Midday Heat:
Electronic door locks couldn’t stop an east Charlotte crook determined to cool off with some cold ones. A convenience store attendant activated the store’s locks in an attempt to prevent the thief, who had been banned from the store, from entering. But the man pried open the doors, snatched two 12-packs of beer, then slammed the attendant against the wall and forced him to unlock the doors and let him out. The thief darted away on foot, but didn’t have time to enjoy his brew before a police officer arrested him.
On His Throne:
A frightened man took refuge in his bathroom after an argument with his girlfriend. The intoxicated woman hit and scratched him several times, then threatened to throw hot grease on him. This sent him cowering to the toilet where he locked himself in and called the police.
Time To Celebrate:
Feeling no time constraints, a burglar who broke into a local restaurant rewarded himself for his work. After smashing out the front glass of the restaurant and stealing over $400 from the office, the thief relaxed at the bar and drank half a bottle of Irish Whiskey before fleeing the scene.
Hat In The Ring:
An employee at a fast food restaurant loudly refused to pay for her hat. The woman became irate when her boss asked her to pay $5 for the hat, which is a required part of her uniform. Her boss asked her to leave, but when the employee’s husband arrived to take her home, the dispute escalated again. As the woman’s boss attempted to call police, the employee grabbed the phone from her boss’s hand, hurled it at her and struck her in the leg. She then punched her boss several times before the employee’s husband picked her up and physically removed her from the store.
Sign, Steal and Deliver:
After delivering a pizza at an east Charlotte apartment complex, a delivery driver lost more than his tips. A thief accosted him and stole $80 cash, his wallet, and his reading glasses. Then the thief took his 1996 model car. The driver caught a ride back to the store in a police car.
Limited Robbing Skills:
Fear gripped a north Charlotte man who attempted to rob employees of a local business. The man approached an employee who was fixing his motorcycle and demanded money. When the employee told the man he didn’t have any, the man walked away, waving a handgun in the air. He then confronted a second employee in another part of the building and told him to give him his money. This employee also told the would-be thief he didn’t have any. When foiled robber reached into his coat pocket, the second man grabbed a stick and threatened the robber, who then ran away.
Carded:
When an elderly man loaned a friend his debit card, he expected the friend to keep his promise to withdraw only $20. But the friend pounced on his opportunity to make some fast money and, instead, withdrew $687. The man didn’t realize he’d been robbed until several days later, when he tried to withdraw money from an ATM and discovered that his account was empty.
Thanks For Calling:
Plagued since 1999 by a mystery harasser, a woman reported to police that this time the caller told her to “Have a very un-great day courtesy of Jesus.” The heckler also called the woman two more times, wished her “a nasty Memorial Holiday,” and told her that, “God is watching and will pay you back.” The caller also sent her a letter with a similar message.
This Bud’s For Me:
After being told that he couldn’t buy a case of beer, a man simply picked up the brew and walked out of the store.
Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte Police Department.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2003.
