The Blotter August 20 2008

HABIT MORE INTERESTING THAN MAHJONG? At a grocery store on West Paces Ferry Road, an elderly woman allegedly stole some wine. The 77-year-old blond woman agreed to let police search her purse. The officer allegedly found two bottles of wine and two packets of napkins in the woman’s purse. According to the police report, the same woman was previously arrested for shoplifting at Nordstrom at Perimeter Mall. The 77-year-old woman has blue eyes, blond hair and wore a pink shirt and white shorts.

GOING BATTY: An officer responded to a call from a man, who said a group of men armed with bats was trying to fight him on North Grand Avenue. But when the officer arrived, the 44-year-old man denied ever calling police. So the officer asked the police dispatcher to do a “callback” — a call back to the phone number that the 911 call originated from. The 44-year-old man answered the callback — then, he admitted that he had called police earlier, but now everything was OK.

The officer saw no signs of any men armed with bats. The 44-year-old man admitted the men with bats didn’t exist — he just wanted police to get his wife to come back home (apparently, she had been visiting another house down the street). The officer investigated and discovered that the man’s wife had already come home. So the officer arrested the 44-year-old man for falsely reporting a crime.

LOSING MY RELIGION: One Sunday, a 48-year-old woman said she was in church when she asked a man for money that he owes her. She said the man got angry, yelled at her, and hit her head and shoulder. The woman said the man got in his car and drove away from the church. She told police that she doesn’t know the address of the church, and she doesn’t know where the man lives — but she does know the man himself. The woman had no visible injuries, an officer noted.

PETER PAN SYNDROME: At a hotel on Piedmont Avenue, the general manager said a guest hadn’t paid his bill in a week. The manager said she called the guest’s mother — at guest’s request — but his mother refused to pay his hotel bill. The guest is a 38-year-old man, and he owes $970. Apparently, the man initially told his mother that he was going to commit suicide because she didn’t give him money for his hotel room. An ambulance arrived, since he had threatened to hurt himself. The man said, in front of police, that he never planned to actually harm himself. He was given another chance to pay his hotel bill, and he refused. So the 38-year-old man went to jail.

BIOLOGY LESSON NEEDED: An officer responded to a fight call on Joseph P. Lowery Boulevard. A 24-year-old woman said she was punched by a man she calls her “grandfather,” but he is just a family friend. The woman said she just took a pregnancy test and discovered it was positive. Then she said her water broke when she fell to the floor. Medics said this was improbable because she “just found out she was pregnant and she may have urinated on herself,” an officer wrote. The woman described her “grandfather” as a man with a long goatee and gray cornrows. He left before police arrived.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? Police dealt with two female neighbors who argued at an apartment complex on Fairburn Road. A 35-year-old woman said her sister stole the neighbor’s boyfriend — and ever since then, the neighbor doesn’t like her and has a problem with her. She said the neighbor threatened her and pulled a gun on her. The 35-year-old woman said she did not leave after the alleged threat because she was waiting for her son to buy a freeze cup.

An officer wrote, “There was no weapon found on [the neighbor] and no independent witnesses that saw the weapon.”

One witness said the two neighbors were in a verbal spat over nothing. She said the two women fight almost daily, and then the next day, they are best friends. She said the 35-year-old woman claimed to be a patient at Georgia Regional Hospital, and threatened to take care of the neighbor. Another witness said the neighbor threatened to mess up the 35-year-old and her apartment.

“No one was physically injured,” the officer wrote. The two women “also stated that the dispute was also because both parties were calling the Department of Family and Children Services on each other.” No charges filed.

CATFIGHT! An 18-year-old woman and a 22-year-old woman got into a fight at the apartment they share on Plaza Lane. The older roommate allegedly bit the younger roommate’s chest and hand, and punched her in the mouth. The younger roommate allegedly bit the older roommate’s hand. Both women were charged with disorderly conduct. Turns out, the 18-year-old is wanted for shoplifting in Cobb County.

TEENAGERS TODAY: A 19-year-old girl said her boyfriend gave his semi-automatic handgun and permit to her to take home because he had to go to work. She said she put the gun and permit in her purse. She said she was standing at the intersection on West Lake Avenue when a car approached. She said an 18-year-old in the passenger seat hopped out of the car, snatched her bag, and ran away through the bushes. The boy’s mom was driving the car — and she confirmed that her son jumped out, took the 19-year-old’s bag, and ran.

Items in the Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words. Want more? Listen to the Blotter Diva on 92.9’s (Dave FM) “The Zakk Tyler Morning Show” every Tuesday between 6:30-7 a.m.