CRIME NEWS: Keller's Glen Crime Update (From Our Next Door Neighbors at Stonehaven)

Forwarded to the neighborhood by Chris:

From: Linda Lee Davis [mailto:lindalee@carolina.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:24 PM

This is a lengthy newsletter but please be sure to read all of it. The bottom portion is an update with some tips from our area Sergeant.

We have recently had “college kids” going door to door selling magazine subscriptions. The guys claimed to be selling magazines for UNC and had no information such as ID cards, shirts, etc. for UNC. Even if a person comes to your door and shows an ID card be extremely careful as they are easily made on a computer and that if someone claims to represent a particular organization, they should call that organization or tell the person to leave a card or other info. on their porch and if they were interested they would call the organization.

Another was a black female, who was pregnant, in her teens or early 20's. She was working for the outfit that recruits homeless people in a northern city, sends them south with a promise of work, puts them up in a hotel for a few days, then sends them out on the street selling magazines. At pre-determined time they send a van out to collect them all taking the money they've collected that day. Then, after a few days they send them out selling the magazines, but never show up in the van to take them back to the hotel and the people become homeless in the city to which they were taken.

This seems to occur every year so please be aware. Brian Lutes, our young neighborhood retired police officer, was called both times and went to investigate. The above information came from him. Please use him for any suspicious activity as he is nearby and can help until the police arrive. Another incident involving magazine sales is this. There are 2 young kids going around the neighborhood selling magazines...it's a scam. Would you forward to the neighborhood watch group?

This is the exact story the kids told me and I found out it's a scam on:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/426/RipOff0426207.htm

A 'kid' (claimed to be 23) came to the door selling magazine subscriptions. Claimed to be attending college after serving in Iraq and being discharged after being shot with multiple medical issues... 'parents live around the corner and my neighbor recommended that I was a nice person and would likely help.' Claimed he is pursuing a degree in journalism with the opportunity to study abroad in England with the BBC... Offered to donate subscriptions to soldiers in Iraq when I told him I didn't have time to read them... even had a 'list' of soldiers and their addresses. After 6 weeks and no magazine (my school age son asks me daily where his magazines are), I find this site and realize there will never be any magazines. Called customer service number multiple times... never get to a person.

Brian also said that whenever we notice a vehicle in the neighborhood that is one we don’t recognize and seems out of place or just doesn’t feel right in our gut to note the license plate number if possible and get a look at the person/people in the car. Often times they can be linked back to a crime that may occur and having that info handy can help track the criminals down. Also remember if they really give you a bad feeling call 911 about suspicious persons and they will be happy to come and investigate. Brian Lutes at 980-253-4972


The following is from Sergeant Venn:

Greetings,

Welcome to the Independence Division, Response Area 2 monthly community letter. Please check the Independence Division Response Area map at www.cmpd.org/Patrol to see which area you’re in. If you’re not in area 2, contact either Sergeant Rod Farley, RA 1 or Sergeant Rosanne DeTommaso, RA3 to sign up for that area’s letter. I’ll be sending a letter monthly – by email, to
residents and businesses in the Independence Division RA 2. Ask your neighbors to contact me – gvenn@cmpd.org, their Response Area Commander, or the Independence Division office at 704.841.1477, if they’d like to get on board.

First, I would like to introduce myself. I am Gregory Venn, Response Area Commander for Independence Division, Response Area 2. I have been with CMPD for almost 25 years. I have been a Law Enforcement Officer for 31 years (Michigan and Colorado) prior to joining the Charlotte Police Department. The Response Area Team also includes: 14 Patrol Officers, 2 Community Coordinators, 1 Detective, 1 Traffic Officer and 4 Focus Mission team members. All of these officers are part of the team that primarily work the crime trends, issues and answers 911 calls in your neighborhoods.

Burglary/Robbery Prevention Checklist

• Keep the area around your house well lit.
• Have a wide-angle door viewer (peephole) in your front door so you can see who is at the door.
• Always acknowledge a caller at your door to determine who they are and what they want.
• Some burglars ring the door bell, and if there is no answer, they break in.
• Do not open your door to anyone you do not know.
• Secure any sliding glass doors. Put a steel rod in the door channel. Install 2 or 3 screws in the overhead track to reduce the chance of the door being lifted out of the track.
• Complete a home inventory list, complete with photos or video. Store this list in a secure location, preferably away from home.
• Participate in Operation Identification - engrave your driver’s license number on your property. Burglars do not want marked merchandise.
• Keep bushes and trees well trimmed. Thick, tall shrubbery provides hiding places for burglars.
• Make sure that the locks on your doors and windows are strong and secure and use them.
• Consider into installing a burglar alarm system.
• Display “warning” signs. If you have a dog or alarm system display signs that say you do.
• Never leave a house key in an obvious place such as a mailbox or under a doormat.
• Be careful with your keys. Put your house and car keys on separate key rings.
• Have a security plan for when you are on vacation. Ask a trusted neighbor to pick up the mail, etc.
• Be wary of wrong numbers and teach children what to say to strangers on the phone.
• Know the steps to take if your home is burgled.

More information on how to secure your residence can be found at www.cmpd.org or you can
contact the community coordinator in your area and they can assist you.

Crime Trends

We continue to see in increase in Larceny From Autos and Auto Thefts. Arrests have been made in some of these cases. Larceny from Auto is one main problem we are seeing in our Response Area. You can help us reduce these numbers and keep yourself from being a victim of a Larceny From and Of Auto by following some basic rules:

Always lock your vehicle – a large number of these, the victims report leaving their vehicles unlocked. Do not leave any items in plain view. Example: Leaving your GPS suctioned to the window, your iPod sitting on the front seat, your pocket book, book bag, etc in plain view. Please take these items with you.

Crime Prevention

One of the ways for officers to positively identify stolen items is by make, model and serial number. If you purchased a new item like a computer, GPS, iPod or Flat Screen TV, write down the make, model and serial number of these items and any other item of value and keep that list in safe place. For example, I record my serial numbers in a file on my computer for convenience, but I also keep a copy in my records just in case my computer is stolen. It isn't important where or how you record your serial numbers, it is important that you do record them and have them accessible should you need to provide them to police. Also, please remember to lock all doors to your house and cars when away from such.

Lindalee
704-367-1328
www.stonehaveninfo.com

CRIME NEWS: From A Neighboring Community

Forward to the community by Chris:


From: Linda Lee Davis [mailto:lindalee@carolina.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 5:18 PM

I received the following alert from a family on the 1400 block of Redcoat;

At about 11 am on Monday, Jan 5. a prowler was in our back yard looking in the window. He had opened the gate to enter the back yard and left it open. We had no car in the driveway but wife was home. She startled the prowler looking in the back bathroom window and he ran off. Police came and advised to keep doors and windows locked and call if anything further happens.

The description is a bald black man in his twenties. He was medium height and build. He has an oval face with caramel colored skin. He was wearing a puffy winter navy blue coat with tan lining. He had blue jeans and light tan work boots.

Also this article link was forwarded to me from one of our Community Officers regarding crime being up nationally and 8 things you can do to help protect your home:

http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16011410&GT1=35000

Lindalee

CRIME NEWS: Hampton Leas Home Break In 12/16/08

Forward to the community by Chris:

From: L Vilh [mailto:charlotte.chocolate@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:42 AM
Subject: Hampton Leas Home Break In 12/16/08

we have been invaded again! This happened yesterday, Tuesday, Dec. 16th details follow;

Between 10 a.m. and 12 noon today the Lyle’s home was broken into and robbed – 2226 Hamilton Mill Road. No one was home. The door into the kitchen was kicked in. Several items were stolen, including the wrapped gifts under the tree. The robbery was reported, and a police officer came out to talk to the family.

Take care,

Leslie Vilhelmsen

Follow-Up On High Water Bills

From Mindy:

Just as a follow up note regarding the high water bills…….the city has responded stating that there is not a leak and that someone is indeed using the water since the amount used went down after Jill unplugged/turned off the irrigation system last week.

Apparently the system was set to run all night for the past few months – I’m not sure of the frequency.

Therefore we do indeed owe the City of Charlotte $1,367.83 for the past 4 months of usage.

I think it is in our best interest to either a) keep the system unplugged indefinitely or b) have Jill be responsible for setting the timer/locking the box so that it cannot be tampered with going forward…..

NEWS: Chief Monroe's Independence Division Community Meeting

Chris forwarded the following from Captain Davis:

Subject: Chief Monroe's Independence Division Community Meeting
Importance: High

Greetings, First of all, I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

For a bit of good news, Independence Division’s crime rate is down 4% overall and down 6% for property crimes. I am hopeful that we will achieve additional reductions in each category by the end of the year. Please be assured that we are working diligently to achieve those goals.

I would like to make everyone aware of Chief Monroe’s community meeting for Independence Division. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, 2009, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., at Garr Memorial Church which is located at 7700 Wallace Rd., Charlotte, NC, 28212. Light refreshments will be served. I strongly encourage you to attend. I will be sending a reminder email several days before the meeting.

During the meeting, you will have the opportunity to interact with me, the response area commanders (RACs), community coordinators, and other division personnel. Additionally, Chief Monroe will address the audience and take questions.

If you have any questions about the meeting or Independence Division in general, please contact Sgt. Dan Merwin at 704-841-1477 or dmerwin@cmpd.org.

Best regards,

Captain Pete Davis

CRIME NEWS: Additional Info On Recent Crimes

Chris forwarded the following:

Here is some additional information sent to me from a friend in Bellingrath:

I hate to send another email on this but I spoke with a police officer (Officer Kitchens - he and his partner Officer Whitesill are responsible for our neighborhood) from the South division today regarding the recent break-ins around Southpark. There was a break-in in the Morrocroft area today. A security system was set off. The security company called the house and got no answer, so they called a neighbor. The neighbor went over to the house to investigate and apparently was shot at as the suspects fled the house. I don't believe that anyone was hurt.

Officer Kitchens reiterated that you should call 911 if you see something suspicious and that you should make sure that you quickly acknowledge your presence to anyone who comes to your door. These guys don't want a confrontation and will move on to a house with no one in it. The suspects are 3 African-American males and they are driving SUV's - they used 2 SUV's at Morrocroft, one of which they believe was a stolen Acura from Wednesday. He went on to say that these crimes are happening between 7am and 3pm and that everyone should inspect the locks on their doors, particularly back doors. He recommended upgrading locks/jambs with systems designed specifically to thwart kick-ins. He said the door of the Morrocroft home was particularly weak and that it did not take much force to break down the door.

CRIME NEWS: 3 Break-Ins in Our General Area

Chris forwarded the following to the neighborhood email list. No other specifics were provided, but please be aware of the methods used.

Today between the hours of 11:00am-2:00pm three black males driving a silver Nissan Morano with a SC tag broke into three homes. The homes were in the Montibello, Mountain Brook, and Stonecroft communities. These are all neighborhoods that are very close to ours.

The suspects rang the doorbell several times and when no one answered they went around back and pulled the power box off the house and broke in. The houses were ransacked and large screen TV's and jewelry were taken.

At one of the houses a lady saw the suspects standing at the door and they rang the doorbell 9 times and she ran and hid in the shower. She stayed inside there until they left.

My advice to everyone is make your presence known, not by answering the door, but yell through the door or go to the window with the phone at your ear acting as if you are talking to someone.

Be vigilant and take notice of what you see, call 911 with the best description you can and most importantly get a tag number and write it down do not try and remember it. Please pass this on to your neighbors. There was also a Turquoise Acura MDX that was taken during the break-ins they may be switching cars to continue their crime spree.

--
David Hindin
President

HOA NEWS: December Homeowner's Meeting

From Jill:

Hello! Hope everything is enjoying their preparations for all the upcoming holidays! I wanted to update you on our latest Home Owner's Meeting. It was pretty brief but we discussed the election of a new treasurer. Mindy Evans is looking to step down so if you are interested please email Mindy at mevans@gulfstreammgmt.com. I also will be looking to step down from my position sometime this winter or upcoming spring because of personal reasons. If you are interested in taking over the president position please email me at jillgtan@gmail.com.

Mindy had also provided a financial overview of where the money has gone this year. We discussed the high water bills that we have been receiving lately. We are assuming this is related to the construction that was done in early fall or that our irrigation system was set to run throughout the night. The irrigation system has been turned off and unplugged for the time being. We will be monitoring our future water bills to see if this problem continues. Mindy has already filed with the City of Charlotte a high bill claim. We will keep you informed about this topic as information arises.

A progressive cocktail/appetizer night was proposed. We discussed having a few different houses to host cocktails, appetizers, and desserts. Everyone in the neighborhood is welcome to come. We are looking to hold this in either January or February. We will need members to be on this committee to organize this event. If you are interested in planning or volunteering your house please respond to this email. After I have received responses from members of the community I will send out another email so the committee can meet and plan the event.

The last thing that was discussed was some members of the communities desire to belong to a neighborhood pool. It was proposed that we talk to communities near Keller's Glen to see if other communities would be willing to allow members of our community to use their pool (for a set fee). This will be voluntary for members of Keller's Glen. However, I would like to see if anyone is interested in this idea. We would need to have enough members of the community interested in order to propose the idea to another neighborhood.

Please feel free to email me with any other questions, comments, or concerns. Hope everyone has a great holiday and a happy new year!

Jill Tan
jillgtan@gmail.com
704-264-1237

REMINDER: Community Safety Meeting, 12/11

Chris forwarded the following to the email list:

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 8:38 PM
Subject: 'Community Safety' Meeting

CMPD will be holding a 'Community Safety' Meeting at the Bishops Ridge Clubhouse (6001 Chalyce Lane) on Thursday, December 11th at 6:30 pm. Officer Brent Helms, among other officers, will be attending. Helms is our 'community coordinator.'

Please try to attend and help us present a united front as we try to curb the escalation of crime in our neighborhoods!

Thank you.

Marie Wilkinson
Bishops Ridge

Theft Prevention Suggestions & Other News From The CMPD

I forwarded the following message to the email list:

from CMPD - Providence Division <govdelivery@cmpd.org>
date Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 2:37 PM
subject Car thefts and Recent e-mails

Recent Car Thefts and Circulating E-Mails

Recent Auto Thefts

Did you know a vehicle is stolen every 20 seconds in the United States? Did you know 12 vehicles are stolen every day in Mecklenburg County? (Per cmp.org)

As the weather starts getting cooler and the mornings even colder, we would like to remind everyone about Car Thefts. Please do not start your car in the mornings and leave it to warm while you return inside to your residence or leave your vehicle running while inside of a business.

The Providence Division has had three vehicles stolen within the past week that were left running outside of a private residence. Due to the recent unusually cold weather more people may be tempted to try and warm their car while they remain indoors. This is a note of prevention for all of our residents, reminding you that leaving your vehicle running and unattended is a risky practice.

There is a city ordinance that prohibits a vehicle being left with the keys in the ignition in a public area. We also must remind you that if you do leave your vehicle running and unattended in a public vehicular area, such as a parking lot, you can receive a citation for violating that criminal offense. Please help us all to be safe and do your part by NOT leaving your vehicle unattended while running or with the keys in them at all.

Circulating E-mails

There has been an email circulating about an “attempted robbery at Eddie’s (restaurant) Cotswold”. This email contains inaccurate information. We wanted to send out the facts of the case and some helpful tips for everyone to learn from.

The incident referred to in the email did not happen in the Cotswold area and actually occurred at Ed’s Tavern in Dilworth- 2200 Park Rd. It occurred at few weeks ago - Thursday 11/20/2008. We do not know how the location and date changed.

Below is a brief synopsis of the actual incident from Park Road:

“On November 20, 2008 at 9:59 PM, Officers responded to the victim’s home in reference to an attempted armed robbery that had occurred earlier at Ed's Tavern (2200 Park Rd). The victim stated a black male attempted to rob her in the parking lot at that location.

The victim fled the scene and called 911 on the way to her home.

The victim stated she left Ed's Tavern around 9:45 PM and got into her vehicle and locked her doors. As the victim was starting her car, she heard a sound like someone trying to open the driver’s side door. The victim looked over and saw a black male pointing a gun at her while attempting to open her door. The victim advised she quickly ducked down and put the car in reverse and then put it in drive and sped away from the location. The suspect ran from the scene in an unknown direction.

The victim could only describe the suspect as a black male, about 25 years old wearing a green jacket that looked like an army jacket and a hood that had fur on the inside and not around the outside. She could not see his hair but stated he was clean shaven and did not have any outstanding physical features or marks that she could remember.”

The Providence Division has not had any further incidents like the one described above, since November 22nd. Park Road and the Dilworth neighborhood have received additional patrols from line officers as well as members of our Division’s Focused Mission Team.

Another email is circulating describing an incident that happened in the parking lot of the Harris-Teeter in the 1000 block of Providence Road. That email contained the information below:

Last night around 7:00pm, I entered Harris Teeter Express in Myers Park (corner of Providence and Providence) and a man sitting in the waiting area said "Happy Holidays!" and I said "Thank you." I walked out with my groceries and was parked far down the strip mall (in front of Wolfman Pizza). I put my groceries in the passenger side and got in my car. The man (unbeknownst to me) followed me to my car, opened the passenger's door and quickly attempted to get in and sit down. He realized the groceries were there, looked around the parking lot (while I was yelling for him to GET OUT!), and sat down again on top of the groceries and started closing the door. I honked my horn and made a scene and he fled through the parking lot and behind the bank before disappearing. I filed a police report.

Officer Rob Sprague was able to locate and speak with the woman involved in this incident. After speaking with her, he established that the subject did not make any threats toward her or any demands. He did not attempt to touch her or remove any of her property. The police were never contacted that evening. Although the man’s actions were understandably upsetting to this woman and alarming, nothing he did constitutes a criminal violation. No crime was committed.

Shortly after the incident, the man returned to the Harris-Teeter and sat back down. We have been in contact with the management of that store and Harris-Teeter’s corporate asset protection unit as well. We’ve been told that this man frequents the store and has never been any type of problem in the past. The staff of the store has been very cooperative and is planning to contact us whenever he next returns so he can be identified.

In both of these instances, the women did a few things that protected them and may have prevented the situations from potentially becoming worse.

The first woman IMMEDIATELY locked her car doors once she was seated inside her vehicle. This prevented the suspect from easily jumping in the car and robbing the victim. You should always do this no matter where you are. Criminals have attempted this act at red lights and stop signs as well. ALWAYS lock your car doors and leave your windows rolled up while operating your vehicles. Neither of these women was distracted by talking on a cell phone or looking at messages on their phones. They were aware of their surroundings and immediately saw the men close to them, which allowed them to react quickly to the situation. Try to avoid using your cell phone so that you can watch where you are walking and be aware of your surroundings when going to and from your vehicles.

The use of email to provide information to a large number of people in a short amount of time is a very useful tactic. However, it can also allow inaccurate information and rumor to spread like wildfire. Our office or your community officers can always be contacted in order to confirm or dispel information circulating by email.

Your respective community officers and their contact information can be located at http://www.cmpd.org/. Anyone with information about the crimes mentioned in the email, please call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Information can be left confidentially and anonymously.

Crime Prevention Community Meeting

Note forwarded to the email list by Chris:

From: Helms, Calvin B. [mailto:chelms@cmpd.org]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 1:05 PM
Subject: RE: Crime Prevention Community Meeting

We have a Holiday Community Safety meeting set for Thursday Dec 11 at 1830.

Mary Wilkinson will open the Bishop Ridge Clubhouse at 6:30 pm.

We will start at roughly 6:45 pm.

Be Safe!

OFFICER BRENT HELMS
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Independence Division Community Coordinator
9315-G Monroe Rd Charlotte, NC 28270
(o) 704-841-1477 (f) 704-841-1873
chelms@cmpd.org

REMINDER: Homeowner's Association Meeting

Mindy writes:

Please be reminded that our homeowner’s meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, December 2nd at 2335 Oberwood Drive at 7pm.

The meeting should be short, but please make an extra effort to attend as the treasurer position needs to be voted on.

Thanks!

UPDATE: Robbery "E-Lert"

From: Helms, Calvin B. [mailto:chelms@cmpd.org]
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 2:26 PM
Subject: "Robbery E-Lert"

During this time of year Armed Robberies become one of our focal points. It is our goal to strengthen the community through awareness in hopes to prevent your becoming a victim of a robbery. Please read the following safety tips and be safe!

Personal Safety Tips:


1. BE ALERT!! Know who is near you and what activities going on around you.

2. Walk with authority, look ahead and scan your surroundings.

3. Do not walk in poorly lit areas.

4. Avoid standing at a bus stop alone, especially at night.

5. If approached by someone in a car, change your direction and enter a crowded store or business.

6. Carry a cell phone and some type of safety device (i.e.: flashlight, whistle, pepper spray. etc.) when walking at night.

7. Be alert to someone who asks for directions and/or continues to engage you in conversation.

8. Obey all of the robber's orders.

9. Keep all communication with the robber short and simple. Don't argue!

1o. Be identification conscious. Observe your attacker's personal appearance, type of weapon used, and type of vehicle so you can accurately describe them to police.

Immediately report the incident to the police and do not hang up until the police arrive.

OFFICER BRENT HELMS
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Independence Division Community Coordinator
9315-G Monroe Rd Charlotte, NC 28270
(o) 704-841-1477 (f) 704-841-1873
chelms@cmpd.org

UPDATE: "E-Lert" Larceny from Auto

From: Helms, Calvin B. [mailto:chelms@cmpd.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 10:35 AM
Subject: "E-Lert" Larceny from Auto

Dear citizens,

Please review the below prevention tips regarding larceny from auto. There has been a recent increase in car break-ins which is common every year this time. Law abiding citizens are out shopping more, unfortunately, so are the criminals. Remember criminals will take the path of least resistance (easy targets). Please partnership with us to “Harden the Target”.

When you get out of your vehicle take a moment, put yourself in the mindset of the criminal and determine if there is any reason why you would break into your vehicle. If so, take an extra step to move, secure, hide items...etc. Before you place items such as a purse, computer, gifts etc. in the trunk, look around and make sure no one suspicious is watching you. Criminals will sit back away in a car and watch for there targets, or “Hunting”. If it doesn’t feel or look right, it’s probably not! We hope you have wonderful and safe Holidays!!

Larceny from Vehicles Transportation Safety Tips

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department would like your help! Don’t allow someone to remove your valuables from the inside of your vehicle. Please consider the following tips to prevent YOU from becoming a victim.

1. Always lock your doors and roll up your windows.

2. Never leave valuable items in your vehicle.

3. Store packages in the trunk of your vehicle while shopping.

4. Remove items such as telephones, ipods, purses, briefcase, backpack, cash and even loose change each time you leave your vehicle.

5. Park in well lit areas at night.

6. Park vehicle in the driveway rather than the street.

7. Consider a car alarm for added protection.

8. Call 911 if you see any suspicious activity.

ENCOURAGE YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS TO KEEP VALUABLES OUT OF THEIR VEHICLES AT HOME, WORK OR WHILE RUNNING ERRANDS.

CRIME NEWS: Crime In Our General Area

Email from the Giverny Neighborhood Watch forwarded to the KG email list by Chris:


Subject: Crime in our general area

Dear Giverny Neighbors,

The following email is about a crime that occurred Sunday night. I have abbreviated it in order to hide the identity of the victim. We all must take extra precautions in this economical climate and holiday season to avoid being vulnerable to crime. If you have to grocery shop at a late hour, always ask for help to your car. Keep your keys in your hand and be ready to throw them to avoid abduction and constantly be aware of your surroundings. Listen to your instincts and if you feel uncomfortable, quickly move to a safer location. Take extra precautions to be safe.

Karen Bailey
Giverny Neighborhood Watch


Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008

Hi, I just wanted to send out a note to let you know Shannon was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night at the Colony Place Harris Teeter parking lot at 9:55 PM. The burglar put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she did not give her cash and cards and pin number. She was driving the Honda Pilot and had the purse in the back so she had to get out and get it with a gun pointed at her. He did not physically harm her in any way, but she was frightened beyond belief. When she came home it was truly emotional. We were horrified by the experience and spent late Sunday night with police. It was reported by the Observer and the TV news stations as 3 burglaries with gun/knife happened between Metropolitan Trader Joes to Harpers at Southpark and Colony Place by a black man with dread locks within an hour. The thief was able to get $1,600 out of 3 different ATM machines and ended up at Gateway Village (edge of uptown on Trade and Cedar) for the final two ATM withdrawals.

PLEASE stay safe and be careful at dark and follow safer protocol than you have in the past. The police officer said these types of crimes are happening more and more in safe, non-crime areas because folks are getting more desperate in these tough times.

Shannon was honest and gave her actual pin number. The police officer said that is best practice because if you lie and get caught, it can be a bad thing. There have been reports of victims being taken to the ATM's to prove valid pin. I am sending this email so (1) you all know this has happened to Shannon and (2) so you have this education and can protect yourselves.