The Blotter February 05 2003

At about 3 a.m., an officer was driving north on Piedmont Road, approaching the Disco Kroger, when he noticed that traffic was going around a 2000 Volkswagen Passat. The Passat was weaving and going slow. The officer pulled over the Passat and spoke with the driver, a 42-year-old blond woman from Florida.

The driver stumbled out of the car. The officer asked how much she had to drink. The driver said she'd been working at the Gift Mart all day. Again, the officer asked how much she had to drink. Three or four drinks, she said, adding that she started drinking at 6 p.m. with friends at dinner. The officer noted that the woman was unsteady on her feet. Then, the officer noticed smoke rising from the woman's body.

"When I looked down, I noticed that her pants began to catch fire," the officer wrote. "I immediately began patting down the side of her leg to put the flame out. She stated she knew she was on fire but did not feel it. She stated she was nervous." The woman was arrested for DUI. On the way to jail, she passed out in the patrol car.

In Little Five Points Park, an officer saw a longhaired 48-year-old man drink from a can of Schlitz beer. Once the man finished the beer, he stood up and tried to walk to the garbage can. The officer wrote, "However, at the moment I approached [the 48-year-old] and before he could speak, he exerted a profound belch." The man was arrested for drinking in public and taken to jail.

A 32-year-old man walked to his car on Hosea L. Williams Drive. A neighborhood man known as "Tinkerbell" approached him. The 32-year-old said Tinkerbell pulled out a black 9 mm pistol and told him to "give it up." The 32-year-old, who is familiar with Tinkerbell, thought it was a joke and started to laugh. Tinkerbell then put the pistol to the 32-year-old's forehead and threatened to "bust" him. The 32-year-old gave Tinkerbell $660 cash, a black lizard-skin wallet, and his driver's license and Social Security card. Tinkerbell then fled on foot and was never located. Tinkerbell is described as a man in his 30s with a thick mustache and wearing a leather coat with patches.

A heavyset man who weighs about 300 pounds walked into an electronics store on Peachtree Road and requested a telephone. Both store employees walked to the back of the store. The heavyset man took two store bags, placed two DVD players inside the bags, and left the store. The manager notified police.

The manager said the heavyset man walked outside to smoke a cigarette prior to the theft and used a cell phone. The manager also said the heavyset man talked very softly and complained of indigestion.

On Hosea L. Williams Drive, a 43-year-old man said his live-in girlfriend stabbed him in the arm with a kitchen knife because he left a pan on the table. The girlfriend, age 39, said he grabbed her around the collar and tore her nightgown. Both went to jail.

A woman said someone broke into her apartment on Linden Drive and took a DVD player, a CD player, some CDs and a Palm Pilot. She also said someone had slept in her bed, used her toilet, eaten some of her food and cooked a meal in her kitchen.

A 25-year-old woman on Mildred Street received harassing calls from another woman. The caller said, "I'm having sex with your husband, I'm pregnant by your husband," among other statements. According to the 25-year-old, the caller phoned more than 100 times and threatened to set fire to her car and blow her up, along with her children and house. The 25-year-old told police that the woman is constantly calling her apartment and making stupid remarks and comments. Police instructed her on how to take out a warrant.

A 57-year-old man was in the bathroom of a shelter on Peters Street. He was filling buckets with water to flush the toilets, due to the low water pressure. The 57-year-old said an unknown man walked into the bathroom and just stared at him. Then, the unknown man threw a bucket of water on the 57-year-old and lunged at him with a 2-foot wooden stake, which was sharpened to a point on one end. Then, the unknown man slipped on the watery floor. The 57-year-old said he received holes in his jacket and sweatshirt, and a bruise on his shoulder.

Someone called a switchboard at Hartsfield Airport. A female employee answered the phone. The caller said, "Atlanta, I'm calling from Germany. Tell your president not to start a war." The woman asked, "Sir, who are you calling?" The caller said, "Is this the police department?" The woman said, "No, this is the airport. Do you want to speak to the police at the airport?" The caller said, "No, tell your president not to start a war." The woman asked the caller to hold on and transferred the call to another female employee. When the second employee picked up the phone, the caller said, "So you are still there, you are still alive." The second employee asked, "Sir, what is your phone number?" He gave a number. The second employee asked the caller to hold. She called the front desk and asked the first employee to use the procedures for threatening phone calls and pick up the line. The first employee picked up the phone. The caller said, "Tell Bush not to start a war again." The employee tried to trace the call, but the system wasn't working properly. Several airport managers responded and reviewed the situation. Police also responded and checked the scene.

All items in The Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports and are public record.??