By Brian Smith
A man spent part of Christmas Eve being treated for injuries suffered in a robbery at gunpoint outside a Dixie Plaza home.
The man was assaulted as he attempted to leave the home after visiting overnight, said Sgt. Willard Reardon, Richmond Police Department spokesman.
As the man went to his vehicle, a white male opened the driver’s door and struck him in the head several times with a handgun, Reardon said. Another man then reached for the victim and took a Samsung Blackjack cellular phone and $22 in cash before the robbers fled on foot.
The robber who struck the victim was described as wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and had a black bandana across his face, Reardon said.
The victim suffered a laceration on the top of his head and was treated and released at Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center.
Berea man arrested
Police arrested a man Wednesday for driving under the influence after he nearly backed into a police car, then filed additional charges in connection with a theft from a Hudson Court home.
Bobby D. Sandlin, 42, of Berea, was arrested following a report of a suspected drunk driver in the parking lot of O’Reilly Auto Parts on Big Hill Avenue.
Sandlin nearly backed into the patrol car of the officer who responded to the scene, and was arrested for driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.
When Sandlin was taken to the Madison County Detention Center, officers found one whole and one half Lortab pill and charged him with second-degree possession of a controlled substance, Reardon said.
Further investigation linked Sandlin to the theft of $40 in cash, a blank check and two credit cards from a home in the 800 block of Hudson Court. Sandlin had been painting at the home prior to the theft, Reardon said.
Sandlin faces additional charges of tampering with physical evidence and misdemeanor receiving stolen property in connection with the theft.
Christmas burglaries
A number of thefts were reported to police Christmas Day, including one break-in where the thief killed a family pet.
That burglary took place overnight at a home in the 500 block of Four Mile Road, where the burglar used a rear window or door to break in, Reardon said.
The home had been ransacked, and the thief made off with a 37-inch RCA flat-screen television and a Sony PlayStation 2 video game console with two games, Reardon said. The items were valued at $780.
The family’s dog, which was inside the home, was found strangled to death following the burglary.
Police also received a report of two pit bull puppies being stolen from the backyard of another home in the 500 block of Four Mile Road. The tan puppies were both five months old and tan in color, and were valued at $200.
An apartment in the 200 block of S. Collins Street was broken into early Friday when a rear door was forced open, Reardon said. An Acer laptop computer and $146 in cash were stolen from the home.
A home in the 200 block of Central Court was burglarized, Reardon said, and a rifle, two Remington shotguns, a Sony PlayStation 2, a Nintendo GameCube video game console, $150 in change, several pocketknives and some DVDs and video games were reported stolen. Those items were valued at $504.
Other crimes
• Police cited a 21-year-old Frankie Drive man for leaving the scene of an accident Thursday after he drove through a wrought-iron gate at a home in the 1200 block of Willis Branch Road.
The accident happened around 5 a.m., Reardon said, and officers located the vehicle in the 100 block of Frankie Drive. The driver was cited and released by police, Reardon said. The damage to the gate was estimated at $6,000.
• More than $20,000 in electrical equipment, including more than two tons of copper wire, were reported stolen Dec. 21 from a building in the 100 block of Continental Drive.
The owner told police the thefts took place within the past five years.
• A home in the 500 block of Orange Street was broken into Wednesday, and $1,300 in electronics, most of them in their original boxes, were stolen.
Reported stolen were a new Hewlett Packard printer, a new Magnavox DVD player, a new portable CD player, a Protron portable DVD player, a Cobra digital camcorder, two pairs of pajamas and miscellaneous jewelry.
Reardon said a rear window was used to gain entry to the home.
• A Garmin GPS unit was stolen Wednesday outside the First Christian Church on W. Main Street when the owner left the device on the hood of her car.
The device had been left on the hood while the woman went inside the church to retrieve her keys, Reardon said, and was missing when she returned. It was valued at $180.
• A .22-caliber pistol and a Tomtom GPS unit were reported stolen Thursday from a vehicle parked at the Double Deuce Bar on Heath Street overnight. The items were valued at $725, and Reardon said police found no signs of forced entry.
• A home in the 900 block of Spanish Grove Drive was broken into Sunday through an unlocked front window.
A 52-inch JVC television, XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles and 30 video games were reported stolen. The items were valued at $2,300.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-1162 or 623-8911.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
