The Blotter May 19 2009

AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL: A mother’s kids didn’t return home from school one day. (They attend a local elementary school.) The mother said her kids weren’t at their school bus stop on Oak Street, so she started searching for them. She said she found her kids at another bus stop three blocks away. While she was there, she found a 6-year-old boy – and he said this isn’t his regular bus stop and he didn’t know where he was. The woman took the boy home and called 911, the elementary school and police. A school employee arrived and called the lost boy’s mother – and she quickly came to collect her son. According to the police officer’s report, the mothers told police “that this was not the first time this happened and that their kids have been dropped off several times at the wrong locations.”

MEET OFFICER GRAMMAR: An officer investigated a terroristic threat case on Pryor Street. The officer wrote: “I inform [a 20-year-old woman] that she have nothing to due with the case. I asked her to step out of the precinct and leave. Once i escort her to the outside she started talking in a loud tone of voice, stating that some bull shit. [Officer’s name], you normally let me talk to you. I gave her a direct order to leave, her response you can take me the jail to night. After I told her let me do my job, she state in loud tone voice you not done your job.”
The officer added, “Be advised [the woman] was using profane language while kids was walking by on the city sidewalk and very bad conduct with the police. [The woman] was arrested for obstruction fo hinder officer for doing his job.”

HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE: Apparently, a man who calls himself “Mr. Cummings” regularly calls a hotel on Sydney Marcus Boulevard. The hotel supervisor said during Mr. Cummings’ calls, a pornographic movie runs in the background. The supervisor “indicated that the male makes noises of a sexual nature and then hangs up the phone,” an officer wrote. Also, the supervisor said, the man pretends to make hotel reservations.  

SEXTING: A 58-year-old woman said a stranger texted her a sexual photo of a man holding his penis up. She said she responded by texting that it’s illegal to send unwanted sexual content over a cell phone. The stranger reportedly responded with this text: “Sorry, I had the wrong number, bitch.” The woman turned the texter’s phone number over to police.

CONSERVATION CITY? A man allegedly stole water from a city of Atlanta fire hydrant on Garibaldi Street. The man “had his pickup truck parked next to the fire hydrant with a large plastic container in the bed of the truck, full of water,” an officer wrote. “He also had a fire-type hose that was wet that could fit onto the hydrant nozzle. The cap on the hydrant was off and dripping water. The suspect’s vehicle was surrounded by water from the hydrant.”
The officer questioned the man. “The suspect said he did not take the water and said he used recycled water. The suspect works for the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, but was not on duty.” The 39-year-old man was charged with disorderly conduct.  

SPARKLE PLENTY: At a jewelry store at Phipps Plaza, a woman exchanged jewelry for money. According to a store employee, the woman said her jewelry was platinum. The store employee said she examined the jewelry and gave a $15,000 check to the woman. The next day, the jewelry was sent out for tests. The test results indicated that the jewelry is fake. The store employee called the bank – but the check had already been cashed. The bank teller said the woman did provide her fingerprint on the check before her cashing. (The Blotter Diva wonders: Wouldn’t you test the jewelry before cutting a check for $15,000?)

GREAT PAINS: An officer arrested a 21-year-old man for possession of suspected marijuana on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. They went to a mini-precinct to wait for a paddywagon to pick him up. The 21-year-old man said, “Sir, I need to throw up because I have had a fracture in my right arm since December of 2008 and it is hurting.” Medics examined him – turns out he may have a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder.  

DISCORD IN THE PARK: A brouhaha erupted over a man playing harmonica in Piedmont Park. A supervisor with the Piedmont Park Conservancy said he told the man he could play the harmonica, but he could not use an amplifier in the park – yet the man refused to stop playing. So the supervisor contacted police. An officer wrote, “I approached [the man] and asked him to turn off the amplifier, at which time he said nothing, but handed me a stack of papers that included numerous documents from municipal court, saying that he could play a musical instrument for tips on city property. [The man] said that this was a violation of his freedom of speech and that the ACLU had sued the city to allow him to play his instrument in the park.” The officer said there’s no problem with playing the harmonica, but the man can’t use an amplifier. The man got loud and boisterous and reportedly used profanity. The supervisor pointed out the families and children nearby. The man realized that children were walking by and apologized. He got a ticket for violating the noise ordinance.  

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