Saturday, March 4
When Activism Goes Wrong
The Responding Officer (R/O) was dispatched to the Folly Beach Pier around 10:30 a.m. in reference to a possibly mentally unstable person. EMTs were on site when the officer arrived. The EMTs pointed out the subject, a 54-year-old female, and the officer made contact with her. Asked how she was doing, the subject replied, “great if I had a joint and you were not taking all of my land. I’m Native American. The officer then received information that the subject had been to the County Park on the west end earlier that day, and when asked to pay the entrance fee said she didn’t have to, because this was her land and they had taken it from her. Now she was complaining to the R/O that someone had stolen her weed. The subject began screaming obscenities, drawing consternating looks from onlookers with children. The officers escorted the woman from the pier, and noted she had what appeared to be menstrual blood on the back of her dress. When they got to the car, the subject began yelling obscenities about air pollution, and became belligerent. She was then placed under arrest for Disorderly Conduct. She was taken into custody. She was uncooperative and combative when she arrived at the jail.
Sunday, March 5
Idiots With Guns
The R/O was contacted by dispatch around 12:45 a.m. to be on the lookout for a man who had pulled a gun on the clerk at the Kangaroo station. The officer found a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle’s description parked in front of Bert’s Market. The officer parked next to the suspect vehicle and went inside. When he walked in, he saw the 23-year-old male suspect at the register. When the subject saw the officer, he made a beeline towards the door. The officer grabbed the man by the arm and told him he was being detained. The subject moved his left hand towards his waistband, but the officer grabbed the hand and cuffed the subject. The subject was taken outside and put up against the police cruiser. When he was told he was being searched for weapons, the subject said he had a gun in his pocket. He then stated he didn’t have his ID with him, so he had shown the gun to the clerk at the Kangaroo station to “prove he was 21.” The R/O located a black and silver .380 semi-automatic pistol on the subject’s person. The gun as loaded. Asked if he had a concealed carry permit, the subject said he did not. Further search of the man’s person turned up a Crown Royal bag containing six individually packaged parcels of a white powdery substance, and seven bags containing a green leafy substance. The subject said a friend had given him the bag. Further investigation found the man had told the gas station clerk he was a SLED agent when he pulled his gun. (This was untrue.) The supposed narcotics tested positive for illegal drugs. He was arrested and charged with Pointing a Firearm, Carrying Concealed Weapons, and Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Distribute.
Sunday, March 5
Death Threats
The R/O met with the 39-year-old male complainant at headquarters. The man at first said nothing was wrong, but after a few minutes of questioning, admitted he believed someone was trying to kill him. He said the Saturday of Folly Gras he was working at a local restaurant when a former dishwasher at the restaurant came in and told him there were two men out in front of the building with an Uzi, and they were going to kill the complainant. The complainant said he had no idea why. He also told the R/O he was behind the restaurant the night before and heard someone yell at him, “you’re dead snitch!” The complainant was very shaken up. The R/O took an official statement and had a friend come pick him up.
Monday, March 6
A Different Kind of Arizona Tea
The R/O was on routine patrol along East Ashley Avenue around 7:15 a.m. when he clocked a vehicle traveling 47 mph in a 30 mph zone. The officer pulled over the car and interviewed the 23-year-old male driver. The officer believed he detected the odor of marijuana in the car. The driver claimed a friend of his had smoked up in the car the day before, but there was no contraband in the car now. The officer indicated he was going to search the vehicle, and the driver complied. The search revealed a backpack stuffed into the cushions of the back seat. The backpack contained several glass pipes and empty containers that smelled like pot. The officer also located an Arizona Green Tea tin can, which he found to be a concealment container, and inside he found .34 grams of marijuana. The driver was issued citations for Simple Possession, Paraphernalia and Speeding.
Tuesday, March 7
Please Don’t Drink and Drive
The R/O was on routine patrol along Folly Road around 3 p.m. when he was contacted by another officer who said he was behind a vehicle that was swerving all over the road and believed the driver to be intoxicated. The R/O pulled the car over and moved to interview the 21-year-old female driver. The officer observed a mostly-consumed two-liter bottle of vodka with the cap off in the car. After a series of failed field sobriety tests, the woman was arrested for DUI. At the station, the Breathalyzer registered her blood alcohol content at .24. The subject’s license was immediately suspended, and she was charged with DUI and Open Container.
Thursday, March 16
Lock Box Blues
The R/O was dispatched to The Tides hotel around 12:30 p.m. in reference to a possible Theft. Upon arrival, he met with the 49-year-old female complainant who said she had placed several items in the hotel’s safety deposit box when she checked in, and now some of the items were missing. She claimed the hotel had stolen $120 in cash, several allergy inhalers, and a ring, which she valued at $2.5 million. She also said the hotel had kept both keys to the box and wouldn’t let her have one. As the investigation continued, the officer looked at the security box room, which is monitored by video surveillance. He then re-interviewed the complainant, asking to see what she had had in the box. While examining the items, the officer located the $2.5 million ring amongst them. He then met with the manager who had checked the woman’s items upon check-in. The employee insisted everything given to the hotel for safekeeping was accounted for. They also claimed that the complainant had asked them to count the cash in front of her because she said she wasn’t sober enough to count it. They also said the complainant declined to take a key to the box, saying the hotel could hold onto it.
Monday, March 20
Theft?
The R/O was dispatched to an East Ashley Avenue residence around 2:20 p.m. in reference to a Theft. The officer met with the complainant who said the No Parking signs he had posted in his yard had been absconded with. The officer explained City of Folly Beach staff had removed the signs as they were in violation of a city ordinance. The complainant adamantly expressed his displeasure with the ordinance. The officer suggested he call the city to complain.
