Cops Corner: Pelican Press

Oct. 8
Mind your own business
9:27 p.m. — 5100 block of Ocean Boulevard. Disturbance. When a deputy arrived at a nightclub, he found a man being held down by the security staff. The man told the deputy he was drunk, and the security staff members were just doing their job. The deputy then talked with a second man, who said he was outside when he saw the man push a woman. The second man attempted to intervene, and the first man began arguing with him. The second man said no crime had occurred, but the bouncers grabbed the first man because he was causing a disturbance. The first man and the woman both denied that the man had pushed her. She said the first man was drunk and she was trying to get him home. She had no injuries. The woman and the man were asked to leave the nightclub, and they did.

Oct. 10
Open invitation
8 a.m. — 6900 block of Point of Rocks Road. Residential Burglary. A person reported that between 5 p.m. Oct. 9 and 8 a.m. Oct. 10, someone had entered his open garage and stolen one of his bicycles. The person had no idea who would have taken it, he told the deputy. Although the deputy checked the area, he found no sign of the bike, which was valued at $350.

Oct. 14
The heat is on
10:30 a.m. — 3900 block of Higel Avenue. Grand Theft. The complainant told a deputy that a pool heater had been stolen between noon Oct. 12 and 10:30 a.m. Oct. 14. The heater had been at the rear of a residence, the complainant said, adding that his company had been working on its installation. One of the company’s employees had called the complainant to say the heater was missing. The heater is valued at approximately $1,800. The complainant also reported that none of the neighbors had seen anything suspicious; he suspected one of his employees had stolen the property.

Wednesday Addams’ cousin?
8:36 p.m. — 1200 block of Stickney Point Road. Impaired Person. A deputy talking to a woman in front of a restaurant reported she appeared extremely intoxicated and disoriented. She was unable to answer any of his questions except to say, “Thursday.” The deputy called the rescue squad. When the EMTs arrived, they confirmed she was not suffering from any ailments other than intoxication. The woman then told the deputy that her boyfriend had left her at the restaurant and no one else had come to take her home. She also said she had no one at home to take care of her. When the deputy asked how she planned to get home, the woman waved her car keys and said, “I drive.” The deputy decided that leaving the woman in her current state would pose a risk to the woman and others, so, under the guidelines of the Marchman Act, he took her into protective custody and drove her to the hospital.

Oct. 16
Forgot the cab fare
2:11 a.m. — Stickney Point Road at Midnight Pass Road. Driving Under the Influence. A deputy reported that he had used his mirrors to observe a vehicle veer off Beach Road twice after it went by him. The deputy turned around and caught up to the vehicle just as it reached the Midnight Pass Road intersection. The vehicle then turned north onto Midnight Pass Road and made a U-turn. Not seeing any reason for the vehicle to make that maneuver other than to try to elude the deputy, the deputy pulled off the road and turned around to observe the vehicle. The vehicle then continued southbound on Midnight Pass Road. As it drove past the deputy, the deputy pulled out to follow it. As the vehicle continued southbound, it veered off the road on both sides and was outside its lane for extended periods. The deputy stopped the vehicle at the Stickney Point Road intersection. When the deputy reached the vehicle, he observed that the driver’s eyes were bloodshot, and there was an obvious odor of alcohol. The driver told the deputy he had had a few drinks at a restaurant in the Village and that he was heading to a friend’s home. The driver later said he realized he should have taken a cab, but he didn’t have enough money for one. The deputy gave the driver a ride — to the jail.

In a big hurry
7:23 a.m. — 100 block of Avenida Messina. Lost/Found Property. A woman who had just eaten breakfast at a Village restaurant left her purse there, with her wallet in it. The manager turned over the purse to a deputy.

Oh, about that front door …
9:37 a.m. — 100 block of Beach Road. Burglary. A tourist reported that sometime between 4:30 and 6 p.m. Oct. 15, someone had entered the condo he was renting and stolen portable computer equipment and a backpack. The man said he knew the items were there the previous evening. The man added that he and other family members had been in the unit the entire time except for one 90-minute period. The man did say, however, that it was possible he had left the front door unlocked when they went out. Because six people were staying in the unit, which was rented regularly, and the man had waited until the following day to report the theft and there were no signs of forced entry, the deputy didn’t see the point of processing the scene for fingerprints.