MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — n Theft by Taking/Fraud

An officer met with a woman in the police department lobby shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 11 in reference to a theft. The woman stated that her tan Tommy Hilfiger purse had been stolen between the hours of 1 and 2 a.m. the previous morning and that her wallet, an iPhone 6 and several bank and identification cards had been inside the purse at the time of the theft. She told police that the thief had used one of her cards to make a purchase from an online retailer following the theft but that the retailer would not release any information about the purchase without an official police report. The woman was unable to provide any serial numbers for the stolen items but told police that she would return to department headquarters as soon as she could.

n Criminal Trespass

An officer was dispatched to First Baptist Church on South Liberty Street at roughly 6 p.m. Dec. 11 in reference to an unwanted person. There the officer met with the church’s pastor, who said that a man was trespassing inside the main church building. Upon entering the church to investigate, the officer came across a man in a third-floor restroom. The officer observed several pieces of food and other items inside a nearby toilet that the man claimed to be his, saying that the food was stale and that he was simply trying to get rid of it. When the pastor saw the man who was inside the church, he told police that the man had been trespassing on church grounds and making his parishioners uncomfortable for some time (he also stated that the food was not the suspect’s, but in fact had been laid out for college students that attend the church). The man signed a Notice of Prohibited Entry onto the church grounds and left the location.

n Burglary

An officer was dispatched to a Grandview Drive residence shortly before 11 p.m. on Dec. 11 in reference to a burglary. There the officer met with a woman who stated that she and her family had returned home to find that their apartment had been burglarized. She stated that several TVs, game systems and other items that had been wrapped under a Christmas tree were missing, and that the apartment’s alarm system had been on when she left the residence. Upon investigating the residence, the officer noticed a back window that showed signs of being broken into, with several DVDs strewn about the ground nearby. The officer searched the surrounding area for signs of the thief and the stolen items, but the search was unsuccessful.

n Theft by Shoplifting

An officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart on North Columbia Street shortly before midnight Dec. 11 in reference to a shoplifting. The officer met with a loss prevention employee who stated that two women had loaded their buggies with merchandise and attempted to leave the store without paying. When the employee tried to stop one of them from leaving, the woman refused to return the items and fled the store. Security cameras captured the two women leaving and the license plate of the vehicle they drove away in, and the officer filed a warrant for shoplifting pending confirmation of the suspects’ identity.