Hacker steals woman's private photos; gun recovered from Beresford Creek
The following incidents were taken from the City of Charleston Police Department’s crime reports within Team 5, which covers Daniel Island, Clements Ferry Road, and parts of Cainhoy, between Jan. 16-31.
HIT-AND-RUN COLLISION
On Friday, Jan. 16, an officer responded to River Village Road in reference to a hit-and-run collision. The incident was reported by the school resource officer at Philip Simmons High School. The victim advised that he saw the vehicle was undamaged at 7:55 a.m. in the school parking lot. When he returned to the vehicle at 4 p.m., he noticed lights on the ground and damage to the front end of the vehicle. There was damage to the front bumper of the truck and damage to the back bumper of the truck where it appears that the bumper hit the base of the light pole from the force of being hit from the front. Pieces of a vehicles' taillights were on the ground near the truck, indicating another vehicle may have backed into the truck. There was also a gray piece of a vehicle stuck in the front bumper attachment of the truck. Vehicles in neighboring parking spots will be checked as the investigation is underway.
COMPUTER HACKING
An officer contacted a complainant on Wednesday, Jan. 21, who stated that she received two calls from an unknown number. When the third call rang, she answered to determine if it was a spam call. Upon answering, she heard a male voice repeatedly saying, “Hello,” at which point she disconnected the call. After disconnecting, she received a text message from the same number that contained sensitive photos of herself. Due to the alarming nature of the photos, she searched her name on the internet and located photos of herself that were posted on an adult website. The complainant advised that she has been with her fiancé for over 10 years and does not have any ex-partners or friends who would have access to the photos. She further stated that the images were stored in a "My Eyes Only" folder on a messaging app. Police advised the complainant to save any further communications and document any websites on which she discovers additional images.
FOUND PROPERTY
On Thursday, Jan. 22, two officers were dispatched to the area of Daniel Island Drive and Fairchild Street in reference to a discovered firearm. Upon arrival at the scene, they contacted the complainant, who observed a firearm in the mud at Beresford Creek during low tide. The firearm was retrieved, but officers were unable to definitively identify any markings or serial numbers due to corrosion. Custody of the firearm was transferred to crime scene technicians to render the firearm safe.
THEFT FROM A MOTOR VEHICLE
An officer was dispatched to an apartment complex on Sawyer Circle on Monday, Jan. 26, in reference to a theft from a motor vehicle. The victim stated that he had parked his vehicle on Jan. 25 and left it unlocked. He came back to the vehicle the next day and observed both front doors were ajar. The complainant noticed that the two back doors were not tampered with and several thousand dollars’ worth of tools were still left on the rear seat and floor. He then observed that the top part of the center console had been flipped backward and all its contents were tossed into the back seat. He then opened a built-in gun safe underneath the top center console and observed that his firearm, a 9mm pistol, had been stolen. The gun safe was not locked. There were no signs of forced entry, and the victim had both sets of keys in his possession.