- November 22, 2024
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‘Keep flushing while I rob you’
5:58 p.m. — 100 Block of Nature Trail.
Theft. The victim said that while she was out walking her dog in front of her residence, a male suspect approached her and told her there was a plumbing problem on the street and all the houses were going to flood because they were on the same line.
The suspect told her to go into the restroom nearest the garage and flush the toilet when he directed her to do so. He told the victim he was going into the kitchen and left the victim alone in the bathroom. He occasionally gave her instructions from another room to turn the water on or off or flush the toilet.
After a period of time, the victim left the bathroom and found that the suspect was gone.
A neighbor noticed two men leave the garage and went over to check on the victim. The victim went into the master bedroom and discovered that her desk had been ransacked. Jewelry was missing from the top of the dresser and drawers of the desk.
The victim called the police and provided a list of items but was upset and unable to complete a written statement. She was given a statement form to complete later.
Contact was made with another neighbor, who said that she arrived home from work, she saw a van parked in front of the victim’s house. After five minutes, she saw three males run to the van, make a quick U-turn and leave the area.
Another neighbor said she was walking her dog and saw a van with two men inside parked outside the victim’s house. Then, she saw three men leave the garage and get into the van which then drove away.
A set of prints was taken from the dresser in the master bedroom.
Impulse stealing
4:48 a.m. — 300 Block of West Granada Boulevard.
Burglary of a Business. Responding to a burglary alarm, the officer noticed the front window of the business was broken. Bicycles were knocked over inside the business, and a large brick was found inside.
A witness said he was waiting for the business next door to open, when he heard someone say, “Can you use a bike? I can get one from the store. Give me a few minutes.”
The witness heard glass break shortly after and saw a male running.
The owner said his business had been burglarized before. The video showed a male smash the window with a brick. The male then struggled with a bicycle and lifted it out of the window.
Dog can’t be bribed
4:00 a.m. — 400 Block of Cherryhill Drive.
Burglary. The victim heard his dog, a bullmastiff, barking and went out into the garage. He heard the fence outside rattle and saw that his Kawasaki motorcycle was halfway out the side door, leaning against the doorjamb. He said he leaves the side door ajar, so his dog can go in and out. The garage door was closed.
The officer and victim walked outside and found a chicken thigh lying in the grass. The victim said he believed the suspect threw the chicken over the fence hoping to occupy the dog while he stole the motorcycle.
An officer watching the perimeter nearby saw someone in black run across a road, but he could not be located. Fingerprints were found on the door, motorcycle and a chair that was moved.
Mass shoplifting
9:52 p.m. — 1400 Block of West Granada Boulevard.
Shoplifting. Surveillance footage at a beverage store showed the clerk being distracted by two suspects while another suspect, dressed in hospital scrubs, began taking liquor bottles off a shelf and placing them down her pants.
Footage then shows another suspect, who appeared to be pregnant, place bottles in her handbag.
A thin male suspect and a heavyset suspect also put numerous bottles down their pants.
All of the suspects then left the store while the clerk was still being distracted. They then re-entered, and began concealing bottles in the same manner.
The footage also shows the suspects go into a back room and take bottles off the shelf. The clerk saw a suspect in a back room and asked her what she was doing there. She said she had lost her keys and was looking for them. While this was going on, the suspects all fled the store with the merchandise. After they left, the clerk noticed bottles were missing so called law enforcement.
A person who was parked next to the suspects said they made a clanking sound when they approached their vehicle, which sounded like bottles hitting each other.
At least 20 bottles of liquor were missing with a total value of $813.80.
No security footage was available of the suspects’ car in the parking lot.
There’s a crime afoot
11:31 p.m. — 800 Block of South Atlantic Avenue.
Grand Theft. The restaurant manager said he terminated an employee who threw his server’s book to him without the money owed the business. He chased the suspect but he got away.
The suspect was later found at his residence. He denied taking any money and said it was in the server’s book that he threw on the ground.
The suspect only had a couple of hundred dollars on him. He hesitated when the officers asked him to take off his shoes.
Nothing was found in his right shoe, but as the officer began to take off his left shoe, the suspect said, “I have cash in that shoe.” The officer found $820 in cash in the shoe. The suspect said he does not have a bank account and always keeps money in his shoe.
The money was given to the victim and the suspect was transported to jail.
Foreign embassy scam
8:15 p.m. — First Block of Falls Way Drive
Information. The victim received a call from an alleged member of the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic. He said her grandson was being held because marijuana was found in his car during a traffic stop. They needed $990 for him to be released.
Someone who sounded like her grandson then got on the phone and repeated the information. The “official” then gave her a routing number to send the money.
The victim sent the money as instructed.
The caller had told her not to contact a family member regarding the incident, but she decided to call her daughter-in-law. She asked about the location of her grandson and was told he was in his bedroom.
A search of the phone number used by the suspect was traced to Quebec, Canada.
Didn’t steal that one
8:21 p.m. — 1500 Block of North U.S. 1
Burglary. The motel manager reported that a TV had been stolen from a room. The handy man said admitted to stealing another TV from a different room but did not steal that one.
The 32-inch TV was valued at $200. The manager did not have a record of the last time the room was occupied, so a time frame could not be established.
Video surveillance was not immediately available.
Candy man
8:46 a.m. — 200 Block of South Ridgewood Avenue
Burglary. The victim said that due to issues with the landlord, he had installed a web cam with motion sensor activation in his bedroom. He discovered that the suspect, his roommate, entered his bedroom by manipulating the lock with a masonry tool. The only items taken were a few pieces of chocolate candy.
The victim had the video on a flash drive to show the officer, who observed the suspect searching through the victim’s belongings. He was seen taking and consuming candy, and then exiting and relocking the door.
When he arrived home, the suspect first denied entering the room. After being told of the video, in a post-Miranda interview, he said he wanted to check if there were items of value in case the victim left them after being evicted. Then, he said he was looking for items to trade to support his pill addiction. He admitted to taking the candy.
He said the tool was at a job site in Orlando.
The victim said that because of the confession he would not pursue charges.
Importance of goal setting
6:46 p.m. — West Granada Boulevard and Interstate 95
Possession of Narcotic Paraphernalia with Intent to Distribute. The officer made a traffic stop after he saw a Mustang pull out of a parking lot and accelerate excessively, with the rear wheels losing traction.
Walking up to the vehicle, the officer smelled burnt cannabis.
The officer asked the suspect if he smoked “weed” in his vehicle, and the suspect said yes.
In a search, the officer found jars with bags of a green leafy substance; a vaporizer smoking device that was plugged into a USB; and a scale.
The officer also found paper with the following written notes: Things needing attention. Land more clients and stay in contact. Find a better price for weed. Get 10 steady clients. Make new business cards. Find subtle ways to advertise on social media. How to increase clients, advertise, SELL THEM. Deliver at lunch break after work. Always be in stock. Always have good quality. Offer and advertise referral bonus. Side note: Don’t smoke in car and carry a sealed, smell-proof container in trunk.
In a post-Miranda interview, the suspect said he did not sell cannabis anymore and last sold a year ago.
He was arrested and taken to jail.
Seeing a speed sign as a challenge
4:17 p.m. — 100 Block of Neptune Avenue
Fleeing and Attempting to Elude. An officer was working radar enforcement when he saw a white SUV approaching the speed trailer that shows drivers how fast they are going on a message board.
The truck accelerated, and officer clocked him at 37 mph in a 25 mph zone.
The officer stepped into the roadway but the truck kept accelerating. When the suspect passed, he was only four feet from the officer, who yelled, “Hey, stop.”
The officer issued a lookout for the driver, who was wearing sunglasses and smoking an electronic cigarette, and he was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy on U.S. 1.
In a post-Miranda interview, the suspect said he sped up to see how fast he could get the speed trailer to measure. He said he did not see the officer standing in the roadway.
The suspect was arrested and transported to jail. A Glock pistol and ammunition found in the car was placed into evidence for safekeeping.
