A man reported $260 was taken from his bank account, and Bygones Antiques said two people stole $1,300 worth of merchandise from the store. A man is accused of hitting a woman in the eye with a gun at a party, and another is accused of firing a gun at the ground with the round ricocheting and injuring a family member.
Williamsburg
Police Investigate Larcenies From Cars on Merrimac Trail
The Williamsburg Police Department is investigating after six people reported items stolen from their vehicles parked in the area of the 300 block of Merrimac Trail.
The thefts all occurred sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning, said Maj. Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department. No suspect information or more specific time frame for when the thefts occurred are available.
Riley said cash, change and other items were removed from the vehicles.
Each car was unlocked.
“Keep your doors locked and keep your valuables hidden if you’re going to keep them in a vehicle,” Riley said. “The best thing to do is take [valuables] indoors.”
The 300 block of Merrimac Trail is a residential corridor, featuring Colonial Towne Apartments and townhouse community Shellis Square.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Line at 888-LOCK-U-UP.
James City County
Man Accused of Credit Card Fraud Agrees to Pay Back $260 Taken
A man reported to James City Police that $260 were taken from his account without his authority.
The man told officers his bank, Wells Fargo, contacted him regarding withdrawals from his account that occurred between June 15 and July 20, according to Stephanie Williams-Ortery, a spokesperson for the James City County Police Department.
The man then questioned 24-year-old Guillermo M. Romero, an acquaintance, who admitted to taking the money and agreed to pay the victim back.
Romero is charged with one felony count of credit card fraud and one misdemeanor count of credit card theft.
$1,300 Stolen from Bygones Antiques
An employee from Bygones Antiques on Richmond Road in James City County reported $1,300 worth of jewelry and serving spoons were stolen by a man and a woman who shopped in the store for two hours July 13.
The employee told James City County police she recognized 32-year-old Phillip Earl Jenkins and 22-year-old Victoria Lee Murphy from a previous occasion when they visited the store, according to Williams-Ortery of the James City County police department.
The employee said the two suspects were interested in several items in the antique store, including two pocket watches, two serving spoons and jewelry held in locked cases that she opened for them several times. She said Murphy spoke to her while Jenkins looked at items on his own. The two were also interested in the back of the building and asked the employee to see the view.
She then informed Jenkins and Murphy she was about to close the shop at about 3:30 p.m., and the two suspects left. Immediately after they left, she noticed several items were missing, including the ones for which they had shown interest.
Officers were able to pinpoint suspects, and the woman was able to positively identify them in a photo lineup a few days later.
Jenkins and Murphy, both from Chesapeake, are each charged with one felony count of grand larceny and one felony count of conspiring to commit larceny.
Man Accused of Pistol-Whipping Woman in the Eye
A 42-year-old man is accused of hitting a woman in the eye with a gun at a house party.
While being treated in the emergency room of Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center on July 20, a woman reported to police she was attacked at a party on the 2600 block of Chickahominy Road, Williams-Ortery said.
The woman said Ernest Wilson Lipscomb hit her with a gun on her right eye when she approached an ongoing confrontation occurring in the kitchen between 1:30 and 2 a.m, according to the report.
The woman told police she then observed Lipscomb point the gun at other people at the party and threaten to come back and kill everyone in the house.
While the woman was getting X-rays, police spoke to two friends who were at the party, one of whom said she observed Lipscomb walking through the house while pointing a gun at everyone in the room. The other friend identified the man as Lipscomb.
The woman suffered swelling and bruising to her right eye with a laceration to one side.
Lipscomb was arrested July 29 and is charged with one felony count of malicious wounding, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, one felony count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, one misdemeanor count of common law trespassing, and one misdemeanor count of brandishing a firearm.
Man Pulled Over for Suspicious Inspection Sticker, Arrested for Possession, Probation Violation
A 29-year-old man has been arrested after James City County Police pulled him over for a counterfeit inspection sticker and found marijuana and crack cocaine in the vehicle and on his person.
Upon approaching the driver, identified as Williamsburg resident Marcus Noland Lee, the officer observed a clear plastic baggy at his feet that contained a green leafy substance.
The officer then asked Lee for his license and registration, which he did not have. Lee gave the officer a false name and date of birth.
The vehicle was searched and the officer found the marijuana. The driver was also searched, and the officer found two small bags containing a white rock-like substance, which Lee told the officer was crack. Lee then told the officer his real name.
He was found wanted out of Newport News on a probation violation, and in James City County for driving on a suspended license second offense.
Lee was taken into custody and was served warrants from Newport News and James City County. He is also charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, one misdemeanor count of falsely identifying himself to law enforcement, one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license, one misdemeanor count of having a counterfeit inspection sticker and one misdemeanor count of driving with an expired registration.
York County
Telephone Scam Targets York County Citizens
A telephone scam targeting York County residents is asking for donations.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office was notified that an unknown caller contacted a resident and told them they had recently failed to move over to the left lane while passing a deputy’s vehicle conducting a traffic stop. The caller told the resident the sheriff’s office gives a warning the first time, but asked for a $75 donation.
YPSO posted on its Facebook page July 29 that the sheriff’s office will never contact residents to request donations for crimes they may have committed, nor will it ever ask for a donation of any kind.
The post said a deputy may call about a crime in progress or a past crime, but he or she will give their rank, name and contact number associated with the YPSO.
Police: Shotgun Round Injures One During Dispute
A man has been accused of firing a handgun during a dispute in York County.
Deputy Sherriff First Class Mike Russell from the YPSO said deputies were called to the scene at the 600 block of Old Williamsburg Road after 54-year-old Mark Wyant allegedly fired a hand shotgun round into the ground following a dispute with another family member at his residence.
The police report says pellets from the round ricocheted off the ground, striking the other family member in the lower leg.
The injuries were minor and medical assistance was declined.
Wyant was arrested July 26 and has been charged with a felony count of aggravated malicious wounding, a misdemeanor count of reckless handing of a firearm and a misdemeanor count of brandishing a firearm.
In Case You Missed It:
- Three 18-year-olds were arrested for possession of LSD after Williamsburg police found a 17-year-old standing naked in the middle of Lafayette Street.
- A pit bull allegedly attacked a beagle in a subdivision.
- James City County police chased down a man after they found him passed out in his car with an open beer can.
- An arrest was made in a string of armed robberies that occurred in York County in July.
- A home healthcare worker was sentenced to five years in prison, with all five years suspended after she pleaded guilty to using an Alzheimer’s patient’s credit card.
- York Deputies are investigating several break-ins that have occurred around Tabb since July 17.
- A James City County man was charged with peeping into a Williamsburg apartment.
- A jury has found a James City County man guilty of abusing his 3-month-old daughter.
- A second man from Norfolk has been arrested in a Polo Ralph Lauren shoplifting incident.
- A Newport News woman is accused of biting and headbutting a police officer at the Williamsburg-James City County courthouse.
- An 18-year-old York County man is accused of robbing a man at knife point with the help of two 16-year-olds.
- A woman’s finger was broken during an attempted purse snatching in Williamsburg.
