Residents use 911 too quickly

(Editor's note: The Bee's police blotter is a sampling of unusual, sometimes humorous calls received by the police department. It is not intended to be a complete record of all incidents reported.)

Friday, March 28

• A clerk at a Maple Road gas station reported that a man stole some beer after purchasing another item with a credit card. The name was reported.

• The manager of a clothing store on Sheridan Drive reported finding a worn, leather jacket with a steak knife in a pocket.

Saturday, March 29

• A gasoline spill was reported on the third floor of a Millersport Highway apartment complex. There was no indication in the report as to why gasoline was in the apartment.

• A Meyer Road resident complained that she thought something was thrown against her door, but she wouldn't open the door to check.

• A South Union Road resident heard a noise outside and dialed 911. She hung up when she realized it was the newspaper delivery.

• Police were called to a Maple Road restaurant where a man was sleeping but then woke up and started arguing. He left and was reportedly walking to Tonawanda where he was building a porch.

Sunday, March 30 • Police were called about a suspicious person on New Road. A man was reportedly lying on the lawn screaming and then started walking down the street, being followed by a car driven by his girlfriend.

• A woman reported that a man in a truck advertising a landscaping company drank a full beer while parked in a lot on Transit Road and then staggered into a restaurant. She was concerned that he would try to drive.

• Police were called to a Maple Road parking lot where a man in a baseball cap was appearing to hot-wire a Cadillac. No problem was found. The vehicle was having problems, and the man was legally operating it.

• A grocery store on Alberta Drive reported that a cart full of groceries, valued at $400, was being stolen. The goods were recovered by store personnel, and the suspects left in a vehicle.

Monday, March 31

• A 911 hang-up call was placed from a Dodge Road address. The dispatcher heard commotion, possibly an argument in the background, and then someone said, "They're coming" and hung up. Police reported that the woman who called said she didn't mean to actually dial. She was threatening her intoxicated husband, trying to get him to behave. All was OK. He went to bed.

• A complaint was made by a Village Green resident who reported receiving pornographic pictures on a cell phone from an unknown person.

Tuesday, April 1

• A pickup truck rolled into the roadway on Cherrywood Drive. The vehicle was pushed back into the driveway by a patrol, and the wheels were blocked so it wouldn't escape again.

• Police were called by a Lorfield Drive resident about a squirrel in a skunk trap.

• A man refusing to pay his $7 bill at a Main Street diner left on foot. He was apprehended by a patrol after a short foot pursuit and returned to the restaurant, where he had three outstanding bills.

Wednesday, April 2

• A man reported that his Igloo lunch box fell from his motorcycle in the area of Main Street and Union Road and was valued at $600. It also contained an i-Pod, digital camera and video games.

• A 911 hang-up call was placed from Bentham Parkway, but the cat knocked the phone off the hook.

• Police responded to a Main Street department store where a man in a gold hat and gold jacket was cutting tags off merchandise with a box cutter. He was apprehended, along with two females.

• A Fawn Meadows Court resident called about a wolf that was in her yard. Police suspected it was a coyote.

Thursday, April 3

• A Campbell Boulevard resident reported hearing tapping on a window. She called back to say it was a bird tapping between the window panes, and she was sorry to have bothered the police.

• A welfare check was requested at a Sweet Home Road bar where a man was possibly asleep after vomiting on the car. The stained car was gone when police arrived.

• Police were called to a drugstore on Hopkins Road about a couple of youths from North High School who were smoking behind a Dumpster.

• Police were called about a suspicious person near the paths on North Forest Road. The person had been in-line skating with a dog, lost the animal and took off the skates.

• A man complained that a woman in her 20s went to the bathroom near his car on North Bailey Avenue.