Woman Injured in Purse-Snatching at Home Depot

Incident Happened Just 9.15 Miles From Stonehaven

by NewsChannel 36 Staff

NewsChannel 36

Posted on April 29, 2010 at 4:41 PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A woman was injured Thursday afternoon when a man stole her purse at a Home Depot on Albemarle Road.

Police said the woman was complaining of head and hip injuries. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The robbery happened at about 4:15 p.m.

Police were searching for a tall, black man wearing blue jeans and a tan jacket.

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Men Involved in Shooting of East Meck Student in Parking Lot of BJ’s Wholsale are MS-13 Gang Members

Incident Happened Just 2.3 Miles From Stonehaven
From http://www.ten8 .wordpress.com
From the Charlotte Observer
By Ely Portillo
Posted: Thursday, Apr. 29, 2010

elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com

Two alleged MS-13 members have been charged with federal gang crimes in connection with a March shooting that injured a 15-year-old girl walking home from school.

Gabriel “Smiley” Cisneros, 19, and Danny Hernandez Jiminez, 20, are in federal custody. They were arrested shortly after the March 10 shooting in southeast Charlotte and already face state assault charges.

Police said that one of them fired a gun into a crowd after a fistfight near Independence Boulevard and Conference Drive.

Amari Boyd, a sophomore at East Mecklenburg High School, was hit in the leg while walking nearby.

The federal indictment, unsealed Thursday, accuses the men of carrying out the shooting to advance their position in the gang, which has roots in El Salvador and is known for violence.

Cisneros faces federal charges of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

If convicted, he could face life in federal prison.

Jiminez was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and accessory after the fact to attempted murder and assault. He could face up to 30 years in prison.

The indictment follows a recent roundup of MS-13 gang members in Charlotte.

Earlier this week, a federal jury in Charlotte recommended the death penalty for Alejandro Umana, 25, an MS-13 member convicted of killing two brothers in Greensboro.

He also was found guilty of conspiring to extort money from Charlotte drug dealers to increase MS-13’s revenues.

He was one of 26 alleged MS-13 members arrested on charges ranging from murder and extortion to racketeering conspiracy and robbery in 2008.

Eighteen pleaded guilty to various crimes, and six were convicted in a high-profile federal trial in Charlotte earlier this year. One is imprisoned in El Salvador.

SCP Responds to Suspicious Person Call

Stonehaven Community Patrol Officer Brian Lutes responded to a report of a suspicious person in the 6100 block of Wheeler Dr. on Tuesday April 27, 2010.
A resident of Wheeler Dr. called the SCP at 10:23 PM and reported that a man was ringing her doorbell and pounding on her door repeatedly. The resident said she didn’t know the man and that the man repeatedly demanded to speak to someone named “Nathan” when no one by that name lives at the residence.
Lutes arrived at the home at 10:40 PM and discovered that the reported suspicious person was actually a 45 year old African-American woman who appeared to be mentally impaired.
The woman insisted that she lived in the home with someone named “Nathan”, but the homeowner confirmed that she didn’t know the woman and wanted her to leave.
Lutes performed a “pat-down” of the woman’s clothing for weapons, but found none.
During the “pat-down” Lutes discovered that the woman was wearing a hospital identification bracelet from Carolinas Medical Center – Main and that she possessed a North Carolina Identification card listing an address on College Street and a North Carolina Medical Assistance Card that listed an address on Duckworth Ave.
The woman said she had been released from the hospital earlier in the day and boarded a bus that she exited where she was found, but there is no bus stop at the location.
The woman reported that she had an Aunt on Freedom Dr., but could not provide a phone number for her and directory assistance said they didn’t have a listing for anyone by the name the woman gave for her Aunt.
The woman said she had been in & out of mental health treatment facilities and substance abuse rehabilitation centers for several years and was not lucid for more than a few seconds at a time.
Lutes placed the woman in the patrol vehicle and contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. (CMPD) as it was obvious the woman was mentally incompetent. CMPD officers arrived at the location, took custody of the woman and transported her to a mental health facility.

SCP Responds to Home Alarm

Stonehaven Community Patrol Officer Brian Lutes responded to an audible home alarm in the 6100 block of Brace Road at approximately 5:00 PM on Sunday April 25, 2010.
Lutes was talking with his neighbor in his front yard when the alarm began sounding. Lutes responded to the home on his bicycle and checked the residence for obvious signs of forced entry. Finding none, Lutes attempted to make contact with the homeowner with no luck.
Lutes then contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. who dispatched two officers to the scene. The officers also checked the home for signs of forced entry, but also found none.
Lutes made contact with a neighbor of the residence who reported that the homeowner’s vehicle was not present and that he didn’t know the cell phone number of the home’s residents, but that his wife did.
Unfortuantely, the neighbor’s wife was in Chicago visiting their daughter and did not answer her cell phone.
With the home appearing to be secure, SCP Officer Lutes and the CMPD Officers left the scene with the alarm still sounding since there was no way to reach the homeowner and the alarm monitoring company listed on the sign in the yard reported that they no longer had the account for the home.

SCP Investigates Suspicious Vehicle

Stonehaven Community Patrol Officer Brian Lutes investigated a suspicious vehicle incident while patrolling the 6000 block of Charing Place near the intersection of Wheeler Drive on Saturday April 23, 2010 at 10:20 PM.
Lutes was finishing a patrol check of a home on Wheeler Dr. when he observed a silver 4 door sedan backing out of the driveway of a home in the 6000 block of Charter Pl. whose owner requested patrol checks of the home because they would be out of town for the weekend.
Lutes activated the patrol vehicle’s emergency lighting and blocked the path of the suspect vehicle so it could not exit the driveway and upon investigation discovered that the white female operator of the vehicle was a friend of the absent homeowner who was at the home to feed the homeowner’s dogs.

SCP Again Finds Unlocked Doors at Rama Rd. Elementary School

Stonehaven Community Patrol Officers discovered three unlocked doors at the Rama Rd. Elementary School while conducting a Patrol Check of the facility and grounds on Saturday April 23, 2010 at 11:23 PM.
The officers found a main entry door to the school’s gymnasium, an entry door to a mobile classroom, and a door to a storage facility unlocked and notified the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. (CMPD).
CMPD officers arrived at the facility a few minutes after 12:00 AM and entered the school to check for intruders, but didn’t find any.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School’s Law Enforcement Division was notified and responded to the school to secure the building.

CMPD Investigating 2 Robberies in East Charlotte

By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2010

Police are reporting a pair of robberies overnight in east and southeast Charlotte.

The first case was reported about 11:15 p.m.

A delivery driver for Chin Chin Chinese Restaurant reported being robbed by two men in the 8000 block of Woodscape Drive. That is off Village Lake Drive, between East Independence Boulevard and Monroe Road. The attackers ran off.

And about 1:20 a.m., a man armed with a knife robbed the Circle K convenience store in the 9200 block of Albemarle Road. That store has been the scene of at least one other robbery during the past year. This time, the man fled.

The victim was not injured in either case.

Police provided only a sketchy description of the suspects.

CMPD Scours Neighborhood After Attempted Rape

East Charlotte –
CMPD Officers are investigating a break-in and attempted rape Friday in East Charlotte just 3.96 miles from Stonehaven.

Officers say the female resident of Mission Hills Road, which is just off of Idlewild Rd. where it intersects with East W.T. Harris Blvd., placed items in her car in preparation for going to work and turned to go back into her house when a black male, possibly a teenager, intercepted her and forced her back into the home where her young daughter was getting ready for school.

After entering the home Police say there was a scuffle during which the man tied up the woman and her daughter, then tried to rape the woman.

The man fled before anyone was seriously hurt and Officers are scouring the neighborhood to try to find him.

All Stonehaven residents are again urged to be aware of their surroundings at all times and not to assume that they are safe just because they are in their own homes or driveways or because the sun is shining.

Prior to exiting their homes, no matter the time of day, residents should look outside for anyone who may be lurking about; this will take only a few seconds and may just save their life as well as the lives of their family members.

Anyone observing any people or vehicles in the Greater Stonehaven Area that they feel are suspicious in any way can call the Stonehaven Comm. Patrol at 980-297-8446 and Officers will respond as quickly as possible to check the situation.

The Stonehaven Patrol also extends this service to Stonehaven residents who may feel unsafe in a given situation while away from our community. For example, if a Stonehaven resident is shopping at a local mall or shopping center and feels they are unsafe in any way or that someone may be following them, etc. they can call the Patrol at 980-297-8446 and an Officer will respond to their location and escort them to their home to insure their safety.

2 Arrested in Home Invasion Robbery

By NewsChannel 36 Staff
WCNC
updated 53 minutes ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police have arrested a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man in connection with a violent home invasion robbery in north Charlotte Thursday morning.

Both suspects face four felony charges: robbery with a dangerous weapon, burglary, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Michael Davis, 20, and the 16-year-old are being held in Mecklenburg County Jail under $70,000 bond each.

Officers tell NewsChannel 36 that the armed robbers entered a home on Druid Circle off of Statesville Avenue through the front door, which had been left unlocked.

The man who lives in the home told officers that the two masked robbers tied him and an acquaintance up with duct tape, hit him and then started to take his belongings. The acquaintance managed to get out of the tape and run away before officers responded to the scene.

Police say that when they arrived at the home around 3 a.m., the robbers’ car was still in the driveway with several of the resident’s items, including a TV, inside.

Officers say they located the 16-year-old a short distance away while she was trying to flee the scene. Davis was arrested later Thursday.

The man who was hit was not seriously injured and was not taken to the hospital.

CMPD, Area Police Dept’s. Hosting “Operation Medicine Drop”

From: http://www.crimeincharlotte.blogspot.com
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Vice and Narcotics Division
“Operation Medicine Drop”

Press Conference:
601 East Trade Street Conference Room crimeincharlotte.blogspot.com
April 22, 2010 3:30pm

Event:
“Operation Medicine Drop”
April 24th, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Purpose:
To provide people an opportunity to properly dispose of old, unused or outdated prescription medication and to bring awareness to the increasing trend of prescription drug abuse.

Benefit:
Prevent prescription medication from being obtained and abused by teens and adults, as well as educate how to properly dispose of unused prescription medication.

Success:
In 2009, two operations were held in Mecklenburg County which yielded over 140,000 dosage units collected.

Locations:
Harris Teeter Stores (7)

Morrocroft Village 6701 Morrison Blvd
Stonecrest Shopping Center 7852 Rea Rd
Steele Croft 13000 South Tryon St
The Shops at Highland Creek 5810 Prosperity Church Rd
Park Road 4101 Park Rd
North Cross Shopping Plaza 9759 Sam Furr Rd Huntersville
1811 Matthews Township Parkway Matthews

Statistical Data:

· Misuse of prescription drugs is second to marijuana as the Nation’s most prevalent drug problem. (Partnership for Drug Free America)

· Prescription drug abuse is number one for first-time drug users, especially among 12 to 13 year olds (National Survey on Drug Use and Health and SAMSHA)

· 48 million people (20% of the population), ages 12 and older, have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes (NIDA-National Institute on Drug Abuse)

· More than 3 million youth (1 in 5) in the U.S. aged 12 to 17 used prescription drugs in the past year to self-treat physical or mental distress, improve appearance or performance, catch an energy wave, or simply mellow out. (Partnership for Drug Free America)

· 61% of teens who abuse prescription drugs admit to easily obtaining the drugs for free, primarily from friends and relatives (Partnership for Drug Free America)

· 41% of teens believe prescription drugs are less dangerous than illegal “street” drugs (Partnership for Drug Free America)

· The number of Emergency Room events relating to non-medical use of prescription drugs equal that of “street drugs” ,totaling 44% (DAWN-Drug Awareness and Warning Network)

· A new report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) concluded that in more than 16 states, more people were killed by drugs than by auto accidents. The study, which was reported by the Associated Press, found that the majority of drug-related deaths were caused by the abuse of painkillers.

· In 2008, unintentional poisoning from prescription drugs was the second leading cause of injury deaths for North Carolina residents.

· In 2008, drug related adverse events were one of the top three causes of injury related emergency department visits for Mecklenburg county residents in many of the age groups.

Partners:
Chief Rodney Monroe, CMPD
Sheriff Chip Bailey, MCSO
ASAC John Emerson, Drug Enforcement Administration
ASAC Judy Billings, NC SBI
Matthews PD
Huntersville PD
Levine Children’s Hospital
Charlotte Mecklenburg Safe Kids
K104.7
Harris Teeter Stores