The Blotter March 23 2009

NO DRIVING AMBITION?: Police were patrolling “an area well known for drug activity” on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, according to a report. An officer noted that a gray Buick did not make a complete stop at a stop sign. The officer stopped the Buick and talked to the driver. “I asked [the man] for his driver’s license.” Apparently, the man only has his learner’s license — and the man is 33 years old. He went to jail for driving on a limited license.  

PORSCHE PROBLEMS: A man called Atlanta police and said someone stole his car in Utah. “The caller advised that he had given his Porsche to a male who identified himself as a Porsche Performance Expert,” an officer wrote. “The caller advised he released his vehicle to the expert in Utah to have additional work done on his $250,000 Porsche last night.” The caller said this Porsche expert stole his car. He said he tried to report the car stolen in his jurisdiction, but could not. The caller said he suspects his Porsche is now in California — but the Porsche expert has a shop on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard in Atlanta. He said he wants the Atlanta Police Department to investigate and find his Porsche. Also, he said he contacted the FBI. The Atlanta officer said they would assist him within the scope of their authority, but they could not do a stolen vehicle report. “The caller was hostile and ended the conversation by advising me that he would handle the incident himself.” Apparently, the caller didn’t even give his name before he hung up. Several hours later, police went to the location on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard that the caller had mentioned. (The Blotter Diva googled the address — it’s a Porsche service shop.) Police reported that a man there was a victim of an alleged business robbery. The investigation continues.

TROUBLE AT THE BK LOUNGE: Around 9:15 a.m. a Burger King employee flagged down a police officer on Broad Street. The employee directed the officer to a restroom, where a man was shaving in the bathroom sink. According to the Burger King manager, the 54-year-old man has gotten several prior trespass warnings to stay away, but he refused and insists on returning to shave in the Burger King restaurant. The man was charged with trespassing and taken to Fulton County Jail.

TROUBLE ON WISTERIA LANE: A middle-aged woman said her car alarm went off around midnight on Wisteria Lane. She said she went outside and saw someone running away in the distance. She has “high suspicion” of the suspect’s identity — a man known as “Pooh.” (And Pooh is described as a man about 6-feet-2-inches tall with short hair.) She said Pooh is a known person who breaks into cars and houses in the area. Police lifted two sets of fingerprints from the woman’s Cadillac.

BRICK-A-BRAT: On Myrtle Drive, a middle-aged woman said around 6:40 a.m., someone smashed bricks through her windows. “One of the bricks was thrown so hard that the brick was stuck in one of her bedroom doors,” an officer wrote. The woman said she didn’t see any suspects because, during the brick-throwing, she was trying to get to a safe place and call police. No suspects.

FREE NEWSPAPER FOR SALE? A 53-year-old man reportedly approached a group of tourists and tried to sell them “an entertainment paper that can be obtained for free from numerous paperboxes around the city,” an officer wrote. “As [the man] approached them, the tourists were shaking their heads to indicate that they were not interested. [The man] continued to walk with them, offering the paper until they stopped and took three papers and the female in the group gave [the man] $2 dollars.” Two officers approached the tourists and forced the man to return the $2. He was arrested for aggressive panhandling at the intersection of Andrew Young Boulevard and Spring Street.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: The Atlanta Police Department conducted an undercover operation near a luxury hotel on Peachtree Street. “The purpose of this operation was in response to complaints coming from the hotel patrons as it pertains to being solicited for illegal sex acts from subjects coming in and out of the hotel,” an officer wrote. The officer said he contacted two women via an escorting services ad on Craigslist.com — and both women agreed to meet him at the luxury hotel. The women “arrived and asked me for $300 cash for the hour session. Once the money was exchanged, both subjects disrobed and began to dance,” the officer wrote. Uniformed officers promptly arrested the women (ages 18 and 19) for escorting without a permit. The reporting officer wrote, “Prior to completing this case, I did spend $155 in unrecovered city funds while conducting this investigation.”

SPRING FEVER: At a motel on Cheshire Bridge Road around 7:45 p.m., a 40-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman “were observed engaging in sexual conduct through an open window in front of police officers. The window faces a public area, which is frequented by heavy foot traffic. Accused parties admitted to knowing they were at fault….” The frisky couple was cited for indecency.

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