Thief drops purse while being chased by witness

A thief who stole a purse from a car parked outside Peachtree Centre last Wednesday dropped it as he was being chased by a witness, according to Gaffney police.

The unknown thief had used some type of object wrapped in a white bandanna to smash a window on a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe parked outside the North Limestone Street elderly care facility Wednesday morning. The thief grabbed a purse that contained about $1,000 in miscellaneous gift cards and 15 credit cards but dropped it as a woman who witnessed the incident attempted to give chase.

Gaffney police scoured the area in search of the thief but were unable to locate him. The purse was returned to its owner.

A seven-month-old pit bull was reported stolen from a Grassy Pond Road home Saturday.

The dog, valued at about $3,000, was taken from an outdoor kennel sometime between 6 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. The dog is blue and gray.

Gaffney police arrested a 28-year-old West Virginia man on a possession of stolen goods charge Tuesday after they found an allegedly stolen drive shaft in the back of his truck.

According to police reports, a drive shaft from a 1998 Dodge truck was stolen sometime between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning while the truck was parked outside Excel Financial Services on West Floyd Baker Boulevard.

Police claimed they found a drive shaft that matched the stolen part in the back of a truck parked at the Wal-Mart on West Floyd Baker Boulevard.

The driver of the truck, James Griffith, of Harper, W.V., was arrested and transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center where his bond has been set at $1,087.

Gaffney Police are investigating an armed robbery reported at Robinson and Beech streets on Tuesday evening.

A 47-year-old Sarratt Street man claimed he was approached and robbed by a man who pointed a gun at him. The victim claimed he was robbed of $220, but could provide police with no other information.

A Whelchel Road resident reported to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office that someone burglarized her home of various prescription medication.

Entry to the home apparently was made through an unlocked window sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday. The burglar(s) stole the medications Zanex, Lunesta and Soma valued at about $200.

A Lockhart Lane resident reported the burglary of his home Tuesday and the loss of more than $2,000 in electronics.

A thief or thieves made entry to the home sometime between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and took a HP laptop computer and a DVD player, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.

A Smyrna resident's home was burglarized Wednesday by a thief or thieves who targeted video games.

The unknown burglar(s) entered the home sometime between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and took a Xbox 360 video game console and a Playstation 2 video game console valued at a combined $450.

Gaffney Police are investigating two separate incidents of shots fired into vehicles in recent days.

At about midnight Tuesday, a man in a white Pontiac driving on Sarratt Avenue fired several shots at another man sitting in a car in the 300 block. The man sitting in his car heard something strike his vehicle but police could find no visible marks of damage. No charges had been filed against a suspect named in the police report.

Police also are investigating a Sunday evening incident in which shots were fired at a woman's car as she was driving on West Birnie Street. The incident happened at about 8 p.m.

According to a police report, the woman's car sustained $250 in damage. A suspect was named in the police report but no charges had been filed as of Tuesday.

The Gaffney Police Department is investigating the burglary of two homes on the same street.

Someone entered a Maple Drive home sometime between 7:10 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. April 18 and took a Playstation 2 game console, a Wii game console and a .45 caliber Colt pistol. Theft losses are estimated at $1,330. Police said a burglar may have dropped a blue bandanna that was found at the scene.

It subsequently was discovered that a nearby home also was targeted during the same time period. The thief or thieves stole a Playstation 4 console and four video games from the second home. Theft losses are estimated at $800.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office reported the burglary of three local businesses in recent days.

Sometime between April 18 and April 19, someone broke into Burrs Trading Post on Old Stage Road in Chesnee, causing about $500 in door damage. Reported stolen were a case of bottled water, two cases of Mountain Dew soda and a case of Diet Rite cola.

Sometime between April 18 and April 21, someone broke into three buildings at Industrial Minerals on Mineral Drive in Blacksburg. According to a police report, the thief or thieves stole twoway radios valued at $800, hand tools valued at $300 and 300 feet of welding metal valued at $3,000. Sometime between April 19 and April 21, someone forced their way into The Arsenal, a restaurant on Shelby Highway. According to a police report, the thief or thieves stole $2,000 from a safe, $2,000 from a game machine and $300 in soft drinks. The restaurant sustained about $310 in damage.