Ridge man charged in theft from couple

STAFF REPORT

NILES — A Mineral Ridge man has posted bail after being charged with a felony for illegally soliciting cash from an elderly couple earlier this week.

Police charged David Davies, 31, of Main Street, with theft by deception, identity falsification and soliciting without a permit. At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, he told the couple his mother had been taken by helicopter to a Cleveland hospital.

In lieu of giving Davies the gas money he asked for, the couple provided him with gas they had at their home. After another request for cash, the residents gave Davies $25.

After Davies left the home in the 600 block of Peffer Avenue, police received complaints that he had solicited cash at other nearby homes. At around 6 a.m., Davies returned to the Peffer Avenue home and asked for more money, but the couple declined.

Police arrested Davies on Mason Street within 45 minutes of his second encounter with the couple, where they said he then lied about his identity.

He was released on a $2,500 bond, and his preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday in municipal court.