gear that was left behind.

At 2:21 p.m. Thursday, Barnesville police requested that an officer check an address in Flushing Township for a vehicle that was stolen from their village. Police advised that the suspect has a nationwide warrant. Deputies responded, and the vehicle was located in plain view. The suspect was seen walking out of the residence and then running back inside. Consent to search the residence was granted by the owner, and the suspect was located. He was taken into custody and taken to jail.

At 12:13 p.m. Thursday, a sergeant was notified that contraband was found on an inmate in the Belmont County Jail. Officers responded to take information for a report, which was listed as a narcotics complaint.

At 2:23 a.m. Thursday, several officers responded to an address in Wheeling Township after a 911 call was received from a caller who told dispatchers to send someone to his residence. There was no answer upon callback. The individual subsequently called back while officers were en route and stated that he was holding a gun and that he was not going to put his weapon down until deputies arrived. When officers arrived, the door was found to be open.

Dispatch advised the male to put the gun down, which he did. The caller reported that he thought someone was walking around outside of his house. He also thought that raccoons were in his kitchen. Officers searched the area, but found nothing. A squad was called to offer medical assistance, but the man declined.