December 1- A man reported that his debit card number had been stolen and used in Charlotte, NC. The card itself was still in his possession.
December 1- Police were called in reference to a woman on Center Street who was obviously intoxicated, being very loud, and had urinated on herself. Officers attempted to help her get home, but she only become more boisterous. She was then arrested for public intoxication.
December 4- A resident reported that a screen door had been tampered with. However, there were no signs of entry. She was advised to leave outside lights on and officers would patrol the area.
December 5- A residence was discovered broken into as well as lived in by the suspect. Evidence of the suspect was located throughout the house and officers believed they knew who the suspect was based on clothing in the house that they had seen on a person the day before. Evidence was collected. The suspect was located the next morning and was very cooperative with the investigation and arrested without incident.
December 5- A building was broken into and a jar of coins containing about $100 was taken. The victim suspected a previous employee who had a key.
December 7- A man reported that his 2003 Honda Accord had been stolen from his car port the previous night. He believed that the keys may have been left in the car.
December 7- A representative from a local business reported that a counterfeit $20 bill had been used on November 28. The bill was not noticed until closing time and no one knew who had supplied it. The claimant stated they did not know what to do and reported the incident upon seeing an officer. The counterfeit bill was given to the officer.
December 7- A resident reported that his identity had been stolen. In May of 2009 he received a call saying his bank account was overdrawn and that funds could be transferred from another account to cover the balance to which he agreed. Several months later, he began to receive communications from a couple of financial institutions regarding delinquent payment on accounts/cards in his name that he had never opened.
December 9- A man voluntarily came to the Public Safety Office to admit that he had falsely claimed that his vehicle was stolen. The vehicle had been loaned to another man and was consequently involved in a high speed chase. He was arrested and charged with filing a false police report and six counts of “failure to comply with NRVC”. It was then discovered that the man had two rocks of crack in his pocket for which he was additionally charged before being taken to jail.
December 9- A woman was pulled over after following another vehicle very closely on Folly Road before entering Mariners Cay. The officer smelled alcohol when approaching the vehicle and noticed the driver’s eyes were red and bloodshot. She then admitted to having a few drinks. She failed the subsequent field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI. She later tested to have a .13% blood/alcohol level.
December 10- It was discovered that a woman was wanted by Charleston County police for “failure to appear” when she came to the Folly Beach Public Safety office to file a harassment claim against a former boyfriend. The woman was given over to Charleston County officials.
December 10- It was reported that an unknown person broke into the Pepsi machine at the end of the pier, obtaining about $20 in cash. Damage to the machine was estimated at $150.
December 11- During an estate sale, an unknown person stole a couple of pieces of gold jewelry from the deceased. The items were described as rare and one of a kind.
December 12- A woman was having trouble standing at the corner of Ashley and Center streets due to her level of intoxication. An officer provided the woman with a ride to her house after she could not locate a friend to pick her up. Upon arrival, the woman realized she did not know where her keys or purse were and consequently could not get inside. She was taken back to Public Safety where she was cited for disorderly conduct and forced to wait until a sober friend picked her up at 4:30am.
December 12- A resident reported that his home had been broken into. The unknown subject broke a rear window and entered the residence that way. Samples of blood were located outside and collected for evidence. Approximately $2790 worth of items were stolen.
December 13- A man known to have a suspended license after being arrested only four days earlier was observed to be driving a car. The vehicle was pulled over at the Piggly Wiggly and the subject was arrested for the offense. There were also two passengers in the vehicle, both of which were wanted by Charleston County and City for failure to appear. They were each arrested and given over to the respective officials.
December 17- Around 2am, an officer observed a man coming out of dimly lit corner of a residential neighborhood and became suspicious. He engaged the man in conversation and the subject appeared very nervous and gave contradictory stories regarding what he was doing. The officer observed a bulge beneath the subject’s sweater and stated that he was going to pat the subject down for weapons before continuing. The subject replied that he had a small amount of marijuana. The marijuana was found and he was cited for simple possession and released.
December 19- A man was yelling profanities in the middle of the road and refused to comply with police officers. After a failed tazer attempt on the subject, he was taken down by officers, at which point he attempted to flee and kick officers. He was restrained and arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
December 19- Officers responded to several people arguing loudly in public where one subject was suspected of having a gun. That subject was found to be wanted and was arrested.
December 22- A vehicle failed to come to a complete stop on the West side of Folly Beach and quickly accelerated. The witnessing officer gave chase and eventually caught up with the vehicle as it pulled into a carport at Turtle Bay. The driver, a female, exited the car and attempted to go up the stairs to her apartment, ignoring requests by the officer to turn around. She seemed unable to follow simple directions and smelled of alcohol and failed several field sobriety tests. She was arrested for DUI and registered a .17% blood/alcohol level at the detention center.
December 23- After failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, a driver was followed by an officer and seemed to be driving in circles. The officer instigated a traffic stop. The driver appeared to have been drinking and admitted to having at least six beverages. He failed several field sobriety tests before being arrested for DUI. He registered a .15% blood/alcohol level at the detention center.
December 26- An officer observed a man holding a cup in front of Bert’s market acting suspicious when the officer stopped at the stop sign. The officer drove the block and the man was seen with a beer can. He took off running and the officer gave chase. The subject was eventually caught and arrested for having an open container and for littering as he had thrown the beer can on the ground during the chase.

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Winter fishing success continues in December.

With the chilly weather quickly moving in you might think that fish are nowhere to be found, but it’s a different story below the waves. It takes a long time for our local waters to completely cool off from the scorching days of August. Water temperatures are now in the low 60s and will drop modestly into the high 50s by the end of the month. December can be a very hospitable month for both trout and redfish.
This crisp weather, with its occasional cold snaps, really turns on the trout. Pretty much all tactics are working for trout: both artificials and live bait are working as the trout are feeding aggressively. This is a great time of year to get your young fisherman (or fisherwoman) “hooked” on fishing.
For the trout, we are using 3” D.O.A. plastic shrimp underneath a popping cork and it is a great setup. These shrimp come in a wide assortment of colors ranging from realistic lighter tones to bright attractor colors. I’ve found the best success comes from using the Glow color, which is basically white, as well as their Glitter colors which are translucent and filled with glitter. To me, these colors best represent what a live shrimp would look like. The Fiji Chicken color has become popular this season and is quite effective. These artificial shrimp already have weights inside their bodies, with the ¼ oz. weight being the most common. The weight makes the lure fall naturally into the water. Don’t be afraid to change the length of your leader as trout may sit in different parts of the water column.
One of the most interesting phenomena that occur when winter begins is the large schools of redfish that begin to form on the flats. They will develop these giant schools and stay in them throughout the winter. They bunch together as a means of protection from predators, namely bottlenose dolphins. As a result, these schools are quite skittish and spook easily. One of the best tactics is to locate a school and setup nearby while waiting for the fish to eventually come close to the boat. Live bait, especially chunks of blue crab, work very well when allowed to sit on the bottom. Redfish will happily devour these offerings!
The water is also becoming quite clear as the vegetation that was present in the summer has cleared out. Fly fishing is simply terrific as we stalk these big schools of redfish on the flats. The water clarity allows you to spot redfish from quite a distance. It is an awesome sight to see literally hundreds of fish balled up together in one spot. Watching the water erupt and boil when you hook into one fish is an experience like no other.
See you on the water!

Capt. Geoff Bennett operates Charleston Charter Fishing providing fly fishing and light tackle charters. Clients choose from a full menu of fly rods, artificial and live bait fishing options with charters tailored to their desires. USCG licensed and insured, Capt. Bennett is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable charter to anglers of all skill levels and ages. For more information, call Capt. Bennett at 324-3332, visit his website at www.charlestoncharterfishing.com or email him at captain@charlestoncharterfishing.com.

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