Tree trimming solicitor arrested on unrelated charge in Bellbrook

Local residents are credited with helping police arrest a man and question others who were soliciting tree trimming services is the neighborhood off Possum Run Road Wednesday.

Jeffrey Springer, 36, of Springfield was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant out of Warren County unrelated to the solicitation incident, according to Bellbrook police.

Springer and two other men were stopped by police around 2 p.m. after officers received a call of suspicious activity in the neighborhood involving the suspects placing tree trimming business cards in residents doors, said Lt. Stephen Carmin with the Bellbrook Police Department.

Carmin said police stopped the suspects’ vehicle on Lynlee Drive and determined the man driving didn’t have a valid driver’s license.

The details of Springer’s warrant weren’t immediately available, Carmin said.

In Bellbrook, it is required, unless you are a non-profit organization, to obtain a solicitation permit from the city. Carmin said if these men were to have applied for a permit they would have run a background check, which would have revealed the warrant for Springer.

“Don't be afraid to ask to see their permit if they come to your door,” Carmin said.

The two other suspects were released from custody and advised of the solicitation laws for the city. Springer was not in jail Thursday afternoon.

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