best of the blotter: gummy bears, parties of one, and the Phantom of the Opera

Drug bears: Mentor Police stopped a car for speeding Tuesday morning but found more than a man suspected of drunk driving.

The three men who were stopped, including driver Eric Kenny, were all from New York and were carrying ingredients to make drug-laced gummy bears.

After arresting Kenny on the suspicion of driving drunk, officers found 60 gummy bears, Ecstasy tablets, chemical powders, marijuana, scales, pipes and grinders.

All three suspects were arraigned Wednesday in Mentor Municipal Court. Judge John Trebets set Arkady Koroshikh and Michal Nemcok's bond at $100,000 and Kenny's at $105,500. None us the suspects posted bond. Their next court hearing is scheduled for June 28.

Not Much of a Party
An anonymous caller complained about a wild party on Dell Drive about 12:50 a.m. June 24, with people wandering around and playing loud music.
When police arrived, they couldn't find anyone in the area or hear any music.
They went to the Dell Drive house, where the resident said he had been playing music with the window open. He agreed to close the window.

 Police Blotter: Man in 'Phantom of the Opera' Mask Stops Traffic; Mischief; Inducing Panic

 Motorists reported a man wearing a 'Phantom of the Opera' mask standing at the I-71 exit ramp about 3:45 p.m. June 18.
Callers said he was panhandling. But when officers arrived, they found he wasn't asking for money -- he was protesting the government.
The man, who lives in Parma, was holding a sign that said, "Are we truly free."
He was not yelling at cars or causing a disturbance, a report said.

DRUG ABUSE, U.S. ROUTE 422: Acting on growing suspicions, Solon Police asked to see the Home Depot receipt that a Lakewood man was clutching throughout a June 24 traffic stop when they approached his Chevy Suburban and picked up a strong smell of marijuana. They asked him if he had any more and he handed over two bags containing suspected contraband. Upon closer inspection, the receipt indicated he had recently purchased about $120 worth of light bulbs, power outlets, breakers and electrical cords, prompting them to ask if he was running a ‘grow,’ or a clandestine marijuana greenhouse, somewhere. He initially denied this, although police found another receipt for nearly $1,000 from Wal-Mart for equipment such as hoses, thermometers, tape and waste bags, an $800 receipt from a business known as Hydroponics, LLC, along with a copy of High Times magazine with the cover story entitled “Best Grow Rooms of 2011.”

The man claimed he was in construction and just got done helping a friend, although there were no other tools in the car. In addition to seeds and two more bags of suspected marijuana, weighing in at a total of 22.3 grams (less than an ounce), the man was also carrying just under $2,100 in cash. Police said he finally admitted that he had recently rented a house in Bainbridge where he planned to set up a “grow room” to cultivate marijuana. He was charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, since the remaining evidence was purely circumstantial at this point. He was also cited for failure to drive within marked lanes while westbound on the highway.


SHOPLIFTING, RICHMOND ROAD: Twenty pairs of yoga shorts were stolen from Victoria’s Secret June 11. There are no security cameras in the store but one employee saw three men steal the shorts from a drawer at the front of the store. One of the men was about six foot three inches with lost skin pigmentation on the right side of his face. Another man had braided hair and the third was not described.

 GENERAL ASSISTANCE, RADFORD DRIVE: A woman went to the station June 23 to report unknown scratches on her windows. The “scratches” were dead bugs.