The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) handled the following incidents in Lakeland during the first half of June. The remainder of June’s incidents will be published in the July 30 issue.
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.
June 1
U.S. 64 (theft)
A mother reported on June 1 that someone stole her daughter’s cell phone May 31 from the bathroom at Sprouts Farmers Market (9050 U.S. 64). The victim activated a “Find My Phone” app that located the device in Brownsville, Tenn.
June 2
Prairie Sky Drive (theft of vehicle parts/ accessories)
A man reported on June 2 that someone stole his license plate between May 6 and May 20. He bought a new Jeep Wrangler on May 6 and put his old license plate in the back while waiting for the plate to transfer to his new vehicle.
On May 20 he noticed it was missing. It was entered into the National Crime Inform-ation Center (NCIC) database as stolen.
June 5
Canada Road/Interstate 40 (weapon law violations)
A man’s DUI led to further charges against him just before 1 a.m. June 5. He was driving north in the southbound lane of Canada Road when officers noticed him and had to adjust his path to avoid a head-on collision.
The officers approached him as he pulled into the Waffle House parking lot. They smelled alcohol as they got near the vehicle, and the driver slurred his response when asked if he knew he had driven on the wrong side of the road. He needed support to walk when he got out of his vehicle.
The officers and suspect relocated to the nearby Cracker Barrel parking lot and administered a standardized field test. The driver failed as he was unstable on his feed and couldn’t follow directions. He refused to submit to a blood alcohol content (BAC) test.
While inventorying his vehicle, an officer also found a Kel-Tec .380-caliber handgun in the cup holder.
The driver was taken to Shelby County Jail and charged with DUI, refusal to submit to a BAC and being drunk in possession of a handgun.
With a warrant, an officer in Whiskey Unit 17 drew his blood to test the BAC.
Memphis-Arlington Road (other larceny/ access device)
A woman reported June 5 that someone redirected her Social Security check between May 29 and June 5.
She said someone created an account had had her check of $1,164 sent through Direct Express to an unknown location.
When she contacted the company, a spokesman said the check was sent to a third party but refused to give her information on where the check was sent. The Direct Express spokesman opened up a case on the issue.
June 9
I-40/Canada Road (simple assault/domestic violence)
While driving back to their Nashville home from a weekend in Horn Lake, Miss., a couple got into a fight on I-40 near Canada Road on June 9. The woman said it began with an argument when she lit a cigarette in his car.
She reported that he pulled over and tugged her out of the vehicle, but she climbed back in even though she lost a shoe. That’s when he punched her in the back of the head, she said.
He also threatened to kill her when she warned him that she would call law enforcement, she said, and he had a handgun with him at the time.
Officers saw visible bruises on her right arm, and she reported possible arm and shoulder injuries. She was transported to Saint Francis Hospital – Bartlett in stable condition.
The two had been in a relationship for about a year, but she told officers she did not know his last name.
Musket Drive (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A woman reported a possible con game on June 9. She advertised a vehicle on Craigslist, and a potential buyer sent her a check for $4,950 to cover the cost of the vehicle and towing to his location.
Her bank said the check was no good, so she contacted the suspected swindler.
He claimed the check was good and that he was going to contact the FBI and local authorities. Then he texted he would see her later.
Officers advised the woman to get the check back from the bank, save all texts from the suspect and contact the sheriff’s office with any new information.
June 11
Shadow Green (intimidation/domestic violence and felony vandalism/domestic violence)
A woman called the sheriff’s office on June 11, fearing for her life when her hungover boyfriend went on a rampage.
She said he came home intoxicated, loud and disorderly at 2:30 a.m., calling her names, but he quickly went to sleep. She woke him up about four hours later for work. He left but immediately returned, kicked in the front door and went into a destructive frenzy.
She said he destroyed or damaged an Apple iPhone, RCA TV, Yamaha speaker and his own Samsung TV.
She was terrified when he said, “I could kill you.” He left before officers arrived. She refused transportation to another location.
June 16
U.S. 64 (theft from motor vehicle)
A man reported that someone burglarized his car when he stopped at his workplace for about five minutes on June 16.
He parked his Pontiac G5 behind Papa John’s (9160 U.S. 64) around noon and left it unlocked while he went inside.
Someone stole cash and his prescription medication from the vehicle while he was inside.
Chapel Hill/Barret’s Chapel (simple assault)
A man reported on June 16 that he and another man had argued between midnight at 1 a.m. on June 13 somewhere near Barret’s Chapel at Chapel Hill. The other man hit him in the face with a brick and chipped a tooth.
The responding officer could not determine if the victim had a chipped tooth at the scene.
