Police report: Aug. 13-19

A Villager who had been imbibing alcohol got out of a vehicle, expecting to walk home. Instead, he fell down a ravine and got an ambulance ride, in Hot Springs Village Police Department incident reports.

Four Villagers reported bats in their home on Aug. 15, but officers were able to capture 2 of them for transfer to animal control staff. Villagers also reported bats on later days.

A driver in a 2-vehicle collision on DeSoto Boulevard walked off from the scene. The next day he reported that his truck was missing.

A helpful motorist helped a man who had fallen and was laying on Highway 7 on Cedar Mountain.

Fraud and scam attempts continued to be reported.

Aug. 13

A Villager received a call that he believed to be from Bank of America, and sent cash as requested. He now believes it was a scam. Police asked him to contact U.S. Postal Service to try to get the package intercepted before delivery.

A Villager received a photo of a gun on a social media page, with the message that the man “had bullets for someone.” She deleted it from the page. The complainant told police she did not know who the person who sent it was, where the message came from or other information needed for an investigation.

A caller reported smoke in the area of DeSoto Boulevard and Serenidad Way at 11:23 p.m. The officer saw smoke but no fire, and believes it was from an off-property controlled burn.

Aug. 14

After a 2006 white Ford pickup truck spun and crossed the DeSoto Boulevard centerline near Sonora Way, colliding with an eastbound vehicle, the pickup’s driver fled the scene on foot at 9:30 a.m. Witnesses described him as an older white male with grayish brown hair and a large beard. He reportedly walked along DeSoto, then cut across DeSoto Golf Course. An officer attempted several times to contact the truck’s registered owner, the incident report said. The victim’s truck had $7,500 damage; the fleeing man’s truck had $7,000 damage. Both vehicles were towed; the victim’s vehicle was towed to the POA area in DeSoto’s 800 block.

A Villager told police someone made several unauthorized bank withdrawals totalling $3,000 in one day, had not bought anything and had no idea who withdrew the funds. She changed her account information and got a new debit card to prevent further withdrawals.

A Villager nearly lost $7,777 in a scam attempt, which was averted when the funds transfer company determined the recipient’s account was no longer active. The victim received a phone call from “Tucker Good,” who claimed to be a war veteran with suicidal thoughts. The scammer claimed to have a large box containing $100,000 cash in another country that he needed to ship to himself, and needed the $7,777 to ship and store it. He even gave the name of a shipping company, which was found to be fake.

A brown-and-white dog was reportedly chasing squirrels in the Palencia Lane area at 5:38 p.m.

A man fell down a Barcelona Road ravine around 7:53 p.m. after he reportedly became argumentative, and the driver stopped to ask if he wanted to walk home. The man, who had been drinking, got out and fell down the steep ravine, landing upside down in briars. The victim told the responding officer to go away, and said he was hurting. She was able to cut him out of the briars and assisted LifeNet and fire department staff in helping him up to the road. He was treated at a Hot Springs hospital.

After a man knocked on a Lake Pineda door at 9:56 p.m., police found a pedestrian who said he left another house after an argument and asked for a ride to Hot Springs. An officer went to the house and a resident said the man had become angry after she asked him to quit drinking, and he left. She said it was OK for him to return, and another officer gave the man a ride back to the house.

Aug. 15

At Garland County Sheriff’s Department’s request at 5:23 a.m., an officer stood by at a Highway 7 traffic stop.

Residents requested assistance with bats in a Badelona Circle home at 12:35 a.m. and at La Paz Place at 7:39 a.m. However, bats eluded detection in both homes after an officer’s arrival.

A Lerida Lane resident thought a BB might have cracked her window; however, the damage was on the inside of the double-pane window, and may have come from a defect.

A deer on DeSoto Golf Course was observed to have a broken rear leg around 9:10 a.m., but it was healthy enough that it sprinted off when approached.

A North Badalona Circle home had a bat in a sink at 9:16 a.m., which an officer caught with a coffee can, for transfer to animal control staff.

The owner of the white Ford F-150 that was involved in the Aug. 14 2-vehicle wreck on DeSoto told police he had parked his truck at his Manresa Lane home at 7:20 a.m. Aug. 14, and a friend had picked him up at around 8 a.m. to help on a project at the friend’s home, and stayed at the friend’s house that night. When the truck’s owner came home today, his truck was missing, he told police, adding that he might have left the keys in the console.

A motorist who found a man lying in the middle of Highway 7 around 10:14 a.m. assisted the man into his SUV and gave him a ride to the top of Cedar Mountain, to allow him to cool off and drink water at a convenience store. Garland County Sheriff’s Department had received a report about a man who appeared to be struggling while walking down Highway 7.The victim told a responding officer he falls sometimes, and fell when he was reaching to use his phone. The report said the victim did not appear to be under the influence of any chemical substance. LifeNet staff examined the victim, who refused additional treatment. He asked for a ride to the bowling alley, so he could meet friends who could take care of him, and the rescuer gave him a ride there.

A Villager told police she collided with a deer at 3:30 a.m. while northbound on Toledo Drive. She said she did not call earlier because she did not realize she had bumper damage. Damage: $500.

An officer was called to Vacqueria Lane at 12:41 p.m., where a Toyota car was partially blocking the road. The resident said she parked in front of her unit when she came home and found someone parked in her designated spot. She moved it then to the designated spot.

An officer captured a bat on a Rabanar Lane fireplace after a 2:39 p.m. call.

A “for-sale” sign in a van parked on Reddina Lane received attention. An officer called the number around 6:30 p.m. to tell the owner that HSVPOA policy Chapter 5, Article 3, Section 5, says, “No vehicle, truck, recreation vehicle, boat, trailer, motor home, camper, nor any other item displaying a ‘For Sale’ or ‘For Lease,’ or similar sign, shall be parked or stored on the street, street right-of-way or other common property.” The vehicle’s owner said he was unaware of the policy, and moved the vehicle.

After a 7:41 p.m. Hendaye Lane hangup call, a resident said he had a new cell phone and must have called 911 in error.

A complainant reported a white pickup with 3 people fishing on Lake Pineda dam at 7:55 p.m., but all was clear when an officer arrived.

A silver car reportedly drove off the roadway several times in the area of Fresca Lane and Perralena Way around 10:02 p.m.

An eastbound Lexus sedan ran into the south ditch of DeSoto Boulevard around 10:44 p.m., suffering $8,000 to its front end and undercarriage. The driver said she normally has a caregiver drive her, and also usually does not drive after 4:30 p.m., but she needed groceries. She became confused about her location and ran off the road. The driver was not insured.

Aug. 16

An officer picked up a medium-sized, gray pit-bull mix at Cortez boat ramp after 7:09a.m. and took it to the animal shelter.

An officer went to DeSoto Marina at 9:15 a.m. after a report of a boat trailer with no stickers. The black boat trailer was not attached to a vehicle and had no license plate, and was parked in an unauthorized area for trailers. A possible vehicle information number turned out to not be a valid VIN number, and the owner was not immediately found.

A Villager told police he was parked at a Village church around 10:15 a.m., when a red hatchback car of unknown make struck the back passenger side of his vehicle. He attempted to stop the other driver to tell him he just hit his vehicle, but the other driver reportedly said, “the h— I did” and drove off. The complainant’s rear bumper appeared to have 2 small scratches with red paint from the other vehicle. Damage: $200.

An officer caught a bat in a Hartura Way living room after 9:12 p.m.

Aug. 17

Another Villager told police that a false unemployment claim had been filed in her name.

An officer heard a high-pitched tone that might have been coming from an animal repeller from another home across Lake Balboa around 11:50 a.m., but the source could not be found. The complainant said the noise had sounded all the previous day and all night, and was still going.

An officer responded to a 911 hangup call at a construction site at Pamplona Way and Brota Way at 12:06 p.m. The 911 dispatcher called the phone’s owner, who said it had been a mistake, and the foreman said all was OK at the site.

The buyer of a Sobresalir Lane home said she took photos of her new home before buying it, and someone had changed the door and mailbox. The new door was too small for the opening, and the new mailbox was broken. Also, a prowler later apparently entered with a key at night, but the uninvited guest fled when the occupant hollered.

A caller told a Villager she had a delinquent Amazon account. The recipient said she did not have an Amazon account, and hung up.

A Villager told police that 6 old magazines featuring Tom Mann Jr., a pioneer lure maker and bass angler, were missing from his home, along with 15 antique Tom Mann fishing lures worth $50 each. He found the items were missing after work had been performed on his home in early July. The complainant said he had asked for the items to be returned, but the worker said he had none of the items.

An officer gave a Cordoba Lane dog owner a copy of the Garland County dog ordinance.

Aug. 18

Another Villager told police a false unemployment claim had been filed in her name.

A westbound Dodge Ram pickup collided with a deer on DeSoto Boulevard near Ponteverdra Drive. The deer ran from the north and skidded into the south ditch, but could not be found.

A Toyota RAV 4 entering the West Gate struck the red and green light on the south side of the road. The driver said she was distracted by something in the sky. Damage: SUV, $500; traffic light, $100.

Police received a report about Ona Lane dogs barking when vehicles pass by.

After a 911 hangup call at 7 p.m., police went to Tomelloso Lane. One then went to Cedar Creek Trail, where a bicyclist said he accidentally called 911 in his shorts pocket while riding.

A suspicious red Chevrolet was reported on Lerida Lane.

A neighbor dispute over a damaged cable TV box turned into a disturbance in a Lake Coronado neighborhood at 11:46 p.m.

Aug. 19

An officer was dispatched to the McAuley Center, 5010 N. Highway 7, at 5:27 a.m., where a man was reportedly sitting in front of the door. It was the man who had fallen on Highway 7 on Cedar Mountain a few days earlier, and appeared to be a transient moving from one place to the next, the report said. He had an active warrant out of Berryville, Arkansas, but the department did not want to extradite. The man was told he could not remain there, and he agreed to leave.