Cops Corner: Pelican Press

Nov. 13
Got the cash, keys and cards
5:30 p.m. — 6300 block of Midnight Pass Road. Burglary. Two women reported that after returning to their condo from a walk on the beach, they found the condo had been burglarized. The homeowner had left a front window open; its screen was missing. Both women reported their purses stolen, plus $600 in cash and a jewelry box. The responding deputy learned the condo association had a camera facing the front of the building. The video showed two male suspects walking from the pool area to the front of the condo where the thefts had been reported. Their destination was unclear from the video, but they did not reappear until about 45 minutes after they first were visible. The deputy was unable to see their faces clearly, but they didn’t appear to be holding purses. After checking trashcans, the deputy also checked an air-conditioning unit behind the condo where the burglary had been reported. The unit was resting aboveground, on blocks. When he looked under it, he found the purses and jewelry box.

Nov. 14
Another nuisance note
2:50 a.m. — 7300 block of Point of Rocks Road. Suspicious Incident. A deputy responded to a call about two suspicious persons entering a house. The caller reported the house had been burglarized several times in the past. When the deputy arrived, the gates were closed and a sign posted in plain view designated the area as a construction site and warned people away from the premises. The deputy heard music and voices coming from the house, so he believed a crime was being committed. He entered the house and detained a 42-year-old woman, a 39-year-old man and 35-year-old man. The 35-year-old said he had permission to occupy the house and keep an eye on it. The deputy observed the house had running water and electricity, but the structure was in bad repair. The 35-year-old told the deputy the owner had posted multiple construction-zone signs to avoid paying taxes. The man also said he was allowed to be alone in the house only between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The man said he would be “fired” if the owner found out he had other people on the premises. The deputy was unable to verify the story, but he reported he had found four other cases involving the property. Obviously, the residence had become a nuisance to the Sheriff’s Office and neighboring residents.

Nov. 11
Expensive taste
2 p.m. — 600 block of Avenida del Norte. Burglary. A woman reported she was out of the house between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and had locked the house when she left. When she returned, she noticed someone had opened the rear bedroom window forcibly and removed jewelry from the top of her dresser. She estimated the total value of the missing items — a diamond-encrusted dress watch, a necklace with three pendants containing sapphires and diamonds and an heirloom ring with diamonds and onyx — at $5,800. She said she had no idea who would have taken the items. The deputy noted many other pieces of jewelry were on display and in the box where the women said the missing items had been kept. The deputy added, “It appeared the subject(s) had an eye for the expensive jewelry and left the inexpensive items behind.”