OPD responds to multiple theft and fraud reports during busy week

The Oxford Police Department (OPD) responded to several theft and fraud reports between Jan. 19 and 26.

On Jan. 19, just after 3 a.m., a man reported his vehicle was keyed by a known person, according to the OPD media report. The individual responsible for the damage was cited for criminal damage.

On Jan. 20, at 9:30 p.m., officers noticed a large amount of water running into the road at the 5000 block of College Corner Pike, according to the OPD media report. The water was coming from a hose that led to the crawl space of a local residence, where a pump was pushing out water, according to the incident report. 

The property's renter said she was aware of the flooding and that property maintenance came out to address the issue. The renter turned off the pump, and property management was informed of the situation. The Oxford Streets & Maintenance Division was also notified of the ice hazard on the road.

On Jan. 21, just after 11 a.m., an officer met with an employee of Red Brick Property Management about cash and a check missing from a lockbox inside an office, according to the OPD media report.

On Jan. 22, just before noon, a woman spoke with police about a caller attempting to scam her, according to the OPD media report. The caller told her she had been selected as a winner of an international competition and would be awarded $3.5 million, among other items such as a new pickup truck, according to the incident report.

After receiving further instructions and exchanging banking information, the woman ended the call and realized she was being scammed. She canceled her account, moved her money and contacted OPD so the incident would be documented.

On Jan. 23, just before 1:30 a.m., a male was assaulted by another male inside a bar, according to the OPD media report.

Also on Jan. 23, just after 1:30 p.m., a store manager and district manager of Speedway on South Locust Street reported suspected theft by one of their employees.

On Jan. 24, just before 2 p.m., a woman reported she was scammed out of $10,000, according to the OPD media report. She had received a pop-up message on her computer stating it was infected with a virus, and it provided a phone number to call and resolve the situation.

From there, the woman received various instructions and was eventually told to drive to Lowe’s in Hamilton and purchase five gift cards of $2,000 each, according to the incident report. She gave the card and pin numbers to the caller and was instructed not to contact anyone about this. Officers informed her it was a scam and told her to cease contact with the callers and contact her financial institution.

Also on Jan. 24, just before 4:30 p.m., a male, while under the influence of narcotics, was cited for disorderly conduct for creating a condition that presented a risk of physical harm to himself, according to the OPD media report. 

On Jan. 25, just before 2:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to an underage intoxicated male, according to the OPD media report. He was transported to the hospital and cited, according to the incident report.

On Jan. 26, just before 1 a.m., officers were dispatched after a male forced his way into a residence on North Poplar Street, according to the OPD media report. The male was still inside the house when officers arrived, taken into custody for burglary and transported to the Butler County Jail, according to the incident report.

Also during the week, OPD responded to a juvenile who refused to go to school.