A Denton man allegedly broke into the Denton Animal Shelter and liberated his pit bull Thursday night or early Friday but found himself in a jail cell within two hours of the discovery of the crime.
Animal control officers arrived at the shelter on Woodrow Lane about 8 a.m. and found several dogs loose in the building, Denton police Detective Mark Sweeney said. They then noticed a hole in the roof and called police for help.
“There was only one dog missing,” Sweeney said. “It was a pit bull that had been seized the night before because it was reported to be acting aggressively.”
Sweeney and Detective Jeff Laufflin went to the house the dog was taken from the night before. The dog was in the house. The man arrived shortly afterward and admitted to taking the dog and also to breaking into a vehicle locked inside shelter property, police said.
“He said he was trying to find a way in and he fell through the roof,” Sweeney said. “He had scratches all over from the fall.”
The detectives found a backpack taken in the vehicle burglary hidden in the attic of the house. They also found another pit bull locked in a cage in the yard with no water in sight. They seized both dogs and arrested the man on charges of burglary of a building and burglary of a motor vehicle.
Other reports
2500 block of Quail Creek Drive — Denton police are untangling the stories of two people who each accuse the other of stealing pain medication.
An officer first spoke to a woman Thursday who said her on-again, off-again boyfriend has stolen hydrocodone from her several times and assaulted her recently with a rolled up rug. She said she has a back injury and needs the strong pain medication. He is addicted to the medication, she said, and “doctor shops” to get prescriptions from several doctors and pharmacies.
On June 4 she received a prescription for 60 pills. He offered to pick them up for her, she said, and then spent the night on her couch. She didn’t look inside the pharmacy sack immediately but later realized that her bottle contained only 26 pills. He told her the druggist must have shortchanged her, she told police.
He has taken her medications twice since then, she said.
Recently, he asked her to take him to a hospital emergency room, but he had been there a day earlier and doctors would not give him another prescription. So when they arrived at her house, he demanded that she give him some of her pills. She said no. She said he threw a rolled-up rug at her, injuring her back again.
About that time, the officer received word that the boyfriend was calling to report that she stole his medication. He told the officer that after they returned from the hospital that day, he went to sleep on her couch and she stole his pain medicine while he slept.
The officer noted doubt that either person was telling the complete truth.
2500 block of Louise Street — A man told police Thursday that he was recently shortchanged by a man he entrusted with his Medicaid card and $40.
He said he broke his ankle and the man took him to the emergency room.
He said he was given a prescription for pain medication and the man insisted on picking it up for him.
He gave the man the card and the money to pick up some groceries and the medication.
He said the man dropped off the pill bottle, which contained only half the prescribed amount, and left without giving him any groceries or his $40.
2200 block of Interstate 35E — The manager of a shoe store told police Thursday night that two men came into the store through an outside door and loaded their arms with handbags. Then they ran out the door and were picked up by someone in an old green Buick LeSabre with paper license tags.
The store lost between 10 and 15 Guess handbags, at an estimated cost of $1,000, according to the police report.
Roundup
From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday:
* Denton police responded to 374 service and officer-initiated calls, including one vehicle burglary, four reports of criminal mischief, three domestic disturbances, one assault, one report of harassment, five thefts, one case of possession of marijuana, one case of public intoxication and one burglary.
* Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 670 service and officer-initiated reports for the agencies they serve. Fifty-three people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of one case of driving while license suspended, one burglary, one forgery, one vehicle burglary, one report of found contraband, one case of harassment and one theft.
Denton fire reports were not available Friday.
Argyle firefighters responded to three medical calls.
Aubrey firefighters responded to five medical calls, one grass fire and one traffic accident.
Krum firefighters responded to four medical calls, one request to assist a citizen and one grass fire.
Lake Cities firefighters responded to one alarm, two requests to assist a citizen, one request for mutual aid, one heat exposure, two medical calls, two suicide attempts and one traffic accident.
Oak Point firefighters responded to one medical call and one water main break.
Ponder firefighters responded to one medical call and one smoke investigation.
Pilot Point firefighters responded to one grass fire.
Sanger firefighters responded to one grass fire and one medical call.
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.
Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Reach the Denton police narcotics tip line at 940-565-5801.
