COUNTERFEITING/FORGERY
On February 20, at 5:14 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a gas station on the 2000 block Paxville Hwy. for counterfeit money. Upon the officer’s arrival, he spoke with the complainant, an employee of the gas station. The employee stated she had a suspect, white male, pass off a $50 bill to her earlier in the day, around 3 p.m. She stated that when she went to deposit her drop at the Synovus Bank, 111 W. Boyce St., the workers informed her she had a counterfeit $50 bill. Synovus explained they knew to look for it because they have encountered a few $50 bills that are counterfeit and they appear to be coming from the same source. The employee then explained she went back to the gas station and reviewed the cameras. Once she located the transaction with the $50 on the camera she called the police. The employee and officer reviewed the cameras further. She pointed the suspect out, a middle aged white male with a blue shirt and camo jacket on. The suspect, after making small talk and getting lottery cards for his $50, left the building. The suspect went behind the building and got into a pewter in color 1998 Ford F150 single cab. The truck is missing it's tail gate, has a plastic bed liner and the 4x4 sticker on the bed was woodland camouflage in design. The suspect then got into the passenger seat of the truck. The driver of the truck took off immediately and ran the stop sign leaving the parking lot. Upon viewing the footage, the officer was able to determine the truck was parked at a angle to try to not permit cameras to see the tag on the truck. Also, the way the driver blatantly ran the stop sign after the suspect got back into the vehicle shows intent. The officer and employee were able to find a camera that caught the vehicles tag. Upon pausing the video and zooming in, the tag came back to a 1998 Ford F150 that is registered to Jeffrey Fred Winstead. Body camera was used and a victim’s sheet was issued.
VANDALISM OF PROPERTY
On March 4, an officer with the Manning Police Department was dispatched to Laurence Manning Academy located at 1154 Academy. Dispatch advised the call was in reference to property damage. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the Athletic Director of Laurence Manning Academy. He stated that between the dates of January 1st and February 18th, an unknown subjects came on the softball field and cut the light cables to the field’s lights.
He also stated the subjects had to use a bucket truck to go 30 feet in the air to cut the wires. The complainant also stated that the cameras were not working during that time. The officer advised the complainant that a report would be documented on the incident.
ANIMAL CRUELTY
On March 5 at 7;13 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Branch St. for an animal roaming free. The complainant stated to dispatch that she did not wish to meet with officers. She stated a dog had broken its leash and was running free from the abandoned house near the 10 th block of Branch St., within the city limits of Manning. Officers responded to the area at 7:23 a.m. and located the. The dog appeared to be a American pitbull that also appeared malnourished. It had its leash broken, dragging on the ground behind it. The male dog was scared with its tail between its legs. Anytime officers tried to approach the dog it would get defensive by growling and attempting to bite. The dog then ran down the road and went back to the house on Branch Street. Once there, the dog stopped and started holding its ground. An officer noticed the residence appeared abandoned. The dog house was falling apart and the officer did not see any food or water present at that time. The dog appeared malnourished except for its stomach, which was a swollen and appeared unhealthy as well.
An officer went to the office to get the truck and tool to catch animals that will. A second officer stood by with the animal. While doing this, the second officer spoke with a man who lived next door. The man stated he had been feeding the dog some and that the residence the dog is at was abandoned. The man told the officer that he was unsure of the last time he saw the owner of the animal. The owner, suspect Patrick Lamb, 29, of Manning, then drove up and stated that the animal was his and that he leaves the animal at this residence. The residence was his late sister’s, he explained. The first officer then arrived back on scene with the truck. Lamb was advised the animal’s condition was not where it needed to be and he needed to water, feed and take care of the animal better. Lamb said he feeds and waters the animal every day. Officers are going to follow up and ensure this is occurring. Body cameras were used.
GRAND LARCENY
On February 21, an officer with the Manning Police Department received a telephone call in reference to theft at the Verizon building in the city limits of Manning. The complainant stated the week of February 17, the district manager (DM) entered the Verizon store after one of the store managers left to complete a device count. She stated that the DM reported 30 devices were missing from the store. They were composed of iPhones, tablets, and Apple watches for a total of $26,896 dollars. The complainant stated the two employees were were working at the store prior to resigning between February 8th and February 15th, 2024. She stated there is video footage showing one of the employees entering devices on the store computer using her personal cellular phone and not the actual device box. The officer explained the report process.
