Saturday, Sept. 2
Red Sox fan, go figure
A Folly Beach Public Safety Officer was on patrol near Center Street around 1:15 a.m. when he was approached by two men who said there was another man “running around harassing people.” They described him as wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap and t-shirt, and were able to point him out across the street. The Responding Officer (R/O) attempted to approach the subject, but the man ran away. The R/O radioed dispatch and a search began, and the subject was eventually located and detained for questioning. The 24-year-old male subject was identified by his S.C. driver’s license, and asked how much he had to drink that night, to which he responded “a couple.” The R/O observed the subject was slurring his speech, was unsteady on his feet, and appeared intoxicated. The subject stated he was on several medications for post-traumatic stress disorder. The R/O told the subject he shouldn’t be drinking on those meds, to which the subject became belligerent and aggressive. Due to his disposition, the subject was considered to be a danger to himself and others, and was arrested for Public Drunkenness. A search of the subject’s person found a business card for an agent of the Department of Probation and Parole. The officer contacted the agent, who informed him the subject was under a court order not to drink alcohol. The subject was transported to the county jail.
Saturday, Sept. 2
Creating your own worst day
The R/O was dispatched to the parking lot of a retail store on Center Street around 8 p.m. in response to a call about a man causing a disturbance. Upon arrival, the officer found the 38-year-old man beside a vehicle in a highly agitated state. The man appeared intoxicated, and admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana earlier in the evening. The subject said he was upset because he lost his keys and couldn’t get into his car. The store’s staff reported prior to the arrival of police, the subject had been sitting in his car with the door open, and they had seen him yelling and cursing and throwing beer cans inside and outside the car. The R/O observed the beer cans, and also found the subject’s cell phone smashed and thrown under his car. The subject was unable to locate a sober ride, and was arrested for Public Intoxication. Afterward, the officer asked the store’s staff if they had found a set of keys, which they had, and which were the keys to the subject’s vehicle. They also asked that the vehicle be towed from their lot. During a pre-tow search of the vehicle, the R/O found a pill bottle, which contained 2.42 grams of marijuana. After arriving at the county jail, the subject became combative, and had to be locked down in a cell.
Saturday, Sept. 2
Paying would have been cheaper
The R/O was dispatched to a Center Street beach store around 10:30 p.m. in response to a Shoplifting incident. Upon arrival, he met with the store clerk, who said he saw the subject, a 39-year-old North Carolina man, take several items off the store shelf then leave without paying. The clerk followed the man out, and located him and several stolen items behind Snapper Jack’s. The clerk told the R/O he wanted to press charges. The officer and clerk reviewed the store’s surveillance camera footage, which showed the subject take two hats and a shirt, all marked “Folly Beach,” stuff them into his shorts and walk out of the store. The value of the stolen items amounted to $132. The subject was issued a court date and a fine for Shoplifting of $1,087.
Wednesday, Sept. 6
“Did I just hit something?”
The R/O was standing on Center Street around 7 p.m. when he saw a dark in color sedan ram into a bike rack in front of him, nearly tearing its bolts out of the ground. The officer yelled for the driver to stop. He approached the driver’s side and had the driver roll down the window. The driver, a 45-year-old James Island man, rolled down the window and asked the officer, “did I just hit something?” The officer told the subject he had just hit the bike rack, and asked for his driver’s license and vehicle information. While interviewing the subject, the R/O could smell alcohol emanating from the driver’s person. At some point, the driver stated, “Just let me go home. I want to go home and go to sleep.” Although the subject said he had only had a couple of beers, he failed a field sobriety test. The subject was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. At the station, the subject blew a .28 on the Breathalyzer test, and was charged and taken to jail.
Sunday, Sept. 17
How they party in Virginia
The R/O was dispatched to an East Arctic residence around 4 a.m. after a report of fireworks being fired. Upon arrival, he approached the residence, and through a window observed three men sitting in the living room, one of them playing guitar. The officer knocked on the door, and saw one of the sitting men elbow the other. Then they both got up and walked out of sight. Eventually they came to the door and opened it. As the door opened, the officer could smell marijuana emanating from the house. Asked about it, the two subjects played dumb, stating they didn’t know what the officer was talking about. The officer asked for permission, and given it, entered the residence and rounded up the guitar player, and another man who walked out of a side bedroom. The officers told all four subject, ages 29, 30 and 33, and all from various towns in Virginia, it would be easier on all of them to fess up to marijuana possession and take a citation, but none of the men were willing to give up the pot. Backup was called in. The guitar player was given permission to put away his guitar, and in doing so, the officer observed fireworks inside the guitar case. When backup arrived, officers did a “protective sweep” of the residence (to make sure no one was hiding in wait), and while doing so, they found two glass pipes and a plate with lines of crystalline powder on it in one of the bedrooms. One of the men finally stated he would “take the hit,” and confessed all the contraband was his. He was arrested and issued a summons for Possession of a Controlled Substance. The guitar player was cited for a fireworks violation. The crystalline substance later lab-tested positive as methamphetamine.
