Three cracker Barrel customers in Lakeland found their cars burglarized in July, and the old Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall was also the scene of four crimes (vandalism, drug possession, simple assault, and theft of copper wire). The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) handled these and the following other incidents during the month of July.
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.
July 5
3431 Bluebird Cove (aggravated assault/domestic violence)
Officers responded around 7 p.m. July 5 to a 911 call from a home on the 3400 block of Bluebridge Cove. The dispatcher reported hearing a disturbance in the background with someone yelling, “Get out!” There was no answer when the dispatcher called back.
The female victim told the responding officer that she lives at the home with her boyfriend of one year., and she recounted her version of events: She said an argument began about 20 minutes earlier when he got insulted at being offered Midol (a menstrual pain relief pill) for his headache. They were in their bedroom, with her sitting on the floor and him on the bed. Her daughter was present when the boyfriend threw a tan blanket over the victim and began punching and kicking her. Afterward, he taunted her by asking how it felt to be beaten in front of her daughter.
She said he then told her to grab her belongings and leave. The daughter got scared and left the room, asking her mother to leave the house with her. The boyfriend followed her around, grabbing items and throwing them out. (The officer observed numerous items that had been tossed around the residence.) He told her she was moving too slow and ordered her to hurry up. When she didn’t, he got a large butcher’s knife from the kitchen and told the victim he would cut her if she didn’t hurry up. She sped up, and he threw the knife beside the bed’s headboard. (The responding officer found a large knife at that location.)
The daughter witnessed the attack but said she left the home after that and didn’t see the knife incident. Another witness, the boyfriend’s son, said he didn’t see anything but he heard the victim say, “Hit me, so I’ll have something to show the Police.”
The boyfriend was detained and taken to jail, and the knife went into evidence in the Memphis Police Department’s property room.
U.S. 70 (other theft/non-specific)
A woman reported on July 5 that someone stole her Apple iPhone while she was at a party on the 10500 block of U.S. 70. She was at the party between 8 p.m. and midnight July 4, and she plugged her phone into a stereo in the home’s backyard. Around midnight, she heard the phone stop playing music, and she saw a man leave the party abruptly.
Although she didn’t see him take the phone, she suspected him because he was the only person unfamiliar to her. She provided his name to the responding officer. She also said her phone has the iPhone tracking app, but AT&T told her the phone had been turned off at the crime scene.
A dispatcher entered the phone’s serial number into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
July 8
Barley Mills (residential burglary)
Someone pried open the front door of a house on the 9372 block of Barley Mills and stole multiple electronics between 11 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. July 8. Items stolen included two Insignia TVs, one Sony TV, and a laptop. No latent fingerprints were detected at the scene.
July 9
U.S. 64 (misdemeanor shoplifting)
A Flash Market (9108 U.S. 64) employee reported a suspicious customer who shoplifted three inexpensive items on July 9. She said a white woman entered around 12:20 a.m. July 9 and browsed for about an hour. The woman then put about $138 worth of merchandise to the counter but decided not to buy anything. She dropped her mobile phone and asked the employee to call her to see if it still worked, and it did.
The Flash Market employee said she left with three pink items: A change purse ($4.99), a bracelet ($5.99) and a wrist strap ($5.99).
The employee described her as a blonde with blue eyes, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and around 120 lbs, driving a blue Ford SUV. She gave the responding officer the suspect’s phone number and said she wants to prosecute the suspect. She also said her supervisor could provide a copy of the store’s surveillance video of the incident.
Maple Run Drive (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A resident on the 10200 block of Maple Run Drive reported July 9 that her mother was a victim of a scam by telephone. The resident has power of attorney over her elderly mother, who received a returned envelope that contained one of her mother’s checks written for $9,000.
Her mother said she’d gotten a call from a man in Hopewell, Va., who said she had won a large prize and only need to pay the taxes. The daughter said in the past month, her mother has written personal checks to other people totaling $21,000 ($7,000 to a woman on June 2, another $7,000 check to the same woman on June 15, and a check to a different woman for $7,000 on June 15).
The victim suspects that the scams all began when she responded to a letter or phone call. The daughter said her mother gets about 10 calls daily from these people asking for money.
The daughter said she will assist in the investigation by contacting her phone service provider and getting a list of numbers for the unknown callers.
Blue Spruce Circle (felony vandalism)
A woman visiting a recently divorced male friend found scratches on her new Jeep right after he received a confrontational call from his ex.
The victim said she was visiting her friend on the 3900 block of Blue Spruce Circle when he got a call that his ex-wife was dropping off house keys as she doesn’t live there anymore. He told her to put the keys in his mailbox. The victim and her friend were driving away in his car when the ex-wife arrived and immediately called him, asking who was the lady in his car.
The ex-wife said, “She cannot be living in the house with you.” He told her not to worry about it and just put the keys in the mailbox.
The victim and the man returned about 45 minutes later and found deep scratches on all sides of her Jeep. The estimated damage was about $2,500 as the gouges went through the paint and could not be buffed out.
July 11
Herons Nest Cove East (theft from vehicle)
Someone broke into a woman’s car on the 10200 block of Herons Nest Cove East between 10 p.m. July 10 and 8 a.m. July 11. Her husband said the Acura TL was locked and parked in the driveway, but he found a shattered driver’s side window the next morning. His wife had left her purse in the driver’s seat, and someone had rummaged through it and stolen $500 in cash.
Herons Nest Cove East (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone stole a handgun from a truck parked overnight on the 10200 block of Herons Nest Cove East, the owner reported on July 11. He believes the theft happened when he parked his Dodge Ram 3500 in the driveway around 9 p.m. July 9 and left it unlocked overnight. The weapon, a .45-caliber Kimber tactical handgun, was stored under the driver’s seat.
There were no suspects at the time of the report. A dispatcher listed the gun’s information on NCIC.
July 12
U.S. 64 (business burglary)
On July 12, a patrolman recovered a plastic Zaxby’s bag and an aluminum container in a burglary case involving the Zaxby’s restaurant (9104 U.S.) in Lakeland. The patrolman and a sergeant interviewed a male suspect, who waived his rights, confessed to the burglary and gave a recorded statement.
The case was closed with one arrest and more than $7,000 in cash recovered and returned to the victim.
The sergeant noted that he will start proceedings to seize the suspect’s vehicle. No additional details are currently available from the SCSO office regarding this case.
July 14
Interstate 40 East (motor vehicle theft/passenger vehicle)
A victim reported on July 14 that someone stole her car after it broke down in the westbound lane the previous afternoon on I-40, just east of Canada Road. She left it locked and parked on the shoulder of the interstate around 5:50 p.m. When she returned at 10 a.m. July 14, the vehicle was gone.
There was no recorded towing by local tow companies, and there were no known suspects or witnesses. A dispatcher entered the vehicle’s information into NCIC.
Ace Drive (residential burglary)
Someone broke into an apartment at the Somerset Apartment Complex (9200 block of Ace Drive) and stole the tenant’s Apple MacBook and iPad.
The tenant said he left home around 5 a.m. When he returned around 5:30 p.m. the front door was ajar, and his TV was on the couch. He had already called the complex’s office and had the lock fixed before officers arrived. The property’s serial numbers were entered into NCIC.
E. Davis Plantation (theft from motor vehicle)
A woman reported on July 14 that someone punched the lock on her vehicle and stole several things between noon and 2 p.m. June 27 while she was at Cracker Barrel (9649 E. Davies Plantation). She said the restaurant manager has a surveillance camera and can show video to the police.
other information available.
July 16
Canada Road (misdemeanor drugs/narcotics violation)
A patrolling officer spotted an occupied vehicle parked at Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall (3536 Canada Road) at 1:37 .m. July 16. Five males were in the car, and the officer smelled the strong odor of burned marijuana.
When questioned, the driver said he and the front seat passenger had a small baggy of marijuana. A search of the vehicle turned up the front passenger’s backpack, which contained glass and metal pipes. Both said they shared the marijuana.
The driver got a misdemeanor citation for criminal trespass, contributing to the delinquency of minors (four charges) and possession of a controlled substance. The passenger received a juvenile summons and was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia (two charges) and violation of curfew.
The baggy’s contents tested positive as marijuana and weighed in at 1.1 grams (about the weight of a jellybean).
Canada Road (simple assault)
An intruder caught dumping tree branches at the Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall injured the operations manager late at night on July 15. The victim reported the crime the next day.
He said the mall’s security company called him around 10 p.m. July 15 to report a white male was riding a four-wheeler with a trailer full of branches and was dumping the branches on the mall’s property. The victim went to the mall around 10:30 p.m., but the intruder had left. He was moving the branches to a trash can when the suspect returned with another load of branches.
The victim said the suspect picked up a tree branch around 1 inch thick and began swinging it at him. When the victim put up an arm to protect his face, the suspect kicked him and pushed him to the ground. He didn’t get a good look at the suspect in the dark.
The victim said he only had bruises and scratches on both arms, and his body was sore. The responding officer took photos of the victim’s injuries.
July 20
North Fir Hill Drive (misdemeanor vandalism)
A woman checking on her out-of-town sister’s home on the 9300 block of North Fir Hill Drive found the front door knob damaged when she visited around 7 p.m. July 20. When she tried to open the door, the knob came loose. She reported that it did not appear anyone had gotten inside the home.
She said no one had been at the home since around 4 p.m. July 16.
Trotter (theft of construction/farm equipment)
A man reported on July 20 that he loaned his tractor to a friend, and it was stolen from the friend’s yard on the 9500 block of Trotter. The friend had left the key in the tractor’s ignition.
The victim, a resident on the 12300 block of Darton, said the theft occurred between 10:30 p.m. July 19 and 6:30 a.m. July 20. He was not able to provide the Massey Ferguson tractor’s vehicle identification number (VIN) or any suspect information.
Canada Road (business burglary)
Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall (3570 Canada Road) was the scene of a burglary on July 20. The operations manager said his security company called him around 9:45 p.m. July 20 about a break-in and theft. Someone had stolen copper ($2,000) from the breaker box, a recurring theft problem.
The responding officer saw that Suite 108 had been forced open, causing major damage to the door, and copper wire appeared to have been cut and removed inside the room. The officer took photos of the damages and also lifted a fingerprint from the breaker box.
July 21
Three Iron Drive (theft of vehicle parts/accessories)
A man got a nasty surprise on July 21 when he walked to his car, which was parked in front of his apartment on the 9200 block of Three Iron Drive. Someone had stolen his tires and rims. The theft occurred between 8:30 p.m. July 20 and 5:50 a.m. July 21. The responding officer took photos and lifted several fingerprints.
Bentbrooke Cove (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone stole a gun from a man’s Ford F250, parked in his driveway on the 3200 block of Bentbrooke Cove. Around 9 a.m. July 21, he spotted broken glass from his truck’s smashed front left window.
After an officer arrived, he checked the console for his Glock semiautomatic pistol ($500) that had seven bullets in the magazine, but it was gone, along with a leather holster ($50). A dispatcher entered the gun’s information into the NIC database.
The man recounted his whereabouts for the report: He drove the truck home around 6:30 p.m. July 20. He went outside to meet a man about a car that he sold and went back inside the house around 9 p.m. The next morning, he left the house (not in the truck) around 8:30 a.m. to meet someone at Gateway Tires. He found the damages when he returned.
July 22
Valkrie Lane (non-residential burglary)
A woman reported that someone entered her unlocked garage on July 22 and stole a lawnmower ($300) and two boxes of wedding gifts (china and kitchenware valued at more than $1,000).
The victim, a resident on the 9100 block of Valkrie Lane, said she ran an errand and left the garage door open around 8:45 a.m. When she returned, she saw a black male stranger get into a silver pickup that was blocking her driveway, and he drove away.
She didn’t realize that anything was missing until she entered the garage. The man was bald and wore glasses, and he was about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a dark complexion. She didn’t notice the truck’s license plate number, but she described the vehicle as possibly a late ’90s or early 2000s Ford F150. She did not have a serial number for her stolen mower.
Evergreen (theft of other trailer)
A victim on the 5300 block of Evergreen discovered on July 22 that someone had stolen his utility trailer $1,500) from the driveway overnight. The item was a black single-axle trailer with wood floors, a ramp gate and after-market chrome wheels. It measured 6 feet by 12 feet.
He said it was hooked to his truck and parked in the driveway around 10 p.m. July 21. When he returned to the truck around 10 a.m. the next morning, the trailer was gone. The trailer did not have a lock on it, and there was no damage to the man’s truck.
No video surveillance was available, but the man said he could provide pictures of the trailer upon request. A dispatcher entered the trailer’s information into NCIC.
July 23
Ace Drive (theft from building)
An apartment resident on the 9300 block of Ace Drive reported on July 23 that someone stole two of his credit cards and $11 in cash from his wallet while he was asleep.
He suspected that a woman who was an occasional guest over the past 10 months had stolen the items, and he confronted her when she returned. She admitted taking the items and using his Nissan Maxima without permission. She drove to a CITGO convenience store to buy cigarettes and a money order and to get cash. She spent $60 and $160 in two transactions.
The man said he didn’t even know the personal identification number (PIN) for the newest ATM card, and he said she got the PIN by looking at his mail without permission.
She returned $100 and the ATM cards to the man but still owes the remaining $120, and he said he wants to prosecute. She was taken to the CITGO, told not to return to the residence or contact the man, and released.
July 26
Davies Plantation East (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone forced the driver’s side door lock on a man’s truck while he was inside the Cracker Barrel restaurant (9649 Davies Plantation East), between 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. July 26. The only item stolen was a green canvas utility bag containing his pistol, a .45-caliber Kahr compact semi-automatic, Model P45.
The restaurant manager said he can make a DVD copy of the parking lot’s surveillance video for officers. An NCIC operator entered the pistol’s information into NCIC.
Davies Plantation East (theft from motor vehicle)
Another driver had a vehicle break-in at the Cracker Barrel restaurant (9649 Davies Plantation) between 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. on July 26. Someone smashed the driver’s side rear window of a family’s minivan and took a backpack that contained an Apple Macbook Air laptop computer.
No suspect information was available. The restaurant manager said he could make a copy of the parking lot’s surveillance video for officers.
Beverle Rivera Drive (simple assault/domestic violence)
A couple’s argument turned violent just before 4 p.m. on July 26, as they were walking down Beverle Rivera Drive south of Canada Road.
The girlfriend said he got upset, grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground. She elbowed his knee as she stood up, and he then choked her so hard she couldn’t scream. She escaped and ran to the nearby Shelby County fire station (9774 Beverle Rivera Drive).
A firefighter there confirmed that she ran into the station and described the assault. He also said the boyfriend came to the station’s door and made verbal threats to the girlfriend. He also said he was on his way to her house to kill her family. The girlfriend said he also drew his finger across his throat, making her feel as if he was going to kill her.
The boyfriend said he pushed her for disrespecting him, and he added he was raised to believe that being disrespectful deserved getting hit.
The responding officers saw abrasions on the woman’s neck and on the front of her torso, her right side and on the back. She said she never lost consciousness, but she did “see stars.”
An officer took crime scene photos, and she was taken in stable condition to Baptist Hospital in Collierville. Officers did not see any marks on the boyfriend, who they took into custody.
July 27
U.S. 70 (theft of other trailer)
On July 27, a man reported that someone cut a gate padlock and stole $3,300 in equipment from Gibson Paving Inc. The theft happened sometime between 5 p.m. July 25 and 6:45 a.m. July. 27.
Items stolen included a 16-foot Hughes trailer ($1,200), a trailer of unknown brand ($700) and a Billy Goat push-along leaf blower ($1,400), he said. Both trailers had two-inch hitch balls. The equipment was parked at the rear of the property. Only the serial number of the Hughes trailer was available, and a dispatcher entered that into the NCIC database.
Three Iron Drive (residential burglary)
An apartment resident on the 9200 block of Three Iron Drive reported that someone kicked in his front door on July 27 and stole $9,330 in valuables. Items stolen included a Martin guitar, Visio TV, Hewlett Packard laptop and a jewelry box containing four rings and other jewelry.
The theft occurred between 9:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. that day.
The responding deputy was not able to lift any prints at the crime scene but did take crime scene photographs. The victim could not provide serial numbers for the stolen property but said he would locate the information.
July 28
Canada Road (misdemeanor vandalism)
Deputies responded to a misdemeanor vandalism incident on the property of Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall (3536 Canada Road) at 4:12 a.m. July 28.A glass door was broken on the south side of the building and plywood pieces (apparently from covering the door) were scattered around.
The operations manager said nothing appeared to be missing or damaged at the time of the report. He estimated it would cost $100 to fix the damaged door.
Champions Hill Drive (theft of vehicle parts/accessories)
Someone broke into a car and stole a CD player while it was parked on the 2900 block of Champions Drive, the owner reported on July 28.
He found his Ford Crown Victoria with a broken front passenger-side window, and his Sony CD player was gone. He was unable to provude the responding officer with a serial number or suspect information at the time of the report. The theft happened between 6 p.m. July 27 and 3:50 p.m. July 28.
July 30
Davies Plantation (theft from motor vehicle)
A couple reported that someone broke into their car while they were eating at the Cracker Barrel restaurant between noon and 12:30 p.m. July 30. The rear passender-side window was broken, and someone stole his L.L. Bean briefcase and her Coach purse.
His losses included the briefcase ($100), which contained various business papers and $1,000 in cash in a side pocket. Hers included the purse ($100), which contained credit cards, a New York driver’s license, and a white Kate Spade wallet ($100).
Their vehicle wasn’t visible on the restaurant’s parking lot security camera, but a crime scene officer lifted prints at the scene.
The man said he noticed two white males when he was parking: One was young with short dark hair, wearing a white T-shirt and dark blue shorts. He was talking with the other suspect, a middle-aged man with gray hair. The younger male was standing on the parking lot when the male victim returned to his vehicle.
