Chattanooga Pulse

Written by Pulse Staff
Wednesday, 05 November 2008 14:25
• Even though gas prices are falling at a near mind-boggling rate, there are still those out there who are either unwilling or unable to pay for filling up their tank. A gas station on Highway 153 last week was victimized but such an entrepreneur, who tried backing away from the pump after filling up to prevent the clerk from seeing his tag-unsuccessfully, as it turned out. But what caught our eye was the description given to officers of the suspect: a skinny white male in his early 20s with a toboggan and a long, pointy goatee. Either there was a ’60s Halloween costume party and he was dressed as a hippie, or someone has been watching way too many “Dobie Gillis” re-runs and wanted to look just like Maynard G. Krebs.

• If you’ve ever been tempted to pull a fire alarm, kindly resist the temptation unless you enjoy spending time behind bars. Such was the case for a young man who thought it would be amusing to pull a fire alarm at a large Hixson apartment complex. Six Chattanooga fire companies responded to the alarm and were understandably annoyed to discover no fire. Unfortunately for the merry prankster, there were witnesses, who quickly pointed him out to authorities, who arrested him and charged him with reckless endangerment and making a false report (the pulling of the fire alarm). He was released after paying a $2,000 bond and will have plenty of time to lament his lack of an appropriate sense of humor once he faces a judge.

• There are, sadly, many reports of petty theft and shoplifting every week around the city. However, some of the reports raise more questions than they answer. Such as the case of a Brainerd Road convenience-store robbery last week, during which a man made off with two cases…of Star Burst candy. Not only that, but he dropped one of the boxes, spilling the delicious chewy candy packets across the floor-and then stopped long enough to scoop up most of the wayward treats before running from the store. The clerk was able to write down the tag number, which helped police track down the owner of the getaway vehicle.

• The Police Blotter would like to take a moment to send out thanks to State Representative Vince Dean and State Senator Andy Berke, who combined with other members of the state legislature to pass a bill renaming a section of Interstate 24 to honor slain police officer Julie Jacks. The section of the highway goes through the Fox sector where Jacks patrolled before she was shot and killed on May 6, 2002 in a struggle. Speaking before the City Council, Rep. Dean summed the tragedy up well, “She is one of our heroes in Chattanooga. She made the ultimate sacrifice to make Chattanooga a safer place to live.”