Crime & Safety

Criminal Minds: Fowl Play as Turkey Breaks and Enters

A roundup of odd and unusual crimes in and around the St. Louis area.

Fowl Play in Ballwin as Turkey Breaks and Enters

When a Ballwin resident arrived home from work March 29 he noticed a broken window and heard commotion in the house, located on Wetherburn Drive. He left and reported a possible burglary to police.

When police arrived, however, the officers found a wild, 20-pound, female turkey in the basement. After forcing itself through the home's kitchen window It was hiding in a workout area.

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"It seemed pretty uninjured," Ballwin Police Sgt. Jim Heldmann said. "It lost a bunch of feathers but it just took off. I don't know if it flew … but there was no blood, which was surprising with all the (broken) glass."

Heldmann said the home is adjacent to a wooded area. The bird was released back into the woods shortly after being contained. Nothing was reported missing as a result of the break-in.

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Man Enters Wrong Home, Makes Pizza

An intruder of a different sort -- and species -- apparently inadvertently broke into a home in Mehlville March 25. A man from Campbell, MO entered a residence of a friend, or so he thought. After going in the house, the man made some pizza, grabbed some chips and began yelling out for his friend. He was met by the homeowner with a baseball bat which caused the intruder to flee. He was later caught by police without incident.

Drunk, Angry and Armed

A St. Charles County man was charged with two counts of assault after shooting a man with a BB gun numerous times in the face, arm, back, ear and mouth on March 28 and then going back home where he slugged his girlfriend. The girlfriend told a sheriff's deputy the man was drunk and angry with her. Everything occurred in the same block of Tee Kay in the Tee Kay Mobile Manor park near the Busch Wildlife area and south of Dardenne Prairie.

Fiancee Attacked with Knife, Tobasco Sauce

More mayhem occurred March 26 in O'Fallon when a man was charged with second-degree assault for slashing his fianceé with a knife, pouring Tobasco sauce on her and beating her. The two had argued over a television program.

Police said the man told them he pulled pulled his fiancee's hair and poured the Tobasco sauce on her before grabbing a knife she was holding and threatening her before her leg was slashed. The man told police his fiancee' started the fight by punching him in the face and trying to stab him, but he said he grabbed the knife blade. He said the knife fell on her leg, accounting for the cuts. The man also told police be got too close to her when he poured the Tobasco sauce on her, breaking her nose. An ambulance took the woman to the hospital. The knife wound took 18 stitched to close. Her nose was broken.

The police report on the incident noted that the man had no cuts on his hands, discrediting his statement about grabbing the knife.

Turning Pennies Into Dimes

A man is suspected of pulling a classic switcheroo when he paid for a cleaning charge Feb. 21 at Tip Top Cleaners in Richmond Heights. The man exchenged what allegedly ws a roll of dines for a $20 bill from an employee, but the roll turned out to be pennies, with a dime placed at each end of the roll.

Failure To Yield Has Consequences

As Shrewsbury police were responding to a single vehicle accident March 2 on Watson Road, they ended up arresting a woman on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Five minutes later at the same accident scene, another woman failed to yield to a police officer who was directing traffic around the accident. She was stopped and was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, and was issued citations to appear in municipal court.

A One-Woman Purse Snatching Crime Wave

In two separate incidents in March, a woman reportedly concealed 39 purses at, 137 Gravois Bluffs Plaza, Fenton, then left the store without paying. An investigation is ongoing.

How Fast Was the Emergency Vehicle Going?

A woman from South St. Louis driving a Dodge Avenger was arrested March 8 and issued citations for speeding at 85 mph in a 40 mph zone in the 7700 block of Watson Road, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and for having an outstanding warrant for being a felony parole violator. The woman abandoned her vehicle near Watson and Edgar roads.  Webster Groves Police eventually found the abandoned vehicle A short time later the suspect was found and turned over to Shrewsbury Police.

For questions about this report, contact Dan Barger at Dan.Barger@Patch.com.


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