Masturbating male startles student

Car theft no joke A 40-year-old Columbus man reported to police that his car was stolen by an acquaintance after a night at a bar. The man says he went to a tavern on Indianola Avenue during the afternoon of Friday, March 20, with a man he knew only as "Steve-O." After some drinks, the man asked "Steve-O" to drive him to the United Dairy Farmers at Indianola Avenue and East Hudson Street. "Steve-O" drove the other man's car to the store, and the man went in alone. When he came out, both "Steve-O" and his car were gone. At first he thought his acquaintance was playing a joke on him, but when his car was still missing three days later, he reported the theft.

Car thefts continue; nearly 40 cars stolen since mid-February A 20-year-old Columbus man reported to police that someone stole his father's car, which he had been borrowing, from a private parking lot behind his residence on the 2400 block of East Avenue on Tuesday, March 24. There was no broken glass where the car had been parked, and the man says the car was locked, indicating that the thief broke the lock to enter the vehicle. Nearly 40 cars have been stolen in this fashion during a string of thefts near campus that began in mid-February.

-A 21-year-old OSU student reported to police that his car was stolen between the night of Thursday, March 19 and the following afternoon while it was parked behind his residence on the 400 block of East Northwood Avenue. The car was later recovered in an East Side neighborhood. The locks and steering column casing were both broken, following the trend of the recent string of car thefts.

-Someone stole a 55-year-old woman's car between Friday, March 27 and the following morning while it was parked in front of a residence on the 100 block of East Woodruff Avenue.

-Between Tuesday, March 17 and Friday, March 20, someone stole a Ford Taurus that was parked in a private parking lot behind a McMillen Avenue residence.

Man masturbates in park While jogging at Tuttle Park on the evening of Wednesday, March 18, a 19-year-old student saw a man masturbating in a wooded area about 20 feet from the park trail. The man did not approach the student or attempt to draw her attention, and when he noticed her, he fled.

Man arrested for prowling Mark A. North, a 28-year-old Columbus man, was arrested on Wednesday, March 25 and charged with prowling. Five students reported that they had seen the man approaching various apartments near the 200 block of West Norwich Avenue between Wednesday, March 11 and Sunday, March 22. The man allegedly went up to the apartments and watched inside through windows.

Suspects arrested for firing gun Officers were called to the 1400 block of Hamlet Street on the night Wednesday, March 25, after they received reports of gunfire. Police discovered that bullets had struck a car and nearby buildings. Three suspects were arrested and a gun was recovered. The suspects were charged with criminal damaging and endangerment, discharge of a firearm on a prohibited premises and receiving stolen property.

Man finds surprise in his bedroom A 23-year-old man discovered an unknown man sleeping in the bedroom of his East Northwood Avenue apartment on Thursday, March 26. He woke the man, who was very disoriented and thought he was in his own apartment. The trespasser said he had been out with friends the night before and didn't remember how he got into the apartment. The resident of the apartment did not press charges against the man.

Plainclothes officers find burglary suspect Officers from the Columbus Division of Police arrested 30-year-old Domonick L. Pitts on Wednesday, March 25 as a suspect in a burglary near campus. Plainclothes officers reported the man to an officer on duty when they saw Pitts in the area of a recent burglary of a residence where two students live on the 70 block of East Frambes Avenue. He was charged with burglary and receiving stolen property.

Burglars target campus homes, businesses Between the night of Friday, March 20 and the following day, someone burglarized a residence on the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue where three students live. The burglar broke in through a side door and stole a laptop, a PlayStation 2, video games, a checkbook and a backpack, valued together at around $2,000.

-A 20-year-old OSU student reported to police that someone burglarized his house on the 120 block of West Ninth Avenue between Sunday, March 22 and the following afternoon. The burglar apparently broke in by throwing a rock through the kitchen window and stole items from all of the bedrooms, including DVDs and cash, estimated at $525. An evidence tech from the Columbus Division of Police collected numerous prints that are believed to be from the burglar, but no arrest has yet been made.

-On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 24, a robber entered a market on the 2500 block of Summit Street and demanded money from the cash register after pulling out a handgun. The cashier gave the man $80 from the drawer, and the robber fled.

-Two women reported to police that someone burglarized their East Maynard Avenue residence during the early morning of Thursday, March 26, while both women were asleep. The burglar entered the residence through the unlocked front door and stole items from the kitchen, including a backpack and two laptop computers, valued together at $1,610.

-A 22-year-old OSU student reported to police that someone burglarized his apartment between Tuesday, March 24 and Friday, March 27. The burglar stole a power drill, stereo system, laptop computer, Xbox 360 and three bicycles, valued together at $3,000.

-The owner of a hookah bar on the 2400 block of North High Street reported to police that someone burglarized the business between the night of Wednesday, March 25 and the following morning. The owner suspects that the closing employee failed to fully lock the door when leaving. The owner said that when she went to open the store in the morning, the store was in disarray, but she rearranged the store before calling police. The burglar stole cash, tobacco and a pipe, valued together at $375.

-Compiled by Collin Binkley