No Easy Grades: A local middle school teacher might have reason to think twice before giving her students another difficult assignment. It seems that when she instructed one of her students to complete an assignment in class, the student became angry and began to punch his teacher in the face and arm. A simple “no thanks” could have served the same purpose.
No Hidden Fees: A local cellular store was on the receiving end of a swindle last week when a deceitful customer took advantage of the store clerk. After purchasing a pre-paid phone card, the conniving customer demanded reimbursement, claiming that he had not used any of the time on the card. Unfortunately the clerk did not speak English very well and “had a hard time speaking with the suspect.” Having exhausted all of his English-speaking skills, the weary clerk finally gave in and reimbursed the insistent customer for the $20 “un-used” phone card. Money in hand, the customer immediately left the store. It was soon discovered that the card had in fact been used, for a good 20 minutes.
Small Change: Several innocent dryers were damaged last week when some hoodlums with a hankering for loose change broke into a local laundromat. The thieves entered the establishment after smashing a front window and set to work destroying whatever they came across. They left no machine untouched and even broke into the arcade games looking for the bright, shiny quarters. Once the damage was done, the thieves moved on to the business next door.
I’ll Be Right Back: Needing some refreshment, a Charlotte man decided to pull into a convenience store to grab a beverage. Leaving the car running, the man told his passenger he’d be right back and went into the store. After purchasing his drink, the man returned to find that his impatient passenger had other plans and had driven off in his car.
Handle With Care: A Charlotte woman arrived home last week to discover that a package delivered to her earlier that day had fallen into mischievous hands. After the box was left on the front porch, it seems that someone just couldn’t restrain their curiosity and tore into the woman’s package. The woman found the cardboard shipping box “torn” open and lying in the side yard. There were tatters of wrapping paper scattered on the ground and no sign of the box’s contents, over $40 worth of gifts, household items and various odds and ends. All that was found in the box was a single piece of wrapping paper and the shipping invoice.
You Know You’ve Got a Problem When…: A smoker with more than just a little sentiment for his habit called police last week after witnessing someone enter his garage and steal his property. The man claimed to have watched the thief “walk up the side of his residence and into his garage” where he took six — count “em, six — of the smoker’s favorite cigarettes.
Intimate Indulgence: Another department store was able to apprehend yet another novice shoplifter. The interesting tidbit is what the lifter decided to take and how she managed it. The shoplifter somehow managed to stuff $90 worth of ladies’ underwear into her purse and attempted to leave the store.
Munchies Strike Again: Yet another parked trailer fell victim to a sticky-fingered thief. Six hundred dollars worth of Rice Krispies Treats were removed from a sealed trailer by a thief with a heck of a sweet tooth. All that sugar must have gone to his head, however, as police were able to apprehend the thief while he was still in possession of the treats.
A Little Gassy: It appears that gas tanks have become the unlikely target of several simple-minded crooks. One man’s truck was drained of about six gallons of gas while it was parked at his residence. The siphoning thief managed to make off with the gas during the night without spilling a drop. Another gas-tank obsessed delinquent poured maple syrup into an unsuspecting woman’s car. The estimated damaged caused by the sticky substance is over $300.
Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte Police Department.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2002.
