Police Beat
Union City woman arrested for menacing after threatening police 

GREENVILLE - On July 22 police responded to Darke County Juvenile Court to arrest Gina R. Dean, 504-1/2 Plum St., Union City, on an outstanding bench warrant. She was aggravated at the arrival of police. She used foul language and verbally abused the officers. As she was arrested and taken outside she threatened to kill one officer if she took her kids; then said “You are all dirty ----- cops, you aren’t gonna take away my ----- kids and I should never have showed up for court today.” The juvenile court had already called Children Services prior to the arrival of the police. Dean was transported to the Darke County Jail. The bench warrant was for failure to appear for a probation revocation hearing, original charges of Criminal Mischief and Disorderly Conduct. She was also cited and held for Menacing. 

On July 23 police arrested Derek S. Howard on an active warrant for failure to appear for a probation compliance hearing. He was transported to Darke County Jail. 

On July 21 police were dispatched to the Darke County/Shelby County line on St. Rt. 47 to pick up Matthew D. Griffis on a failure to appear warrant regarding charges of driving without a license, domestic violence and underage consumption. He was transported to Darke County Jail. 

On July 12 police were dispatched to Cashland at 624 Wagner Ave. regarding a false alarm. While there Kyle Cross was observed sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle in the parking lot. He had an active warrant and was placed under arrest. Police then observed Cross pull a hypodermic needle out of his pocket and toss it in the back seat of the vehicle. Two other needles were found; Cross admitted all were his. In addition to the warrant, Cross was cited for drug instruments and taken to Darke County Jail. 

OPERATING A VEHICLE UNDER THE INFLUENCE (OVI) 

On July 12, upon responding to a two vehicle accident which disabled both vehicles, the driver of one, Andrew W. Dues, approached police with his hands held out together and said “Take me to jail, you got me.” In response to the question “why?” he said “Because I have been drinking too much and should not have been driving.” Dues did “poorly” on the field sobriety tests. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Darke County Jail. He took a breath test. When asked to take a second one he refused. At that time he was transported to the Greenville Police Department where he was placed under an ALS suspension and issued a traffic citation for Failing to Yield, along with the OVI. 

VANDALISM 

On July 15 police responded to a vandalism call at 312 N. Gray Ave. where a flood light had been damaged. The lamp housing had a BB size hole through it and the bulb had its edge shattered. The hole looked consistent with that created by a BB or pellet gun. 

On July 15 police responded to a vandalism call at 607 S. Broadway where red paint was used to spray initials on the exterior of the tan stucco building. No suspects at this time. 

On July 14 police responded to a call that a business, Anne’s Gifts, had its window broken. A witness said Shawn Bowles was one of four individuals at that location. Witnesses said right after they heard the glass breakage they saw him holding his hand like he had just injured it. When Bowles was located with a friend, Richard Griffis, he had a fresh cut on his hand that was still bleeding. Bowles denied breaking the window; was issued a citation for criminal mischief. Griffis was arrested and transported to Darke County Jail on an outstanding warrant. 

THEFT 

On July 22 police responded to a call from owner Danyal Kniesly regarding a broken passenger window of her vehicle. It was parked at 923 Central Ave. across from Wayne Hospital. A large rock had been used to break the window and her purse stolen from between the driver and passenger seats. 

On July 22 police responded to a call regarding a theft of drugs at Brethren Retirement Community. Liquid morphine for a patient was reported missing. The incident is under investigation. 

On July 15 police responded to a call from Amy Clark, 920 Gray Ave., that a DVD player had been stolen from her vehicle. It was unlocked at the time. No suspects. 

VEHICLE THEFT 

On July 13 police responded to a call from Dan Massie, owner of Greenville Glass, 705 Front St., that one of his trucks was missing. On July 15 it was found behind a garage at 436 E. 4th St. Employees had seen the truck over the weekend around the Greenville area. A witness indicated he saw two white males sitting in it. Different witnesses observed it in different locations. There was a Speedway receipt dated July 13 with a debit card used for the purchase. It was determined this was during the time the truck was missing. Investigation continues. Massie was advised he could retrieve his vehicle after it had been processed for evidence. 

DRUGS 

On July 16 police responded to a complaint at 7Go-block of Central Avenue regarding a suspicious male sitting in a vehicle. He appeared intoxicated. Justin Thomas was located in the vehicle holding a marijuana pipe. He did appear intoxicated. When asked to hand over the pipe, Thomas instead brought it closer to his chest. The officer then opened the door and removed it from his hand. There was also a baggy of green leafy vegetation that had the consistency of marijuana. Thomas acknowledged that it was. He was cited for drug paraphernalia and drug abuse. 

BAD CHECKS 

A bad check complaint was filed against Michael Harris for a check in the amount of $362.48 issued to Schmidt’s Refrigeration that had been returned by the bank. A misdemeanor citation will be served to Harris when he is located. 

EARLY BIRD POLICY 

The Greenville Police Beat is prepared from public records available at the Greenville Police Department. Every effort is made to balance the public’s right to know with the rights of the individuals involved. Readers are encouraged to contact Greenville Police if they have information or concerns regarding these or any other incidents they see. The Early Bird notes all suspects are innocent until proven guilty and welcomes comments and concerns regarding this community service. 

Published courtesy of the Early Bird