The following were taken from actual incident reports filed last month by the Folly Beach Public Safety Department. These are not convictions and the names of businesses, complainants, and suspects have been left out to protect the innocent. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty … of course.
July 1 | Who Let The Dog out?
Officer responded to an E. Arctic Avenue address in reference to a disturbance. Several callers reported a female screaming in the roadway. Upon arrival, the officer met with a male who stated he found a dog while walking in the area of the incident location. Upon checking its collar, it was discovered the dog’s owner lived at the address.
The male stated he knocked on the door, which was answered by the suspect. He stated she immediately began yelling at him, and followed him into the street, continuously yelling. However, while she was still standing in the middle of the street she was not being disruptive at the time the officer arrived on the scene. But he did immediately detect a strong, distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her person and she was unsteady on her feet, had slurred speech, and appeared to have difficulty making eye contact.
The suspect refused to cooperate when asked about the incident and repeatedly stated she was going home and would not speak to the officer. Advised she was not free to leave the scene, as she was the suspect of the disturbance and grossly intoxicated in the roadway, she continued to state she was going home. She became agitated and began to raise her voice, and continued to refuse to cooperate with the investigation and was placed under arrested for Disorderly Conduct.
July 2 | Pinky & The No-Brain
Officers were dispatched in reference to a residential alarm. Dispatch advised that two male subjects were observed running down the driveway and advised one unknown white male subject, and one black male subject, having pink board shorts and blonde/pink mohawk.
Upon arrival, the officers found the rear door to the porch was unlocked. Nothing appeared to have been out of the ordinary. Several TVs were inside the living room and bedrooms. Upon leaving the residence the officers locked the rear porch door from the inside.
July 3 | ISSUING A BENCH WARRANT
A public safety officer observed a man passed out on the bench at Center Street and Ashley Ave. He woke the man up and asked him where he was staying. The man seemed very intoxicated and had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He could not answer the questions and became very uncooperative. The officer asked if the suspect needed a taxi and again he became very uncooperative and refused to answer any questions. He was then placed under arrest for Disorderly Conduct.
July 5 | A RELIGIOUS RITUAL
Officers were dispatched to the Folly pier after an alarm was sounded. While en route to the end of the pier, the officers noticed a male who looked directly in their direction and then proceeded to jump off of the county pier and into the ocean. He swam north towards the beachfront, as officers tried to communicate with him by shining flashlights on him to ensure his safety, and continuously ask if he was ok. The individual ignored the officers who were trying to communicate with him, and continued to swim towards the shore.
At this point one of the officers immediately headed towards the beachfront to intercept and meet with the man who was still swimming. He had reached shore and was walking briskly east along the shoreline, and away from the pier, about 300 feet from the officers location. After sprinting in the individuals general direction, the officer was able to catch up to, him and effectively detain him.
The man stated that as part of a religious ritual he jumped off of the county pier. He was subsequently placed under arrest for Trespassing.
July 5 | A PAIN IN THE BACK
An officer was dispatched to a W. Hudson Ave. address in reference to a theft that occurred earlier in the day. The victim advised that he and his family went out in town for the afternoon. Later when he went to take his prescription medication (oxycontin), which he takes for his back pain, he noticed about 18 pills missing.
He stated that during the day his family was out of the residence but there were handymen that came to the house to fix different items and he suspects that one of the workers stole some of his pills that he left them sitting on the counter.
July 6 | ALL CHOKED UP
An officer was exiting his vehicle at a Folly Road grocery store when he could hear a male standing by a vehicle loudly yelling obscenities. He was yelling at such a high volume and was behaving in such a disruptive manner that it immediately caught the attention of the several patrons at the incident location. They observed the male walking away from the vehicle toward Sol Legare Road and was holding a bottle with a yellow-colored liquid inside. When the officer called out to the man he tossed the bottle, which was labeled “Jim Beam Honey Bourbon Whiskey”, onto the ground behind him.
The officer detected a very strong smell of alcohol emitting from his breath and person. He was unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech. When asked why he was behaving in such a disorderly manner, he immediately began to yell, “I just got choked!” When asked to explain, he passively refused and had no obvious indication of injury at the time of contact.
He was placed under arrest for Disorderly Conduct. The officer spoke with the driver and two passengers in the vehicle the suspect arrived in and they stated there was no physical altercation whatsoever and that he had been drinking heavily and had been behaving belligerently and “weird” all day.
July 7 | HOW ABOUT CAMPING OUT IN JAIL?
An officer was patrolling the beachfront at the pier and observed a man sleeping on the ground underneath the pier. When he was awaken and asked why he was sleeping on the beach, the man replied he was staying at a nearby hotel. The officer noted he had a strong smell of an alcohol about his person. The officer called the hotel to see if he was indeed staying there, which he was not. The man was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and issued a citation for Overnight Camping.
July 8 | OLD ENOUGH TO GET PREGNANT, BUT NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK
Officer responded to an area of 600 block in reference to an illegally parked black Chevrolet at the dead end of E. Hudson Ave. in a wooded area on posted private property.
The officer made contact with the driver and a female passenger. The 19-year-old driver was wearing only a pair of shorts was sweating profusely, and his breath emitted a distinct odor of an alcohol. He stated he and the woman parked at the incident location to engage in sexual intercourse.
In the bed of the truck, the officer observed several empty bottles and cans of various brands of alcoholic beverages, some of which still contained liquid. One of the items was a half full container of box wine. In the back passenger side floorboard in plain sight was an open glass bottle of Smirnoff Ice, which contained a yellow-colored liquid and was cold to the touch.
Due to the driver’s age, the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath, the open container being within his reach, self-admitting to be the owner of the vehicle, and him having possession and complete physical control of the vehicle, he was placed under arrest for Minor In Possession of Alcohol and Open Container In Motor Vehicle.
Upon conducting a vehicle inventory prior to being towed, located inside of a yellow purse were two additional, unopened bottles of Smirnoff Ice. He stated “everything” inside of the purse belonged to him.
July 6 | SELLING OUT YOUR BUDDY
Two officers were on patrol in the area of the pier around 3:20 a.m. when they noticed two male subjects walking up the ramp toward the locked gate. The first subject grabbed the gate and jumped around the gate door over the railing. The second subject was holding a white cup in his hand. He gave the cup to the other suspect and then jumped around the gate and over the railing as well.
They proceeded toward the second locked gate and jumped that gate as well and walked toward the pavilion at the end of the pier.
The officers unlocked the gate and entered the pier. Once they got close to the pavilion both subjects noticed the officers and began walking toward them. The one threw a hand up as if he were waving while the other placed his cup down on the railing in an attempt to hide it from the officers.
They were then advised that they were trespassing and to place their hands behind their backs. At that time one suspect reached in his right pocket and threw a pack of American Spirit cigarettes on the ground. Inside the pack was a clear plastic bag that was consistent with narcotics packaging.
The suspects were advised to sit on the stairs while the officers checked the area where the cup was placed on the railing. The officers then observed another clear plastic bag with a white powder substance on the railing right next to the cup.
When the officer walked over to the suspsect and advised them they would be going to jail one stood up and stated “I know that I was in possession of cocaine but its not mine. I get that I was in possession, but his shorts were wet and I was just holding it for him (referencing his friend).”
July 9 | A Tinder Mystery
At 3:15 a.m. two officers were dispatched in reference to a missing 20-year-old girl at the beachfront at 300 block east. The caller stated that he was on a date this evening with a girl he met on Tinder. Earlier in the night they had been to a reggae fest in Charleston and came out to Folly Beach around midnight.
The man claims they sat on the beach, before engaging in sexual intercourse then got into the water. Once they returned from the water, they both fell asleep. According to him, they then fell asleep on the beach until around 2 a.m. when the young lady walked off to use the bathroom and never returned.
After approximately 10 minutes, the man noticed that she had not returned and started to look for her. He stated that he walked up and down the dunes and spoke to several people all of which advised that they did not see her. After about an hour, he decided to contact the police department.
The man admitted that they both were drinking but he did not think the woman was that intoxicated. He advised that she was wearing a black crop top and a “hippie style” dress. He also advised that she left her purse, cell phone, and sandals in his vehicle.
The officers conducted a search of the dunes from the pier to 5th block east and then back down the beachfront without finding her. Another officer arrived on the scene and began driving the island and checking local businesses that were still open.
After retrieving her personal belongings, the responding officer contacted dispatch and had them send county units to her residence. The officer noticed that one particular phone number called her phone 17 times so he took a picture of the screen. County advised that they tried the residence and did not get an answer.
The officer then called the phone number that attempted to call the woman’s phone and made contact with a taxi cab driver who stated that he was picking up several males at Bert’s when the woman approached him. He advised that the woman was extremely intoxicated and advised that she lost her purse and phone and needed a ride home. The male subjects agreed to let her ride with them to the 1500 block of E. Ashley then the cabbie drove her home. He said she made the 17 calls to her phone in hopes someone would pick up and tell her where her phone was.
At that point the officer contacted dispatch again and had county go over to her residence for a second time. This time they were able to make contact with the woman, who advised that she was OK. It was relayed to her that her items would be at the police department and to come pick them up in the morning..
Later that morning the woman took possession of her belongings later and again advised that she was OK.
July 9 | POKÉMON GO … DIRECTLY TO JAIL
Two officers were dispatched to the pier after an alarm was sounded. The officers proceeded to walk towards the southern tip of the pier, where two male subjects were spotted walking in their directions.
The two suspects stated that they intentionally entered the pier after hours, because they were participating in a Pokémon Go video game which they explained, places each player at a unique area throughout the city to gain points. Unfortunately for them, they chose to play this game at the wrong area, and at the wrong time.
July 10 | BAD RACE RELATIONS
Officers were dispatched after receiving a call that a large group of males were fighting in the parking lot behind a local surf shop. Officers arrived on scene and the crowd immediately began to disperse. As the crowd faded one officer was approached by a young woman who stated that while inside a nearby bar she was approached by an unknown black female who would not stop antagonizing her, because, according to her, she was white and the lady was bothered by the fact that she was dating a black man. She also stated that the woman threw a drink on her and walked off into the crowd.
According to the complainant, she and her boyfriend decided to leave the bar after the altercation and were walking to their vehicle, but her boyfriend realized he left his keys inside the bar so they had to turn around to go back and get them.
On their way back inside the woman claims she was attacked by two unknown females, one of the females was small in stature and the second female was noticeably larger and heavier. She said her boyfriend tried to intervene, but a large mob of males started walking towards his direction, at which time security staff from bar and police personnel arrived on scene, alleviating the crowd and causing mass dispersion. The woman’s Injuries appeared to be minor and overall she was in good spirits following the incident.
July 16 | YOLO … BUT YOU CAN GO TO JAIL AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT
An officer responded to a local bar on a disorderly subject complaint. When he arrived on the scene the suspect was being restrained by two bar employees and the owner, who informed the officers that the woman was asked to leave and to be placed on trespass notice. She then allegedly became very belligerent with the owner and other employees and threw an alcoholic beverage into his face. That’s when she was restrained by employees of the bar.
The woman was taken into custody for Disorderly Conduct and was placed on trespass notice at the bar. According to the arresting officer, she had a very distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath and she was slurring her words. While being searched she was being belligerent and uncooperative and making threats towards officers. She was placed in the back of the patrol car and seat belted in for her safety for transport to Charleston County Jail. During transport she managed to get out of her seatbelt and became belligerent and began making more threats.
When they arrived at the county jail the woman again became very belligerent and had passive resistance towards the officers commands on getting out of the vehicle.
The officer asked her to get out of the vehicle three times and she refused before making suicidal remarks and kicked the back window of the patrol car while. Four detention officers arrived and shackled her feet together and had to drag her out of the vehicle. She again made threats and racial remarks towards the detention officers. Once she got inside the search and booking area she was then placed in a restraint chair and still made racial and threatening remarks to the detention officers and was very uncooperative to the commands she was given.
July 18 | SERVE YOURSELF
An officer was on foot patrol behind a local hotel at approximately 3 a.m. when he observed a man walk behind the outside bar and over to the beer tap station. The officer thought it might have been an employee cleaning up after the bar shut down. But then noticed that he had a clear plastic cup in hand and began pouring a beer into it from one of the taps. Being that it was after 2 a.m. and alcohol service is prohibited past that time, he initiated contact with the man. As the officer began walking towards him, he threw the beer in the trash can.
The officer asked him if he worked at the hotel and he stated “No but they all know me.” He was then asked why he was pouring a beer. The man stated “What beer, prove it.” The officer then made contact with the manager on duty and asked them if they knew the man and she stated that she did know him but he was not allowed to steal the beer. The man was then issued a summons for Petit Larceny and released him.
