Archive for November, 2009

Three men were arrested at the Target Store in the 5600 block of Roswell Road after presenting fraudulent gift cards to pay for a number of items. The gift cards were purchased with stolen credit cards.

The three had been in the store on the previous day and got away with items purchased with fraudulent cards. The masterminds returned to the scene of the crime the following day and presented yet more fraudulent cards.

These folks are believed to have been doing the same thing at other stores in the metro area. All were arrested on felony charges related to financial transaction card fraud. One suspect was a juvenile.

Although these clowns returned to the same store they ripped off the day before, they are a good example of how fraud and thefts will start that seasonal swing up the charts as we head for the Christmas holidays. Keep this in mind when you go out, when you use your ATM or credit cards, and especially when you load your Hybrid SUV with gifts.

And, when you go to …

Continue reading Beware, crooks love the holidays, too »

Remember the term “Germ Freaks?” Those really anal people who cringed when you reached out to shake their hand or carried a small bottle of “409” to personally wipe the table when they ate out?

With the onset of H1N1, and most certainly the forthcoming H1N2 and God knows what else on the horizon, sometimes I wish for the good old days when the worst of your disease-ridden worries could be cured with penicillin or just shaving the affected area. Now, making fun of germ freaks makes about as much sense as making fun of computer nerds — who now control the world through Playstation 3 and Guitar Hero.

Germ freaks are the new “in.” Suddenly the phobic-ridden Howard Hughes — in the final days barricaded in a hotel in Mexico, walking around with Kleenex boxes for shoes — doesn’t seem so crazy after all. Wait — yeah, he was nuts, but maybe he had something with wearing those Kleenex boxes on his feet.

For some reason this came up in a recent discussion with my Uncle Dewey, who isn’t …

Continue reading Off-duty: Master the foot flush to avoid swine flu »

A patrol officer stopped a car on a traffic offense. The tag information showed suspended registration on the car. The car pulled into an apartment complex and the driver then got out and ran. The passenger, who was the owner of the car, remained in the car. She told the officers the driver was her boyfriend of one month and they were going to move in together. She said she didn’t know his birth date, but she thought his license was suspended and he may have had some warrants on him. She was later charged with allowing an unlicensed person to drive her car.

TIP: If you’re riding in a car with your boyfriend or girlfriend, and the police pull your car over, and that boyfriend or girlfriend exit and run, and essentially abandon you when the cops pull you over, question your relationship. There may be a lack of commitment. At that point, if you don’t know your significant other’s birth date, question it further.

Officers went to an apartment on Roswell Road and spoke with a …

Continue reading Police blotter: Relationships gone astray »

I was looking around on Al Gore’s Internet when I came across a story titled: “How to Tell Your Kid the Goldfish Died.”

If you have kids, either by choice or the decision of the court, you have most likely come across the demise of a small pet. Fish, hamsters, the lovable pet dog, cats, and occasionally the small moose, are all part of the family who bite the dust much too soon — except in the case where we had cats. Those two couldn’t croak fast enough for me. They pooped on my pillow. I hated them. A man’s pillow should be poop-free.

My daughter Jennifer had a hamster. She named the hamster “Brooks.” I don’t know why you name a hamster Brooks, but Brooks was a fine hamster — as far as they go.

One afternoon, during a tea party with my daughter in her room — at the very small table and chairs — I was sitting in the really small chair, talking to my daughter while sipping something she said was tea but tasted more like gasoline, and wondering how I was going to get the really …

Continue reading Off-duty: The day the hamster died »

I got a couple of e-mails about a really big party that caused a few calls. The location on this call is 5145 Powers Ferry Road. The time frames on it were just after 11 p.m. and around 3 a.m.

SSPD officers received calls of a loud party, traffic problems, and “disorderly persons” on or near the property of 5145 Powers Ferry Road. They went to the home and spoke with a man who said shuttle buses were transporting people from the 6300 Powers Ferry shopping center to the house. The man said the parking problem would be cleared up very quickly.

The report says the officers went to 6300 Powers Ferry, in the parking lot of the Publix Store, and found about 500 cars. The lot was described as “mass confusion” so the officers had to sort out the traffic problems at the shopping center. Additional officers were called in to clear the area. Afterwards, they headed back to the house, but found another bad traffic problem on Powers Ferry Road leading to the home. They cleared that and …

Continue reading This party was definitely overbooked »

Remember this burglary a couple of weeks ago?

7800 block of Roswell Road: The manager of a store said that someone smashed the front glass doors and took twenty hookah smoking pipes.

A suspect was arrested this week by Sandy Springs detectives. Seems the burglar, just before he broke into the hookah store, also pressed his face up to the glass of the next-door liquor store — which had a video camera working at the time. He was identified and then arrested on burglary charges.

Other recent reports filed with Sandy Springs Police:

Robberies, burglaries

5500 block of New Northside Drive: At around 1:30 a.m., the victim withdrew $100 from the ATM. While he was sitting in his car counting the money, a man came up to him and pulled a gun. The man took his money, cell phone and car keys.

TIP: This is something that we have talked about for a long while. Unless you absolutely have to, don’t make the ATM run after dark, much less in the middle of the night.

Northside Hospital: …

Continue reading Sandy Springs blotter: Hookah heist follow-up »

Some of the reports filed with Sandy Springs Police during the past week:

Robbery, thefts

6900 Roswell Road: A man said he was walking in his apartment complex when he was approached by two me. They robbed him of his wallet that contained $500 cash. He described one of the suspects as having the name “Hambone.” Unfortunately for the victim, his girlfriend had a different story: They were at a restaurant and had several drinks. They left and went to “Hambone’s” apartment to buy the drug Ecstasy. That is when he was robbed.

300 block of Mt. Vernon Hwy.: A woman reported that while she was at the library, she received a call on her cell phone. She stepped outside to take the call. When she returned, her laptop was gone.

TIP: Unplug it and tuck it under your arm if you have to leave the area. Otherwise, call back but don’t leave a laptop anywhere. That includes the upscale coffee locations that require a master’s degree to order the Latte-Grande-Mucho-Expenso-Expresso.

…

Continue reading From the Sandy Springs police blotter »

On Saturday I came in to read police reports. I don’t normally do that on a Saturday, but I’m way behind and was out of town so, given the lousy weather, I decided to come in and catch up.

Here’s what I came away with:

A lot of people smoke pot. Yep, as if this is a surprise, it’s in fact true. Here’s a list of facts:

A lot of people smoke pot. We established that.

A lot of people smoke pot when other stuff happens.

Examples of “other stuff happens”:

• Domestic violence or other arguments where someone calls the police.
• Loud parties.
• Loud parties where the upstairs neighbors call the cops about the smell.

A lot of people smoke pot in their cars. (None of them get speeding tickets.) They do get tickets for the following:

• Driving too slow
• Driving with improper lane usage—later contributed to the driver trying to open the Twinkies wrapper.
• Driving with improper lane usage—later contributed to intense head-banging to the CD.
• Getting lost.
• Getting lost again.

The reason we know …

Continue reading Tips on how to get busted when smoking pot »