No way to ask for a ride

By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

June 30, 2009 08:08 pm

— GENEVA — A Mentor teenager sidestepped charges of car jacking, but has been cited for disorderly conduct after he attempted to open the door of a car in downtown Geneva traffic Sunday afternoon, Geneva police reports show.
A teenage girl was waiting at the light at routes 20 and 534 at 2 p.m. Sunday when the boy walked up to her car and tried to open the rear driver’s side door, police reports show.
“(The victim) said (the suspect) didn’t say anything, just tried to open the door,” the police report reads.
The victim also told officers that the car doors were locked, but her window was wound all the way down. She said the boy walked up to the car, tried to open the door and then backed away when he saw her boyfriend in the front passenger seat, police reports show.
Scared, the girl drove off and called police, police reports show.
Officer Todd Emmitt said he found the suspect sitting on a bench outside Gale’s Coffee Corner and searched the boy for weapons. He was unarmed, police reports show.
Emmitt said the boy, who is just 15 days shy of his 18th birthday, walked to Geneva from Mentor.
“When asked why he walked to Geneva from Mentor, the boy gave no answer,” Police Chief Dan Dudik said. “We have no idea what he was doing in Geneva or why he felt he could just open the door and get into this car.”
Dudik said officers could not charge the boy for anything but disorderly conduct because he never made his intentions known at the time of the incident.
“Officers cannot prove the suspect was attempting to car jack the vehicle,” Emmitt said.
The boy has been charged and will appear in Ashtabula County Juvenile Court, Dudik confirmed Tuesday.
Dudik said the victim did the right thing by calling police.
“I can certainly understand why she would be concerned and frightened by this incident,” Dudik said. “(The suspect) did attempt to enter her car.”