Police Blotter 8/3/2012
"Everybody on the island will know what you are talking about," noted Daniels. "The floodgates are open to the Sheriff's office."
A visitor driving a golf cart with a toddler in her lap received a ticket. "I can't believe I'm having to write this ticket," Daniels told the woman. He is confident the company that rented the cart informed her of the applicable laws.
Other vacationers are struggling with their listening skills as well. Officers stopped a golf cart after noticing an open beer, and explained that the same laws apply to golf carts and cars. "Not eight hours later, we see the same golf cart with an open container," said Daniels. "We wrote another ticket, and locked them up."
One of a large group of celebratory vacationers was locked up after receiving a DWI. The following night, the Sheriff's Office responded to a call at a bar on Highway 12. The same crowd was causing a disturbance. They peacefully, but not soberly, moved on for the night. No arrests were made.
The department has received several calls about stolen bikes. Use a lock.
"This time of year people don't seem to know how to park or where to park," said Daniels. The Springer's Point/Loop Road area seems to be the worst, he said. "If any part of your car is touching the highway, you are impeding traffic." Vehicles parked so that it is impossible for emergency services to respond to calls will always receive the $225 ticket.
Officers responded to several noise complaints stemming from loud parties. The revelers respectfully turned down their volume when politely asked to, by the police. "No big deal," said Daniels.
On Tuesday morning officers were dispatched to assist with a domestic dispute. No charges or arrests were made. "We just settled things down," said Daniels.
A man called 911 on Tuesday, claiming there was someone in his house with a gun, and that the house was on fire. Daniels heard the caller speaking to dispatch. "He was very frantic; you could hear it. That puts us on edge. We're vulnerable when we go to a call."
The caller said he was on Garrish lane, near the water plant. The Sheriff's Office, NPS Ranger Shane Bryan, and the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department all responded. There are a cluster of houses in the area, and officers didn't know which house they were looking for.
"A side arm is not any good if a guy starts shooting at us from a house," said Daniels. "We carried rifles. That's what they're for."
No signs of fire were evident, and officers began checking each house. One rental had about 8 to 10 vacationers in their 20s and 30s, who were "clueless" about the possible presence of a gunman and fire, said Daniels.
"I'm thinking 'crank call' in the back of my mind," he said. Sergeant Daniels gave the visitors an opportunity to own up to making such a call, warning them he would subpoena phone numbers if necessary to track down the call's origin.
Then Daniels saw Ranger Bryan and Deputy Boyd guarding a man. "The next thing I know Shane and Cole have a guy down at gunpoint," he said. The man, in his 20s, had come out of the marsh covered in scratches and mud, acting frantic and erratic.
When he started to come down from what seems to have been an especially unpleasant high, the Maryland man admitted to making the 911 call and smoking an intoxicant called Spice, a form of synthetic marijuana. He was charged with the false call and under the toxic vapors act, and will appear in Hyde County court to answer to the misdemeanor charges.
A friend bailed him out and helped him return home. Try to find a legal way to make your own vacation memorable.
Corporal Matthew Sitterson turned in his resignation after serving Ocracoke for a year and a half. Thursday was his last day, and he will be missed, said Daniels. They wish Sitterson well as he pursues other career opportunities.
The Department may announce a new hire as soon as next week.
On Monday, Ocracoke officers and residents serving jury duty will be in Swan Quarter for Superior Court.
There are four more weeks of August. Who knows what will happen next? We'll tell you all about it in Caught on the 'Coke.
