Police looking into spree of car break-ins in Lakemoor

The Garner Police Department is investigating thirteen car break-ins which occurred overnight in the Lakemoor Subdivision. In each instance, the victim vehicle was left unlocked.  Items stolen included GPS systems, car radios, wallets, and cash. At this time there is no known suspect information.

Residents are urged to take simple precautions to protect their property.  Vehicle owners are reminded to lock their cars and remove valuables from them.  If the valuables cannot be removed from the car, owners should at least lock valuables in the trunk or place them out of sight. Authorities encourage owners to create a list of make, brand, and serial numbers for any items that are left in the car.  

Anyone with information on these crimes or other crimes in Garner should call the Garner Police at 919-772-8810 or Crime Stoppers at 919-226-2724.

WCSO: Deceased man threatened suicide last summer

On Monday, Wake County Sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement officers respond to a call involving a man threatening to commit suicide inside a mobile home at the end of Middleton Drive in Garner.

The man who shot and killed himself in his Garner home Monday threatened to commit suicide last summer, according to public records obtained from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities have identified the man as William Paul Johnson, 50, of 8005 Middleton Drive. They notified next of kin last night and earlier today.

At 2:27 p.m. yesterday, a 911 caller reported several shots fired from Johnson’s mobile home. Deputies were dispatched to the area immediately and by 3 p.m. had moved pedestrians away from the home and closed the road to incoming traffic. 

For about an hour, neighbors and residents stood out along Rand Road unable to return to their homes while authorities secured the area.

Meanwhile, authorities worked to determine whether anyone was in danger.

“When we arrived, the person who fired the shots wouldn’t come out of the house,” said Phyllis Stephens, spokeswoman for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

By 3:30 p.m., at least six unmarked sheriff’s SUVs appeared at the scene in addition to a fire truck, two EMS vehicles and several members of the Sheriff’s and Raleigh Police’s SWAT team. All camped outside Johnson’s rented residence.

Although not used, the extra firepower was warranted, say officials.

“We had the appropriate personnel there to take care of whatever situation might arise,’” Stephens said.

At around 7:30 p.m., an armored car pulled down the road and drove up to the residence. At 7:40 p.m., authorities entered the residence and found Johnson dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A short time later, neighbors who had stood out in the rain watching the situation unfold, returned to their homes. After five hours, law enforcement officials packed up their gear and drove back up the country road.

The Sheriff’s Office declined to say whether or not anyone else lived at the residence with Johnson. No one else was injured in the incident.

Deputies responded to a suicide threat involving Johnson last August, according to public records. Additional details on that incident were not immediately available.

Garner Police: No notice yet about stimulus funds

Federal and state leaders have stressed transparency in distributing funds from the $787 billion stimulus bill. 

Don’t tell that to the Garner Police who despite published reports in local media do not know whether they’ll see a slice of the pie. 

Over the weekend the White House released information indicating that Garner’s finest are set to receive more than $46,000 – a substantial bit more than other suburbs of Raleigh. 

This afternoon a department spokesperson said, for now, GPD has been left out of the loop.

“We have not received any sort of formal notification from the Feds,” said Seargeant Christopher Clayton, the department’s spokesman.

In the meantime, local officials are waiting to hear more specifics before determining where the stimulus money would be spent.

“Once we receive formal notice, we will assess agency needs like past projects or equipment projects that were not funded and discuss it [with the Town Manager and Town Council],” he said. “Also, once we figure out what requirements would come with the money, then we would look at what to use it for,” Clayton said.

In a recent interview, town finance director Lin Jones said the town does not expect to receive any other direct contributions from the legislation.

Local homeless advocates knew deceased man

Below is more details on the homeless man police discovered dead Saturday inside a truck at a local car lot.

The link below is to outside content:

http://http://www.newsobserver.com/news/wake/story/1433397.html

Police identify homeless man found dead inside truck

Garner Police are saying that a homeless man found dead Saturday afternoon at a local car lot was not the victim of foul play, according to a statement released this morning.

Authorities have identified the man as 48-year-old Harold Ward Daniels. Police found Daniels’ body  inside the cab of a truck at Garner Auto Brokers at 1536 W. US 70 Highway after receiving a 911 call.

Daniels had been given permission to sleep in the truck by a property manager. He was found wearing several layers of clothing and had a sleeping bag with him, according to the statement.

The cause of Daniels’ death is unknown, however, the medical examiner found no evidence of trauma in a preliminary autopsy. 

Garner police set to get $40k in stimulus funds

The Garner Police Department is in line to receive $46,626 in federal stimulus money, according to published reports. The funds are included in a $56.3 million allocation  to North Carolina for law enforcement. More than half of the money will go to the state, the rest will be distributed directly to local agencies like the GPD.

The link below is to outside content:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1431637.html