The Bartlett Police Department handled the following incidents for Jan. 9-15. This listing includes the most notable incidents for the reporting period and does not necessarily reflect all police activity.
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 BPD reports.
Jan. 9
Patricia Ellen Drive (theft from motor vehicle)
A man started off a workday on a bad foot when he discovered he was the victim of theft. The man said he parked his white Chevy Silverado in his driveway around 10 p.m. Jan. 8. When he headed to work around 5:50 a.m. the next morning, he found his truck door open.
Inside, the items from his center console were scattered, and someone had taken his black model 22 Glock ($600), an Uncle Mike’s holster ($50) and an extra magazine ($30).
The responding officer observed no damaged to the vehicle and believes the owner mistakenly left the driver door unlocked.
Silverwood (auto burglary)
Another vehicle owner found her unlocked car rummaged through on Jan. 9. She opened the driver’s side door and noticed her property was scattered inside, so she didn’t enter.
Her security footage showed a black four-door vehicle with tinted windows enter the subdivision around 1:15 p.m. and park in front of her home. The video doesn’t show anyone exiting the vehicle, but it does show an unknown black male walk from the front of her home to her vehicle, climb inside and dig through the victim’s property. He also tried to enter her other vehicle, but it was locked. He left the neighborhood around 1:26 p.m.
Gailyn Drive (fraud)
A woman reported getting a call from AT&T on Jan. 9 when an unknown woman suspect tried to open up an account with them when she already had an existing account. The caller provided the victim’s Social Security Number but wasn’t able to provide a correct or past address for the victim.
The victim said she wanted the documentation of a police report even though AT&T didn’t let the caller create an account. She also said that her credit score has recently dropped because of a report from Verizon (where she doesn’t have an account).
Jan. 10
Woodlawn Street (arson)
Someone set fire to a trash can in the main building at Bartlett High School (5688 Woodlawn St.) on Jan. 10. The fire was reported around 2:20 p.m.
Surveillance footage showed an 18-year-old student hover over the can and walk away, with flames arising from the trash can a couple of minutes later. Then three female students walked in, saw the fire and ran.
The suspect waived his Miranda rights and admitted to starting the fire. He said it was supposed to be a joke, and he thought it would be funny. He was taken to Bartlett City Jail for booking and processing.
Trail Creek Lane (aggravated assault/shots fired)
A man reported that someone had just shot at his house at 9:50 p.m. Jan. 10. The responding officer noticed that the front of his home had four apparent bullet holes near the front door and windows. Scene officers also found five .40-caliber Smith and Wesson shell casings on the street in front of the home.
The victim said he had found his daughter’s juvenile boyfriend inside his home just before the shooting. The boyfriend had entered the house without his invitation or knowledge. The father confronted the suspect about sneaking in and about dating his underage daughter, and he demanded that the boyfriend leave. The shooting happened a short time later.
The daughter voluntarily showed officers some cell phone text messages and Facebook messages from the suspect. In them, he implied his involvement in the shooting by stating that he was “sorry,” and “I regret it, but it’s done.”
All evidence was photographed on scene by the crime scene officer, and the scene was released to the BPD’s Investigative Services Division for further investigation.
Jan. 11
Bartlett Center Drive (alarm)
A burglar got away with $150 from a pried-open cash drawer at Mathis Tire and Auto Service (5975 Bartlett Center Drive) the morning of Jan. 11. The alarm went off at 5:42 a.m., and the alarm company notified dispatch of the alarm at 5:51 a.m. Officers responded to a burglar alarm there at 6:05 a.m. and found a broken window panes on a bay door. The service manager arrived and let police into the building, where the theft was discovered.
Fairway View Circle West (unauthorized use of a vehicle)
A victim reported the morning of Jan. 11 that she loaned her vehicle to someone to inquire about a job around 5:30 p.m. the previous afternoon. The suspect was supposed to return it that same night but still had the vehicle at the time of the report.
The victim said she has continually called, texted and reached out to the suspect via Facebook with no response.
Jan. 16
Blackwell Street (non-residential burglary)
A family reported Jan. 16 that several items have gone missing from their backyard shed over the past two months, totaling $1,470 in losses. They believe someone has entered their backyard through a hole in the fence and has broken into the shed multiple times.
Items taken included a Snap-On ratchet, sockets, and wrenches ($650); deep well and standard sockets ($50); Craftsman ratchet, sockets, and wrenches ($250); two small and two large jack stands ($240); two car batteries ($160); two 100-foot extension cords ($100); and two Craftsman vice grips ($20).
The first time, the owners said they found the shed door broken but repaired it before reporting the theft.
