Editor’s note: This version of the story corrects a headline error that appeared in our print edition. These incidents occurred in Lakeland, not Arlington.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) handled the following incidents in Lakeland during the second half of December. (See the Jan. 14 issue for earlier incidents.)
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.
Dec. 17
Champions Drive (misdemeanor vandalism)
A woman on the 2900 block of Champions Drive suspects someone deflated two of her tires as a protest against where she parks.
She found the driver’s side rear tire to her 2000 tan Chevy Tahoe was flat on Dec. 17 when she was about to drive her son to school. Her nearby 2002 blue Ford Mustang also had a flat rear tire on the passenger side.
The responding officer didn’t see puncture marks on either tire, but the air cap was missing on one, and the cap for the other was askew.
The victim suspected that a tenant who complained about where she parked her vehicles was harassing her. She explained that she parks at that location because she can see them from her apartment. While the officer was still on the scene, a maintenance person arrived but could not inflate one of the tires.
Dec. 18
U.S. 64 (misdemeanor shoplifting)
A suspect fled a store with 36 cans of beer on Dec. 18, the store clerk reported. The business is on the 9100 block of U.S. 64, and the clerk saw the suspect arrive around 1:25 a.m. While the clerk was preoccupied with another customer, the suspect left with an 18-count package of Budweiser beer and another 18-count package of Bud Light ($19.59 each).
When the clerk yelled, the suspect ran to the west side of the lot, got into an unknown blue car driven by another person, and fled westbound on U.S. 64.
The suspect was a clean-shaven white male between 6 foot 4 inches and 6 foot 7 inches tall. He wore glasses and a dark jacket, dark pants and a red knit cap.
The clerk said video evidence would be available later but he did not have access to the surveillance system.
Canada Road (business burglary)
A construction site burglar stole small items and a truck and also damaged a trailer on Canada Road, as reported on Dec. 18.
The site was a road/bridge construction project at 3536 Canada Road, just north of Interstate 40.
The senior construction superintendent for the victim, Bell and Associates Construction LP, said someone broke into the office trailer building, stole a microwave and a pair of boots, ransacked the office and swiped the keys to a 1998 Ford F800 flatbed boom truck parked on site.
The suspect backed the truck into the office, severely damaging the structure. The impact ejected a 20-foot iron piling from the truck bed into the building, causing further damage. The front bumper was torn from the vehicle and left at the scene.
The stolen truck wasn’t spotted in a search of the area and has not been recovered. The building was so damaged it had to be replaced ($4,000). An officer took crime scene photos, and the stolen truck’s information was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
The incident happened sometime between 5 p.m. Dec. 18 and about 7 a.m. Dec. 18.
Dec. 21
Herons Landing Lane/Herons Pond Lane (misdemeanor vandalism)
A male drove his Ford EXP into the grass and got stuck at the Herons Landing Park (Herons Landing Lane and Herons Pond Lane) around 4 p.m. Dec. 21. He said he drove the vehicle off road because he thought it would be cool, and other vehicles were also involved.
His passenger called his father, a resident in the Herons Landing subdivision, for help. No representative from Herons Ridge management was on scene, but the father said he would inform management about the incident.
Davies Plantation East (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone broke into a Hyundai Genesis parked at the Cracker Barrel restaurant (9649 Davies Plantation Road East) around suppertime on Dec. 21.
The owner said the break-in happened between 6:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The car was parked on the east side of the building, and someone pried the rear driver’s side window and pushed it through to the inside. The glass damaged the leather seats, and a planner book was also stolen from the center console.
Dec. 22
Huff N Puff Road (intimidation/domestic violence)
A financial argument turned violent for a couple at Motel 6 (9822 Huff N Puff Road) on Dec. 22. The woman said they were arguing about finances when he began throwing objects around the room. He told her he wished he’d killed her while they were traveling from Missouri to Memphis.
During the argument, he reportedly said, “If you ever call the police on me, I will kill you. I’m not going back to jail.” The victim said she feared for the safety of herself and her two-year-old daughter.
The suspect was gone by the time officers arrived. The woman refused transportation but called a friend to give her a ride to her mother’s house.
Dec. 23
Woodland Fern Drive (other theft/non-specific)
A black female stole a package from the front porch of a home on the 9900 block of Woodland Fern Drive on Dec. 23.
A witness reported seeing a black Ford Taurus pass and then back up into the driveway of the victim’s home. The suspect got out of the passenger side, took the package and left. The witness captured half of the car’s license plate information.
The victim said the Amazon package contained a purple Fitbit Charge HR ($120).
Herons Landing Cove (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone stole cash and a weapon from an unlocked midsize SUV parked on the 10100 block of Herons Landing Cove, the victim reported on Dec. 23.
He said he parked the car, a 2011 Ford Edge, in his driveway at 5 p.m. Dec. 21 and discovered the thefts at 8:15 a.m. Dec. 23. Items stolen from the center console included a black Smith & Wesson model 4040 pistol ($400) and $120 in cash.
Lighthouse Cove (simple assault)
A father reported suspicions on Dec. 23 that a special education home school teacher had assaulted his autistic son.
The father, who lives on Lighthouse Cove, noticed bruises on his son’s arms at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 22. He believes the assault happened the previous day between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 24
Clef Lane (theft from building)
A resident on the 3200 block of Clef Lane reported on Christmas Eve that someone stole more than $1,200 worth of electronics and other property from his home.
The victim left town at 4 p.m. Dec. 21 and returned at 4 a.m. Dec. 23. His two roommates, the suspects, were absent when he returned. A neighbor saw the roommates on Dec. 22 but did not see them taking anything from the residence.
Items missing included his Sony TV ($500), another TV ($80), Hewlett Packard computer ($500), Brother printer ($150), and K-1 kerosene ($45). The total loss was for $1,275.
Beowolf Glade Cove (theft from building)
Someone stole a Samsung 55-inch TV from a Lakeland home on Christmas Eve.
The victim, a resident on the 3100 block of Beowolf Glade Cove, said his grandson called him around 9:20 p.m. to ask when he would be home. When he arrived at 9:40 p.m., the victim saw that his TV was missing and questioned his grandson.
The grandson said he let a male friend come inside to use the bathroom, and he suspected that the friend may have taken the TV while he was outside. The grandson knows the friend only by his first name.
The victim said the grandson’s girlfriend was also in the home when he arrived.
The victim was not able to provide a serial number for the TV.
Dec. 28
Pine Point Drive (theft from motor vehicle)
A man who lives on the 9600 block of Pine Point Drive said someone stole a shotgun from his unlocked truck on Dec. 27 or 28.
He parked his 2005 Chevy Silverado in front of his residence around 10 p.m. Dec. 27 and noticed the theft around 10 a.m. the next morning.
The only item stolen was his camouflaged Benelli S.P.A. 12-gauge pump-action shotgun ($350), which he had left in a camouflaged case ($40) on top of the rear seat’s back rest.
The owner was not able to provide the shotgun’s serial number, and there was no video surveillance at the home.
Pine Hill Cove North (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A woman reported on Dec. 28 that a Facebook friend swindled her out of $180,000 during September and October 2015.
The victim, a resident on the 4100 block of Pine Hill Cove North, said she befriended the man online in May, and he told her he owns an engineering firm that builds pipelines around the world. He planned a visit to Turkey in August for a project.
Around Sept. 10, he asked her for $100,000 to cover duty and shipping expenses and monitoring equipment traveling from China to Turkey. She sent him $94,000 from a Regions account and another $6,000 from Schwab retirement accounts.
About 10 days later, he asked for another $65,000 for more equipment and to cover some damaged material. She wired the money to a bank in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 28.
During the week of Oct. 13, she wired three more transfers of $5,000 each.
The suspect then broke off contact with her until Dec. 17, when he asked for $3,000 so he could return to Canada to sell his home.
The victim contacted her banks regarding the scam before reporting the incidents to the SCSO. She told the responding officer that she had never met the suspect in person, had only spoken to him on the phone a couple of times, and was unable to provide further information beyond the name he used on Facebook.
E. Old Brownsville Road (misdemeanor vandalism)
Someone damaged two mailboxes on the 9000 block of East Old Brownsville Road on Dec. 28, a resident reported. The responding officers saw two damaged mailboxes, nearby tire tracks and a crushed candy cane Christmas decoration.
The damage occurred sometime between 7 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. Dec. 28. The owner of the other mailbox declined to file a report. Officers did not find any other vandalized mailboxes on the street.
Dec. 29
Memphis-Arlington Road (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A woman trusted her gut instincts and didn’t fall prey to the fake warrant phone scam that’s been circulating in Shelby County.
She reported on Dec. 29 that someone called her at 10 a.m., stating he was Lt. Michael Ballett for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, badge No. 1084. He said he was about to issue two arrest warrants for her contempt of court and failure to appear before a grand jury.
He told her she could avoid arrest by paying two amounts, $975 and $823. The payments could not be in cash, by check, or on a credit card. Instead, he instructed her to go to Kroger and place the money on a prepaid card.
When she asked for his office location, he gave the address of 201 Poplar (the Shelby County Jail in Memphis) but said it was in the town of Arlington. She was suspicious and reported the incident to the SCSO instead.
