Find a Friend An employee at a 7-Eleven in the University area called police after he was threatened and nearly assaulted by a customer who holds some sort of grudge against anyone working at the convenience store. The victim told officers that a man entered the store in the middle of the afternoon and tried to provoke him into a fight. When the victim refused, the suspect "selected two beer bottles from the cooler," according to the report (40-ounce bottles of Miller High Life and Icehouse), and threw them at the victim. He was not struck, but the bottles shattered and bad beer — but beer nonetheless — went to waste. It was later found that the suspect had been in the store on two separate occasions on previous days trying to provoke employees to fight him.
Doused Local 7-Elevens were apparently under attack by beverage last week, as an employee at a northwest Charlotte location reported an incident in which he too fell victim to drink slinging. The cashier at the Mount Holly-Huntersville Road location told officers that a customer was unhappy with something or other in their not-so-convenient convenience store trip and poured an entire fountain drink on the cash register, doing $800 in damage in the process.
Sweet Tooth An employee of a mental health counseling office in Uptown Charlotte was alarmed to find that their office was broken into overnight when they arrived at work one day last week. The woman who reported the crime told officers that an unknown suspect pried open the front door and made their way into the building at some point between 11 p.m. and 1 p.m. the next day. The thief wasn't looking for money or technology, however, as the only thing listed as stolen in the report is $10 worth of chocolate candy.
Give Pity A 73-year-old man was guilt-tripped into handing over some money by a scam artist in northwest Charlotte last week, and reported it to police when he later found out he had been had. The man told police that a stranger knocked on the door of his Northlake-area home and asked him for $75. He refused at first, but the stranger told him they were a relative of his neighbor and they needed the money to pay a tow truck driver to get their car back. Furthermore, they claimed to be diagnosed with cancer. It's unclear what one thing has to do with the other, but the whole tale was enough to convince the man to hand over the loot. He was later taken aback when he talked to his neighbor and learned that they had no relatives in town, let alone any cancer-stricken relatives with car trouble.
Out of Work A 22-year-old immigrant man was taken advantage of by a fake employer in a scam that shows up in local police reports all too often. The man told police that he was led to believe the suspects were willing to give him a job if he would just pay for the supplies he would need for said job. The man began sending money orders and making cash deposits as instructed, but when he became skeptical of the suspects' intentions, he asked that the money be reimbursed. The suspects told him they could do that, but he would have to complete his payments before that could happen. He did so, and at the end of the day, he ended up out $15,700. [Editor's Note: This entry is included not as something to be laughed at, but as a cautious tale to stay aware of. We ask that you spread stories like this, especially to vulnerable folks who may be seeking employment through unverified sources.]
Shoulda Known A 63-year-old woman told police she was taken advantage by an acquaintance she tried to help last week. The woman told police she gave a man a ride to Walmart, but when they arrived there and exited the vehicle, he simply got into the driver's seat and made off with it. She told police she only knows the man by his nickname, which is Smuck. Never do a favor for anyone named Smuck.
Unemployable A suspect in west Charlotte must have not been happy with his background check results last week and decided to take it out on the company tasked with outing him as the unstable person that he is. The bold suspect was witnessed by multiple people smearing dog feces on the exterior of a building that houses a business called Employment Screening Inc., which offers background check services to employers. Looks like he'll have a new entry on his next background check.
Breaking Out A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employee found out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object when they tried to leave school for lunch last week. The employee of Metro School in Uptown left the school's parking lot at noon one day but didn't see that there was a rope extended across the exit to stop people from doing just that. The car won this battle, however, as no damage to the vehicle was reported while $800 in damage was reported to the two brick columns that the rope was attached to.
Threat of the Week A 25-year-old man was assigned with a tall order by an unknown rival in southwest Charlotte last week. The man told police that he received a text message from an unknown number that showed a picture of a gun and said, "Declare yourself dead." The victim told officers he had no idea who sent the message.
