BROOM STREET

Extortion

A man stole a 23-year-old Madison Area Technical College student’s phone and then used it to extort the victim’s mother on Wednesday, according to a Madison Police Department report.

The man called the victim’s mother and told her she’d need to pay at least $50 to get the phone back, MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said. The mother then called the victim’s roommate in an attempt to reach her son, DeSpain said.

The roommate arranged a meeting with the suspect in order to get the phone back, DeSpain said. Shortly after meeting, the roommate called 911. The two engaged in a brief shoving match before police arrived, according to the report.

Officers were able to return the phone to its owner, DeSpain said.

DeSpain said he wasn’t sure if extortion charges had been filed against the suspect.

“We arrest people on tentative charges,” he said. “For more serious charges, it’s up to the city attorney to make that decision.”

GAMMON ROAD

Battery

After attempting to steal an item from a salon, a 17-year-old woman attacked a 19-year-old who was working there on Wednesday, a MPD report said.

The younger woman hid a package of “Lovely HEBA 100% Natural Hair” under her shirt, and when the employee made a move to reach it, the younger woman brought her to the ground, according to the report.

The younger woman then allegedly punched the victim repeatedly in the face after sitting on top of her.

The suspect ran away shortly after the victim successfully struggled out from underneath her. The clerk was able to provide a description for police, DeSpain said.

Police found the suspect at a Watts Road bus stop shortly afterwards, the report said.

“It appears that the suspect is someone who is a runaway out of Michigan, and she was a complete stranger to the clerk,” DeSpain said.

GAMMON ROAD

Drug Investigation

Madison Police arrested a man for suspected possession of heroin with intent to deliver early Saturday morning.

An officer noticed a disturbance in the area while patrolling. He heard shouting and saw two groups of men “facing off,” a MPD incident report said.

When the officer arrived, the men began to flee the area, DeSpain said. One of the men appeared to be carrying something suspicious in his shirt, and the officer told him to stop. The man ended up throwing the object, which contained a brown powdery substance, the report said.

DeSpain said the substance was positively identified to be heroin.

HAYES ROAD

Overdose

MPD responded to a suspected heroin overdose after a man was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, a police report said.

The man was traveling in the backseat of a car with two other people. The report said a woman sitting near him noticed he was unconscious and the driver of the vehicle called the police for help.

The man said that he had stopped using heroin six months ago but he wanted to start using again because of personal problems, the report said. The two other occupants in the car were identified as former heroin users as well.