Article Contributed on: 12/28/2008 11:15:40 PM
YourHub.com is looking back at the most memorable blotter items from 2008. To read a roundup of the best blotter from around the metro area or to find your local reports, click here.
January
Littleton Police
MAN ARRESTED FOR PASSING PHONY CHECK
Littleton police were dispatched to King Soopers at 100 Littleton Blvd. on a report of a man trying to pass a phony check at 10:34 p.m. Jan. 12. An officer spoke to a security officer at the store who said a man came in and wanted to purchase several gift cards and wanted $100 back in cash. The checker spotted the phony check and the manager came over and asked the man for some identification. The man showed the manager a driver's license with another man's picture on it and quickly left the store and got into a red car driven by a woman. Police were given a description of the car and found it in the parking lot of a K-Mart at 200 W. Belleview Ave. a short time later. An officer spoke to the female driver of the car who said that the passenger was her husband and he had been making large purchases, but she was unsure how he was paying for them. The driver also said that her husband had recently been released from jail and was "on the run" from a drug treatment center. The man was arrested and several electronics in the car were booked into evidence. When the man was searched prior to his arrest, officers found a bag of suspected methamphetamine in his coat pocket.
February
Littleton Police
TWO MEN STEAL CAR OFF LOT
Littleton police responded to a report of a car stolen from McDonald Automotive, 6060 S. Broadway, at 7:03 p.m. Feb. 25. A 30-year-old salesman told the officer he saw two men looking at a 2004 Hyundai Azera in the parking lot. The salesmen approached the men and one of them asked the salesman if he could start the car to see how it sounded. Both men got in the car and quickly accelerated out of the parking lot onto South Broadway. The car is valued at about $21,000 and has seven-star dual prong wheels. Littleton police had no suspects at the time of the report.
March
Littleton Police
CAR THEFT CONFESSION
Littleton Police officers were sent to the 4900 block of South Prince Street on March 27 on a report of man who wore a brown coat breaking into cars. When the officers arrived a man told them he had caught a man rummaging through his truck. When he confronted him, the man ran away. The officers searched the area and found the 23-year-old man hiding under a tree. The officers asked the man why he was flushed and out of breath and he said, "Well, when the police are chasing after you for something..." and stopped. Police searched the man and found two bottles of prescription medication that belonged to someone else and a four gigabyte flash drive in his pocket. An officer called the rightful owner of the medication, who told police the pills and flash drive were previously in his car. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.
April
Sheridan Police
COPPER STOLEN FROM CONSTRUCTION SITE
A man reported to Sheridan Police several large pieces of copper had been stolen from a construction site on the 3600 block of South Riverpoint Parkway on April 14. The copper is valued at several thousand dollars. Sheridan police had no suspects at the time of the report.
May
Greenwood Village Police
MAN JUMPED, ROBBED
Greenwood Village Police responded to a report of a man being dragged by a car near the intersection of South Boston Street and East Cagey Avenue at 7:11 p.m. April 23. When the officer arrived at the scene he found a man lying in the street near the intersection of South Boston Street and Arapahoe Road. The man was conscious and breathing and had numerous scrapes and cuts on his body. The man told the officer he was walking home from the light rail station when two men in a van pulled over and "jumped" him, took some chains from around his neck and stole his cell phone. The men tried to drive away but the victim reached into the van and began punching the driver while holding on to the steering wheel. The driver accelerated and the man fell off the van and onto the street. Greenwood Village police found the van a short time later and found the victims' stolen property in the possession of the occupants. The two men in the van were arrested.
June
Sheridan Police
GENERATOR THEFT GOES AWRY
Sheridan Police responded to a report of a theft at 11:57 p.m. May 26, in the area of South Santa Fe Drive and West Oxford Avenue. When officers arrived they spoke with security guards who told them that two suspects in a blue Ford truck had stolen a large generator on wheels and attempted to crash the truck through the security fence. The truck got stuck in the fence and the suspects ran away leaving the truck and the generator behind. Sheridan Police found the suspects a short time later hiding under a nearby bridge. Officers arrested the two men and took them to the Arapahoe County Detention Facility on suspicion of theft and trespassing.
July
Sheridan Police
HABITUAL OFFENDER ARRESTED; DRIVER UNCOOPERATIVE
Sheridan Police Officers pulled a car over for reckless driving at 2:30 a.m. July 18. The driver initially tried to elude the officers, but eventually pulled over. The officer smelled alcohol on the female driver's breath. The woman gave the officer a fake name, and the officer eventually determined the woman's real name. The woman is listed as a habitual traffic offender and refused to cooperate with the officer DUI investigation. The officer arrested the woman.
August
Greenwood Village Police
CONCERT BREAST FLASHING REPORTED
Police responded to a report of female concert goers baring their breasts for video images shown on a jumbo screen at the Motley Crew concert at Fiddler's Green, 6350 S. Greenwood Plaza Circle on July 27. Police told crew members to stop the video feed to the screen. On July 28, one concert attendee complained about the incident to police, saying children in the audience witnessed the video nudity. No formal charges were filed, a report stated, but an incident report was completed as documentation for later liquor license reviews.
September
Arapahoe County Sheriff
BEETLE CLOCKED AT 115 MPH
While working traffic enforcement near the 7600 block of northbound I-25, an Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputy clocked a gray Volkswagen Beetle traveling at approximately 115 mph at about 3:38 p.m. Sept. 1. The deputy turned on his sirens and lights and attempted to catch the vehicle, but when the vehicle didn't yield he broke off the pursuit and advised dispatch of the Beetle's last known location. As the deputy approached the 6700 block of I-25, several motorists indicated the Beetle had exited the highway at Arapahoe Road. The deputy exited and noticed the Beetle had struck the center median dividing the northbound on and offramps, and the deputy caught the driver, a 27-year-old man, as he was running through a shopping center parking lot at the 6900 block of South Clinton Street. As other deputies responded to the scene they were advised a 26-year-old woman had moved the car off the road and into the parking lot of a La Quinta Inn at 9009 E. Arapahoe Road. Both the driver and the passenger were taken to the hospital where they were examined and released with no injuries. The man was taken to the Arapahoe County jail where he was charged on suspicion of vehicular eluding, driving under the influence, reckless driving and driving under restraint. His bond was set at $10,000.
October
Greenwood Village Police
WRONG NUMBER NOT A BOMB THREAT
Officers were dispatched to Colorado Technical University, 5775 DTC Blvd., about 9:05 a.m. Sept. 19 on report of a possible bomb threat. A receptionist told officers a male caller asked "Did I beat the bomb?" and hung up when asked to clarify. School officials initiated an evacuation of the building as a precaution. Investigating officers checked phone records and were able to identify the caller. He explained he had been calling a radio station contest titled "Beat the bomb" to try to win a prize and had dialed the school by mistake. Officers verified the information and listed the bomb threat as unfounded.
November
Greenwood Village Police
BURGLAR LEFT A BEER, STOLE SEVERAL
Police investigated a burglary at a residence on East Progress Circle reported about 6:40 a.m. Nov. 10. The resident said an alarm sounded about 1:15 a.m. and he found a garage service door was ajar and closed it. Later in the morning, he found a refrigerator in the garage was open and some beer bottles were missing. One half-empty beer bottle which did not belong to the resident, had been left on the patio. Four unopened beers and an electronic cable were discovered left in the grass east of the residence, police said.
December
Littleton Police
RESTAURANT HAND GRENADE NOT REAL
Littleton police evacuated two restaurants On Dec. 7 after a possible explosive device was left on a table at one of them. An employee at Merle's Restaurant, 2609 W. Main St., found the device and brought it to the owner, who took it outside and notified police. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office bomb squad was called to the scene and Merle's Restaurant and Opus Restaurant 2575 W. Main St., were evacuated. The device, which looked like a hand grenade was removed by the bomb squad and later detonated and found to be not real.