Animal cruelty

Dec. 22 – A Shady Hill Circle man reported that a dog in the neighborhood appeared to be neglected. The man told police the dog is constantly chained in the back yard, "is never taken for walks, receives no human interaction, and most of the time does not have any food or water," the report said. The man said he and other neighbors had begun feeding the dog and told told police the dog had started to bark all day long.

Officers went over to the dog, which "was actually very friendly but started to cower as we approached prompting Ofc. Rodriguez to comment that the dog’s behavior indicated that he had been beaten," the report said.

Officers noted the dog appeared to be mildly malnourished and limping – and while the dog had a plastic dog house the bedding inside was thoroughly soaked due to recent rains.

"We also took note that the dog did not have any food or waer. Before leaving I gave the dog a dish of food and a bowl of water that I keep in my trunk. A copy of this report will be placed with the animal control officer for further investigation," the report said.

Criminal trespass

Dec. 21 – A Citgo employee reported that "three times per week for the last three weeks someone has been leaving a bag of trash next to the gas pumps."

The employee said she usually threw the garbage away, but this time went through it and "retrieved several pieces of identifying information," the report said. Information pulled from the garbage naming a woman and members of her family was entered into evidence and the case would be followed up.

Animal at large

Dec. 26 – A woman told police she and her husband were walking on Shady Oak Circle when a large lab ran by her and sideswiped her leg. Her husband caught the dog, she called the cops and they identified the dog as one that had run loose before. The owner was cited and given a court date.

Matter of record

Dec. 24 – An apparent sinkhole developed on Casey Drive on Christmas eve. Here’s what the report said: "On 12/24/07 at 1437 hours, I responded to a cave in of the roadway. This right across from 74 Casey Drive. I located the area and found it to be a large cave in of an area at least 6’x 6’ and you could see back in up under the concrete quite a distance. I contacted Rick with OMI who sent employees out to take care of it. They put out signs and barrels and some kind of grate over the hole. Cpl. Kennedy stood by until OMI completed their operations. Case taken over by OMI. "

Traffic offenses

Dec. 24 – An officer pulled over a pickup on Hwy. 144 near Timber Trail because the pickup was towing a trailer without a tag. It turned out that wasn’t the only problem, according to the police report. The man’s driver’s license also was suspended. He was arrested and allowed to post a cash bond. His vehicle was later released to a driver with a valid license.

Burglary

Dec. 23 – The A-1 motel on Hwy. 17 was reportedly burglarized by someone who busted the rear window to the office and took $400. No evidence was found at the scene.

Property damage

A Richmond Hill woman told police she was driving through the Hampton Inn parking lot when her vehicle "slid across some standing water, causing the vehicle to strike the curb," the report said. The woman’s vehicle had some damage to the front right wheel.

Assist motorist

Dec. 26 – An officer provided traffic control at Hwy. 144 and Frances Meeks Way while a driver waited for a wrecker to tow his truck and trailer. The man told the officer he was driving over the railroad tracks when his trailer came loose from his truck and damaged the left rear wheel and tire.

Harassing phone calls

Dec. 27 – An officer was sent to a Belle Grove Court address, where the complainant said she was getting repeated calls from a woman she didn’t know. The complainant was on the phone with the woman when the officer arrived.

"I spoke to the subject and she asked me was I black and if I was (the complainant’s) husband.," the officer reported. "I then asked her who she was and where did she live, shortly after I was hung up on. The subject called again before I left and this time I let her know she was on the phone with a police officer. I was hung up on again."

The complainant did not file a report.

Criminal trespass

Dec. 26 – An officer was sent to Evergreen Oak Drive on a criminal trespass call. When he got there, he spoke to a man who said someone "removed an inflatable Santa Claus from his front yard and also pushed over some candy cane decorations in the same area."

The man found the deflated Santa in a nearby yard. He was given a case number.