Bronze flower pots raise questions at recycling center
Reports from the Huntington Police Department provided the following information:
Three men were released from police custody Monday morning after they attempted to sell 14 bronze flower pots for scrap at a recycling center along 3rd Avenue in West Huntington.
The flower pots were consistent with those that sit on grave sites.
When the recycling employee became suspicious he called 911, and police started asking questions about where the pots came from in an attempt to determine whether or not the items had been stolen from a local cemetery.
One of the men told police two stories as to where the flower pots came from. Early on he told police his grandfather had given him the items from a family cemetery in Crown City, Ohio.
Later, the man said the family’s cemetery was now in Wayne and that the pots came from some property his grandfather owned in Crown City, Ohio, where they had been stored.
The man could not give police a way to contact his grandfather to verify the information.
The men were released, but flower pots were confiscated by officers so an investigation can continue.
SHOTS FIRED: A 31-year-old woman said she was sitting inside her house early Tuesday morning when someone fired several gunshots into the front of her residence. The incident occurred about 4 a.m. in the 1000 block of 5th Avenue West. Police recovered nine 9 mm shell casings from the scene. No injuries were reported.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING: Three men were arrested early Tuesday morning after reports of a beating at Harris Riverfront Park.
The 40-year-old victim from Huntington was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center with undisclosed injuries.
Those arrested were Jason Farrel Wilson, 18, of Huntington; James R. Dillistone, 23, of Huntington; and Alexander Hartman, 21, Huntington. Each was charged with felony malicious wounding and various misdemeanor crimes.
When police arrived on the scene they found two men holding the victim by the shoulders and attempting to remove his pants. Both men fled on foot, but were quickly apprehended.
Those men then pointed police toward a third person who is believed to have participated.
About 1.8 grams of marijuana was confiscated from the scene.
HUMAN BONE: A St. Mary’s Medical Center doctor says he found what is believed to be a human bone on property he owns in the 600 block of Hal Greer Boulevard. Two construction workers noticed the item Monday evening. The bone was recovered by police and will be processed as evidence.
STOLEN PROPERTY: About $1,000 in copper wire and kitchen appliances were among the recent items reported stolen inside city limits.
The copper wiring was taken between June 20 and July 10 from the city’s floodwall at 28th Street West.
Then, sometime between May 1 and July 10, a Woodstock, Ga., resident claims someone stole a stove and refrigerator from property she owns in the 600 block of 10th Avenue West. The items were valued at $1,200.
SHOTS FIRED: Two 19-year-olds told police they were sitting in a vehicle Monday night when a passerby pointed a silver semi-automatic pistol toward them. The brothers then followed the other vehicle to an area near 12th Street and 9th Avenue, where a verbal altercation ensued. The armed person then fired three shots toward the brothers, and fled the scene. No arrests were immediately reported.
BEATING: A 52-year-old man received several lacerations to his head, after someone struck him with a long handle with a knife taped to it. The incident happened sometime between Thursday and Saturday in the 600 block of 4th Avenue. No arrest was immediately reported.
ARRESTS: These people were arrested on various felony charges.
Cecil Lee Morris, 47, of Huntington was arrested Monday evening near the 400 block of Bridge Street. He was charged with felony attempted burglary. The arrest followed officers responding to reports of a burglary in progress.
Steven Joseph Castle, 31, of Ashland was arrested Monday evening near the 800 block of 15th Street. He was charged with felony embezzlement. The arrest followed reports that almost $2,000 was missing from a storage facility in the 800 block of 15th Street.
Jekmaine D. Payton, 25, of Huntington was arrested June 30 in the 100 block of Main Street. He was charged in connection with three warrants for felony wanton endangerment, misdemeanor domestic batter and assault.
Lewis A. Motley, 49, of Huntington was arrested Monday morning in the 1000 block of Harris Riverfront Park. He was charged in connection with a felony warrant for malicious wounding.
Reports from the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department provided the following information:
Two 29-year-olds were arrested late Monday night and charged in connection with stolen lawn mower and a resulting police chase.
The arrestees were Bradrick Spence, 29, of Huntington and Sam McCoy, 29, of Huntington. Both were charged with felony grand larceny and misdemeanor fleeing.
Spence was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and driving on a suspended/revoked license.
The arrests followed reports of someone stealing a lawn mower from a business along Little Seven Mile Road near Barboursville.
Deputies then spotted a truck on Ohio River Road with a John Deer riding lawn mower in its bed. A chase then ensued down several streets in Huntington until the vehicle stopped in an alley between 10th Avenue and Doulton Avenue where both occupants fled on foot.
Both were later taken into custody, while the vehicle and the lawn mower were towed from the scene.
