Private sales of cell phones were at the heart of two robberies this week in Bartlett. Incidents included a Nov. 7 teen robber at the Dixon/Brewer gazebo and an armed robbery with one shot fired on Bartlett Oaks Drive on Nov. 8.
The Bartlett Police Department (BPD) reported those two incidents and the following additional cases for Nov. 3-9, 2014.
Editor’s note: All suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a courty of law, and values are estimated for stolen/damaged items. These are brief summaries of detailed BPD reports.
Nov. 3
Ruskin Road (residential burglary)
A homeowner on Ruskin Road reported that an acquaintance knocked at her front door on Nov. 3. The victim could see the suspect from a window and didn’t answer the door, but she heard someone enter the house and rummage through a box of prescription pills next to her bed.
The victim believed the suspect intended to steal her medicine.
Burton Church Cove (residential burglary)
A woman who lives on Burton Church Cove returned from work on Novl 3 and found her back door open and a light on upstairs for a room she doesn’t use. She discovered that someone had stolen the TV and two flip phones from the master bedroom.
Nov. 41
Sienna Road (auto burglary)
A woman reported that her daughter saw a black man sitting in the driver’s seat of the mother’s car between 12:40 and 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 4.
The man, who wore a red hoodie and sweatpants, fled when he saw the daughter looking out the window. Nothing was taken from the vehicle, and the responding officer saw no visible damage to the exterior. But the owner said the door had been locked, andthe driver’s side door lock no longer worked.
Chaney Lane (auto burglary)
A man reported on Nov. 4 that someone had stolen his black leather trifold wallet from his unlocked vehicle on Chaney Lane, sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Oct. 10.
He said he placed the wallet on the console while he was loading the vehicle, and someone took the wallet when he went back into the house briefly.
Germantown Road (theft)
A woman reported on Nov. 4 that someone stole gardening tools from her yard on Germantown Road between October 28 and 9 p.m. Nov. 4. Items stolen included a Troy-Bilt edge ($160) and Stihl chainsaw ($275).
She said an unknown black man came to her house on Oct. 28, and she turned him away when he offered to do yard work.
The possible suspect left in a dark blue or black SUV in an unknown direction.
Nov. 5
West Earhart Drive (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone stole tools from a man’s silver 1999 Jeep Cherokee while it was briefly parked in his driveway on West Earhart Drive on Nov. 4.
The owner had problems with the passenger side front window, and he had placed a board and plastic in the window to keep the rain out. He parked the vehicle on the street from about 9:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., when he pulled it into the garage.
The next morning, he noticed the theft of his black plastic Stanley toolbox ($20) containing miscellaneous hand tools ($200).
Nov. 6
Brannick Drive (residential burglary)
A Brannick Drive resident said someone kicked open his home’s rear door, damaged the door frame ($300), and stole weapons and electronics between 8 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. Nov. 6.
Items stolen included a 60-inch Vizio television ($800) and 500 rounds of .22 caliber magnum ammunition ($75).
A neighbor reported seeing a silver vehicle leave the man’s driveway around 3:15 p.m.
Nov. 7
Woodlawn Street (robbery)
One male youth robbed another of $100 during an attempted iPhone purchase at the Dixon/Brewer gazebo (5745 Woodlawn St.) on Nov. 7. The victim said the other juvenile grabbed his arm and threatened to punch him in the face if he didn’t give him all his money.
The responding officer tracked down the suspect to a Memphis location and arrested him, and the suspect admitted to the robbery. He said he had spent $15 on a haircut and $43 on his cell phone bill, and he gave the remaining $37 to another person.
Nov. 8
Stage Road (armed robbery)
A man reported an armed robbery with one shot fired at his car on Bartlett Oaks Drive on Nov. 8.
He said he had recently placed a Craigslist.com ad to buy an iPhone 5. A man responded with two for sale, and they agreed on a price and the meeting place.
When the buyer arrived, he noticed two black men standing in the front yard. He stayed in his vehicle, and one of the suspects stood at the car’s rear while the other (wearing a red shirt, possibly a hooded sweatshirt) tried to get in the passenger’s side door. The buyer asked him to walk around to the driver’s side and asked if he had the phones.
The suspect in the red shirt pulled a handgun from his pants, pointed it at the driver’s head, demanded the man’s money and phone, and said, “I swear I’ll kill you.”
The driver grabbed the suspect’s wrist and pushed it away before fleeing the scene.
The red-shirted suspect fired one round into the driver’s side door just below the window as the victim drove off. The driver then met with a responding police officer at a Stage Road business to file a report, and the officer observed a bullet hole of unknown caliber in the door.
Witnesses reported hearing the shot, seeing the victim drive off and seeing the two suspects running toward the dead end of Elmore Road.
By checking the phone number used to set up the meeting, officers identified one suspect as a 17-year-old juvenile and obtained his address.
Police worked with his mother to locate the juvenile, and his parents eventually brought him to headquarters.
