Police Blotter - March 15, 2018

Sex Offense/Forcible Rape

An adult female reported to police on Feb. 17 that she was forced to engage in unwanted sexual intercourse with an acquaintance at an apartment complex on Daniel Island. According to the report, the victim and male subject went to downtown Charleston on the evening of Feb. 16 to have drinks, after which they returned to the male subject’s residence. At some point after returning, the victim continued, the alleged sex offense took place. The female left the residence on the morning of Feb. 17 and went to receive medical help and alert the police. This case is still under investigation.

Vandalism

A Pierce Street resident contacted police after finding his back window to his vehicle shattered on Feb. 25. The resident reported that he left the vehicle in a parking lot near his residence on the evening of Feb. 24 and when he returned the next day, the back window had been shattered. Nothing was missing from the inside of the vehicle. This case is still under investigation.

Unknown subjects pried open the back of mailboxes outside a business in downtown Daniel Island between March 5 and 6. It is unknown if anything was stolen. Team 5 and the United States Postal Inspection Service are following up on the case.

Credit card/ATM fraud

Police were contacted in reference to numerous fraudulent purchases that had been made on a resident’s credit card account between Feb. 8 and 13. The victim stated that he had used the credit card at a Daniel Island business legitimately on Feb. 8. Immediately following that transaction, fraudulent charges began to show up on his account. After an investigation, it was determined that an employee of the business retained the credit card information. An arrest has been made.

A resident reported to police on Feb. 22 that on Feb. 13, he and his friend visited a woman, whom he did not know, in a Daniel Island apartment complex. After leaving the woman’s residence, the resident realized he had left his phone, credit cards and other personal items. When he and his friend went back to retrieve the items that night, no one answered the door. The following day, the resident and friend attempted to get in touch with the woman but were unsuccessful. A week later, various fraudulent travel purchases began to show up on the resident’s bank account. This case is still under investigation.

An Edgefield Park resident reported on Feb. 27 that his credit card had been used for unauthorized charges for more than $1000 between Jan. 30 and Feb. 20. The report states that a female friend admitted to him that she had made the charges. The investigation is ongoing.

Impersonation

A woman contacted police after an unknown person opened a financial account out of town in her father’s name and began charging money to it. The unknown subject reportedly also attempted to open approximately 20 other accounts using the woman’s father’s name as well. This case is still under investigation.

A resident of a Daniel Island apartment complex reported identity theft on March 6. According to the report, the victim stated that a credit reporting service notified him that unknown parties had fraudulently opened several accounts using his information between March 1 and 6. A report was filed with the credit service.

Forgery

A student at a Daniel Island school was found to be in possession of counterfeit money when paying for lunch on Feb. 20. The money was confiscated.

A CEO of a company on Clements Ferry Road contacted police on Feb. 28 after being notified by their bank that four checks that had been cashed by the company totaling almost $8000 were counterfeit. This case is still under investigation.

Animal Services response

Team 5 was contacted after a juvenile was bitten by a canine at a dining establishment on Seven Farms Drive on the evening of Feb. 24. According to the report, the juvenile ran past an outdoor table occupied by a man and woman who had a dog with them. As the boy ran by, the canine reportedly lunged out from the table, taking the boy to the ground, and bit him. After returning home, the child and his father decided they would seek medical attention. Animal Services is conducting a follow up investigation.

Assist of other agencies

Officers received information of a subject in The Peninsula subdivision off Clements Ferry Road with outstanding arrest warrants for assault, domestic violence and destruction of property from Baltimore, Maryland on Feb. 16. The subject was located and extradited to Baltimore, Maryland.

Team 5 was dispatched to Cainhoy Road on Feb. 22 in reference to a vehicle fire. According to the report, the vehicle was found fully engulfed in flames. It was later determined that the vehicle is connected to a missing person in Berkeley County. The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.

Disorderly conduct

Officers responded to a Daniel Island apartment complex in reference to a disturbance between a mother and daughter on Feb. 15. According to the report, the mother contacted police after her daughter reportedly came home intoxicated and started causing a disturbance. When officers arrived, they made contact with the daughter, who at that time began shouting and causing a scene, refusing to leave. The daughter was then put on trespass notice but continued to cause a disturbance, and as a result, she was arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to the Berkeley County Jail.

Shoplifting

An officer was completing a routine check of a Daniel Island gas station on Feb. 28 when the manager pointed out a party who had just reportedly stolen items. The officer made contact with the subject, who admitted to stealing food items. The items were recovered and returned to the store and the subject was arrested and taken to the county jail.

Larceny

An officer was dispatched to a Smythe Park residence in reference to a theft of a lawn mower on March 5. According to the report, the victim stated that she left the lawnmower in the front yard while she left for a few hours. When she returned, the lawn mower was gone. This case is still under investigation.

Lost property

An employee working in an office on Daniel Island left his wallet at his desk on Feb. 28. When he returned a couple hours later, he found that the wallet was gone. Security cameras show a cleaning crew member in the cubical during the time in question. This case is still under investigation.