The Bartlett Police Department (BPD) handled the following incidents for Jan. 18-24. 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. 18
Wedgewick Cove (auto theft)
A man reported on Jan. 18 that someone stole his black 1994 Chevy pickup between 9 p.m. Jan. 17 and shortly after midnight. The truck was loaded full of tools for tile and marble in the truck bed and locked inside the cab.
Bartlett Center Drive (burglary)
Someone burglarized Mathis Goodyear (5975 Bartlett Center Drive) on Jan. 18. The building’s exterior looked secure when an officer responded to an alarm there just before 9 p.m. Then at 9:45 p.m., an officer returned to the location when the store manager reported that the cash drawer at the front lobby counter was missing.
The cabinet drawer that housed the cash drawer had been pried open.
Jan. 19
Santa Valley (theft)
A thief made off with costly packages from a man’s front porch just after noon on Jan. 19. The packages contained pump parts with mechanical seals ($3,000) and company-labeled coffee mugs ($250).
The resident saw someone walking away from his porch at that time but couldn’t provide any description of the suspect.
Elmore Road (vandalism)
A vandal entered a vacant home up for sale and flooded it sometime between 3 p.m. Jan. 17 and 12:45 p.m. Jan. 19.
The suspect turned on faucets and closed sink drains, causing water damage to the flooring in the master bathroom, kitchen and living room, as well as the basement ceiling.
A screen was torn on the southeast side of the residence, but there were no signs of forced entry on any of the home’s doors or windows.
Unspecified location (theft)
Someone stole an Amazon.com package from a man’s front porch between 1 and 2 p.m. Jan. 17, the victim reported on Jan. 19.
His home security system captured video footage of a black male suspect driving up in a red Chevrolet car, walking to the porch, tucking the package under his jacket and walking away with it.
The package had been delivered by the USPS.
Jan. 20
Coral Hill (theft from motor vehicle)
A woman found her car wide open and plundered in her carport around 8 a.m. Jan. 20. She said all of the doors and back hatch were open, and the interior was in disarray.
Items missing included $400 in cash from her glove compartment, a silver and diamond dolphin ring, a silver necklace, a silver dolphin charm with diamond accents, a Fossil watch and one gold necklace with a gold cross charm.
The thief also entered her Honda Accord and took a Nike backpack and two inoperable cell phones, she said.
Bardstown Road (burglary)
A woman returned from work at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and found her front door unlocked, her kitchen lights on, and more than $2,300 in weapons and electronics missing from the home.
Someone had kicked open the bedroom door, pried open a fireproof safe, searched the house’s ground floor, broke into an attic safe with a screwdriver and mallet, and also invaded her husband’s “man cave” in the shed behind the house.
Items stolen included a handgun Keltec PF9 and a Nova Intel pink tablet ($300), two DVD players ($80 each), a laptop ($1,200), a 32-inch Sanyo TV ($190), Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun ($300), a Davey Crickett 22LR rifle ($200), checks and five credit cards.
The missing firearms and electronics totaled $2,350.
Jan. 21
U.S. 64 (theft)
Serra Chevrolet (7850 U.S. 64) lost $6,000 in thefts and damages to one vehicle overnight between Jan. 20 and 21.
Items stolen included four wheels and tires ($4,500) from a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe.
During the theft, the suspect placed the jack stands underneath the vehicle’s running boards ($1,500), and the weight of the vehicle crushed the top of the jack stands and pushed them completely through the running boards.
The company spokesman said Serra does want to prosecute.
Jan. 22
U.S. 70 (robbery)
A man robbed the register at the Dollar General store (7889 U.S. 70) at 10:40 a.m. Jan. 22. The clerk said he first asked if the store takes EBT cards (for food stamp funds). She said they do, and he brought a bag of potato chips to the counter. Then he leaned over and said, “Open the register fast and I won’t hurt you.”
He lifted his shirt to show a black automatic weapon in his waistband.
After grabbing some of the money from the register drawer, he fled toward southbound U.S. 70.
Jan. 23
Woodlawn Street (auto burglary)
Someone broke into a car parked at Bartlett High School (5688 Woodlawn St.) while the driver was attending a school basketball game the night of Jan. 23.
The victim arrived around 6:30 p.m. and returned around 9:30 p.m. The responding officer noted damage to the vehicle’s driver’s side lock mechanism. The only item missing was a brown leather wallet ($15) containing two expired Tennessee IDs ($8 each), which had been stored in the unlocked glove compartment.
