After almost two months, the Bloomington Police Department has arrested a man wanted for an attempted robbery that occurred in early July.\nOn July 17, a 61-year-old man was clubbed in the head with an axe handle after refusing to give money to an attacker, according to a July 19 Indiana Daily Student article. The victim described the suspect as a white male in his mid-30s with stringy dark hair and tattoos on each shoulder.\nBPD Officer Jerad Oren and Det. Richard Hunter followed up on the case and determined Richard W. North, 46, was a possible suspect, BPD Sgt. Jeff Canada said, reading from a police report.\nOn Sept. 2, at approximately 4:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to an accident at the 3000 block of South Walnut Street. Witnesses said that, North, driving a black Monte Carlo, disregarded a stop sign while turning onto South Walnut, Canada said. Other vehicles on the road had to slam on their breaks, causing a chain reaction of accidents.\nNorth navigated the car onto a dead end street and returned minutes later with a female driver, Canada said.\nA witness told North he needed to stick around because he was the cause of the accident. North denied being the cause of the accident and sped off, Canada said. The witness followed North to Country Club Road where North pulled over and got out of his car. North approached the witness who told him he called the police, Canada said.\nAccording to the report, North fled the scene and hid behind a business building. \nCanada said BPD Officer Randy Gehlhausen found North at Rogers Street and Coolidge Drive. Gehlhausen, knowing there was a warrant for his arrest, took North into custody.\nNorth was arrested on preliminary charges of robbery and operating a vehicle without a license.
Man accused of burning ex’s house, arson charges pending\nA Bloomington man was arrested after he allegedly set fire to his ex-wife’s house.\nDonald Lee, 33, faces preliminary charges of arson, Canada said reading from a police report.\nBPD officers and the Bloomington Fire Department were dispatched to the 1000 block of West 12th Street after a residential house caught fire, Canada said. Officers interviewed Lee’s ex-wife, who said she got into a fight with Lee earlier in the night but then she left the house, Canada said. Lee told officers he left the house but then came back to find his ex-wife was not there. \nAfter Bloomington Fire Department investigated the matter, they revealed to BPD that there were small individual fires in the house, Canada said. Lee showed up at the residence and knew exactly how many small fires were set throughout the house, according to the report.\nBPD arrested Lee for arson and he was transported to the Monroe County Jail.
Man arrested for public intox hits cop in face with white t-shirt\nA Bloomington man was arrested Sunday night for public intoxication, resisting law enforcement and battery.\nOfficer Ian Lovan was dispatched to a disturbance at about 5 p.m. Sunday in the 2300 block of South Rockport Road, Canada said. When officer Lovan arrived, he noticed Michael Butcher, 26, standing in the parking lot.\nLovan arrested Butcher for public intoxication. Butcher initially resisted arrest, but Lovan was able to get him into the car, Canada said. While at the Monroe County Jail, Butcher became irate and removed a white tank top from his pocket and hit Lovan in the face with it, Canada said.
Cob webs key to finding suspect in attempted break-in\nA Bloomington man was arrested Monday morning after attempting to break into a residential house.\nNikolas G. Stratigos, 27, was arrested for attempted burglary, Canada said.\nOfficers were dispatched to the 400 block of Cottage Grove Avenue after an 87-year-old woman reported that a man wearing a long white shirt and shorts tried to break into her home, Canada said. Officer Tiffany Willingham located a possible entry point in the house. Willingham noticed a crawl space window was broken into and whoever attempted to crawl into the house was unsuccessful, Canada said. Willingham relayed to dispatch the description of the suspect. IU Police Department Officer Scott Dunning located Stratigos, who fit the subject’s description, a few blocks east of Cottage Grove Avenue, Canada said.\nWhile speaking with Stratigos, Willingham noticed cob webs on his shirt. She noticed the cob webs were consistent with features of the crawl space, according to the report. Stratigos told Willingham the cob webs were there because he was running in the woods during the day, Canada said. He also told Willingham he might have cob webs on his shirt because he was cleaning under his bed. When officers investigated, they noticed his bed was a futon.\nHe also told Willingham he was fixing his Nintendo 64 all day, but when officers searched his home, they could not locate a Nintendo 64. The inconsistencies with Stratigos’ story led officers to believe he tried to burglarize the home on Cottage Grove Avenue.\nStratigos was transported to the Monroe County Jail.
