BURGLARY
2/1/12 7:45 a.m. – 9:58 p.m.
1800 block of West Grace Street
An unknown person(s) broke into the residence and stole a laptop and iPod.

The Richmond Circuit Court jury deliberated less than a half-hour before finding Jeremy Hawthorne guilty of felony property damage for using a bearing scraper to puncture seven tires around 2 a.m. on Aug. 23. [...] Toepp showed the jury surveillance pictures of a man riding what appeared to be a woman’s mountain bike approaching the area where the vehicles were parked, in an alley between the 900 blocks of West Broad and West Grace streets.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY
1/29/12 3:11 a.m. – 12:31 p.m.
2200 block of West Main Street
An unknown person(s) tried to break into the residence.

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
1/28/12 11:39 p.m.
South Cherry and West Cary streets
A male was found assaulted at the above location.

3rd Precinct
ROBBERY
1/29/12 1:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.
2000 block of Parkwood Avenue
A female reported she was assaulted and robbed by three unknown males.

A graffiti tagger hit the Lee Monument and a number of Midtown stores overnight, including Quirk Gallery where he was caught on video:

Local asshat bombs the Arts District in downtown Richmond, VA. He tagged over 9 businesses at 3AM Saturday, January 28th. Think most of us don’t mind graffiti in the alleyways & on trains but local business storefronts and the Lee Monument?! His tags suck and he’s a chump who deserves to get caught. Email patrick.mansfield@richmondgov.com with any info you have.

Fannie Lillian Madison

Out of the Box from the Library of Virginia has the story of Fannie Lillian Madison who was found murdered at the reservoir in 1885 (and later buried in Oakwood Cemetery):

On the morning of 14 March 1885, Lysander Rose, caretaker of the Old Reservoir in Richmond, went about his normal duties, but this morning would not be a typical one for Rose. As he approached the reservoir, Rose found what appeared to be a piece of broken shoe string, a woman’s red glove, and what he described as signs of a “desperate struggle.” When he peered over into the water, Rose saw “floating near the top the flounce or something of a woman’s dress and one leg jutting up.” After the coroner arrived, the muddy body of a young woman was lifted from the water. A cursory examination revealed that she had slight bruising on her face, a swollen mouth, and a rent in her gown at the elbow. Later, it would be discovered that she was also eight months pregnant. Several days and several false identifications passed before the body was finally identified as that of Fannie Lillian Madison.

The Shockoe Examiner looked at this back in 2010:

Later analysis of the two sets of tracks showed a struggle had taken place between the young man and the diminutive (she was less than five feet tall) and heavily pregnant girl on the gravel path at the top of the reservoir wall. Cluverius punched Madison in the side of her head with his fist, and she fell backward, down the embankment and into the water, where a combination of her weakened and pregnant condition and the blow to the head killed her. When her body was later examined, no water was in Madison’s lungs, but the mud from the bottom of the reservoir was found clenched in her fists. The murderer was probably well on his way away from the scene before the ripples in the otherwise flat, onyx-colored cold water of the reservoir settled around the floating body of Lillian Madison, and were once again quiet.

John Milliken Thompson has written a fictionalized account of this: The Reservoir.

The alert sent to VCU students and staff said the student was assaulted at the intersection of Laurel and Grace Streets around 9:50 p.m. Friday. The alert indicated the assault suspects were somehow associated with Club Xscape, a business located near the reported assault. The alert did not indicate whether the suspect worked for or were patrons of the club.

@HLHuber: Just another night of running down criminals in the fan. Slew of cars vandalized near Meadow and Park. Chk your car in am.

THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE
1/15/12 10:15 p.m. – 11:10 p.m.
1600 block of West Cary Street
An unknown person(s) broke into the vehicle and stole a toothbrush.

BURGLARY
1/16/12 3:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
2200 block of West Cary Street
An unknown person(s) broke into the residence and stole a laptop and jewelry.

THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE
1/14/12 12:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
2800 block of West Grace Street
An unknown person(s) broke into the vehicle and stole an iPhone left in plain view.

THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE
1/11/12 – 1/13/12 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
1300 block of Floyd Avenue
An unknown person(s) broke into the vehicle and stole an iPod left in plain view.

ROBBERY
1/16/12 7:11 p.m.
200 block of South Boulevard
A male reported he was robbed by two unknown males.

Via the Richmond Police Department:

After a recent rise in burglaries in the Fan and Museum Districts, Third Precinct officers worked together using a variety of techniques to identify possible offenders. They were able to identify a suspect, but unable to catch him in the act. After learning the offender was on probation, officers worked with Probation and Parole and eventually arrested the man for violation his probation. The arrest worked. Before the offender’s release from jail, there were seven burglaries in those neighborhoods. During the offender’s time on probation, there were 24 burglaries. After his arrest, there were only two burglaries

A few historic photos of the Richmond Police Department K-9 Unit…

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
1/8/12 10:15 p.m.
1800 block of West Cary Street
A male reported an unknown male tried to rob him at gunpoint.

BURGLARY
1/7/12 – 1/8/12 5:00 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.
813 W. Grace St.
An unknown person(s) broke into the business.

STOLEN BIKE:
Black AtomLab ‘PIMP 2′ frame
White Surly front fork
Black Haro BMX Stem
White DMR Wingbars, 3″ rise with crossbar uncut
Black Sun Rims Mammoth Rims, 36H 26″
Steel triple butted spokes
Black Surly hubs, 36H single speed rear
Black TruVativ ‘Hussefelt’ crankset (36:16 If you have time to count it)
Grey Juicy 5 front disc brake
Black Juicy 3 rear disc brake
Kenda K-Rad 26×2.3 tires
Green Foam handlebar grips
Black Ride platform pedals(Muddy with red clay)

This bicycle was last seen on the 1300 block of Cary St. at about 12:30 AM Thursday December 29.

The tires are muddy on the outside, the grips are lightly beaten, and the brake triggers are damaged inward at the ends. There is a white (but dirty) shoelace wrapped around the rear brake cable. This bike is more like a piece of my soul than a possession. If you see this bike, please use any means necessary to secure it. Any hardship you face in reconnecting me with this bike will be generously appreciated. Contact me, Tom, at Five4Zero Five22 NineFour18

Burglars targeted several homes in The Fan and Museum District over the holidays. Homes on Grove, Grace, Main, Monument and Parkwood Avenue were all hit in the last few days. These burglars were mainly looking for electronics but actually stole food from one of these apartments.

BURGLARY
12/21/11 – 12/22/11
9:00 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
1618 Grove Avenue
An unknown person(s) broke in and stole electronics.

BURGLARY 12/22/11 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
2726 W.Grace St.
Unknown person(s) entered an unlocked residence and stole a handgun and watches.

BURGLARY
12/23/11 – 12/26/11
9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
1711 W. Main St.
An unknown person(s) broke into the residence and stole electronics.

ROBBERY
12/21/11
8:00 p.m.
00 block of North Shields Avenue
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by an unknown male.

BURGLARY
12/19/11 – 12/21/11
4:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
1210 W. Franklin St.
An unknown person(s) entered the residence and stole a laptop and electronic games.

BURGLARY
12/21/11
9:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
2716 W. Grace St.
A resident noticed two handguns were missing and assumed stolen.

The Richmond Police Department today issued a call for help in identifying suspects in Sunday’s stabbing.

Richmond Police detectives need the public’s help to find and identify two men involved in the stabbing of another man in the Fan District.

Shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, a fight broke out in the 1500 block of West Main Street between two groups of men. During the struggle, one of the victims, a 25-year-old man, was cut and suffered an 8-inch stab wound to his abdomen. The other victim, a 22-year-old man, suffered a broken nose.

The first suspect is described as a white male, about 6’1 feet to 6’3 feet tall with a very slender and lanky build. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and had short, dark wavy hair.

The second suspect is also a white male, approximately 5’8 feet to 5’9 feet tall with brown hair and some facial hair. He was last seen wearing a brown thermal shirt.

A person of interest involved in the fight has a distinctive Redskins helmet tattoo on the top of one of his hands.

Detectives are also pulling possible surveillance images from the area.

Anyone with any information about this incident or these men is asked to call Detective Christina Benkahla at (804) 646-6795 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. Citizens may also text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip.

Police tell [nbc12]] two men were fighting over a woman around 2:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of W. Main Street. At one point, one of the men stabbed the other. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

BURGLARY
12/9/11 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
900 block of West Franklin Street
An unknown person(s) broke into the residence and stole cash, jewelry and an iPod.

Police at Virginia Commonwealth University are investigating a “suspicious package” delivered to the Pollack Building. Police have closed Harrison Street between Franklin Street and Park Avenue as part of the investigation.

This morning my car was broken into and my backpack stolen containing a textbook and notebook, along with many other items not valuable to anyone other than myself. I’m hoping whomever stole the pack has since disposed of it somewhere in the area. If you do find it, please contact me or return it to the Starbuck’s in that area! If you live in the area, maybe check your trash cans if you are disposing of things. Thank you!