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Crime & Punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Notes from the Sandy Springs police blotter:
Robbery
The employee of the Shell Station on Holcomb Bridge Road reported that around 10:30 p.m. a man, wearing a black hat described as a beanie, a dark hoodie and a red bandana over his face, came in and pulled a gun on the clerk and then left with an undetermined amount of money and some Ice House beer.
Burglary
This apartment in the 1000 block of Brentwood Way was entered through a forced rear window. A laptop, computer and games, as well as $180 cash were taken.
The Cocktail Cove bar on Roswell Road reported a burglary that occurred just before 7 a.m. when someone threw a large block of concrete through a glass door. Several TV’s were missing.
Someone entered a business in the 8200 block of Roberts Drive. Several several laptop computers were missing. No forced entry was found and the complainant believes an access card was used. Another business next door also had entry and laptops missing.
Someone entered an apartment in the 2000 block of Cimarron Parkway by breaking the sliding door. They took a video game system, Dell Computer, a flat-screen TV, an i-Pod, Taylor-Made golf clubs and $3,000 worth of DVD’s.
Motor Vehicle Theft
A woman reported she loaned her car to a friend. The friend returned the keys to the woman and said the car was parked in front of one of the condo buildings. She checked but the car wasn’t parked there.
Short version-An officer spotted a car driving erratically on Roswell Road. He stopped the driver and determined he had been drinking. While performing the roadside tests for DUI, the officer heard radio dispatch a call regarding a stolen car. The description of the car matched that which he had pulled over. The officer had another officer bring the owner of the car reported stolen to his location. She ID’d the car and said that she was at Taboo-2, a club on Roswell Road. She had valet park her car and then, when she was ready to leave, she gave the ticket to the valet. Unfortunately for her at the time, she then saw her car drive off south on Roswell Road. It wasn’t the valet driving the car. The suspect was booked for stealing the car and DUI. The victim said she did not know who the man was. Her car was returned to her at the scene.
A 1997 black Mercedes E-420 was taken from the parking lot in the 200 block of Huntcliff Village Drive. It was unlocked and the keys were over the visor. Not good. Even more: The car is owned by a dealership, not the victim, so it’s really not good for this guy.
Thefts
A woman said she hosted a New Year’s party for several friends at her apartment in the 700 block of Vicksburg Place. The next morning her IBM laptop and her friend’s X-box 360 were missing.
This victim said he allowed a man, whom he met in rehab, to stay at his apartment. The man was supposed to be at an AA meeting on New Year’s Eve but got intoxicated instead. The victim picked him up and said the suspect spent most of New Year’s Day in bed. He left the man in bed and later, when he returned to his apartment, the man was gone along with the victim’s digital camera, laptop, and two bottles of prescription meds. He later contacted the suspect who denied taking the items.
A man accidentally left his debit card at a retail store on Roswell Road. He didn’t realize it until the next day. Luck being what it is the card was gone. Someone took it and used it to purchase $1,600 in goods. The delivery address was not too far off on Barrington Drive. An IP address was also obtained from the computer requesting the items from the card. This will give the detectives great leads. This crook could have been using a separate computer address and physical mailing address but I’ll bet it’s his or her own.
Arrests
Two men were arrested at an apartment complex in the 7800 block of Roswell Road after a resident called the cops regarding a moving truck that was going from building to building, parking for a few minutes in front of each. The officers responded and talked with the driver of the moving truck, Juan. Juan told the officers he was moving out and was waiting for his friend and future roommate to come out of his apartment to the truck. The officers asked Juan to step out which he did causing the marijuana, in the bag between his legs, to fall to the floorboard. They found another bag behind the driver’s seat. About that time, just after the awkward silence that occurs every time someone drops their dope in front of the cops, Juan’s friend, Demarkus, came walking up. He too had some of the green leafy substance on him. They were booked into jail and the truck, empty at the time, was locked up. It was interesting to note that both men had different stories as to why they were there although one lived on the complex. This is a good example of why, when you see something suspicious, you should call the cops.
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What will 2009 hold for you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We are at the beginning of 2009 and the good news is that if you’re reading this you’re still with us. The bad news is your 401K may very well be on life support.
Resolutions New Year’s resolutions, also called “Things I Wouldn’t Bet On” are sometimes set up to fail. Don’t use it for a vent about what you didn’t accomplish of last year’s resolution list but rather be practical. Instead of saying “I’m going to lose forty pounds in two weeks,” try saying “I’m going to lose two pounds in forty weeks.”
Attainable? I think so.
My buddy Franco who’s a retired hippie is a true child of the sixties. He went to Woodstock and Atlanta International Pop Festival (1970) where he saw Jimi Hendrix, Jethro Tull, Allman Brothers, Johnny Winter, Captain Beefheart (remember him?) and according to Franco, Jesus a few times. He has the short-term memory of stapler.
He says has the same resolutions each year because they’re easy to keep up with.
They are:
Meet Ravi Shankar and buy him a drink.
Meet David Allen Coe and buy him a drink.
Meet Hank Williams Jr. and buy him a drink.
Meet Rusty Van Borston and buy him a drink. (I don’t know who he is either.)
I asked him if he ever actually accomplishes them. He said he’s accomplished about half of them. He didn’t actually get to meet them but he did have the drinks.
Whatever works?
The fact is resolutions should maybe put you in the ballpark of where you want to go and should probably go along with the times. For instance, maybe make a resolution to cut back on the hours at your third job you’re trying to keep so you can get some money back into your crippled 401K or like me, instead of getting depressed about looking older every time I look in the mirror, I vow not to look in the mirror so much.
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Don’t help the crooks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Crooks aren’t smart but they do take advantage of opportunities. You and I would question (hopefully) the morality of stealing something but these guys and girls don’t hesitate. Sometimes that is exactly how they get away with it.
We get a number of reports, especially for items stolen from a retail area or office area where the victim saw the item, turned away, and moments later turned back and the item was gone. A good example of that is the purse-hanging-on-the-chair theft. If the thief is quick and calm, he can grab the purse and be in the car and gone before the victim notices it. This is especially true in the drinking establishments where the reaction time is sometimes measured in minutes rather than seconds.
If you went through our recent theft-from-auto reports, you’d see not one owas a case where the thief smashed the window and THEN looked around. What he wanted was there to be seen. Look at how many targets are out there. Your car and a hundred others. Why would he break into yours to look around when moving along and finding another car with something in view is right next to you? Make it hard for these crooks!
Some Quick Tips for GPS Security:
• Consider using a friction mount instead of the suction-cup windshield mount most GPS devices ship with. Friction mounts rest on the dashboard instead being attached to the glass, and can be easily hidden under the seat when the car is parked. Plus, there’s no revealing ring on the windshield to tip off thieves.
• If you do use a windshield mount, remove it when parking the car and wipe off the suction cup smudge.
• Write down the serial number of your GPS and register it with the manufacturer. That way, if it ever goes missing you can prove the unit was yours. If your GPS includes a lock/password feature, use it. These simple passwords / PIN combinations are easily cracked within a day or two, but you might as well make things as difficult as possible for the criminals!
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Why we act like morons at 4-way stops
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Folks, we can put a man on the moon—or at least a convincible sound stage looking like the lunar surface, but take any four American motorists and put them at a four-way stop and suddenly they regress to moronic levels of intelligence.
First to arrive and first to go. It doesn’t sound hard—or so it seems.
Something, some weird Bermuda-Triangle like thing, somehow affects the ability of drivers to make a decision as to who got there first and then what to do about it. Interestingly, four-way stops allow us to see what type of personalities we have.
For instance, Type A drivers arrive at the stop sign and immediately take it that they arrived first and after a brief California Stop* continue through the sign at about 2-5 MPH. If they feel that they have arrived just a mini-second too late, they pull about one-third the way into the intersection and immediately place their hand up next to the windshield and begin waving back and forth, rapidly, not allowing, but ordering the other driver to immediately continue. It’s not a courteous gesture but more of a demand. Type-A drivers get a lot of tickets.
Type B drivers ease up to the stop sign but allow everyone and anyone to go before they do. This is also very aggravating because it causes the whole numerical rotation to go off-kilter. Once someone screws up the natural order at the four-way stop sign and what you believe to be the proper rotation, it’s every person to him or herself. The result is catastrophic. Once one person goes off, the rest fall into a sort of Type A and Type B funk.
The Type A’s begin waving feverishly first with their right hand up against the windshield and then out the window, first with all fingers waving and then just one. At the same time they’re throwing the other hand in the air as if to say: “What the (#$&%^) are you thinking??!!”
Type B’s, obviously more passive, don’t know what the hell to do and, with a death grip on the steering wheel, slowly try to ease through the intersection—at exactly the same time Type-A’s are trying to bully their way through. Ultimately both cars will pull out at the same time, pause, make hand gestures, shrug shoulders, then start forward again at the same time, and then repeat the last paragraph.
There is a third category which is the driver on his or her cell phone and who approaches and then just sits there like a (^$(#&)ing putz, enthusiastically babbling incoherently into the (%#*&$^)ing cell phone!!
Quite simply, these people should be beaten.
At some point, we need to realize that regardless of how smart we are individually, or how stupid for that matter, four-way stops are the great equalizers. We are conditioned to respond to them that way. We can’t, or at least we’re not supposed to run them but make no mistake, once we approach them, it’s a race.
What to Do?
Why not put a set of random lights, blue, red, yellow, and green, at each stop sign. As you approach, the automatic sensor picks up which car broke the super scientific laser beam thing and triggers green. The others cannot be the same color. If by chance two cars hit the beam at the same time, the winner is determined by answering a multiple-choice question from the driver’s manual, displayed on an electronic sign, or if the two driver’s agree, rock, paper and scissors.
Whether you’re Type-A or Type-B, don’t dread your approach to the four-way stop. Have fun with it. Celebrate it. Instead of waving the other driver on, do the Robot or perhaps a short rendition of your favorite interpretive dance.
*California Stop
Popular but illegal. From the folks who first introduced Right-on-Red at traffic lights took it a step further by trying to introduce slowing but not stopping based on the fact the driver didn’t see any real threat by oncoming traffic. Although reviewed, all fifty states rejected the California Stop, not because they were afraid of being labeled as “liberal,” but more because there were too many wrecks. Go figure.
Anyway, four way stops are among the most complained on. The traffic unit usually receives complaints on speeding first and then stop signs second. Neighborhood stop signs are the most complained on. Most people think that since it’s relatively remote and there is not much traffic, it’s okay to run the sign. It’ isn’t. A stop is more or less an absence of movement. Ultimately rolling through the stop sign, even at ½ miles per hour, is still moving and not a stop. So, why not just stop? You can be back on your way in 2.5 seconds! What are you missing?
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Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Notes from the Sandy Springs police blotter:
Robbery
The manager of the Radio Shack in the 6200 block of Roswell Road said a man came into the store and asked to buy two GPS units. When one of the employees returned to the counter with the units, the man pulled a black semi-auto pistol and demanded money. He was given an undetermined amount of money as well as three laptops. He left in a four-door light gold Toyota.
Burglary
The Mexi-Cali Grille in the 6000 block of Roswell Road reported a burglary. According to employees, the rear door was pried open. Missing items include a Margarita machine and two televisions.
5000 block of South Trimble Road 30342 12/17 A man who rents a garage apartment in the 5000 block of South Trimble Road. He was asleep about 1:20 a.m. when he heard noises. He got up and saw flashlight lights and then saw two men, who then fled from the apartment. The victim said they both wore dark clothing and possibly hoods. They got into a dark pickup truck and left. The victim turned out the lights and watched as the truck drove back to the location and parked at the end of the driveway. The two suspects got out of the truck. The victim flicked the interior lights and they again fled the area. These guys are either really stupid or knew what they wanted. The two suspects did drop some paperwork that provided a good lead for the detectives.
Thefts
A building contractor reported his tools were stolen from a storage area n the 1300 block of West Garmon Road.
A woman said she left her handbag in her desk on the 12th floor of an office building while she attended a meeting. When she got back she noticed the purse was gone. She called to cancel her credit card and was told the card had been used at Macy’s and the MARTA station. It does not take long to use those cards. If you are unfortunate enough to have your credit cards stolen, report them stolen as soon as possible to minimize the reward for the crook. They don’t waste time using the cards because they know it only takes a call to the 800 number for the card to cancel them.
A woman reported that while she was paying for her groceries at a food mart, she placed her Nokia phone on the counter. During that time someone snatched it up and left.
Assault
A painter said he was contracted to paint an apartment in the 200 block of Franklin Road. He said he knocked several times and got no answer. As he entered the apartment he said he was assaulted by a man who was angry for being awakened.
Arrests
A patrol officer, patrolling the area of the 300 block of Hammond Drive, found a man asleep in his car parked in an area where we’ve had previous thefts from cars. The cops checked the man out. According to the report it took five times, hitting on the window to awaken the man. Officers found that he apparently was near a hotel where his girlfriend was staying but retreated to the car to smoke some pot. He passed out before he could stash the pot. He was charged with possessing said pot.
At the Kroger Store on Sandy Springs Place, a man came in the store with empty grocery-store bags in his pockets. He filled the bags with groceries and beer and then left like he had checked out and had the items placed in bags for him. He was questioned by the store employees but ran when they determined he stole the groceries. Cops picked up the man on Cliftwood Drive. He had the items and a change of clothing stashed in the bags. He was arrested.
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. Let’s hope the men who murdered John Henderson are caught and removed from society forever. .... read the full comment by Derek | Comment on Crime & Punishment Read Crime & Punishment
This happens to me too... read the full comment by yellow | Comment on Crime & Punishment Read Crime & Punishment
Lt. Steve- Two of these are FAR too close to home. Is it the Shell on the east or west side of 400? And Barrington Drive - that is my neighborhood! WTF... read the full comment by Cassie | Comment on Crime & Punishment Read Crime & Punishment
My husband mistakenly left his entire wallet at the grocery store during the Christmas rush. Bad memories rushed back to when his SS # “may” have been “compromised” due to faulty operating procedures by a former employer. The company... read the full comment by reader | Comment on Crime & Punishment Read Crime & Punishment