The Bartlett Police Department (BPD) handled the following incidents for Jan. 24-31.
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. 24
Yale Road (suspicious circumstance)
A man claiming to be a police officer pulled over a man driving on Yale Road near Memphis Arlington Road the night of Jan. 24.
The complainant said it was around 10:40 p.m. when an unmarked dark vehicle (possibly a Dodge Charger) got behind him. Using a loudspeaker, the suspect said he was a police officer, adding, “Pull over or I will call for backup.”
The complainant obeyed, pulling into the parking lot at Nesbit Park (5760 Yale Road). The suspect turned off his headlights and approach, and the driver noticed he wasn’t wearing a uniform.
When the suspect said to roll down his window, he asked to see the man’s badge. The suspect did not have any identification showing that he was a police officer, so victim drove away.
The suspect is a cleanshaven white male in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 6 feet tall with a slim build and a buzz haircut. He was wearing a red jacket at the time of the incident.
Jan. 25
Venson Drive (theft of vehicle parts/accessories)
A victim reported on Jan. 25 that someone took the license plate from his vehicle the previous day. He believes the theft occurred while hie vehicle was parked in his driveway.
Jan. 27
Woodlawn Street (theft)
A mother reported on Jan. 27 that someone took her juvenile daughter’s 38mm rose gold Apple watch. The victimput the watch in her sweatpants pocket to take a test during second period at Bartlett High School (5688 Woodlawn St.). The watch was gone when she got to her third-period class.
A check with each of her teachers and classmates did not turn up the watch.
Bartlett Boulevard (multiple drug and weapons charges)
An office followed a man he suspected of a narcotics transaction the night of Jan. 27. It began in the parking lot of Popeyes Louisiana Kitche, (6085 Stage Road). The suspect was in a parked Ford Explorer, and the officer saw what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug sale with an unknown black male.
Then the suspect drove west on Stage and turned southbound onto Bartlett Boulevard directly into the center lane.
The officer pulled the driver over on the 2600 block of Bartlett Boulevard and explained the traffic infraction.
The officer asked to search the vehicle, and the suspect agreed at first. But when a backup officer arrived, he changed his mind.
A narcotics K9 officer performed a narcotics sniff of the vehicle and alerted on the passenger door seam and the rear door hatch seam of the vehicle.
A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed an unlabeled prescription bottle containing 1.6g of marijuana in the center console, along with a silver Digiweigh DW-100AS scale with marijuana residue.
A large glass jar containing 30.3g of marijuana and a weapon were in the back pocket of the front passenger seat. The weapon was a silver Berretta model 96 .40-caliber handgun with a magazine and eight live rounds.
A computer check of the firearm revealed it to be stolen in Bartlett on April 28, 2007.
He said he was unsure when or how he got the firearm but said he carried it for protection.
The suspect was charged with unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia; unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, manufacture or distribute; possessing a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, manufacture or distribute; and possessing stolen property with a value of $550.
The officer determined that the vehicle was used to transport and facilitate the sale of contraband, so it was seized. The suspect was arrested, and a search found him to have $835 in cash in his possession.
Jan. 28
Centralia Road (theft)
A man reported Jan. 28 that he had just noticed the license plate was missing from his 2007 Ford F150.
Jan. 29
North Germantown Road (auto burglary)
A man reported the morning of Jan. 28 that someone had stolen his go bag ($10) from the back seat of his truck while he was in Waffle House (2931 N. Germantown Road). The victim drove a black 2001 Ford F-250.
Jan. 30
Carol Elaine Circle (vandalism)
On Jan. 30, a victim reported finding pry marks on the deadbolt of his home’s rear door. The rear door was found ajar at 10 a.m. with the deadbolt lock ($30) partially engaged. A family member was at the house that morning and did not notice anything suspicious. The victim said the marks may have occurred over a week ago.
Jan. 31
Milkyway Cove (residential burglary)
Someone entered a home on Milkyway Cove through an open window and stole several items, the resident reported Jan. 31. A neighbor saw a black male suspect exit a new model black Cadillac Escalade and enter the home through the open window at the front of the house.
The suspect took two parakeets ($25 each), a bird cage ($100) and two inflatable air mattresses ($8 each).
The responding officer lifted two fingerprints at the scene.
The victim said she and her husband are in the process of moving into the home, and it’s currently being renovated. She does want to prosecute if information leads to a suspect in the case.
