Crime

A classic telephone scam has hit Medina, bilking at least two residents out of as much as $4,000 each.

The scam begins when the victim receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member (son, daughter, grandchild) or an attorney representing their family member. 

The suspect tells the victim their family member has been arrested in Canada for DUI, and bail money or legal fees are needed.  The victim is then directed to a local office of a money wiring firm to wire the funds to Canada. 

Frequently the victim will receive another call after they have wired the initial funds, with the suspect telling them more money is needed and the process repeats itself.

The Medina Police Department is currently investigating this scam and working in conjunction with Canadian authorities in the hopes of identifying those responsible. 

December was a relatively busy month for law enforcement officers in Medina.

ID Theft: 7800 block of NE 8th Street. Victim in the process of a divorce, suspect accessed financial account without permission. No theft found. Victim advised to change passwords.

Theft: 2400 block of 78th Avenue. Resident reported the theft of a package from his front porch between 8 and noon on December 15. He thought UPS had picked it up, but when he checked the tracking, there was no record of it. UPS confirmed it had not made a pickup.  Rent estimates the loss at $2500.

Stolen vehicle recovered: 7800 block of 520. Medina officer ran the plate of an eastbound car  on December 27 and got a hit. The car had been reported stolen in October. Driver and three passengers taken into custody.

ID Theft: 1000 block of 84th Avenue NE. Woman reported being contacted by a pair of credit card companies saying that she owed on several charges. She said she was unaware of these accounts and that someone had used her ID to open them. She contacted the credit card companies and closed the accounts.

Malicious mischief: 2500 block of Medina Circle. Resident reported that overnight on December 10 someone broke the lock on his mailbox. Nothing was missing.

Civil Dispute: 1400 block of 80th Avenue NE. Property owner came to police with a report that someone had knocked over three cement piers he placed on his property line.  He was advised to see his attorney due to ongoing civil actions in the dispute.

Hacked: 3200 block of Evergreen Point Rd. Woman reported her son’s computer had been compromised. Investigation found the wi-fi connection was not secured.

No call list: 7600 block NE 14th Street. Person told police he was getting harassing phone calls and texts every couple of weeks from someone he knows and wants it to stop. Victim no getting a no-contact order.

Verbal barrage: 3300 block of 78th Place NE. Police responded to complaints of a verbal domestic issues. One of the parties departed and the other is getting a no-contact order.

The volunteer treasurer for the Chinook Middle School PTSA is accused of taking more than $50,000 from the non-profit's accounts.

David Glass resigned when he was confronted with evidence that he withdrew large amounts of cash from the PTSA account at First Mutual Bank in Clyde Hille.

In web bios, Glass says he's a financial expert who serves on the board for a dozen corporations and groups. 

The Chinook PTSA says that's why the trusted him to be the treasurer.

Angie Lampkin, PTSA President says, "We went down to the bank, and we were shocked to see that what we thought was in the bank was not."

On November 13, the bank told Anne Medzegian the PTSA account had only $403 and there were some unusual transactions.

She says, "I looked at the activity on the account, and I said you need to close this account immediately - just blatant. It was not right."

In a letter to the school, Glass admits he acted out of "sheer personal desperation."

Former Medina police officer Ismael Gaston Garcia Ramirez appeared in court this morning to answer to charges of official misconduct and commission of the crime with sexual motivation in connection with a traffic stop in November of last year.

He pleaded not guilty.

The judge issued a no-contact order and set a trial date of December 1.