The Blotter October 19 2005

THE OWNER OF A CHINESE RESTAURANT on Peachtree Street said a woman called to complain that she found a hair in her food, so she wanted some free food. The woman said she had ordered the pepper steak. The restaurant owner checked the order file; there was no order of a pepper steak dinner. The owner called the woman back and told her that there was no record of anyone ordering the pepper steak dinner that night. Yelling and screaming, the woman kept demanding free food. She said her husband works for a law firm, and she works for the CDC, and her sister works for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and they would all do things to hurt the owner. The woman was calling every two or three minutes.

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A 41-YEAR-OLD MAN from Ireland was visiting Atlanta. Around 2 a.m., he and some friends went to the Cheetah on Spring Street. During their two-hour stay, the Irish man took off his black corduroy blazer. When they left the Cheetah, he forgot his blazer.

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The next morning, the Irish man got ready for his flight back to Ireland. Then, he realized his jacket was still at the Cheetah — and his passport was inside the jacket. His flight was scheduled to take off at 12:15 p.m. The Cheetah didn’t reopen until 4 p.m. Nothing further.

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A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR at City Hall East was receiving unwanted gifts. One day, a gift basket arrived. The card was signed “Your Fan Club.” The investigator was concerned about an unknown woman sending things to him.

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The homicide investigator said previously that this woman had written a letter to police Chief Pennington commending him on his work ethics. He said Pennington wrote a response letter to [the woman] and a commendation letter to the investigator in early September.

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Two days after the gift basket was delivered, the homicide investigator arrived at work and found a package in his box. The package contained a $25 Best Buy gift card and a $15 Publix gift card. Also, the woman’s work phone number was included. The homicide investigator called the woman and left a message thanking her for the letter and saying that gifts aren’t needed. He also asked her not to send anything else. He told a sergeant that he needs the woman to stop contacting him.

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The gift cards were turned in as evidence.

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A NEW ORLEANS WOMAN said she was walking on Cleveland Avenue around 1 a.m. She said a masked man approached and pulled out a gun. She said the man took her Red Cross hurricane relief card (valued at $1,500) and $500 cash. The woman didn’t call police until 6 a.m. She said she didn’t call police because she didn’t want her asthma to act up. Police offered medical attention, but she refused it. Later, the woman said she called 911 at 3 a.m. Police checked, but there was no record of her calling 911 before 6 a.m.

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A MIDDLE-AGED MAN said he left the bank with $10,000 cash in a blue money bag. Then, he parked his car on Chattahoochee Avenue, leaving the money bag on the front seat of the car. A half-hour later, when he returned to the car, the $10,000 was gone. Apparently, someone broke into the car by smashing the driver-side window. Because of heavy rain, a police officer couldn’t dust the car for fingerprints.

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TWO OFFICERS were sent to deal with a possible jumper at the Moreland overpass to I-20. A man was sitting on the bridge with his feet dangling over. Quietly, the two officers approached. One officer snatched the man from behind as the other officer grabbed his feet. They handcuffed the man, who had tears running down his face. One officer asked, “Why do you want to kill yourself?” A witness handed over a note written by the man. The note stated that he was a nobody with no family and he didn’t need to live anymore.

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During arrest, the man asked, “Why did you waste your time saving me? I know you have better things to do.” The reporting officer explained that she was put on this Earth to help people. The man said he was a child molester with a crack problem, and that he had tried for eight years to stop molesting children and using crack but it wasn’t working. The reporting officer wrote, “I explained that life is not easy and just because he hasn’t been able to stop whatever he may be doing wrong in the past doesn’t mean that he can’t.” The man, age 50 with a full beard, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital’s psychiatric ward.

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AT A HOTEL ON PEACHTREE STREET, a thin man carried a black suitcase into the hotel bathroom. A security guard saw the man rifle through the bathroom cabinets. When the security guard approached, he saw that the black suitcase was filled with some of the hotel’s toilet paper and paper towels. The man was arrested for stealing.

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ON PINE STREET, a plainclothes officer saw a man sitting on the sidewalk and smoking a glass pipe. The officer grabbed his police badge and said, “Atlanta Police!” The man said he wasn’t going to jail, and added, “I work for the Secret Service.” Then, the man got loud and irate. The officer wrote that during arrest, “I spoke to him calmly, advising him that I would talk to him about his involvement with the Secret Service after I placed handcuffs on him.” After a long struggle, the man was cuffed. The officer was treated for a bruised elbow and shoulder.

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All items in The Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words.