Archive for the ‘Police Blotter’ Category
Police Blotter of the Day: TV station gets it wrong (was: Inattentive jogger slams back of school bus)
Update: The Greensboro News & Record reports that this story is wrong in just about every particular. Making a point to call out the station by name, it quotes the woman’s husband and the police incident report as saying that she did not run into a stopped bus and that she was not distracted by her mp3 player. Worse, it says, she was quite seriously injured.
Thank you to NCDawn, who alerted me to this in the comments.
Full story (News & Record)
“A jogger who Greensboro police said wasn’t paying attention was injured by running into the back of a stopped bus at about 8 a.m. …
“No charges were filed.”
Full story (WGHP-TV of Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Reporting: Police on radio scanner apps: That’s not a 10-4
Police Scanner is available for $2.99 in the iPhone App Store.
This report was cross-posted on msnbc.com’s Technolog blog. Read it in context here.
Matthew A. Hale, 29, was arrested last week in Muncie, Ind., after he allegedly fled the scene of a failed stickup at a pharmacy.
Police accused Hale of being the getaway driver for an accomplice who was supposed to rob the pharmacy. But Hale drove off when things went sour, only to be stopped and arrested shortly thereafter, they said. Bail was set this week at $25,000 on felony charges of attempted armed robbery.
It’s all pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, except for one thing: How did Hale know the heist was falling apart inside the pharmacy as he sat outside in the car?
How did he know to take off?
Matthew Hale, it turned out, had a smartphone — specifically, a Droid from Verizon Wireless. And on that Droid he had an app that he used to monitor Muncie police radio traffic, Detective Jim Johnson said.
If you’re one of the millions of smartphone users who’ve downloaded scanner apps with names like iScanner, PoliceStream and 5-0 Radio Police Scanner, pay attention:
You might be breaking the law.
Police Blotter of the Day: Woman tries to trade salad for drugs
“A 33-year-old woman was charged Monday with trying to trade an undercover police officer $2 and a box of salad from the Salt Lake City Olive Garden for $10 worth of cocaine. …
“[T]he woman told the undercover officer … that she would also return later with more money or Olive Garden gift cards in exchange for the cocaine, charging documents state.”
Full story (Salt Lake Tribune)
Dumb Crook News: Subject takes on cops with bow and arrow
“The suspect was armed with a bow and arrow and fired an arrow at the approaching patrol vehicle. The suspect was shot one time in the chest.”
Moral: Don’t bring a bow and arrow to a shootout with armed cops.
Full story (KNVN-TV of Chico, Calif.)
Dumb Crook News: Installer recognizes stolen car stereo
“A Lincoln man who installs vehicle sound systems thought gear he was asked to install looked familiar. It was, and police say it had been stolen from a sport utility vehicle belonging to the man’s girlfriend.”
Full story (WOWT-TV of Omaha, Neb.)
Cops Blotter of the Day: Cow pulls Walmart milk heist
“The cow entered the Walmart on all fours about 10:35 p.m. Tuesday night. And though you’d think cows might already have access to milk, this one snatched 26 gallons of the stuff, nudged a cart outside of the Walmart and started trying to give it away.
“The cow then fled on hoof and escaped. And in the final irony, he was captured a short time later outside a hamburger restaurant. …
“[T]he suspect was not a cow, but allegedly an 18-year-old Stafford man in a cow suit, according to Bill Kennedy, the spokesman for the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. …
“There is, unfortunately, no surveillance video of any of this.”
Full story (Washington Post)
Dumb Crook News: Gang tattoo leads to a murder conviction
Inked on the chest of a Pico Rivera gang member was the detailed scene of a liquor store slaying that had stumped an L.A. County sheriff’s investigator for more than four years. …
Homicide Lt. Dave Dolson said gang members frequently get symbolic tattoos to bolster their street cred: three dots on the hand to signify “mi vida loca” (“my crazy life”), sketches of prisons where they’ve done time, gang insignia prominently stenciled on their heads and torsos.
But a tattoo laying out a detailed picture of a crime scene is something far outside the norm. “I haven’t seen it before, and I haven’t heard of anything like it either,” Dolson said.
… Investigators don’t believe Garcia’s elaborate tattoo was a rash decision. Photos from several bookings over the years show the mural on his chest evolving as he added details to the tattooed murder scene.
Full story (Los Angeles Times)
Police Blotter of the Day: Dude, it’s Taco Bell — it’s not worth it
“San Antonio Police say a man upset about an incorrect fast food order opened fire at police and barricaded himself inside and east side hotel room for several hours Sunday.
“Police say the unidentified man pulled a gun at the Taco Bell KFC restaurant at 410 and Rigsby and then went to his car and re-entered the restaurant with an assault rifle. When officers tried to stop him at W.W. White and Hershey, he exited the vehicle and exchanged shots with three officers. No one was injured. …
“Police say he’s facing three counts of attempted capital murder for firing at the officers.”
Full story (WOAI-TV of San Antonio, Texas)
Police Blotter of the Day: NY police arrest own spokesman
“Albany police officers have arrested their own spokesman on charges he was driving while intoxicated in an unmarked police car. The Albany police department says public information officer James Miller was driving without headlights at around 9:25 p.m. Friday.
“… Miller did not return telephone calls for comment.”
Full story (AP via WHEC-TV of Rochester, N.Y.)
Dumb Crook News: DUI suspect accused of drinking in front of officer
“Police in northern Ohio say a man who was asked during a traffic stop whether he’d been drinking took a swig from an open can of beer and told the officer, ‘Yes.’
“The report says that after Supers took the drink in front of the officer he failed a series of field sobriety tests.”
Full story (WCMH-TV of Columbus, Ohio)
Alex Johnson - Journalist at Large 