Shattered glass and an empty cage! That's what the staff of the Byrd Theatre discovered on Sunday morning after a vandal/thief destroyed a glass door to acquire the contents of a cage containing dollar bills.

Reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Yesterday morning, someone broke into the theater and cleaned out the bird cage, which probably held less than $100, said General Manager Todd Schall-Vess. A bigger problem was the damage to the theater doors, which may cost $1,200 to fix when the bills come in....

.... "It's a shame that there wasn't more donated money to steal," Schall-Vess said. "It would have been sequestered somewhere else. The sad thing is, they didn't get away with much because there wasn't that much to take."

Read More From The Richmond Times-Dispatch

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Richmond Police report that their focus mission team successfully seized thousands of dollars in drugs and made an arrest at a residence on Douglasdale Rd:

Third Precinct Focus Mission Team investigators recently searched a home on Douglasdale Road. The search resulted in the arrest of one man for misdemeanor and felony drug possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and ecstasy. Investigators also seized crack cocaine, ecstasy pills, marijuana, nearly $4,000 in cash, drug packaging materials and drug paraphernalia.

Richmond Police report that around 1:40 AM last night two people were robbed near the intersection of Mulberry Street & Kensington Avenue.

Says the RPD report:

500 block of Mulberry Street
A female and a male reported they were robbed by two unknown males.

Richmond's Fan area neighborhoods faced a frightening frenzy of robberies during the month of May according to Richmond Police. The Sector 313 report covering the Fan, Maymont & Randolph communities indicates robberies increased by 250% compared to the month of May 2009.

The bulk of the robberies occurred the weekend of May 7th when the fan was stunned by a series of robberies by two men. The Sector 313 report provides details on each of the incidents:

Friday, May 7, 2010, 2315 hours

1700 Grove Avenue
The victim was walking eastbound on Grove Avenue when he was approached by both suspects. Suspect #1 asked the victim for a cigarette. The victim looked down to find his cigarette pack and when he looked back up he saw suspect #1 armed with a silver handgun and his face covered with a dark-colored bandanna. Suspect #1 said, “Get your money.” The victim handed suspect #1 his BlackBerry and cash. After the robbery both suspects walked from the area westbound on Grove Avenue.

Suspect #1:
Armed w/silver-colored handgun
B/M, 20-25 years old, 5’9-6’0”, 175 pounds, puffy hair
last seen wearing: blue or black bandanna, dark-colored t-shirt, dark-colored pants

Suspect #2:
B/M, 20-29 years old, 6’0”, muscular build, puffy/messy hair
last seen wearing: white shirt, blue jeans

Saturday, May 8, 2010, 0525 hours

100 N. Morris Street
The victim was walking northbound on N. Morris when he was approached by both suspects. Suspect #1 asked the victim if he had a phone. Before the victim could elicit a response suspect #1 displayed a black handgun and pointed it at the victim’s chest. Suspect #2 searched the victim and stole his cell phone and wallet. After the robbery the suspects told the victim to run. The victim ran south on N. Morris and did not see how or when the suspects left the area.

Suspect #1:
Armed w/ black handgun
B/M, 25-29 years old, 6’0”, slim build, dark-colored complexion, goatee beard
last seen wearing: black hoodie, dark-colored clothing

Suspect #2:
B/M, 25-29 years old, 6’0”, 200-225 pounds, heavy-set, goatee beard
last seen wearing: black doo-rag, black shirt

Sunday, May 9, 2010, 2030 hours

315 N. Boulevard
The victim was exiting her parked car and talking on her cell phone when she was approached by both suspects. Suspect #1 displayed a black handgun and demanded her purse and cell phone. The victim gave the suspects her cell phone and handbag. After the robbery the suspects fled on foot northbound through the alley toward Stuart Avenue.

Suspect #1:
Armed w/ black handgun
B/M, 20-29 years old, 5’10”-6’0”, 170-180 pounds, cornrows
last seen wearing: black hoodie w/ white writing on right side, black shorts

Suspect #2:
B/M, 20-29 years old, 5’10”-6’0”, chubby
last seen wearing: dark-colored shirt, dark pants

For more details on these incidents & other crimes in our area check out the May Sector 313 crime report

A South Mulberry Avenue man is in jail this week after Richmond Police seized 25 pounds of marijuana from his car. RPD say that around 10 PM Saturday night Officers Robert Jamison and Toney Waldorf stopped a vehicle for speeding on West Main Street, when the officers approached the car the strong smell of marijuana led them to search the vehicle.

A thorough search of the vehicle yielded 25 pounds of marijuana and $10,000 in cash. The driver of the vehicle, William L. Bowman, 33, of the 200 block of South Mulberry Street, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Bowman faces a class 5 felony with imprisonment of not less than 5 nor more than 30 years for his possession of more than 5 pounds of marijuana. Police did not reveal details on the suspect's fine for speeding but he will likely face higher auto insurance rates as a result of this traffic stop.

Two suspects are behind bars after a helpful tip from a citizen led police to a car break-in in progress. Early Monday morning Richmond Police found the suspected thieves making a getaway in a stolen vehicle near the intersection of Hanover Ave and Nansemond St. Upon seeing Police approach their vehicle both suspects bailed on foot from their still moving getaway car and scattered into the dark night. Thanks to a helpful assist from K9 units both suspects were apprehended shortly thereafter in addition to numerous GPS, iPod and other electronic gear in the stolen car.

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Richmond police report a woman was assaulted and robbed at around 1 AM this morning near the intersection of W. Cary St. & Auburn Ave. Says RPD's report:

5/26/10 1:00 a.m.
3200 block of West Cary Street
A female reported she was assaulted and robbed by two unknown males.

Flashing lights and the wail of police sirens were all too familiar in the Fan area during April as RPD reports that violent crimes and robberies doubled over the same period in 2009.

In the Sector 313 April Newsletter the department reports:

Violent Crime: 100% increase
04/2010 vs. 04/2009 – ten (10) crimes vs. five (5) crimes.

Property Crime: 34% decrease
04/2010 vs. 04/2009 – forty-seven (47) crimes vs. seventy-one (71) crimes

Major Crime: 25% decrease
04/2010 vs. 04/2009 – fifty-seven (57) crimes vs. seventy-six (76) crimes

ROBBERY - INDIVIDUAL
100% increase
04/2010 vs. 04/2009 – two (2) robberies vs. one (1) robbery

Among the noteworthy incidents is this 3:30 AM robbery on April 16th:

Friday, April 16, 2010, 0318 hours
2700 W. Grace Street
The victim was outside of his apartment getting his mail when he was approached by the suspect who was armed with a silver-colored shotgun. The suspect said, “Drop everything and don’t run.” The suspect robbed the victim of his book bag which contained a wallet and a laptop computer. After the robbery the suspect ordered the victim to get on the ground and count to ten. The suspect was last seen running southbound on Mulberry towards Monument Avenue.

Suspect:
Armed w/silver-colored, single-barrel shotgun
B/M, 26-30 years old, 5’8-5’9””, 160-170 pounds, goatee beard
last seen wearing: dark-colored skull cap, dark-colored, baggy jacket

Read more about April crimes in the Fan, Maymont, Byrd Park & Randolph neighborhoods in the Sector 313 Newsletter

Richmond Police report a woman was robbed yesterday morning at 11:45 AM on Grayland Avenue. Says today's Richmond Police Report:

5/12/10 11:45 a.m.
3200 block of Grayland Avenue
A female reported she was robbed by an unknown male with a gun.

Richmond Police confirm that there is a "strong possibility" that the five armed robberies in Boulevard area neighborhoods are connected. Says Lt. Timothy Morley with the Richmond Police Department's 3rd Precinct Robbery & Property Crimes Team, "We had two sets of robberies, on two different days which were minutes apart. There is a strong possibility these are related, due to the proximity to each other, the times and physical descriptions given by the victims. There was one robbery which occurred in the same area but at a different time. It would be premature to say the same suspects were involved in all of the robberies, but we are looking carefully at the similarities."

Lt. Morley tells us that in each case the suspects were described as:

• young black males
• around 6 feet tall
• one suspect was stockier than the other
• wearing dark clothing

Police are taking proactive measures to prevent further robberies and capture the suspects in the recent rash of robberies. Says Lt. Morley "Our officers have been briefed on the locations and suspect information regarding recent robberies. This may not, however, be the best indicator of where and when any suspects may strike again." Morley adds, "Our Third Precinct officers are going to be conducting regular checks in the area. We would ask our area residents to assist us with their eyes and ears to report any suspicious activity, cars or persons in their neighborhoods."

Police say the best thing you can do when you observe suspicious persons around you or your vehicle is to call 9-1-1. Your detailed description of persons and vehicles could prevent one of your friends or neighbors from becoming a victim of crime.

 **DEVELOPING**

Crime hit the Fan this weekend as Richmond Police report a significant number of armed robberies between the VCU campus and the Boulevard. The rash of robberies on Friday and Saturday all share similar characteristics: two suspects armed with a gun robbing an individual.

 Richmond Police Report The Following Incidents:

ROBBERY
5/7/10 11:15 p.m.
1700 block of Grove Avenue
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.

ROBBERY
5/8/10 5:34 a.m.
100 block of North Morris Street
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.

ROBBERY
5/8/10 5:34 a.m.
1800 block of Grove Avenue
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.

ROBBERY
5/9/10 8:28 p.m.
315 N. Boulevard
A female reported she was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.

ROBBERY ATTEMPT
5/9/10 9:28 p.m.
3000 Monument Ave.
A female reported she was assaulted during a robbery attempt by two unknown males with a gun.

Police have not yet confirmed a link or provided suspect descriptions for these crimes.

WRIC reports that Richmond Police are still on the hunt for a man accused of abducting and attempting to assault a young woman near the intersection of Floyd Ave & Boulevard. Watch the 8 News report on the Wednesday incident:

Richmond police report that at 1 AM this morning a female was held against her will near the intersection of Boulevard & Floyd Ave.

According to RPD:
A female reported an unknown male held her against her will and tried to assault her.

Pollen isn't the only springtime problem afflicting residents in neighborhoods west of the Boulevard according to the Richmond Police Department's Sector 311 newsletter. The March report prepared by Sector Lt. Michael Stith tells us that property crimes and bank robberies increased significantly in our area:

Sector 311 experienced four violent crimes (bank robberies) during the month of March. One of the incidents have been cleared by arrest, thanks to a good description of the suspect given by witnesses. We had 52 property crimes for the month, compared to 46 this time last year, which is a 13% increase.

Thefts from motor vehicles remain the most popular criminal behavior in our area:

Feb. 28-Mar. 1: 100 Block of N. Dooley Av., 10:00 am– 7:10 am
Mar. 1: 4900 Block of Grove Av., 2:00 pm– 7:00 pm
Mar. 1: 1000 Block of Lafayette St., 5:20 pm– 7:40 pm
Mar. 1: 4200 Block of Cary Street Rd., 7:15 pm– 7:20 pm
Mar. 1-2: 5300 Block of Snowden Ln., 8:00 pm– 7:00 am
Mar. 1-2: 00 hundred Block of Oak Ln., 9:00 pm– 1000 am
Mar. 3-5: 3500 Stuart Av., 7:45 pm– 3:00 pm
Mar. 4-5: 4100 Block of Kensington Av., 12:15 pm– 08:50 am
Mar. 15-19: 6900 Block of Forest Hill Av., 5:00 pm– 3:56 pm
Mar. 16: 1100 Block of N. Hamilton St., 2:25 pm– 2:30 pm
Mar. 17-18: 4700 Block of Kensington, Ave., 6:00 pm– 7:00 am
Mar. 18: 3500 Block of Floyd Ave., 2:15 pm– 2:40 pm
Mar. 26-28: 700 Block of N. Belmont Rd., 5:00 pm– 1100 am

You can find the full report & tips on how to avoid becoming the next victim of a motor vehicle theft at the Richmond Police Department website

March proved to be a terrible month for criminals in the Fan and Byrd Park neighborhoods as Richmond Police report a number of successful arrests.

Noteworthy incidents from the Sector 313 report for the month of March:

Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 7:15 PM–  1809 Hampton Street
The victim was jogging wearing headphones when he was attacked from behind by the suspect who repeatedly punched him and pushed him into a parked car. During the assault the suspect took the victim’s iPod and ran from the scene eastbound toward Kansas Avenue. A short time later an officer stopped an individual matching the suspect’s description in the 1800 block of Colorado Avenue. Detectives brought the victim to the scene of where the suspect was stopped and the victim positively identified the suspect as the robber. The suspect was arrested and charged with robbery. A search of the suspect incident to his arrest revealed the victim’s iPod in the suspect’s pants pocket.

Friday, March 12, 2010
Officers responded to the 00 block of S. Davis reference a domestic assault. The victim had been assaulted by her boyfriend during an argument in which he broke her cell phone, choked her and put his cigarette out on her forehead. The suspect was gone when the officers arrived, but they obtained a warrant for his arrest. Two days later the suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Officers with the Focus Mission Team executed a drug search warrant in the 00 block of S. Addison Street. As a result, the officers seized over two (2) pounds of marijuana and a digital scale. Two suspects were charged with felony attempt to distribute marijuana.

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Officers arrested a suspect for property damage after catching him carving his initials into a tree in Byrd Park. A further check revealed he was wanted by police in reference to seven (7) felony indictments involving forgery and grand larceny.

Saturday, March 27
Officer Morley received information that a wanted suspect was in the area of the 2700 of W. Main Street. She and other officers circulated the area and located the suspect right where the tipster said he would be. As a result, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and served with two warrants; one for possession of marijuana and another for possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony.

View the full report from the Sector 313 Newsletter