POLICE BLOTTER

Stranger drops ficus trees, runs

Deputies may never know if a man who stole two ficus trees from a James Island health center dropped them because he was told to or because it was too difficult to run while holding the trees.

The stranger, wearing a brown jacket and jeans, disappeared after he dropped the plants and was never found, according to a police report.

A nurse at the center said she asked the man when he walked in Oct. 27 if he needed any help. He didn't reply, he just grabbed the two trees from the front lobby and ran out, she told Charleston County sheriff's deputies. The nurse went outside after the man and yelled for him to let go of the trees. He threw the trees aside and ran off.

Man gets more than he asked for

A Folly Beach man said he knew something was wrong when he received a $2,800 check from an e-mail contact who agreed to buy two propane tanks for $250.

The Folly Beach man had listed the tanks for sale on an Internet advertising site. He got an offer and received the large check via a courier service. He contacted the buyer and was instructed to send the surplus money to another individual in North Carolina, but to keep $50 for his trouble.

The owner of the tanks suspected attempted fraud and contacted the Charleston County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 20. He turned the check over to deputies and kept the propane tanks.

Woman recovers pawned jewelry

Imagine browsing the aisles of a local pawn shop, seeing a ring that looks familiar and realizing it's yours and you didn't even know it was missing.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office reported that's what happened to a James Island woman recently.

She noticed a ring that looked familiar while at a pawn shop. The woman identified almost $1,400 worth of jewelry and electronics that were stolen from her and pawned, the sheriff's office reported.

The pawn shop employee identified a man and woman who had pawned the items. The alleged victim said both had helped her move and had been to her residence several times since the move. She said she didn't realize the jewelry was missing because she rarely wears most of it and the electronics had been in storage, reports say. Sheriff's deputies arrested the pair on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses.

Man reports cat-door burglar

The term cat burglar usually refers to a thief's stealth and skill at avoiding detection, but a Ravenel man suspects whoever burglarized his mobile home actually used the cat door.

He called the Charleston County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 28 to report the theft of two bottles of prescription painkillers. He said he suspected an acquaintance used the cat door to unlock a door of the mobile home.

The acquaintance had been at the mobile home a day earlier and had asked for medication, a report stated.

He also said he needed money badly, the report stated.

Boats are robbed of electronics

Barbed wire and a cinder- block wall topped with chain-link fencing didn't deter the thieves who stole $1,200 worth of electronics from boats stored at a Savannah Highway business, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office reported.

Employees said they noticed mud and dirt on boats they pulled in for repairs. Items missing included GPS units, radios and CD players and possibly depth finders, the sheriff's office reported Oct. 22. Deputies found a rope hanging over one corner of the cinder block wall and boat flares nearby.

These news items were taken from selected incident reports from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.