Two men who decided to steal and then dismantle an abandoned car on I-40 this afternoon got much more than they bargained for when they were suddenly surrounded by officers and learned that the vehicle they had just taken was actually a Metro police bait car.

As part of a continuing investigation to identify persons who are stealing vehicles for salvage, the bait car, equipped with special electronic equipment, was placed on the shoulder of I-40 in West Nashville. Auto Theft detectives and West Precinct officers were alerted just after 12:30 p.m. that the car was in motion. Officers subsequently located the bait car in the parking lot of the Waffle House at Charlotte Pike and Cabot Drive, where it had been pushed by the suspects’ vehicle. When police arrived at the Waffle House, Richard Samuel Wilder, 31, of Dickson, and Hank Lewis Newsome, 47, of Nashville, were underneath the bait car attempting to remove the gas tank.

Both Wilder, a convicted burglar, and Newsome, a convicted thief, are now jailed on charges of auto theft and felony vandalism.

Hank Lewis Newsome

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South Precinct Flex officers this afternoon arrested two men on Church Street downtown moments after they watched the pair rob a 16-year-old autistic boy of his sub sandwich.

Officers Jason Spencer and Brandon Frith were at the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Church Street at 2 p.m. when they saw the teenager exit the downtown library with the sandwich in his hands. Almost immediately, two men, subsequently identified as Rodney Sanders, 34, and Marcus White, 22, approached and grabbed the visibly frightened teen’s shirt collar. The officers saw Sanders back the victim up against a column in front of the library and take his sandwich. The men then walked east on Church Street, laughing and eating the sandwich.

Officers Spencer and Frith swiftly went to the teenager, made sure he was ok and asked if he knew the two men. The 16-year-old said they were complete strangers and that they demanded his sandwich. The officers then pursued Sanders and White on foot and arrested them without incident. Both are charged with robbery.

Sanders has prior convictions for multiple public intoxication offenses, assault, theft, drug possession and criminal trespassing. His bond is set at $15,000.

White has prior convictions for multiple criminal trespassing offenses. He is also being held in lieu of $15,000 bond.

Marcus White

East Precinct detectives are continuing to investigate Sunday morning’s chain of events that prompted a homeowner to fire shotgun rounds at two suspected burglars in the area of South 19th and Boscobel Streets.

Aaron Harris, 36, told police that he fired a warning shot from inside his South 19th Street home after he was awakened by a person or persons entering through a window at 12:15 a.m.  Harris said he then went outside and saw two men running from his property.

Harris said he yelled “Freeze!” prompting one of the individuals, Michael D. Brewer, to stop.  While subduing Brewer, Harris struck him in the head with the stock of the shotgun.  Harris walked Brewer back into his yard, made him lie prone, and yelled for his neighbors to call police.  While detaining Brewer, Harris said a red pickup truck pulled up to the yard containing alleged accomplice Stephen Mayo, who, Harris said, was yelling for Brewer.  Harris said he told Mayo to stay put, and that when Mayo started to get out of the truck, he fired two shotgun blasts at him.  Mayo was wounded in the head and crashed the truck.

Mayo was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  A warrant charging him with aggravated burglary is outstanding.  Brewer was booked Sunday morning on a charge of aggravated burglary.  His bond was set at $25,000.

Harris’ use of force will be part of the case file documentation that will be reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office.

Michael D. Brewer

A three-month investigation has led to the dismantling of a local marijuana distribution operation based out of a home on Karen Ray Drive in South Nashville.

Specialized Investigations Division detectives have charged over-the-road truck driver Eduardo Cruz, 44, with possession of marijuana for resale and a crooks with guns violation.  His wife, Yitell Rego, 26, is also charged with possession of marijuana for resale.  The couple is of Cuban descent.

Cruz was arrested Wednesday night after leaving his 4958 Karen Ray Drive home to allegedly make a ten pound marijuana sale.  With the marijuana inside Cruz’s Ford F-350 pickup truck was a .22 rifle.  During the vehicle stop, Cruz made a call on his cellphone.  A short time later, officers conducting surveillance of the residence saw Rego come outside, back a minivan to the garage door and open the van’s side and rear doors.  When Rego pulled the van onto the street, she, too, was stopped by police.  Inside the van were 39 pounds of marijuana.  A subsequent search of 4958 Karen Ray Drive resulted in the seizure of an additional pound of marijuana (50 pounds total were seized Wednesday night) and drug ledgers.

During an interview, Cruz told detectives that he was buying the high quality marijuana for about $2,500 per pound and was selling it for $3,000 to $3,200 per pound.  The origin of the marijuana remains under investigation.  Detectives believe Cruz had been dealing in marijuana for a number of months.

Cruz is jailed in lieu of $105,000 bond.  Rego’s bail is set at $70,000.

Eduardo Cruz

Yitell Rego

An alert neighbor’s call to police is directly responsible for this morning’s arrest of two men who were found hiding in a closet of the Southcrest Drive home they were burglarizing.

The citizen first saw the burglars outside her neighbor’s house at 9:30 a.m., knew they didn’t belong there, and called 911.  When officers arrived, they found a white SUV parked in the driveway and forced entry to the home.  A search of the residence by Detective Phil Klarer, Officer Jason Spencer and Officer Dennis Shepherd led to the discovery of Charles Brenden Davis, 19, and Alexander G. Warnatzsch, 20, hiding in a closet.  They brought a shotgun inside the home with them.  A rifle was found in their car.  In addition to today’s break-in, the two have been tied to the December 27th burglary of a home in the 100 block of Claybrook Drive.  Property stolen in that case was recovered from the SUV.

Davis and Warnatzsch are being charged with two counts of aggravated burglary.

Davis was convicted of three counts of aggravated burglary in 2010.  His three three-year sentences were being served through the Community Corrections program.

Alexander G. Warnatzsch

Quick response by South Precinct Officer Brandon Frith to a burglary in progress call in the 5000 block of Cherrywood Drive at 11:17 p.m. Monday led to the apprehension of two would-be thieves, one of them a 17-year-old high school student.

A resident on Cherrywood Drive called police after hearing glass breaking and seeing persons behind her neighbor’s home (the neighbor was away for the holidays).

When Officer Frith arrived, the 17-year-old was getting out of a Jeep that was backed up to the carport.  The teenager fled to the rear of the home and joined his accomplice, Hysen Krqeli, 19.  Frith and backup Officer William Williams ordered the two to surrender and took them into custody.

The back door, side door and a window at the home had been kicked in.  Two televisions were at the side door and appeared ready for loading into the Jeep.

Krqeli is charged with aggravated burglary and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  He is being held in lieu of $72,000 bond.  The 17-year-old is charged with aggravated burglary at Juvenile Court.

The stop of an SUV for inoperable brake lights in Hermitage led to the discovery of meth-making components and four weapons, two of them loaded shotguns.

Hermitage Precinct Flex Officers Amanda Martin and John Jayne stopped the Toyota 4Runner on Old Hickory Boulevard near Plantation Drive. The driver, Stephen Dragstrem, 41, and his girlfriend, Cambria Zieger, 21, said they were passing through Nashville from Indiana. Also in the vehicle were Zieger’s eight-month-old daughter and a pit bull puppy.

Officer Martin requested and received permission to check the vehicle. Found hidden inside a dog food bag were chemicals commonly used to make methamphetamine. Also discovered were coffee filters, tubing and batteries also used in the manufacture of meth. While on the scene, Dragstrem discarded a straw that he said had been used to feed the infant girl. The straw field tested positive for meth residue.

Dragstrem and Zieger are each charged with promotion of meth manufacture, violating the crooks with guns law and possession of drug paraphernalia. They are jailed in lieu of $75,000 bond each.

The Department of Children’s Services has assumed custody of Zieger’s child. Metro Animal Control took custody of the puppy.

Stephen Dragstrem

South Precinct officers Wednesday arrested two men accused of burglarizing laundry room vending machines in three separate apartment complexes.

At 3 a.m., officers responded to a burglary in progress at Whispering Oaks Apartments at 100 Tanglewood Court. William T. Smith, 42, was taken into custody as he was attempting to get into a car driven by Steven Bennett, 37. Smith was carrying a duffel bag containing coins and two crow bars.

During interviews, both men admitted to the Tanglewood Court break-in and also to burglaries at Prestige Pointe Apartments at 200 Paragon Mills Road and Ashton at Harding Apartments at 4700 Humber Drive.

Smith, of Owendale Court, and Bennett, of College Grove, Tennessee, are each charged with three counts of burglary and possession of burglary tools. Smith has previous burglary, theft, drug possession, and domestic assault convictions. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond. Bennett’s arrest history reflects convictions for theft, assault, and evading arrest. He is being held in lieu of $16,000 bond.

Investigation by West Precinct detectives led to the arrest of two acquaintances accused in three separate robberies this month at two Walgreens’ pharmacy locations.

In the first hold-up on August 7th, Mark Boone, 42, is accused of demanding painkillers at gunpoint before fleeing the 7601 Highway 70 South Walgreens. West Precinct Crime Suppression Unit detectives developed Boone as a potential suspect during a recent Knock and Talk at his Old Hickory Boulevard residence in which he was issued a state citation for possession of an Opana pill. Further investigation by West Precinct detectives led to Boone being positively identified as the robber. He admitted his involvement in the robbery last night and was taken into custody.

A short time later, Boone’s acquaintance, Sean Schield, 31, was also positively identified as the man who entered the same Walgreens on Wednesday night, implied that he had a weapon, and demanded painkillers. Schield was given medication and fled. He was taken into custody this morning at his Old Pond Creek Road residence. Schield is now also charged in the August 18th hold-up of the Walgreens’ pharmacy at 8110 Highway 100.

Boone, who has previous drug possession, theft and DUI convictions, is charged with aggravated robbery. He is being held in lieu of $35,000 bond.

Schield is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and is being held on $75,000 bond. Schield’s arrest history reflects convictions for disorderly conduct and reckless driving.

Mark Boone

Sean Schield

Outstanding police work led to the arrest of two men who are being charged with using a stolen box truck to smash their way into the Shell store at 8456 Highway 100 just before 3 a.m. Sunday taking the automated teller machine.

A citizen heard the crash, notified police, and gave an excellent description of the suspect vehicle. West Precinct Officer Adam Parker alertly spotted the truck traveling on Centennial Boulevard. He activated his emergency equipment and after a brief pursuit, both suspects bailed from the vehicle near Tennessee State University.

Andre Gordon, 19, was quickly captured by TSU police. Everett Bradley, 20, fled to a 23rd Avenue North residence where he surrendered after a three hour police standoff during which he hid in the attic. Both men are being charged with theft, burglary and evading arrest.

At the time of his arrest, Bradley was free on $35,000 dollar bond for a January drug-related carjacking.

The investigation into at least six recent ATM-related crimes continues by detectives from North, West and South Precincts. At least five persons are believed to be involved in this morning’s ATM theft.

Anyone who has information concerning these convenience store break-ins is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 74-CRIME. Citizens can also send an electronic tip to Crime Stoppers by texting the word “CASH” along with their message to 274637 (CRIMES) or online at www.nashvillecrimestoppers.com. Persons who contact Crime Stoppers by phone or text message can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.

Andre Gordon

Everett Bradley