NewsChannel5 investigation: Crime common at northeast Ohio movie theaters

CLEVELAND - They seem like one of the safest places to spend a Sunday afternoon or a Friday night, but NewsChannel5 investigators uncovered movie theaters can become dangerous places.

 We requested police reports from one dozen movie theaters around Northeast Ohio.

 We received dozens of police reports from movie theaters in cities and towns including Cleveland, Westlake and Mentor. The reports showed crime happens both inside and outside movies theaters. We also found the crimes reported ranged from minor to serious incidents.

 A Westlake Police Department report filed in April said a "juvenile male" would be charged with two counts of sexual imposition and menacing for an incident at Regal Crocker Park Stadium 16 & IMAX in Westlake.   The report said the juvenile "groped" three people. One victim told police the suspect "reached down her shirt and grabbed her breast."

 A Cleveland Heights police report shows a man reported his vehicle stolen from a parking lot near Cedar Lee Theater in March 2011.

 "Any place where you have a lot of people together, the potential for a problem exists," said Capt. Guy Turner, a spokesperson for the Westlake Police Department.

 However, Turner said, in his experience, the most commonly reported crimes at movie theaters are disorderly conduct and car break-ins.

 Turner said it's important to remove important items, like GPS, from your car before you go the movies. "It's categorically different than when you go to 7-Eleven for a half gallon of milk. They (criminals) know that your car's going to be unattended for awhile," he said.