Thieves target trailers, haul off with valuable tools

The following incidents were reported by the Charleston Police Department’s Patrol Team 5, which covers Daniel Island, Clements Ferry Road, and parts of Cainhoy, between March 16-31.

 

Larceny

On March 16, an officer responded to Cainhoy Village Road in reference to a stolen trailer valued at $950 and a lawn mower valued at $3,700. The complainant stated that he last saw the equipment parked under a covered, open garage on Feb. 25. There is a broken gate on the property where items may have been removed. The case is pending.

 

Motor Vehicle Theft

A complainant reached out to Team 5 by phone to report a stolen golf cart that had a damaged steering column. The vehicle was described as a navy Club Car with red seats. It was last seen on March 7 on Birdhaven Lane when the owner left to go out of town. The complainant reported the theft on March 17 and is planning to provide police with the VIN number to proceed with an investigation.

 

Larceny

Police responded to a construction site on Clements Ferry Road regarding the theft of multiple tools stored in a cargo trailer. When the business owner arrived for work on March 18, he noticed the trailer had a damaged locking mechanism and the rear hatch was open. The following tools were missing: a table saw, a jigsaw, two drills, a planer, a circular saw, three batteries, and a nail gun. Total value of the items is about $1,450. There were no security cameras on the property. The officer processed the trailer; no fingerprints were obtained.

 

Driving Under the Influence

On March 22, Team 5 responded to a motor vehicle collision on I-526 Westbound. Fire personnel at the scene of the accident advised the officer that the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol. Police reported that the driver spoke with slurred speech, had bloodshot eyes, lacked balance, and showed impairment during all field sobriety tests. An opened beer can was on the floorboard of the driver’s vehicle. He was transported to the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center, where he agreed to provide a breath sample. Police reported a blood alcohol content of .12%. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, first offense. 

 

Swindle

A woman contacted police on March 24 to report she had been scammed through the Zelle app. She was contacted via phone by an individual posing as a bank representative and was told that someone had gotten into her Zelle account and had stolen money. She was provided with instructions on how to reverse the transaction through Zelle, which she followed, sending two transactions for $1,000. She was asked to send a screenshot of the confirmation, and then the scammer disconnected the call. Her bank advised that an investigation will be opened.

 

Burglary

The superintendent of a construction company reported a burglary on an active site on March 26. He advised that the night before, he had locked a cargo container and parked a loader against the container as an additional security measure. When the complainant returned the next morning, he noticed that the loader had been moved away from the container, and the lock had been cut. A pipe tapping machine valued at $20,000 was stolen from the container. There were no security cameras onsite at the time of the theft.