Domestic violence and theft of unsecured property topped the list of incidents the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) handled in Lakeland during the first half of May.
See the June 25 edition for Lakeland crime reports for the last half of May.
Editor’s note: All suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and values are estimated for stolen/damaged items. These are brief summaries of detailed SCSO reports.
May 3
Memphis Arlington Road (misdemeanor vandalism)
A resident on the 10100 block of Memphis Arlington Road reported on May 3 that someone knocked his mailbox ($40) off its post around midnight, when he heard a loud bang in the front yard.
He named his brother as a suspect because they are involved in ongoing family issues. The victim said he does wish to prosecute whoever is responsible.
May 5
Palmer Drive (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A Palmer Drive resident reported on May 5 that an IRS impersonator was partially successful in scamming her. She received a voice mail that was supposedly from the IRS, stating they were filing a lawsuit against her.
When she called the fake IRS number provided, a person who said his name was Simon Becker told her that a five-year audit of her tax returns from 2008 to 2013 showed that she owed $2,986.73.
As instructed, she bought Green Dot prepaid debit cards, called the number again and gave them the debit card numbers. She was given a legitimate IRS card where the spent cards should be mailed, so she made copies and mailed the originals.
Once she figured out she was being scammed, she called Green Dot and was able to cancel two of the cards before the suspect could drain them all.
Parrish Drive (theft from building)
A woman who lives on the 9900 block of Parrish Drive reported on May 5 that someone stole some of her prescription medicine.
She had just filled a prescription for 120 Oxycodone 10 mg pills on April 29. She last saw the pills on May 3, when her sister and the sister’s boyfriend visited. She said her sister has stolen from her in the past. That day, she refused when her sister requested some of the pills. The victim took a pill at 4:30 p.m. and went to sleep, and she believes that the couple left about two hours later.
The victim said she was very drowsy the next day and drifted in and out of sleep, not taking any of her pills. The next morning, she woke up around 5:30 a.m. and noticed that only about 40 pills remained in the bottle.
Mosswood Lane (non-residential burglary)
Someone stole a lawn mower from an unsecured garage on the 9600 of Mosswood Lane.
The garage was left open, and his wife noticed the mower was missing around 2 p.m. on May 5.
May 7
Kingsridge Drive (felony vandalism)
Someone broke a back window of a home for sale on Kingsridge Drive between 3 p.m. May 5 and 3 p.m. May 6.
The victim reported the crime on May 7 and said someone might have used the old dish satellite on the patio to break the window. He estimated the double-pane window would cost $600 to replace.
Brandon Way (burglary/domestic violence)
An officer was en route to a residential burglary and domestic violence call on the 3000 block of Brandon Way on May 7 and spotted a man matching the suspect’s description. The man said he had argued with family and had just left the address where the call originated. The officer detained him and took him to the scene.
The complainant said the suspect was her grandson and that he had broken into her home. She said he moved out in March after attacking her boyfriend, and the grandson does not live there currently.
She said it started around 3 p.m. when he showed up and barged past another grandson who answered the door. He wouldn’t leave when she ordered him out. Instead, he dropped a beer can in the middle of the living room floor, spilling beer, and then made himself a sandwich in the kitchen before leaving.
The grandmother said he returned in about half an hour, banging and kicking on the door as she yelled at him to leave. She was afraid for her safety and pulled on the doorknob, keeping him from forcing his way inside.
She said he began to punch the door. (The responding officer saw what appeared to be knuckle imprints about the door.)
The suspect reportedly then went to the north side of the home, pried at a locked bedroom window, broke the window and eventually gained entry into the house. When the grandmother saw him approaching her from behind, she ran to her bedroom and locked the door, yelling at him to leave. She also told him she was calling the police.
While the suspect was detained in the officer’s patrol unit, he shouted profanities and violently kicked the car’s rear doors. After three warnings, the officer secured his leg with restraints. The man untangled himself and begin kicking the doors again. Then the officer pepper-sprayed him and treated him with first aid for the exposure.
A medical unit responded for further evaluation of the man, as he continued to slam his head against the plexiglass divider of the unit and spit at officers. He was transported to the Med and to jail.
May 10
Fir Hill Drive (simple assault/domestic violence)
An argument escalated into a physical fight for a couple on the 9400 block of Fir Hill Drive on May 10.
The wife said her husband was napping when she asked him to mow the yard. He got angry and threw her cell phone across the bedroom, so she threatened to vandalize his portable audio speaker.
She said he grabbed her tightly by the neck and her right arm, simultaneously stepping on her left foot and pushing her to the ground. She never physically assaulted him, she said.
The husband admitted to throwing her phone but said he was just trying to calm her down and prevent her from vandalizing his speaker when he put his hand on her shoulder. He said she kicked him in the leg and then fell. He said he never physically assaulted her.
The responding officer noticed inconsistencies in the wife’s story, and she didn’t show signs of any injuries consistent with her statements.
No medical attention was needed. The responding officer could not tell who was the primary aggressor, so there were no arrests. The husband left the home for the night to prevent further incidents.
Bluebridge Cove (aggravated assault/ domestic violence)
An argument over a can of flea spray led to a physical fight and a hospital visit for one Lakeland couple on May 10. The wife reported the incident the next day.
They argued around 2:30 a.m. May 10 about a can of flea spray he could’t find. He reportedly told her to check the trash, and while she was looking he threw a can of flea spray at her. It hit behind her right ear and caused a bleeding gash.
She said she drove herself to St. Francis-Bartlett, where she got two staples in her head to close the wound. She lied and told the nurses the injury came from a fall down stairs because her husband has threatened to kill her and she was afraid of what he might do, she said.
The responding office noted that she had bruises around her left elbow and on her back.
The husband left the scene before officers arrived.
May 12
Herons Landing Lane (non-residential burglary)
A resident on the 4000 block of Herons Landing Lane found on May 12 that someone had stolen tools from his truck and garage.
Items stolen included the garage remote control, a Titan spray machine, Titan impact wrench, Paslode nail gun, DeWalt miter saw, Troy-bilt pressure washer, extension cord, toolbox containing mixed hand tools, Dremel Multi Tool, Black & Decker drill, Wooster paint rollers and Wooster poles.
The truck seemed fine and the garage was closed around 9:45 p.m. May 11. Then around 5:45 a.m. the next morning, he saw the garage door was open and the driver’s side front and rear truck doors were open.
He speculated that someone got the remote control from the truck and used it to enter the garage.
The responding deputies saw no damage to the truck or garage door, but they did see what appeared to be markings from a gloved hand (such as gardening gloves) on the opened truck doors.
The victim said he doesn’t use any gloves at work.
May 13
Spruce View Way (other larceny/access device)
A resident on the 5300 block of Spruce View Way said her bank notified her on May 11 of some unusual debits on her husband’s card.
The unauthorized usages included $169.63 at Publix, $105.95 at CVS and two other charges that were declined. She told them to cancel the card immediately.
When she reported the larceny to the SCSO on May 13, she told the responding officer that people in the Arlington Area who use the Arlington Resale group on Facebook have also had their debit numbers used fraudulently, and 30-40 people who use different banks have all used their debit cards at the Kroger store in Arlington.
To aid the officer in investigating the fraudulent charges, she also listed the last few places the debit card was used legitimately: Kroger, Plumpy’s BBQ, McDonald’s, Caesar’s Liquors, and Gametime Sports Grill & Wings, all in Arlington.
May 14
Curling Pond Lane (other theft/non-specific)
A woman reported on May 14 that someone stole her purse from inside her open garage on the 9200 block of Curling Pond Lane.
Around 6:50 a.m., she put her purse on a stool while pulling her garbage can to the curb and then forgot it as she headed out to Dunkin Donuts. She turned around and returned home when she realized her purse was missing, but it was gone from the stool by the time she returned. She checked with the home’s other occupants and her nearby neighbors regarding the purse but didn’t find it.
The purse contained a First South debit card, cash, various keys and a Sig Sauer handgun (her duty weapon for the Memphis Police Department, where she serves as an officer in the sex crimes unit).
The weapon’s serial number was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
May 15
Wood Green lane (residential burglary)
A resident on the 9700 block of Wood Green Lane left his garage open overnight and found on May 15 that multiple items were missing.
He said the attached/ enclosed garage was left open around 9 p.m. May 14. Around 3 p.m. the next day, he noticed that a generator, two golf bags with clubs and a push lawnmower had been stolen. He had no suspect information.
The generator’s serial number was entered into NCIC.
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