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.

Duck Rescue

A caller on Cross Creek Oval asked for help after a duckling fell through a sewer grate -- "and Mommy duck is above, having a fit," a report said.

The duckling could be heard cheeping from the sewer about 4:50 p.m. June 19.

Police, with help from some neighbors, moved the sewer grate and got the duckling out.

Shots Ring Out

A Sprague Road resident reported hearing three gunshots in a row about 10:30 p.m. June 18.

The man said it sounded like a handgun.

Mischief

Vandals damaged a pool fence and threw cushions around in a Willow Circle yard the night of June 17.

The resident also complained that kids congregate at the Pine Lakes pond area at night now that school is out.

Inducing Panic

A frightened woman called police June 20 after her boyfriend texted her a photo of himself cutting his wrist.

Officers tracked down the boyfriend, who admitted he had copied the image from Google and sent it. 

He was warned about the laws on inducing panic, and promised he wouldn't pull a stunt like that again.