Police Arrest Burglar After Neighbors Capture Suspects

By GLENN COUNTS / NewsChannel 36 Staff – July 29, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are crediting a group of northeast Charlotte neighbors with stopping a burglary in its tracks.

“Cops, they do their job, but at the same time they can’t be everywhere,” said one of the neighbors, a 27-year-old man who did not want to be identified.

The burglary occurred Wednesday night at a home in the 2200 block of Century Oaks Lane.  The owner was not at home and received a notice that his silent alarm had been tripped.

He told NewsChannel 36 he headed home and started calling neighbors to meet him there.  One of the people who answered the call was that 27-year-old friend who said, “Were all neighbors around here and we try to look out for each other.”

When the group arrived at the home, the man told us that everything looked normal from the outside, but when they went in they found two suspects.

“It took four of us to get him on the ground, cause he was pretty tall guy he had a little strength to him once we got him on the ground he could not get back up,” said the 27-year-old.

The other suspect dashed out of a window and ran through the neighborhood, while the 27-year-old gave chase.  Eventually he had to give up.

“I was kind of hesitant because I didn’t know if he had a gun, knife, or anything.  It got pretty scary for a minute because it was dark.”

Police arrested 20-year-old Demarkuez Jeffries on multiple burglary charges.  Because of the way he was caught, officers were surprised.

“He (the officer) was like ‘Wow.’  He was like ‘Way to go, thank you.  He hurried over and finished off the job.  He was kind of surprised we took the action like we did,” the man said.

The 27-year-old is unemployed and looking for a job.  He’s been in school studying computer science, and no, he does not have a military background or martial arts training.

“It was definitely in the back of my mind that he could be armed.  He could have a gun, knife anything, you know, but I just kept going.  I wanted to catch him,” said the man who hopes burglars get the message to stay out of the neighborhood.

 

String of Break-ins Rattles South Charlotte’s Madison Park Neighborhood

by Ann Sheridan / NewsChannel 36 – www.wcnc.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It takes a lot to rattle Suzette Guthrie.  But a break-in Monday in her Madison Park neighborhood is making her a little jumpy.  

 

 “It was pretty shocking,” she said.  “Makes you a little nervous.”

The break-in is especially disturbing because it happened in broad daylight.  Neighbors say it happened around 8 a.m.

“It’s horrible, absolutely horrible,” said Guthrie.  “It’s just not great to not feel safe in your own home.”

Neighbors say  they worry even more because it appears that whoever broke into the house in their neighborhood is responsible for a string of break-ins nearby.

The first two occurred two weeks ago on Woodstock Drive and Maple Ridge.  Then, another break-in happened last  week on Burnley Road in the Montclaire neighborhood.

“It really makes me mad,” said Emily, who didn’t want her last name used.  Emily lives in Madison Park, very close to the latest break-in.  

“It’s so worrisome, I  guess, because we’re all in our mid 20’s and doing all we can to stay safe,” she said.

Neighbors are learning the details through their association’s Facebook page.  And just like other areas hit, they also say they saw a gold Suburban in the neighborhood, driving around and parking on corners.

“All of  us who work out of our homes, and those who are retired, are looking out for one another,” said Guthrie.  “When we hear something, we’re not ignoring it.  We’re looking out our window.”

Charlotte Woman Killed Home Invasion Suspect

Man killed served more than eight years in prison for armed robbery and for being an accessory after the fact to a second-degree murder. He was currently awaiting trial on drug charges.

The Associated Press – Sunday, July 10, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a Charlotte woman shot and killed a 29-year-old man who was breaking into her home.

Police say Jonathan Kendrell Boddie was killed at 9:30 a.m. Friday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say Boddie and a second suspect forced a man sitting in a car outside the house to go inside, where they started beating him. The woman inside the house told police she pulled out her gun and started shooting.

The man who was beaten did not have life-threatening injuries. Police are still looking for the second man who was with Boddie.

Police say Boddie served more than eight years in prison for armed robbery and for being an accessory after the fact to a second-degree murder. He was currently awaiting trial on drug charges.

CMPD Officer Injured in Southwest Charlotte Crash

By NewsChannel 36 Staff / www.wcnc.com – July 5, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was injured Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle wreck in southwest Charlotte.

 

The collision was reported around 2:12 p.m. in the 10000 block of Steele Creek Road, near Brown Grier Road, about a half-mile from Interstate 485.

A CMPD patrol car driven by officer Jim Guard was traveling south on Steele Creek Road when he collided head-on with a black Jeep Liberty, and the police car landed in a ditch on the left side of the road. The accident was so violent that officer Guard was trapped in the wreckage and had to be cut out of his patrol car.

“We do know that the SUV and the police car that collided were both going the speed limit. The damage to both vehicles is pretty severe and our police officer is in very serious condition at this point – not life-threatening, we believe. The driver of the other vehicle is in pretty serious condition as well,” said CMPD Deputy Chief Harold Medlock. He also said that the officer was on his way home at the time of the accident.

According to witnesses, as Officer Guard passed Steele Oaks Drive, the Jeep Liberty crossed over the double yellow line and collided head-on with the CMPD squad car.

Both Officer Guard and the driver of the Jeep – who was the sole occupant of that vehicle – were seriously injured during the collision. The driver of the Jeep was transported by ambulance to Carolinas Medical Center and due to the severity of his injuries and the length of time it took to extricate him, officer Guard was transported to CMC by helicopter.

Officer Guard has been a member of the CMPD since August 2, 1989.

 

Charlotte City Council Considering Stronger Curfew Ordinance

Some question if stronger curfew would make a difference in crime and Officers say that “enforcement is secondary”

From www.newsofsouthcharlotte.com / July 3, 2011

By Elisabeth Arriero

As city officials weigh whether to increase the citywide curfew age, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers say the curfew is – and will likely remain – a secondary function of their duties.

The current Youth Protection Ordinance says that nobody 15 years old or younger is allowed to be out unsupervised after 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends.

Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon suggested raising the curfew age to 16 or 17 after the fatal shooting at Food Lion Speed Street on May 28. The shooting happened when a large group of youths began fighting near the Hilton Hotel in downtown.

Some city officials believe raising the curfew age would make it easier for CMPD to apprehend troubled youth as well as protect the city’s youth from being victimized late at night

But some south Charlotte parents questioned whether that was a cure, especially given that many parents and teenagers aren’t aware that a citywide curfew exists.

“I thought the whole thing was an overreaction. That’s not the reason for what happened,” said Lisa Kelly, the PTA president at Ardrey Kell High School. “People tend to want to find an easy fix instead of delving deeper into the issue. That’s not really going to fix anything.”

And although the curfew has been in place since 1995, several youths at the Blakeney shopping center on one recent Friday night said they weren’t aware of a citywide curfew – although they were well aware of what their parents’ curfew for them was.

Capt. Jim Wilson of the South Division said he tells his officers to approach the curfew as a secondary duty.

In other words, officers are encouraged to enforce the curfew if they happen upon a violation during regular patrols, but they aren’t expected to devote an entire shift to searching for violators.

Curfew violation numbers illustrate that.

From June 2010 to May 2011, there were 16 curfew violations in the South Division. Department-wide, there were 58 violations within that same period.

Violators are usually taken home by the officer and juveniles are not typically charged with anything.

Officers can decide to charge a parent, however, if the parent knowingly let the child violate curfew. Sometimes officers can make a juvenile arrest if the juvenile resists them.

Still, Wilson said that curfew enforcement will likely remain secondary should the council change the ordinance.

Any more attention would likely be unfeasible for Wilson’s force. At any given time, Wilson said, there are eight to 10 officers patrolling the 57.3 square mile South Division..

Private security officers hired by shopping centers and off-duty officers would likely be the ones to enforce the curfew the most because they have a focused coverage area, CMPD Officer H.B. McSwain said.

As for CMPD, Wilson said he doesn’t expect any changes to cost the department more money or manpower.

“It would make it somewhat easier because most people who are 16 or 17 years old have some form of identification,” he said, noting that sometimes it’s difficult to verify a teenager’s age unless the officer calls the parent.

Councilman Andy Dulin, who represents District 6 in south Charlotte, said he’s interested in finding a solution that will protect the city’s youth, especially given that his three children are under 18 years old.

“I’ve definitely got some skin in this,” he said.

Last month, city council recommended that the public safety committee review the proposed changes. City council is not expected to address the curfew until its September meeting, said Dulin.

Kelley said she hopes the proposed changes don’t distract police from doing their jobs – or parents from doing theirs.

“Parents need to take responsibility for their children, even when they’re teenagers,” she said. “It really shouldn’t be the job of law enforcement to be the parents.”