The Bartlett Police Department handled the following incidents for Jan. 23-29. 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. 25
Bartlett Boulevard (shooting)
An officer responded to a shooting in the Applebee’s parking lot (2890 Bartlett Blvd.) at 12:09 p.m. Jan. 25. The victim, Jeremiah Crotwell, was selling a 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier to the suspect, Robert Brooks. After receiving $700 from Brooks for the car, Crotwell entered a white 2001 Toyota Solara driven by a witness. Then Brooks changed his mind and wanted Crotwell to return his money.
The seller exited the vehicle, and the two men argued. Brooks pulled out an unknown brand .380-caliber handgun, pointed it at the ground and fired one shot. The round ricocheted and struck Crotwell in the abdomen. Then Brooks pointed his weapon at the car and demanded the witness and a passenger get out. All three victims started running northbound in the parking lot as the suspect fired two more shots, striking Crotwell in the upper right shoulder and foot.
Brooks entered the Solara and fled southbound on Bartlett Boulevard. He was placed into custody a few hours later.
Quail Meadow Cove (burglary)
A woman reported Jan. 25 that someone stole an estimated $5,700 in belongings from her family’s storage unit on the 6300 block of Quail Meadow Cove. The intruder also damaged her washer and dryer ($2,000).
She said they had lived at the complex about a year ago and moved out to their son’s home while they built a house. During construction, they hadn’t returned often to the rented storage unit. When they did move items from storage, they noticed that things had been moved around and discovered some items were missing. The unit didn’t have any signs of forced entry.
Jan. 26
Hillman Way Drive (vandalism)
Someone did $300 of damage to property on Hillman Way Drive, a Realtor/caretaker reported on Jan. 26.
The suspect broke through a wooden fence ($250) to gain entry into the back yard. The person then tried to enter another fenced-in area around the air conditioning units but pushed the gate in the wrong direction, bending the gate lock ($50) and getting the gate stuck in a closed position. The incident happened between 3 p.m. Jan. 18 and 4 p.m. Jan. 24.
Jan. 27
Shallow Hill (residential burglary)
A woman who left a home key under the doormat because her mother was visiting on Jan. 27 unintentionally left her home unsecure. She left the house at 5:30 p.m., and her mother arrived around 6:30-7 p.m. to find the lights on, the couch slashed ($1,400) and the home in disarray.
Officers arrived and cleared the residence. They saw the damage as well as an unlocked back door and two unlocked windows. The victim said the door was locked when she left at 5:30 p.m. but she was unaware of the unlocked windows. Nothing appeared to be missing.
Jan. 28
Quail Ridge (arson)
An officer arrived to the scene of a car engulfed in flames in a Quail Ridge driveway around 1:50 a.m. Jan. 28. The officer began putting out the fire with an extinguisher until Bartlett Fire Department Unit No. 4 arrived.
The victim said he was in bed when he heard a loud boom outside. He rant to the window overlooking the garage, saw flames in his driveway and ran outside.
There he saw his 2017 black Buick LaCrosse on fire and called 911. The firemen on scene said it looked like a cement block from the victim’s front yard had been thrown into the car’s back windshield, and an uncapped gas bottle had been set on fire and thrown inside. The car was destroyed.
Falcon Ridge Cove (theft)
A victim reported Jan. 28 that someone entered his backyard shed and stole his red-and-black Troy-Bilt lawnmower ($150) and his red-and-black Troy-Bilt weed trimmer ($150). The thefts happened between Jan. 14 and Jan. 28.
