The Daily Blotter 03/04/10

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Men take car on joy ride for too long

There were two cases where someone test drove a car and did not return it on time.

One man did not provide an ID at a Chrysler dealership and went for a test drive with a female employee. While driving, the man became belligerent and drove erratically. Something fell out of his pocket and landed between the driver's seat and the door. He then allegedly became irate and tried to pick it up.

The woman said she feared it was a weapon and so she made up a story about leaving a jacket at a nearby business and asked to be dropped off.

"I'll let you out of the car," he said, according to the woman. The woman got out of the car, but the man did too. He fled the scene.

Investigators recognized his description matched a suspect's in an auto theft at the Same's Red Barn Motors in early February. In this case, however, he test drove a car and did not return it. The woman identified the man that drove her around as the same one related to the Same's Red Barn Motors incident.

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In an unrelated, yet similar case, two men went to a Last Chance Auto dealership in early January.

One presented his ID to the dealership, but the other man did not. The nameless man took the car out for a test drive and did not return.

The identified man tried to leave the dealership, but was detained by Last Chance Auto personnel. He claimed to not know the other man. At the end of January, the suspect took the car to Cottman's Transmission for repairs. Police tried to contact the suspect after locating the car, but could not contact him. They went to his address, however, and his description matched the suspect from the Last Chance dealership.

Harley employee accused of stealing nearly $50,000

Suspect was an employee for Cowboy Harley Davidson when a corporate employee noticed some payroll inconsistencies.

Corporate was there to hire and train a new employee and noticed that the payroll documentation did not match the current pay rate for three current administrative employees.

They were able to determine the rates were changed by the suspect without approval and they questioned her. She admitted to it and said the other two employees whose pay was changed were not involved in this.

They were also interviewed. One resigned and the other was reprimanded. Further research showed discrepancies in the dealerships bank acct. Numerous checks were clearing that were not recorded in the accounting system. She would write the checks and then delete them from the system.

The checks were made out to a credit card company for an account under the suspect and her husbands’ name. There were 35 checks in total amounting to $46,308.

H-E-B pharmacy employee accused of stealing pills

An H-E-B Pharmacy employee is accused of stealing pills.

When a routine audit was performed that resulted in a shortage of pills. 2,793 pills of Carisoprodol (brand name Soma) were found missing since April 2009.

In an interview, she admitted to stealing them and was not arrested and free to leave. The value of those pills is $1,592.

Homeless sex offender fails to register

John Reeves, 39, is a sex offender and is required - by law - to register.

However, Reeves is homeless. When he was released from custody, he told police he would be staying at the ARCH in Downtown Austin.

He was scheduled to return to the police no later than a week after Nov. 19, 2009. He has not yet registered with another agency and is not on record as being incarcerated.

On a report dated Jan. 25, is shows that he is in fact homeless, but he still has to contact police to register his whereabouts.