Chattanooga Pulse

A weekly roundup of the newsworthy, notable and often head-scratching stories gleaned from police reports from the Chattanooga Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department and the Dalton Police Department.

• What was supposed to be a simple burglary call turned into a much bigger bust for Bradley County deputies.  A report of a burglary in process at a house on Benton Pike last week turned out not to be just a burglary, but a working meth lab. Deputies who responded to the call noticed a strong chemical odor coming from the house, one that police officers have become all too familiar with.  The four unlicensed chemists inside the house were arrested on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, felony possession of drug paraphernalia and aggravated burglary. The reason they choose that particular house: It belonged to the mother of one of the meth chefs, who knew she would be out of town on vacation.

• Each year, the average number of hours Americans spend in front of their television sets increases. However, at least one Dalton criminal has taken their liking for television to another level, as homeowners in the areas of Tyler Street, Boundary Street, and Chattanooga Avenue have learned to their dismay.  Dalton Police have noticed over the past month a number of daytime break-ins in which a burglar (or several) has targeted television sets and jewelry.  They are asking residents in the area to be more aware and to take steps to keep their houses safe when they leave for work.  And maybe chaining down their TVs, as is common in motels, might not be a bad idea either.

• One of Chattanooga’s claims to fame is that it’s the birthplace of the towing industry. Yet apparently someone in town has taken a strong dislike to towing vehicles, as workers in town to do a job for a wireless company discovered to their dismay.  They had parked their towing vehicle in the parking lot of a Lee Highway motel overnight, and when they awoke in the morning found that someone had placed two plastic drink bottles filled with gasoline under the vehicle.  Luckily, the bottles had not been ignited, and the city bomb squad was able to remove them without incident.  The owner of the company said he knew of no conflicts the company or the drivers had with anyone, or why anyone would want to try and blow up his vehicle.

• Chattanooga loves visitors. We enjoy tourists and a good part of our local economy is based on attracting visitors to visit our attractions.  However, there are still those out there who see tourists as easy targets, especially their vehicles.  And to make matters worse, there are many tourists who leave expensive valuables in their vehicles. A man who was visiting one of our local attractions returned to the parking lot to discover his SUV had been broken into, and a large amount of expensive items had been stolen, among them a laptop computer, a Nintendo games system, $455 in games, two DVD players and $1,200 in DVDs.  As any parent knows, keeping kids entertained on long trips is easier with movies and games, but in the long run it might be a lot cheaper to stick with “auto bingo”.