The Blotter December 09 2000

At a parking garage on Bankhead Highway, two officers heard a loud noise and observed a gray Mercury Sable back up, onto and over the curb, and land on top of ?a large shrub.
Then, the driver of the Mercury Sable pulled the car off the shrub and curb onto the pavement and started driving away. ?
The two officers hopped in their patrol cars and followed the Sable, which entered Ashby Street and started traveling southbound. The officers activated their sirens and blue lights, and gave chase. They also radioed Zone 1 about the situation. ?
The driver of the Mercury Sable refused to stop, even though two patrol cars were right behind him. The Mercury Sable crossed over the yellow line to pass two vehicles. ?
After a third patrol car appeared, the driver of the Mercury Sable finally stopped. ?
The driver, a 69-year-old man with gray hair, refused to put his hands where the officers could see them. One officer handcuffed the driver, who smelled strongly of alcohol. The three passengers put their hands in view of the officers. ?
An officer noted in his report, “[The driver] further had slurred speech and stated that he couldn’t stop the vehicle because it was possessed.” ?
The driver admitted to drinking a few beers. The officer asked why he didn’t stop when the two patrol cars, with lights and sirens, were behind his car. ?
“[The driver] stated that he didn’t have any breaks (sic) in his car. [The driver] stated that he didn’t know what happened, that his car didn’t have any breaks and that it was possessed all of a sudden.” ?
The two officers test-drove the Mercury Sable and the brakes worked properly — both in reverse and in drive. ?
The driver was placed in a patrol car with the first officer. “In approximately two minutes, [the driver] stated that he needed to pee,” wrote the officer. ?
The first officer exited the patrol car, waited for the second officer to finish his conversation with two citizens, and asked the second officer to take the driver to a restroom.?
When the second officer returned to the patrol car, the driver said he could forget it, because he had already peed in the patrol car. ?
The officers inspected the rear of the patrol car, and discovered that the driver had indeed urinated on the back seat.?
The driver was arrested for DUI and reckless driving, among a host of other charges.?

A 43-year-old woman ran into two female acquaintances at a dollar store on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The 43-year-old said she knew the first woman from riding the city bus, and knew the second woman’s first name. The first woman was age 55-60 and wore dentures; the second woman was age 55-60 and had missing teeth.
The first woman told the 43-year-old that she had found $4,800 on Ponce de Leon Avenue. According to the 43-year-old, the first woman showed her some money in an envelope and said she needed to make sure that the $4,800 was real and not counterfeit. ?
The 43-year-old got into a white Nissan with the two women and headed to the Kroger on Ponce. The first woman said that she used to work at the Kroger, and that Kroger employees would be able to advise if the money was real or not. ?
When they arrived at Kroger, the first woman said it would cost $135 to have the store check the money. The 43-year-old said she gave the first woman $135 cash, and if the money was real, the first woman promised to give her $10,000. ?
The first woman handed the 43-year-old an envelope and told her to go inside the store and give the envelope to a specific store manager, whom she mentioned by name. ?
The 43-year-old walked inside Kroger and inquired about the specific manager, but employees said Kroger did not have a manager by that name. ?
When the 43-year-old walked back outside, she discovered that the two women had left the scene — with her $135 cash. When the 43-year-old opened the envelope, she discovered it was empty. ?
The 43-year-old told police that both women were wearing wigs.