Police Blotter - February 22, 2018

Aircraft crash

No one was injured after a helicopter, manned by a student pilot and instructor, crashed on the southeast part of Daniel Island on Feb. 14 at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to a police report. The aircraft, a Robinson R22, was flying at an altitude of approximately 50 feet over the undeveloped State Ports Authority land when, according to the instructor, a small white quadcopter drone approached the helicopter and entered into the aircraft’s airspace.

“The instructor took the controls to make an evasive maneuver, at which point the aircraft lost altitude, struck a tree and came to rest on its side,” explained Team 5 commander Lt. James Byrne.

Team 5 responded to the incident with assistance from the Charleston Police Department Team 7 and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Aviation unit, the report continues. Once the aircraft was located, FAA Flight Safety officials responded to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board, in conjunction with the FAA, will be conducting the official investigation of the incident.

According to Byrne, Team 5 is currently seeking information about the drone that was reportedly operating in the area on the afternoon of Feb. 14. Anyone with such information should contact the Team 5 office at (843) 849-0304 or the Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Center at (843) 743-7200.

Theft from a motor vehicle

Various tools and equipment were stolen from the bed of a pickup truck between Jan. 18 and 19 at an apartment complex on Daniel Island. According to the report, the truck was located in the parking garage under the victim’s apartment. The case remains under investigation.

Stolen motor vehicle

A motorcycle was stolen from an apartment complex on Daniel Island between Jan. 19 and 21, a police report states. The case, which was reported by the victim on Jan. 23, remains under investigation.

Although motor vehicle thefts are seemingly on a decline for the area, Byrne emphasized the importance of general security and safety that comes from locking your car.

“Even though I sound like a broken record, I cannot over emphasize the importance of taking basic security measures, including removing keys—not only from the ignition but from the vehicle, removing valuables and locking your vehicle,” said Byrne. “Time and again, we see the reason people’s vehicles are stolen or stolen from is because they are immediately accessible.”

Theft of motor vehicle parts/accessories

Team 5 responded to the Barfield Park neighborhood on Jan. 24 in reference to a stolen license plate. This case remains under investigation.

Another license plate was stolen from a condominium on Daniel Island between Feb. 1 and 3 while the victim was reportedly out of town. According to the report, when he returned, the license plate was missing. This case also remains under investigation.

Liquor law violation

Police responded to a gas station on Daniel Island on Jan. 18 after an employee at the store reported that a woman had purchased a beer, exited the store and immediately poured it into a cup, the police report states. When officers arrived, the woman was found sitting in her vehicle. The woman was cited for an open container and released.

Vandalism

An unknown person drove across privately-owned athletic fields on Daniel Island sometime between Jan. 5 and 22, causing damage to the turf, according to the police report. The owners have since been advised to post signage and regularly secure the property. Since the incident, the fields have been repaired and the case was closed.

General information

Team 5 was dispatched to The Peninsula subdivision in regards to a long-reaching report of suspicious activity on Jan. 23. According to the police report, the victim advised that she has experienced numerous events of suspicious activity outside her home between the dates of June 15, 2017 and Jan. 22, 2018. The victim told police that on numerous occasions, a party has knocked on her window that is located next to the door, looked inside and left. When the victim tried to communicate with the party through her door bell camera, the report continues, the party allegedly has ignored her. This case remains under investigation.

A woman contacted police after an unknown person allegedly entered her apartment on Daniel Island when she was not there on Feb. 8. The victim reported that multiple items had been moved in the kitchen, but nothing was taken, the police report states. She also stated that this has happened before and, as a result, she has changed her locks various times. There were no signs of forced entry.

Sex offense

A 17-year-old North Charleston resident reported to school authorities in North Charleston on Jan. 25 that she had been sexually assaulted sometime during the month of Dec. 2012 at a location on Daniel Island, according to the police report. The incident remains under investigation.

Impersonation

Police were contacted after a Daniel Island resident received a phone call requesting more information about a credit application for a lumber company that he did not file, a police report states. Prior to this incident, the victim advised that another credit account for a department store had been discovered a few weeks earlier. The victim is following up with the credit companies.

Found/lost/confiscated property

On Jan. 29, a woman contacted police in regards to a missing purse, after she took an Uber ride home to a Barfield Park residence on Jan. 28 and left her purse in the car. According to the police report, the victim contacted the driver, who checked the vehicle and stated the purse was not there. According to the report, the driver stated that there had since been passengers in the car. The victim’s total loss is over $1000.

Missing person

Team 5 was alerted to a possible missing person on Feb. 5. The police report states that an elderly couple, who went on a walk in Beresford Hall subdivision, separated from each other during the walk. When the husband returned home after “some time,” he noticed that his wife, who has Alzheimer’s, had not returned, so he called police to report her missing. Officers were able to locate her approximately an hour later along Clements Ferry Road and returned her to her home.

Drunkenness

An intoxicated woman was found sleeping behind a parked but running vehicle at a business on Island Park Drive on Feb. 5. After several tries, the officer was able to wake the woman up. The woman, who appeared to be intoxicated, was arrested for public drunkenness and taken to the Berkeley County jail.

Credit card fraud

Police were contacted on Feb. 11 in reference to credit card fraud that had taken place on Feb. 9. According to the report, the victim’s Visa credit card number was obtained and used in another South Carolina city for several hundred dollars-worth of merchandise.

A resident contacted officers on Feb. 13 in reference to credit card fraud that occurred between Feb. 6 and 7. The victim advised that several accounts and credit cards were opened in their name without consent and that several charges had been made on said accounts, the police report states. Although the victim had known about it for a week, they neglected to alert the police because no charges had been made at the time. The victim’s loss is currently estimated at more than $3000.