RICHMOND — At 5:19 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the Lexington Road Dollar General store to investigate a report of possible drug use in a vehicle.

“Upon arrival, the officer was met by a ‘good samaritan’ who reported that he had observed a female … slumped over in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a small child crying next to her,” according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock.

When the “good samaritan” attempted to rouse Deidri E. Taylor, 28, of Lexington Road, “she became aggressive and entered the Dollar General store carrying a can of compressed air/gas duster, leaving the infant behind,” the police reported stated.

That evening, it was 36 degrees outside, so the “good samaritan” took the 16-month-old girl to his vehicle to keep her warm until police arrived.

Meanwhile, Taylor had entered the restroom inside the store and the investigating officer said he could hear what sounded like an air duster being used.

The officer gained entry with a key after Taylor refused to open the door. She was found sitting on the toilet and appeared unresponsive, but as the officer approached, she struck him in the chest, the police report stated.

The officer was uninjured, and Taylor was arrested and transported to Baptist Health for medical clearance, according to the police report.

The child was unharmed and released to an adult relative.

Taylor was charged with abandonment of a minor, first-degree wanton endangerment and volatile substance abuse and detained at the Madison County Detention Center. She was released the following day after posting 10 percent of a $1,000 bond, according a jail employee.

Around the same time Saturday, officers pulled over Rhonda S. Crabtree, 34, of Maple Grove Road, and charged her with endangering a 1-year-old child.

Crabtree was stopped on South Third Street for erratic driving, according to the report.

The officer determined Crabtree was under the influence of an intoxicant other than alcohol, according to the police report.

She was arrested and charged with first-degree wanton endangerment, driving under the influence, no auto insurance, no registration plates and disregarding a traffic control device.

She was released Monday afternoon on a $1,000 bond.



Counterfeit $20 bills lead to arrest

An off-duty RPD officer was in Speedway on the Eastern Bypass around 10:40 a.m Friday when an officer was dispatched to investigate a report of a counterfeit bill being passed in the store.

Christopher K. Wray, 21, of Columbus, had attempted to pass a fake $20 bill, according to the police report. He was detained and four more counterfeit $20 bills were found in his possession, the report stated..  

Wray was charged with five counts of first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and lodged at the detention center in lieu of a $1,000 cash bond.  



Other forgery arrests

Saturday, Richmond police charged a Berea man, Anthony W. Johnson, 32, of Lester Street, in connection with the passing of stolen and forged checks.

On Feb. 7, a complainant reported his personal checkbook was missing, and two of the checks had been forged and cashed on Feb. 4 at Redi Mart at 1104 Berea Road.

An investigation identified Johnson as the person who passed the bogus checks and a warrant, charging him with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, was issued Feb. 8. The checks were written for $99.53 and $107.90.

The following day, police responded to the same Redi Mart where Johnson was allegedly attempting to cash another check, according to the police report.

Officers discovered the check Johnson was attempting to pass, for $115.10, also was forged and had been stolen from a vehicle in Berea shortly before his attempt to cash it, the report stated.

Johnson was arrested and police found a strip of Suboxone on his person, the report also stated.

In addition to the charges for which the warrant was issued, Johnson was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and second-degree possession of a controlled substance.

After his arrest, another warrant, issued in November 2012, was served on Johnson for avoiding parole supervision and failure to complete a halfway house program.

In Oct. 2009, Johnson was convicted for 14 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and fraudulent use of a credit card. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but was paroled in September 2012.

On Feb. 5, Richmond police charged a Berea woman ,Deeann McFerron, 35, of Crown Vetch Lane, in connection with the passing of a stolen and forged check.

The previous day, a resident in the 100 block of Spurlin Mobile Home Park reported that several of his business checks from Cannon Corner Auto had been stolen from his residence and passed at various locations throughout Madison and Rockcastle counties.

McFerron was identified as a suspect, according to the police report.

McFerron was interviewed at the police station and charged for second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and second-degree forgery.

She was lodged in the detention center under a $250 cash bond.



Theft arrests

On Friday, William Shane Webb, 20, North Killarney Lane, was arrested in connection with two crimes that occurred in 2012.

In November, a customer of a local bank reported there were several unauthorized withdrawals made from her bank account between Oct. 26 and Nov. 20, totaling $691.

An investigation revealed that Webb, a relative of the victim, had made the withdrawals without the victim’s knowledge, according to the police report.

A warrant was issued for Webb charging him for fraudulent use of a credit card and theft by deception under $500.

Just a few months later, warrants were issued for Webb’s arrest in connection with the theft of three motorcycles, an ATV and a toy motorcycle from a self-storage unit. The property was valued at $4,950.  

The theft occurred between Sept. 11 and Nov. 30, with no signs of forced entry, but Webb was identified as a suspect, according to the police report.

An investigation revealed Webb was in possession of the two motorcycles and the ATV and had transferred them to a third party shortly after Sept. 11. The toy motorcycle had been in Webb’s possession but was transferred to another party in October. Four items were recovered, but a green Kawasaki motorcycle is still missing, the police report stated.

Webb was charged with receiving stolen property under $10,000, receiving stolen property under $500 and two counts of theft by deception under $500.

He was booked at the detention center Monday but was released after about an hour on a $7,500 unsecured bond with home incarceration, according to the jail’s online records.

Anyone with information regarding these cases is asked to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-1162.