Randomocity

West Volusia crime news

‘The recession made me do it, officer’
A Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a car in Deltona Feb. 22. When the car failed to stop, the deputy followed it to the driver’s home. The deputy smelled pot, and checked out the car. He found about a half-pound of pot, scales and small plastic bags. The driver said he was selling pot because he was out of work. The driver was arrested for fleeing and eluding a police officer, possession with intent to distribute, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

New way to stuff your bra
When deputies pulled over a car, they discovered the driver’s license was suspended. While deputies were talking to the driver, they observed a bag of marijuana partially hidden in the driver’s bra. She also had pills on her, Lortab and Roxicodone. The driver was arrested.

Cars get ‘MOBbed’
Vehicles were vandalized at three homes in DeBary.
A DeBary resident reported unknown suspects spray-painted the word “MOB” on her vehicle, with black paint, on Feb. 20.
On Feb. 21, a woman had her tag number obscured with black spray paint.
Also Feb. 21, at a third DeBary home, three vehicles were damaged: A 2000 Ford pickup had “MOB” spray-painted on the right rear fender in black, a 1990 Chevrolet van had “MOB” painted on it and the license tag painted over in black spray paint, and a 2003 Chevrolet Impala had the license tag painted over in black spray paint.
The Sheriff’s Office has no suspects and no witnesses, and does not have any lead on the meaning, in this case, of the word “MOB.”
“I am not aware of any leads concerning ‘MOB’ at this time. Without further evidence, any guesses as to the letters’ meaning would be pure conjecture,” said Brandon Haught, Sheriff’s Office public-information officer.

Sprinkler-stealing spree?
A Seville man called deputies Feb. 24 when an unknown person broke into his shed and stole several brass sprinklerheads and fittings. The value of the sprinklers and fittings was about $3,000.
And, in Wellington Woods in DeLand, a city employee reported bronze sprinklers were stolen.

Deputy hits poodle
Feb. 24, a deputy was driving his Volusia County Sheriff’s Office patrol car on Lakeview Drive. He stopped to ask a bystander a question. As the deputy was leaving, the bystander’s unleashed toy poodle ran out into the roadway and under the rear tire of the deputy’s car. The dog was injured, but alive at last report. There was no damage to the car, the deputy or the bystander. Animal control was notified about the unleashed dog.

House fire and voices
Deputies responded in reference to a house fire Feb. 24.
While on scene, the reporting person advised that, earlier in the day, a man had made some strange statements and was upset over a recent separation. The man was dressed in all black, wearing a helmet and a long coat or cape. The man indicated he was going to go find the person from which he was estranged, because the voices told him to do so.
A request for a well-being check for the man was sent to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. An area check met with negative results. A be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) bulletin was issued for the man for a Baker Act evaluation.
The fire marshall is investigating the house fire.
— Jen Horton

West Volusia crime news

Drinking and tree trimming a bad combo
Two DeLand men were drinking and trimming trees Feb. 18. While Guy 1 was on a ladder, Guy 2 pulled down Guy 1’s pants. Guy 1 was so angry he went inside and grabbed a knife and a shotgun. He cut Guy 2 on the hand, and held him on the ground, with the shotgun pressed to his back. Guy 2 escaped and called 9-1-1. Guy 1 refused to come outside when deputies from the Sheriff’s Office arrived, but eventually surrendered. Guy 1 was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and resisting an officer without violence.

Good deed punished
On Feb. 21, a DeLand Good Samaritan picked up a guy stuck on the side of the road holding a gas can. The Samaritan took the man to a gas station, and then drove him back and dropped him off at his car. Later, the Good Samaritan realized a laptop computer was missing from his truck.

Had to go
In Deltona, a juvenile was arrested Feb. 20 for pushing and biting another person after an argument over the bathroom.

He took a free ride
A Deltona auto-parts-store employee was arrested Feb. 19 for stealing merchandise. The employee also let his friends come in the store and take things without paying, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He got taken for a ride
On Feb. 19, an Orange City man told Sheriff’s Office deputies he had responded to a classified ad on craigslist for a motorcycle for sale. The man said he sent a moneygram for $2,850 to an Orlando address, but never received the motorcycle. The address turned out to be a CVS drugstore.

He’ll blow up
A man called 9-1-1 from a DeLand convenience store and told the dispatcher he was going to use a bomb to blow himself up. Deputies arrived and arrested the man, who did not have a bomb. The Sheriff’s Office noted the man had been released from prison recently, after serving time for making the same type of call from a convenience store down the street.
— Jen Horton

West Volusia Crime News

Bad server!
A waitress at a DeLand restaurant added a $10 tip to a man’s credit card receipt — without the customer’s consent. The man did not pursue charges, but the restaurant management told police the waitress would be fired.

Bad customer!
In a DeBary bar, a man pulled a knife on a bar employee. The man was arrested for aggravated assault, which, according to Florida Statute 784.021, is a third-degree felony, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in jail.

Not nailed down
A DeBary woman called the Sheriff’s Office after she found two cars in her driveway had been burglarized. Thieves took a child’s karate gear, a bowling ball and bowling shoes, an Ipod and $30 worth of cigarettes. The vehicles were unlocked. There were no witnesses, and there are no suspects.

No news is bad news
News will be a tiny bit harder to get in Enterprise. Deputies found two newspaper boxes abandoned on the side of the road. Thieves had pried open the boxes to get to the change. (Fortunately, they weren’t Beacon boxes.)

Couldn’t get their motors running?
Thieves broke into two DeLand businesses off Spring Garden Road over the Valentine’s Day weekend. A car battery was stolen from a vehicle at each crime scene.

Shooting
A DeLand man was shot in the leg Feb. 16 at Heritage Estates. The suspect fled the area in a vehicle. No further information was made available by law enforcement.

If you have information about a crime, call Crime Stoppers, 1-888-277-TIPS. Visit www.beacononlinenews.com for more crime reports.

— Jen Horton

Crime news from around West Volusia

Three churches hit in five days
On Feb. 5, a suspect entered a residence owned by Trinity Methodist Church in DeLand. The person entered through the garage, and broke a window to get in the building. A refrigerator and an oven were stolen from inside, and a heat pump was stolen from outside.
On Feb. 9, an unknown suspect used a rock to break the front window of Temple Baptist Church in Deltona.
The next day, Feb. 10, someone threw a brick through the window of Inglesia Puerta Del Cielo in Deltona, which caused the burglar alarm to go off. There was no indication the intruder entered the church or took any property.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Spokesman Gary Davidson said there have been no arrests in any of the cases, and there are no suspects. He also said it is difficult to tell if the church cases are related, but it seems unlikely.

Valentine’s Day a little hot in Deltona
On Feb. 14, instead of handing out flowers and chocolate, someone set a garbage can on fire outside the cafeteria of Spirit Elementary School in Deltona. There was no structural damage.
Earlier in the day, Volusia County Fire Services responded to a car fire in Deltona. A witness said he saw two people run away from the vehicle before it caught fire. When contacted, the car owner said the car had been stolen.

Rain causes truck to fall
An empty nitrogen tanker truck tipped over and “rested” on a second trailer — which was also empty — Feb. 12 at the DeBary power plant. The Sheriff’s Office reported the tanker overturned because of ground softening due to the rain.

Snoring leads to arrest
In unincorporated DeLand, a woman was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly pouring water on and slapping a man. The woman told deputies she was upset because the man had been drinking and was snoring too loud

Dognapped
A resident of unincorporated DeLand came home to find a window pried open in her home, and her dogs missing. The dogs were a pitbull-and-boxer mix, and a red chow.

Really wanted a smoke
Two men entered an Orange City convenience store and stole $35,000 worth of cigarettes and $1,200 worth of ephedrine.

If you have any information about a crime, call  Crime Stoppers, 1-888-277-TIPS. You can remain anonymous, and may be eligible for a reward.

— Jen Horton

Howdy ya’ll. The Beacon has a new crime-news column, compiled by yours truly. It’s in the vein of Fun With The Police Logs, but a little more serious and, I dunno, grown-up.

I’ll post the Off the Beats on here twice each week. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and feel free to snark away and point out your idiot of the day.

Have fun,

Jen