- December 4, 2025
Also: Patrol car used as bike ramp and thieves deserve privacy too
April 12
May I borrow your car, and $500?
1:53 p.m. — 100 Block of Fairway Drive. Stolen Vehicle. The victim said that when he and his wife got up that morning, they noticed their car was still in the driveway but had been moved. It was in the center, instead of being parked over to the right.
Upon entering the vehicle, they noticed a cigarette smell and that the driver’s seat was pulled all the way up. They checked the center console and saw that $500 and an I-Pod were missing. The floor mats were full of sand and the exterior of the car was filthy with dirt.
The victim’s wife said the I-Pad was a gift from the victim and that on the back it had the words, “To my love Sarah,” or “To my wife Sarah.”
The victim said he possibly left the car unlocked, and he keeps a valet key in the center console. It appeared as if the vehicle was stolen and then returned. Looking at the amount of gas that was left, the victim estimated the car was driven about 50 miles.
April 16
Might as well jump
4:18 p.m. — 400 Block of North Nova Road. Vandalism. A witness called police about a patrol car, parked at Nova Community Center, being vandalized by a small group of male juveniles. She said they were jumping their bikes onto the car.
The patrol car had been placed there as a “ghost car” to slow down drivers going through the park.
The witness said that as she was leaving the park with her son, she saw a suspect jump his BMX-style bicycle onto the passenger side of the car. She said there were at least five males in their mid-teens around the car, but she could only give a brief description of the suspect who jumped his bike on the car.
The officer checked the surveillance camera at the park, but was told by an employee that he could not view the tape at that time because something was not working right. He asked her to contact him when it could be viewed.
The officer saw a dent and scratches in the right-front quarter panel. There were black tire marks all over the hood, grill and bumper area. The car was towed to a city facility.
April 14
A taxing situation
5:07 p.m. — First Block of Brookwood Drive. Fraud. The victim attempted to file her taxes electronically but she was notified that her e-file was rejected. She tried to file two more times, and both attempts were rejected.
She called the website that she used to file the taxes, and a spokesman told her there was no reason why her tax form should be rejected. He told her to ask the IRS.
She called the IRS and spoke to a person in the Identity Theft department. He informed her that a tax form had already been filed with her social security number, and a refund was issued. When asked for specifics, such as how the form was filed, the official said he couldn’t disclose any information due to the Privacy Act. He said she should contact the local police department.
The next day, she received a packet from the IRS saying her tax form was being audited. The packet had been mailed before she had made her first attempt to file her taxes. The packet contained her name and social security number, but listed a different address. The tax form listed claims, such as dependent children, that she did have on her tax form.
She notified her bank of potential identity theft, but no other incidents have occurred.
