‘Italian looking’ man raises suspicions

One resident called police after seeing the male take a package from the front porch of his neighbor’s house. The resident said he saw the male visit several other nearby homes before taking the package. The resident later located the empty box down the road from his home.

At the time of the report, the owner of the package was not at home and was unable to advise what had been in the package.

Later that day, another neighbor called after the suspicious male came to her door saying he was conducting a survey.

The woman thought the male seemed suspicious and asked him to leave. Later, the woman discovered a box in her mailbox. When she opened the box, she found it contained a plaque with her neighbor’s name on it. When she called the neighbor to tell him about the plaque, she learned that the suspicious male had been by the neighbor’s house as well and had taken the package containing the plaque.

The suspicious male was described as being in his mid to late twenties and of “Hispanic or middle eastern race possibly mixed with Caucasian.” The woman further described the man as “Italian looking” with curly black hair.

Other recent incidents investigated by Winder Police include:

• damage to property on Saunders Drive. Police were called after a seven year old child shot out the rear window of a 1990 Cadillace DeVille with a BB gun. The parent of the child agreed to pay for the damages to the vehicle.

• burglary on Alexander Court. A leaf blower, corded light, a small charcoal grill and a 100’ extension cord were reported stolen. The items were last seen on an enclosed porch at the location.

• attempted burglary on East May Street. The front door of Fast Cash Pawn was damaged in two places after someone struck it with a blunt object. The employee who reported the incident said the attempt to break in through the glass door was futile since there are security bars from top to bottom and the door requires a key to open it from both the inside and outside. There were no other signs of forced entry at the business.

• theft on East Wright Street. Ten fishing poles valued at $60 were stolen out of the bed of a pickup truck.

• complaint on Shenandoah Drive. A man called police after a woman yelled at his child. The man said his child ran behind the woman’s vehicle as she was backing out of a driveway. The woman stopped the car and began to scold the child. According to the man, the woman then grabbed the child by his shoulders and continued to lecture him before eventually leaving.

• damage to property on West May Street. The store manager of the West May Street Shell station called police after witnessing a white box truck back into a pylon next to a gas pump. The manager said it will cost $400 to replace the pylon and repave the surrounding area. The driver of the box truck left the scene and it was not clear if the driver realized he had struck the pylon.

• welfare check on South Broad. A woman said her husband left home in an intoxicated state. The woman advised her husband said he had nothing to live for before leaving the house. Attempts to locate the man were unsuccessful.

• no insurance on East Candler Street. A vehicle was towed and the owner cited after an officer discovered the Toyota pickup was uninsured, unregistered and had a suspended registration. The driver was also cited for child restraint violations after the officer noticed two children in the vehicle were secured by only one seatbelt.

• criminal trespass on West New Street. A woman said a segment of the chain link fence surrounding her yard appeared to have been moved and a cellar door tampered with in what she believes may have been a burglary attempt.

• damage to property on Ashwood Way. A woman called police after discovering the front bumper of her car had been damaged while parked in her yard overnight.

• damage to property on South Broad. A woman struck a light pole in the parking lot of Ruby Tuesday’s damaging both the pole and her vehicle.

• suspicious person on East Oak Street. A woman said a man with a crack pipe in his hand threatened her after he asked for a light and she told him to get away from her.