You’re All Guilty Police arrived on the scene of an assault at an east Charlotte grocery store last week but found it hard to determine who deserved to be taken into custody. Police found the “victim” of the assault, who said that a man began tussling with him in the store and scratched his hand. The suspect told the officer that he assaulted the victim because he was attempting to shoplift a watermelon-flavored malt beverage. Police searched both people involved in the incident and found that the good Samaritan who had tried to stop the theft was in possession of Xanax. He then tried to flee officers and was arrested.
Notarious A 62-year-old woman filed a police report after recovering from an illness last week. She discovered that one of her caretakers had stolen from her while she was sick. The woman told police that the unknown thief didn’t take money or jewelry, but a notary stamp that she kept in her nightstand beside her bed. She said that many people had visited during her three-month illness, so she has no idea who it could have been. In the meantime, trust not a notary.
Flush ‘Em Out The administration at Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy filed a report after realizing that someone has been targeting their bathrooms throughout the year. They told police that a man had entered the hospital on February 16 and removed a flush valve from a toilet somewhere in the building. The suspect, who remains unknown but the hospital believes is the same man, returned on July 25 and removed another. It’s unclear what the suspect wanted with these bacteria traps, but each one was worth about $500, according to hospital staff.
Quit Your Crying An elderly man in south Charlotte was the latest victim to a new trend in which scammers are asking naïve victims to buy them iTunes cards in order to pay back taxes, bail a loved one out of jail, or any number of other scams. The man said someone called claiming to be his grandson, but the man was crying so hard he couldn’t tell. Another man then took the phone and said the “grandson” was involved in an accident and taken into custody, and in order to be released, the grandfather would have to pay for the damages caused by ordering iTunes cards and reading the PIN numbers over the phone. The man ordered the cards, but then was able to reach his real grandson, so he never called the scammers back. However, he can’t get a refund and will now have to spend his iTunes gift cards on a shitload of music.
Hole-y Shit A woman living in a west Charlotte apartment complex gave her neighbors quite a scare last week. She was trying to clean up the house, which led to an even bigger mess. The woman told police that she was dusting off a shotgun that her mother had given her years ago when it went off, shooting a hole through the wall. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Freedom Ain’t Free A juvenile was arrested at SouthPark Mall last week after misunderstanding what a clothing line was all about. The girl allegedly stole a “Free People” tank top from the Belk department store, not understanding that the clothing line is not called “free tank tops” and that the article of clothing actually costs $108. She was cited and released to her guardian.
Flee the Scene A woman attempting to steal some beer in east Charlotte last week quickly found that she should hire a getaway driver for her next job. The woman allegedly ran out of a Sam’s Mart on The Plaza with four cases of Corona and hopped into her car. While trying to make her escape, she collided with a Kia Sorento, causing $3,000 in damages, and then slammed into a concrete barrier. When she got out of the car, she assaulted the store manager who had been trying to chase her down. The police also found it necessary to note in the report that she fled the scene of the accident with the Kia and without leaving the proper insurance information — as if that was ever an option.
What Goes Around How many times do we have to offer up the most important Blotter pro tip? Do not return to the scene of the crime. Police responded to an assault call in southwest Charlotte after a 22-year-old man had been jumped by three men. During the investigation, the suspects drove by and the victim pointed them out. The men were found to be driving in a stolen car and in possession of multiple narcotics, including crack rocks, Xanax, crystal meth and black tar heroin, not to mention that the car was also filled with assorted paraphernalia related to all of these drugs.
Give It Up A 61-year-old man called police after his attempts at a quick solution to a conflict in west Charlotte last week fell apart pretty quickly. The man told police that someone he owed something to came to his house in an attempt to collect what she was owed. The man said that “when she was invited inside so they could calmy figure out the problem,” the suspect went to her car and pulled out a metal pole from the trunk — never a good sign. She then went to work, smashing out the front windows of the victim’s house before leaving the scene.
Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
This article appears in Aug 3-10, 2016.
