A local man arrested Thursday night, Jan. 25, is considered a person of interest in a recent rash of automobile burglaries and other thefts occurring in a residential neighborhood of northwest Charleston, according to Police Chief Donnie Tenner.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Robert Earl Brooks, 45, of 401½ King Dr., Charleston, had been charged with public drunk, trespassing and attempt to commit a crime, but Tenner said police plan to upgrade the latter charge to attempted auto burglary.
Brooks was arrested just before 11 p.m. on Jan. 25 while walking on North Market Street.
According to the incident report, a police officer on patrol in the area of West Chestnut Street was flagged down by a neighborhood resident who had stepped outside his house to find a man he later identified as Brooks attempting to break into his vehicle.
As the officer turned around his police cruiser, he observed a man running away from the scene and the homeowner giving chase on foot.
When the officer drove upon Brooks, he was walking but “out of breath,” according to the report. The policeman also noted that Brooks’ speech was slurred and he was belligerent.
Tenner said Brooks has remained mum, but the chief added, “We’re going to keep on pressing until he tells us something.”
Brooks’ case was continued from Monday afternoon’s session of Charleston Municipal Court.
Tenner said police have no other suspects and have no reason to believe that more than one person is involved in the northwest Charleston crimes, where the stolen items have ranged from a barbecue grill taken from a carport, to tools and at least one handgun lifted from automobiles parked outside of homes in the area.
“I’ve been here all my life, and that’s not an area of town where people steal something,” said Tenner. “We’ve never had any burglaries in that neighborhood.”
Much of the criminal activity is believed to have occurred at night, according to residents of the neighborhood. At least one resident has captured images of a prowler on surveillance video, Tenner said, declining to elaborate.
Some of the crimes have not been reported to police, the chief noted, saying that he has had to find out about several of them through word of mouth or posts on Facebook.
“If you don’t report it, we don’t know it,” Tenner said, encouraging all residents of the city to report all suspicious or illegal activity to law enforcement.
In the meantime, he noted, “We’re just going to keep on patrolling and making sure everybody feels a little safer.”
In other police news:
• Monique L. Grantlin, 44, of 3378 Mississippi Highway 35 N., Charleston, was arrested Sunday night on a charge of aggravated domestic violence after she allegedly cut Darnell Tellis of 519 Murphy Road, Charleston, with a knife, according to an arrest report.
During a Monday afternoon hearing in Charleston Municipal Court, Grantlin waived her right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over to the grand jury, with Municipal Judge Tara Lang setting bond at $25,000.
