Chattanooga Pulse

Written by Pulse Staff
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 19:19
• Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield announced last week the location of the downtown police precinct could be moving within the next two years, as the current property owner, insurance giant Unum, has made plans to redevelop the parcel of land at the corner of Third and Walnut Streets. He said the city is eyeing an existing building on Baldwin Street on the old Farmers Market site near East 11th Street. “It is an ideal site for a precinct, midway between the riverfront and new development on the Southside,” said the mayor.

• An unfortunate part of a down economy is that more vehicle break-ins occur. However, it is also not a good idea to leave valuable items in your car when going to, say, a movie theater. A recent trip to a theater near Hamilton Place wasn’t a happy experience for one local lady, who discovered her Chrysler had been broken into and thieves had absconded with her purse, laptop computer, digital camera, Kindle electronic book, I-Phone and a leather planner with a Montblanc pen inside. We advise everyone to keep their valuables either with them or at home-broken windows are a hassle to replace, but a lot cheaper in the long run than replacing expensive electronic gadgets.

• How many times have we noted in this column that drug dealers seem to be ignorant of traffic laws as well as drug laws? A Tennessee state trooper attempted to stop a vehicle after it made an illegal U-turn through the median on I-75, leading to a high-speed chase that in turn led to a near head-on collision with the trooper’s car, ending only after Bradley County officers deployed spike strips and the vehicle crashed into a grove of trees. Three people were arrested after officers recovered a loaded .25 automatic pistol, five pounds of iodine, methamphetamine, marijuana, numerous pills and drug paraphernalia. All three were wanted on other outstanding charges, with the driver also being charged with DUI, along with a variety of traffic violations and evading arrest.

• Last week we pointed out how good neighbors help keep neighborhoods safe. So it turned out again this past week when an alert resident on East Freedom Circle noticed three young men breaking into a vacant house. County deputies arrested one juvenile as he ran from the house and captured a second who had unsuccessfully trying to hide in the attic. A third suspect was found a short distance away and taken into custody by Collegedale officers. The three have been charged with burglary. Sheriff Jim Hammond commended the neighbors for their vigilance and praised the teamwork between his department and Collegedale law enforcement.