Submitted by Deborah Lavery Powers
The following are some highlights from recent police reports on file at Fernandina Police Headquarters.
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Driver — at 2 in the morning — took a hard right into a parking lot on 8th Street, drove over several concrete barriers while in the lot, then turned back onto the street, driving against the traffic this time. Police fearing Driver might be sick, tired, or impaired, made a traffic stop. Driver was found to have flushed face, watery eyes, and the strong odor of alcohol about him. Arrested.
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Locking one’s car doesn’t always do the trick. Beach Walker came back to her vehicle and found a window smashed and her purse gone. The purse HAD been under the driver’s seat.
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While Victim was incarcerated in the Nassau County Jail, someone used her credit card to purchase $19.29 worth of food at a local shop. The in-store video shows that the “someone” involved was the Victim’s son-in-law — and he signed the charge slip with his own name.
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Part of Citrona is a 25 mph zone. Speeding Citizen — when tracked by radar — was traveling down it at 69 mph. Discovering this, Police immediately turned on the cruiser’s emergency lights. Speeding Citizen kept right on driving for another several blocks. When Police caught up with her in her driveway, she told them that she had just had 2 glasses of wine at dinner. An intoxilyzer test showed her reading to be .173. The legal intoxication level is .08. Arrested.
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Suspect, when she finally came out of a house under construction — after seemingly ignoring several earlier voice commands by Police — said she was in the building because she was homeless and looking for shelter for the night. She was not allowed to stay in the unfinished house.
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It was almost midnight when a red vehicle stopped in the middle of the road at 8th and Sadler. Driver knew his license was suspended but was still behind the wheel, anyway. In addition, Police discovered he had an active warrant out on him in Duval County for “Violation of State Park Rules.” He went to jail to await extradition.
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An intoxilyzer reading of .222, according to the Illinois Office of Drug and Alcohol Education (ODAE), indicates that the tested person needs assistance in walking — and could be experiencing total mental confusion. A driver with that reading was arrested after coming to a complete stop headed the wrong way on 2nd Street. She had difficulty walking and told officers she had had 3 beers, but “seemed unsure of the exact amount she had consumed. She went to jail.
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As a patrolman approached a vehicle during a traffic stop, the Driver told him that there was a muzzleloader (“unloaded/no ramrod”) on the back seat. Driver further informed Police that he was a convicted felon (narcotics related) who had been told by a “game warden” that he could still use his father’s muzzleloader for hunting since muzzleloaders “are not considered firearms.” Driver was issued a citation for Driving on a Suspended License and Dad came to pick him up due to the citation. And Dad told Police he was “not opposed” to them holding his muzzleloader until the question of whether or not his son could use it was clarified.
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Roommates went down the street to “hang out” with their male friend and “have a good time.” At some point in the evening, one roommate was accused of having “attacked” the other — pulling her hair, tearing her shirt, hurting her back, and causing a cut to her leg. Police were called, and arrived to discover the roommates and friend all appeared to be “very intoxicated.” The roommate who claimed to be attacked had injuries which seemed to substantiate her claim. Other roommate was arrested for battery and transported to Fernandina Police Headquarters for booking.
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The Rolex watch was there. And then it wasn’t. But the owner doesn’t know exactly when it disappeared over an 18 day period. During that time a host of workers and family and friends were in and out of the house.
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At about 5 o’clock one morning, officers on patrol discovered a broken window in a storage building downtown. While checking the area to see what might have been used to break the window, the officers discovered a man lying on the ground near the building. The man appeared to be intoxicated, didn’t seem to know exactly where he was — but was aware that he was “waiting for his wife to come pick him up.” At the man’s request, Police called a taxi to take him home.
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After first being warned about “sexual behavior in a public place,” then going on to misspell her first name in a slurred and “defiant” manner when she couldn’t produce an ID, “Not Standing Steady on Her Feet” was arrested for disorderly intoxication and obstruction by disguise.
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The Victim received approximately 13 text messages between 1:28 and 1:59 in the morning. The messages “started off as small talk” then “became sexually explicit in nature.” The Victim didn’t recognize the name of the individual listed as the owner of the cell phone used. The investigation is still open.
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Victim, who called Police for assistance, was found sitting on the ground outside a closed restaurant, with blood running down his face, a bloody nose, and a cut on his chin. Victim said he had earlier been asked by an unknown man to walk outside a downtown bar to “talk.” They talked and walked until Assailant pushed Victim to the ground and started beating on him. A second assailant joined in. Only when a third man was heard screaming, “stop, he’s unconscious” did the beating stop, with the assailants fleeing. Victim could not identify the men who injured him. He was only able to describe them as looking like “Vanilla Ice Video dancers.” [Yeah, I had to look them up, too.] He was transported to the ER, treated, and released. Police were to check with the then-closed bar the next morning to see if their surveillance video could help identify the assailants.
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Victim stopped by his apartment after work for a few minutes before leaving for the night. All appeared safe and secure at that time. The next morning when he came home again, his rear sliding glass door had been smashed in, perhaps by a hoe found on the back porch. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. Victim doesn’t know who would have done this to his property — and further reported no problems with his neighbors. A survey of the neighbors found no one who had heard anything.
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Investigating a loud disturbance at 3:36 a.m., Police found that two brothers and their cousin had apparently gotten into a fight — with one of the brothers receiving a laceration over the eye that needed medical attention. A Rescue team was called to transport him to the hospital. None of the stories told by the three were the same, and none wanted to press charges. All were intoxicated.
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Daughter was sent a text message by her Dad, telling her to return the many items missing from his home within the following two hours or the Police would be called. Daughter did not return anything. Dad reported a large number of items missing from his home, and told Police he suspected Daughter’s boyfriend would be trying to pawn the items in Jacksonville. Dad’s suspicion proved correct. Boyfriend had pawned a considerable number of the items a day earlier. The case was turned over to the Investigations Unit.
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“Battery, Disorderly Intoxication and Trespassing (Occupied Structure)” were the charges that came out of a reported fight at a local bar. Details, as reported, involved a client harassing the DJ, spilled drinks, yelling, vomiting on the bar, profanity, two people (bartender and manager) being struck in the face by the Accused — and the Accused claiming his arm was broken by the security guard. EMT’s on the scene examined the Accused’s arm and advised it wasn’t broken. Medical assistance was refused by the bartender and manager. Accused went off to jail.
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Victim reported that his neighbor sprayed him with pepper spray and then tried to stab him with scissors. Victim did not call Police to have his Neighbor arrested, but rather to seek medical help for her. Neighbor, when interviewed, realized what she had done, and felt she was having a mental breakdown. Fire and Rescue were called, and Neighbor willingly went with them to receive voluntary treatment.
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Personnel at the store where Citizen thought she had left her purse were able to advise her that video cameras showed she had left the store with her purse over her shoulder. Though Citizen hadn’t gotten out of the car between store and home, she went ahead and cancelled her debit card, anyway, because the purse still hadn’t been found by the next day.
Editor’s Note: After a career in adult education, where writing, course design and development were her “beat”, Deborah now enjoys the world of freelancing, and volunteering. Deborah often covers the police beat for the Fernandina Observer in addition to writing various profiles. We thank Deborah for her many contributions.
November 7, 2013 11:30 p.m.