The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) reported the following Lakeland incidents in Lakeland for September 2014. 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.
Sept. 2
U.S. 64 (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone broke a driver’s side window and stole a $200 Garmin GPS unit from a work truck at Billiards Pro Shop (9160 U.S. 64) over the weekend of Aug. 29 through Sept. 2. The store manager said an employee at a nearby business notified him of the broken window on Tuesday morning. A crime scene technician was unable to lift fingerprints because the scene was contaminated before officers arrived. The GPS’s serial number was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
Pine Point Drive (theft from motor vehicle)
A man reported that two unknown white males stole a $600 leaf blower from his truck bed while he was working, sometime between noon and 2 p.m. Sept. 2. The victim was busy cutting a client’s back yard on the 9500 block of Pine Point Drive. A neighbor spotted two men removing the equipment and captured a partial license plate number before the men left in an older-model maroon two-door Chrysler. The victim said he drove around for about an hour looking for the suspects before contacting police.
Sept. 3
U.S. 64 (motor vehicle theft/passenger vehicle)
A woman got away from a stranger hidden in the back seat of her SUV as she left Howards Donuts (8964 U.S. 64) around 4:40 a.m. Sept. 3. She was driving out of the parking lot when she saw an unknown black man, climbing over the backseat. He said, “Don’t move, ma’am,” several times. Before he could reach her, she fled the vehicle and ran back inside the donut shop to call 911. The man drove off in her General Motors Suburban, westbound on U.S. 64. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the stolen vehicle. The dispatcher entered the SUV’s information into NCIC. The victim said she thought she had locked all doors when she went inside, but responding officers did not notice any glass or car door lock parts on the ground where she had parked.
Swingbridge Cove West (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone broke into a car on the 9600 block of Swingbridge Cove West and stole $50 from a wallet inside, the owner discovered on the morning of Sept. 3. The vehicle, a black Acura TL, was parked in his driveway during the theft. The victim said someone pried open one of the car’s window frames and placed the glass on the roof of the car. One officer spotted fresh footprints headed northeast away from the crime scene and followed it for about 300 yards. The trail indicated that the suspect visited other yards, looking for more potential victims, but no other vehicles appeared to be damaged. An officer saw that a neighbor had video surveillance, but the homeowner would not cooperate with the investigation.
Sept. 5
Evergreen Road (non-residential burglary)
Someone kicked in the front door of a storage garage on Evergreen Road between Aug. 30 and 9 a.m. Sept. 5. The victim reported that people have broken into the garage numerous times over the years. He stores many tools on the site, and he could identify only three items as missing at the time of the report.
Putter Lane (felony vandalism)
A woman on the 3000 block of Putter Lane left her house to run an errand, felt uneasy about a stranger she spotted walking around, and returned home a few minutes later. By then, someone had already kicked in her home’s rear door and the house alarm was blaring. The stranger was a black male in all black clothing and a low haircut, spotted walking on Fletchers Trace Road near her house. Responding officers checked the area but did not locate the suspect.
Sept. 6
Huff N Puff Road (theft from building)
A woman reported her cell phone stolen after meeting with friends and acquaintances in a room at the Motel 6 (9822 Huff N Puff Road) between 3:05 a.m. and 3:40 a.m. Sept. 6. The woman, a male companion and a female friend had gone to the Delta Fair together. The female friend invited two of her other friends, a man and a woman, back to the hotel room. The victim and her male companion went to buy beer, leaving the cell phone behind. When the couple returned, the others were leaving. The cell phone was missing, and the victim’s female friend said she did not have the phone.
Laurel Hill Drive (theft from motor vehicle)
Someone broke into a Honda Pilot on the 9300 block of Laurel Hill Drive and stole $100 in coins overnight between Sept. 5 and Sept. 6. The rear driver’s side window was broken, but the victim did not hear a disturbance during the night.
Maple Run Drive (false pretenses/swindle/confidence game)
A woman on the 10200 block of Maple Run Drive reported on Sept. 6 that someone bilked her of more than $3,000 in goods and payment on June 2, and she’s not gotten the goods or the money returned. The victim contacted a seamstress about having curtains made, and the seamstress brought along an upholsterer for a visit. The victim agreed to hand over a sofa ($1,000), chair ($500), ottoman ($200), upholstering material ($623.75) and a $680 down payment for a four-week job. The upholsterer wrote a contract, and the victim wrote a check to the seamstress. The victim said she didn’t receive a copy of the contract, and her calls to the upholsterer kept going to voice mail. So she contacted the seamstress, who provided the upholsterer’s work address. Although the upholsterer was not on duty when the victim went to his workplace, the business owner reached him on the phone and let the victim talk with him. The upholsterer said he was out of town but would return the furniture on Sept. 6. At the time of the report, she hadn’t gotten her furniture back and had not been unable to reach the upholsterer again.
Sept. 8
Sparrow Hill Drive (forcible rape)
A victim on Sparrow Hill Drive reported being forcibly raped on the afternoon of Sept. 8. Additional details about the case are not currently available for publication.
Sept. 10
Herons Ridge Drive (theft of other trailer)
Someone stole a homeowner’s utility trailer and lawn equipment from the 10200 block of Herons Ridge Drive overnight between Sept. 9 and 10. Items taken included a utility trailer with red vertical bars, Kubuta riding mower and Kawasaki weed trimmer. The responding officer noticed wheel markings in the grass where someone had dragged the trailer away from the victim’s truck. A dispatcher entered the mower into the NCIC database.
Woodland Birch Drive (theft of vehicle parts/accessories)
A Lakeland couple discovered their truck’s license plate had been stolen and replaced with an expired one when the wife was pulled over on Sept. 9 for the expired tag. The husband reported the theft on Sept. 10. He said the last known time his real tag was on the truck was about three months previously. The expired tag did not appear on file through NCIC. A dispatcher entered the man’s missing tag into the NCIC database. The couple live on the 10000 block of Woodland Birch Drive.
Sept. 14
Club Walk Court (simple assault/domestic violence)
A woman on the 9400 block of Club Walk Court reported she was asleep with her two-year-old son when her companion came home drunk and yelling for her to get out of his bedroom. Both adults agreed that she left the bedroom and tried to record his behavior with her cellphone, he grabbed it, there was some physical contact, and she fell. However, she said he punched a hole in the bathroom door and knocked her to the ground. His version was that she argued with him about being out late and then punched and hit him with a shoe after he confiscated the phone. He said he then tried going back to the bedroom but bumped her, and she fell. The victim, who is six and one-half weeks pregnant, took her son next door to call the Sheriff’s Office, and the suspect locked himself in the bedroom and went to sleep. Responding officers observed no injuries on either person and couldn’t determine who the primary aggressor was. The victim declined treatment or transportation to the hospital, but her mother arrived and took her to the hospital.
Sept. 15
Oak Point Cove (identity theft)
An unauthorized person opened a Citibank credit card in the name of a man on the 9500 block of Oak Point Cove, the victim reported on Sept. 15. Although he has a Citibank account, he didn’t authorize the new card and didn’t know about it until receiving a Citibank letter. Someone opened the credit card account on Sept. 9 using all of the victim’s personal information, including his Social Security number. He closed the account before any purchases were made.
Woodland Pine Cove East (misdemeanor vandalism)
A resident on the 10000 block of Woodland Pine Cove East reported overnight vandalism at his home between Sept. 14 and 15. Around 9 p.m. Sept. 14, he heard a noise outside, his dog barked, a car door shut and someone drove off. He didn’t see anything suspicious at the time. The next morning, he saw a small tear in his window screen that was not there the previous day.
Sept. 17
Ace Drive (other theft/non-specific)
Someone stole two mountain bikes chained to a rail outside a Champion Hills apartment (9300 block of Ace Drive) between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17. The victim did not have serial numbers for either bike or any suspect information. The responding deputy checked the area but did not locate the bikes.
Sept. 21
Ace Drive (intimidation/domestic violence)
A victim on the 9000 block of Ace Drive reported that her intoxicated cousin threatened her during a verbal argument around 2:55 a.m. Sept. 21. The cousin said, “Someone is going to get you,” made a gun sign with her hand, threatened her and got in her face multiple times, the victim said. The cousin was not on scene when the responding officer arrived.
Sept. 22
Hepplewhite Cove (residential burglary)
A resident on the 3000 block of Hepplewhite Cove noticed equipment was missing from his open garage the morning of Sept. 22 and asked nearby MLGW workers if they’d seen anything suspicious. One saw a bearded black man backing a black pickup into the victim’s driveway, entering the garage, emerging with lawn equipment and leaving. Items stolen included a Craftsman miter saw kit, a Husqvarna blower and a Husqvarna weed trimmer ($550). No serial numbers were available at the time of the report. Shortly after the incident, the victim saw a black man in a white sedan nearby; it’s unknown whether the second man was a lookout.
Canada Road (simple assault)
Two men fought at a Canada Road gas station the afternoon of Sept. 22 when one started questioning passersby about stealing his vehicle’s keys while he was in the bathroom. A witness who was asking for help boosting off his vehicle said the irate driver reached into the pockets of another man pumping gas, and the two fought. The responding officer didn’t see any injuries to either man. The officer asked to view the gas station’s security camera but was told that the only person with access was not available.
Sept. 23
Morning Ridge Drive (felony violations of weapon law)
Detectives found an altered .22-caliber rifle on Sept. 23 while trying to serve warrants on the 9200 block of Morning Ridge Drive. The warrants were for a son (theft of property between $1,000 and $10,000) and mother (driving while license was suspended or revoked). The mother said her son wasn’t home, but officers found the weapon under his bed while searching the area. They seized the rifle and took the mother to jail. The son is also jailed now.
Fletcher Trace Parkway (simple assault/domestic violence)
A woman said she argued with her boyfriend the night of Sept. 21 when she saw him parked with another woman on the 9100 block of Fletcher Trace Parkway. She said he started to drive off while she was on the truck’s step rail and holding onto the truck. After he pulled into his driveway, she left the scene. The responding officer noticed the victim was limping and the right side of her face was swollen. She refused any medical attention. The Memphis Police Department took the original report on the 9300 block of Garden Wood Drive before it was determined the incident occurred in the county. A Shelby County deputy took the report the morning of Sept. 23.
Sept. 24
Leeward Slopes Drive (misdemeanor vandalism)
A man on the 9600 block of Leeward Slopes Drive reported on Sept. 24 that someone dented his garage door badly enough that the door would no longer open. He heard a loud noise around 8:15 p.m. and later found the door’s exterior upper panel damaged.
Iberville Court (counterfeiting/forgery)
A victim from the 4300 block of Iberville Court reported on Sept. 26 that someone successfully cashed a $1,761.30 counterfeit check the previous day on his account at Metropolitan Bank. Two more suspects then tried to cash similar checks for $1,094.77 and $1,879.03, but the teller declined. All checks were made out for “roofing,” and the teller copied driver’s license information from each suspect. The counterfeit checks were large and appeared to be the type a business would use. The victim’s checks are the size used for personal checking accounts.
Sept. 27
U.S. 64 (other theft/non-specific)
The owner of the 24-hour Galleria Car Wash (8990 U.S. 64) said someone stole the business’s entire tire compressor unit ($1,500) overnight between Sept. 26 and 27. The machine held about $300 in change and was bolted to a concrete slab outside at the time of the theft. The owner could not provide the unit’s make, model or serial number. No suspect information was available.
Sept. 29
Piper Bay Cove (threatening phone call/domestic violence)
A woman on the 3800 block of Piper Bay Cove reported Sept. 29 that her sister sold her a car in July for $250 while they were living in Florida. The sister then started calling and harassing the victim, who feared for her life and moved to Arkansas and then Lakeland. The responding officers heard several voice mails and read several text messages from the suspect. The sister recently texted that she was coming for the victim if she didn’t return the vehicle.
Sept. 30
Huff N Puff Road (simple assault/domestic violence)
A woman reported on Sept. 30 that she fought with her on-again off-again boyfriend earlier that night about strangers he brought to their room at the Super 8 motel (9779 Huff N Puff Road). She said it started as just a verbal argument, but then he pushed her and hit the right side of her face and the back of her head. He was injecting heroin before the responding officer arrived, she reported. The woman had a small abrasion on her face but refused medical attention. The suspect has an active warrant out of the Shelby County Sheriff’s office.
