Police Blotter - June 13, 2019
The following reports were filed with Charleston Police Department Team 5 between May 14, 2019 and June 6, 2019.
LARCENIES BY FALSE PRETENSE
Eleven computers were stolen from BenefitFocus, after they were ordered and delivered to a UPS distribution site, stated a police report filed with Team 5. The products arrived at the local UPS distribution site where the offender picked them up claiming to be from the business. The incident occurred sometime between April 24 and May 1. It was reported to CPD on May 14.
On May 24, officers responded to a business on Seven Farms Drive. An individual at the location had received an email from someone claiming to be the president of the business. They were instructed to purchase $500 worth of gift cards and send pictures of the numbers on the cards to the offender. The victim complied and afterwards learned that they had been scammed. The president’s email had been hacked in the days prior to the larceny.
LARCENIES
On May 15, a man’s ladder fell out of his truck bed while on I-526 outside of Daniel Island. He turned around to retrieve the ladder, but noticed an individual putting the item in their car. The two cars pulled over and the offender told the victim that he would have to buy the ladder back. The offender drove off with the ladder and the victim filed a police report the next day.
In a separate case, officers were dispatched to Daniel Island Grille on May 17. The owner of the business stated that a television had been stolen overnight and another television was hanging by wires off of a wall. The crime was also classified as a vandalism in addition to the larceny charge.
On May 18, officers met a complainant on Fogerty Lane. The victim ordered an air compressor on May 8 and noticed it missing on May 17. The individual believed that her roommate stole it. After investigating, CPD issued a warrant for the roommate’s arrest.
On May 23, a victim in Charleston Regional Parkway stated that a trailer was stolen between April 23 and May 22. The yard that the trailer was stolen from is accessible 24/7. The trailer has not been found.
Between May 25 and May 28, an unknown party broke into a trailer and stole several thousand dollars-worth of tools. The report was taken on May 28. The incident is being investigated.
IMPERSONATIONS
On May 15, a Team 5 officer responded to Breezeway Circle in response to a fraud. An Equifax credit report alerted the victim to a Verizon Wireless account that had been opened in their name. Verizon cancelled the order and advised the individual to file a police report.
On May 18, officers responded to an apartment on Bucksley Lane in reference to an identity theft. The victim advised that several store accounts had been opened with her Social Security number. An account with Verizon had charges of over $3,500.
BURGLARY
On May 16, officers responded to Wambaw Creek Road, where a complainant stated that a window in their house had been smashed. Inside the home, drawers and cabinets had been rummaged through, but nothing was taken. All locks on storage units were in place and had not been tampered with.
THEFT FROM A BUILDING
Officer responded to apartments on Jack Primus Road on June 5 to take a report from a complainant, who advised that his laptop had been stolen.
HIT AND RUNS
In the early morning of May 21, a victim advised that a car bumped into his car on I-526. He attempted to follow the car, but lost it. The tag number the victim provided to the police did not match the description of the car.
On May 30, a car flipped over off of Clements Ferry Road. The car was on fire, but no one was injured. The vehicle was abandoned at the scene. It had been reported stolen from a Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. CPD’s Major Accident Investigation team is handling the case.
A complainant notified police that at 5 a.m. on June 2 he pulled over to the side of the road after realizing he had a flat tire. Another car reportedly drove by, sideswiping the car on I-526. The individual did not stop to exchange information with the victim.
VANDALISM
Several lights were damaged on the bike path near the Wando River Bridge. The lenses had been destroyed. No information on who committed the act was provided. The report was taken on May 27.
SIMPLE ASSAULT
Officers were dispatched to Central Island Street on May 28 in response to a simple assault from the previous night. The complainant stated that several months prior, an Uber driver dropped her off at a destination in West Ashley. The driver began to contact the female victim over the course of the next few months, even appearing at her apartment building. On May 27, he showed up at her doorstep with flowers. When she began talking to him, he reportedly grabbed her by the throat. The woman punched and kicked him causing him to leave. He did not enter the apartment.
EMBEZZLEMENT
At a Dollar General on Clements Ferry Road, an employee scanned items and returned them, pocketing the money. This happened over the course of the last three months, according to the company.
BICYCLE THEFT
On the night of June 1, officers responded to Talison Avenue on Daniel Island in response to complaints that bikes had been stolen from a bike rack in a parking garage.
VANDALISMS INCREASE AS SUMMER SEASON BEGINS
The Daniel Island Property Owners Association alerted residents in an e-blast last week that there has been “an increase in vandalism and safety concerns” within the community and that teenagers are likely to blame.
Recent activities reported by the POA include multiple fires being set on Bellinger Island, backstroke flags being ripped down at Pierce Park Pool, broken lights on trails, holes in the Pierce Park Pavilion walls, and graffiti of foul language and profanity on the Smythe Park tree house. In addition to vandalism, the POA office has received numerous complaints of “children acting up at the pools outside of staffing hours.”
“It is common for the first week or two of summer to see an uptick in teen bad behavior, but the fires are of significant concern as we have not had that situation in the past,” said Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the POA. “The monetary damage is minimal at this point, I am more concerned about the safety issues relating to potential fires and would strongly encourage all parents to talk to their kids about the fact that while they live in a safe neighborhood, the damage that could be done to persons and/or property from setting fires is a real concern.”
The POA is working closely with Team 5 to increase surveillance on the island. Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity by calling the Consolidated Dispatch Center at (843) 743-7200.