Blotter: Woman reports stranger threatened to kill her in Mack Park bathroom

The caller said she was in the park’s restroom when a man entered. She reported that he pulled out a knife and said something about how someone needed to bring him a specific amount of money or he’d kill her.

The report states that she couldn’t remember how much money the man demanded. She also told police that the man said he had a gun.

She ran out of the restroom and wasn’t sure if he tried to follow her, she said. Once she was several blocks away from the park, she called police.

Police are still investigating the incident as a case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Other reports

1400 block of Troy H. Lagrone Drive — A 45-year-old woman was charged with burglary Tuesday after a detective caught her returning to the scene of the crime with stolen items in her car, according to a police report.

In February, police responded to a storage facility in the 3200 block of North Interstate 35. The caller reported some storage units had been broken into.

The burglar had opened up boxes and strewn items around the unit. Detectives took latent fingerprints at the scene. Latent prints are fingerprints that are formed when the body’s oils and sweat are deposited onto a surface. Contrary to patent prints, latent prints are not visible without using an alternate light source or covering them in powders or chemicals.

Detectives also obtained surveillance footage from the business. An employee allegedly recognized the woman in the video and said she rented a unit on the same floor as the units that were burglarized.

While detectives were still at the scene, that woman walked by the detective and one of the victims. The detective approached her vehicle and noticed a tote bag and gaming console inside. The report states the detective took photos and confirmed that these appeared to be the same items missing from the victim’s unit.

On Feb. 26, officers notified the detective that they arrested her on unrelated charges — fraud, three felony counts of drug possession and bringing a prohibited substance or item into a correctional facility — and towed her vehicle. The detective went to interview her at the Denton County Jail a few days later.

Citing the evidence against her, the detective applied for two warrants for burglary of a building. Those third-degree-felony warrants were served at the county jail Tuesday, where she remains in custody.

1400 block of Troy H. Lagrone Drive — A 24-year-old man was charged Tuesday with destroying a church after he allegedly admitted to the act in a Google review and a letter he wrote to a church employee from prison, according to a police report.

On Feb. 17, police were dispatched to a call at a church in the 2800 block of North Locust Street. The caller said someone broke out the window of one of the church’s front floors.

Police arrived to find the window shattered and a black tire iron on the floor nearby. They entered the church and did not find anyone inside. Church members would later report that the estimate for the damage was $1,100.

One church employee told police they suspected an ex-member committed the crime. He said the church recently cut ties with a 24-year-old man who they believed was making inappropriate advances at young female members.

It is unclear from the report whether the female members were minors or young adults, police spokesperson Allison Beckwith said. The report does not specify whether these alleged advances were physical or verbal or if there was any clear and convincing evidence of them, she said.

Beckwith also said this investigative report did not mention whether anyone had made a report related to these accusations or if the man was not currently being investigated for any related charges.

While police were investigating the broken window, the suspect allegedly posted a Google review for the church and claimed responsibility for the damage. The report states the review, which bore his name, specifically states, “Today, in retaliation, I broke the church glass.”

Church members later located surveillance footage of the incident. The report states church members immediately identified the suspect in the video as the 24-year-old man. Detectives took further steps to identify the suspect in the video, though, according to the report.

On March 12, Denton police arrested the man for unrelated offenses: criminal mischief between $2,500 and $30,000, terroristic threat of family or household, and two counts of assault that causes bodily injury to a family member. While in the Denton County Jail, the man allegedly wrote a letter to a church employee admitting to breaking the window and asking for forgiveness.

Detectives applied for a warrant for criminal mischief with damage or destruction to a place of worship. A judge granted the warrant on Tuesday and police served him that day at the jail, where he remains in custody.

Roundup

From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, the Denton Police Department handled 445 service and officer-initiated calls and made 13 arrests.