Police Blotter - January 5, 2017

The following incidents were reported to Team 5 of the City of Charleston Police Department between November 23 and December 20, 2016.

THEFTS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

Four vehicles on Daniel Island were entered over the last several weeks by a suspect or suspects on the hunt to steal contents, according to police reports filed by Team 5 officers. Items were taken from two of the vehicles. Of the four cars involved, two were parked at the same residence.

An unsecured vehicle on Blakeway Street was entered between Dec. 16 and 17. Prescription medication, a sports bag of clothes and shoes, and an estimated $2000 worth of electronics were removed.

On the morning of Dec. 18, police were notified that two unlocked vehicles at a home on Beresford Creek Street were entered while parked in the driveway. In one, the glove box and console were opened and items were scattered about. The victim reported games and electronics missing. In the other car, no items were taken but police found an item that did not belong to the family. A third vehicle on Beresford Creek Street was also reportedly entered, but no items were taken. Police are investigating the cases. Neighbors reported seeing suspicious activity in the area the night before involving trucks and individuals walking about in both Codner’s Ferry Park and Smythe Park.

THEFTS FROM BUILDINGS

The maintenance staff at an apartment complex on Seven Farms Drive reported to police that some lawn equipment had been stolen from one of the complex’s parking garages between Nov. 23 and 29. The items were unattended and unsecured at the time, stated Lt. James Byrne, Team 5 commanding officer.

The owner of a restaurant in the Clements Ferry Road area checked the facility’s safe on Dec. 7 and found that the deposit for the previous day was missing. The victim reported to police that he believed one of his employees might have taken the money. After an investigation into the matter, the case was cleared and no charges were filed.

Police were called to a Daniel Island apartment complex on Dec. 14 in reference to a theft of two computers from the facility’s amenity area. The victim suspected the items were taken sometime between Dec. 13 and the morning of Dec. 14.

IMPERSONATIONS

A Daniel Island resident notified police on Dec. 1 that someone had withdrawn funds from his debit card account without his permission. The victim stated that his debit card had been used in Florida sometime between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1. He informed officers that he did not know anyone in Florida, and that he had not recently visited the state. The suspect or suspects in the case had obtained his account number and subsequently made purchases or deductions totaling $4,000. The victim’s bank account was placed on an automatic hold once the withdrawals were discovered.

In a separate case, a resident of Beresford Creek Landing notified police on Dec. 16 that he had received a fraud alert from his bank due to a credit card being opened in his name. The card had been sent to an unknown address in Virginia. The victim reported that his tax information had been compromised several years ago during a federal employee breach.

BISHOP ENGLAND INCIDENT

According to Lt. Byrne, no criminal charges were filed against the student who allegedly threatened to “shoot up” Bishop England High School early last month. Patrick Finneran, BEHS principal, reported in an e-blast to school families on Dec. 14 that the investigation into the threats is now complete and that “the student was suspended from school during the investigation and will not return to Bishop England High School.”

DRUG VIOLATION

A 21 year-old Mount Pleasant man was arrested at a Daniel Island gas station on Dec. 10 for possession of marijuana. A police officer conducting a routine check around midnight at the station was informed by the clerk that an individual had been sitting in his car at the gas pumps for an hour. The officer proceeded to check the vehicle and discovered a man passed out in the driver’s seat. The party was non-responsive, stated the officer. When he opened the car door and removed the keys from the ignition, he noticed a strong odor of marijuana. The officer awoke the suspect and asked him to get out of the vehicle. After locating a small plastic bag containing a green leafy substance inside the driver’s door, the officer placed the individual under arrest for possession of marijuana first offense.

FRAUD

Officers were called to a Daniel Island preschool on Dec. 12 in reference to a report of fraud. An employee at the facility stated that they had received a call from someone claiming to be from SCE&G, who told them the school had an outstanding bill and that payment was needed within 45 minutes or power to the facility would be cut off. Lt. Byrne called the number back and determined the call to be “bogus” and that it was done in an attempt to defraud the facility. He encouraged all community members to notify police whenever they receive a call or notification that sounds suspicious.

BURGLARY

After responding to a Seven Farms Drive apartment on Dec. 14 to make an arrest on an outstanding warrant, police were told by one of the occupants that two handguns had been taken from the residence on Sept. 22. The warrant was not related to the alleged firearms theft. The victim indicated to police that the stolen guns had been in an unlocked box in the residence and that someone could have simply walked in to the property and removed the weapons. Police called the case “suspicious.”

THEFT OF LICENSE PLATE

A Daniel Island resident notified police last month that someone had removed the license plate from his vehicle while it was parked on River Landing Drive. The alleged incident took place sometime between Dec. 12 and 15. The tag number was reported to police.

ASSAULT

According to police, an assault occurred at a restaurant on Island Park Drive in the early morning hours of Dec. 18. The altercation started inside the restaurant, where a man and two women got into verbal argument, stated Lt. Byrne. One was pushed or fell to floor, he said, and injured her face and head. EMS responded to the scene and treated the victim and then transported her to East Cooper Medical Center. The suspect, a male, did not have any injuries. Later that evening, officers learned there was another call regarding the incident out in West Ashley. The other young woman had apparently left the scene on Daniel Island and then drove to West Ashley, where she called for medical assistance. The woman reported to police that the man who started the initial altercation had grabbed her and tried to strike her in the head with a bottle. She apparently had cut her hand and was treated at an urgent care center in North Charleston. As of Tuesday, Dec. 20, no charges had been filed in the case, but police expected warrants to be issued.

SHOPLIFTING

A theft of four bottles of champagne from the Daniel Island Publix was reported to police on December 20. According to the incident report, the bottles were valued at $49.99 each.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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