Man Turns Over Captive Alligator

These items were selected from several hundred Mount Pleasant Police Reports taken within the first few weeks of December 2011.

All charges are pending and accused parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Efforts are made not to disclose the names of victims.

Man Turns Over Alligator

A Mount Pleasant man captured an alligator and called police to dispose of the reptile, according to a police report.

Juan VillaFranca, 30, called police to report that he had captured an alligator with bound hind legs and a taped-shut mouth, a report states. The man told officers that he had observed the animal in an Awendaw pond for three days with the duct-tape bindings.

He told officers he decided to capture the animal and take it back to his home in Mount Pleasant in hopes that police and animal control could release it safely, the report states.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources retrieved the gator, but not before Mount Pleasant officers issued VillaFranca a written warning for possessing a live alligator without the proper permit, the report states.

Officer Nipped by Dog

A Mount Pleasant police officer on Monday was bitten on the lip by a dog, according to police reports.

The officer was responding to the Mossy Oak Way residence after the homeowner called police to report that she believed her house sitter had guests, and that was against the agreement between the homeowner and the house sitter, the report states.

As the officer was leaving the home, she apparently bent down to pet a dog and cat, and that’s when the canine nipped at the officer’s lip. The 12-year-old Maltese dog caused only a minor puncture wound, which did not require stitches, the report states.

The dog is reportedly current on all its vaccinations.

Man Arrested Wanted in Pool-Stick Attack

A West Virginia man, wanted for a serious pool-stick attack, was apprehended on Dec. 23 by Mount Pleasant police, according to a report.

Police spotted a vehicle on Six Mile Road that matched a nationwide fugitive alert, which had been issued earlier by West Virginia authorities who had warrants for Matthew McCue, 35.

Officers were able to trace the vehicle to a trailer off Six Mile Road where McCue, his girlfriend and a baby were staying, the report states. Officers surrounded the home and ordered both the girlfriend and McCue from the residence with no incident.

McCue is charged in Parkersburg, W.Va., for beating a man with a pool stick, according to WTAP-TV. The attack reportedly caused serious cuts and broke the victim’s arm, the TV station reports. McCue also had warrants out of Horry County, S.C., the police report states.

SWAT Team Secures Barricaded Gunman

A man holed up in a Palm Street home threatening to kill himself went to jail after a tense standoff with police, the SWAT team and a hostage negotiator, according to reports.

It happened Dec. 21 when the 20-year-old man refused to come out of the home and was making threats to harm himself, the report states.

Officers surrounded the home, and could see the man pacing the residence, perhaps holding a handgun, the report states.

After the SWAT team and a hostage negotiator arrived, officers lost site of the man and then heard a single gunshot from inside the home. Shortly after the man voluntarily exited the home with no injuries.

Officers charged the man, Jack Tinuis Jr., with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature after discussing with family what led up to the incident.

Peeping Tom Brings Ladder, Leaves Shirt

An apparent peeping tom used a ladder to get a clear view of a teenager in her bedroom, and when chased by the victim’s father, the suspect shed his shirt and left his bicycle behind, a report states.

It happened around 10 p.m. on Dec. 16 when a 19-year-old woman alerted her father to strange noises as she sat in her bedroom, the report states.

The girl’s 49-year-old father looked out the front window and saw a young man peering through a window. He confronted the suspect and a “physical altercation” ensued, but because the suspect’s shirt was so loose, he was able to escape, the father told police.

The suspect is described as a black male, 18 to 23 years old, with twisted hair, the report states. The father pulled the suspect’s bicycle into the home and kept the man’s shirt for evidence.

Caretaker Arrested for Stealing from Client

A Hanahan woman could be facing grand-larceny charges in Mount Pleasant after reportedly stealing from a woman for whom she was hired to provide care, a report states.

The victim is reportedly debating whether to press charges, after the caretaker confessed to stealing $2,500 in jewelry and other items from two of her clients.