Police are investigating several break-ins at local homes and vehicles over the past week, including a theft on Beaty Street where someone stole more than $800 in electronics and U.S. Treasury Bills from a parked car. In a separate report, a Jetton Street resident reported someone stole a bicycle valued at $350 from her house after breaking into an attached, unsecured porch.

In other news, a woman was transported to a local hospital last Thursday with injuries suffered in an automobile  crash on Davidson-Concord Road. Three vehicles were involved in the collision, and both Odell and Davidson firefighters assisted Medic with patient care and scene stabilization.

Details on these incidents and others (along with a tally of the week’s arrests, citations, and traffic enforcement) may be found below. Read the full story

Brickhouse Tavern owner Nick Lyssikatos supplied the hot dogs and hamburgers, and Carlos Springs tended the grill at Tuesday's National Night Out in Roosevelt Wilson Park. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

About 75 residents, local officials and Davidson police officers on Tuesday night joined Davidson’s celebration of National Night Out, a community cookout and crime-prevention festival held at Roosevelt Wilson Park, off Griffith Street.

The crowd brought neighbors together from the Exit 30 area to the West Side and River Run to St. Alban’s neighborhood. Residents chatted with police officers and town officials while kids played on the park’s playground structure. The Brickhouse Tavern supplied hot dogs and hamburgers, while some residents brought other dishes to share.

With a town election coming up in November, several Town Board members and political challengers turned out. Mayor John Woods was there, along with his challenger Vince Winegardner. Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tem Laurie Venzon also was there, and so was commissioner candidate Kristen Coupal. Read the full story

Mount Mourne firefighters practice using a "drop tank" to relay water to fires in rural areas. (Thomas Christy/DavidsonNews.net)

Davidson fire units handled a variety of potentially serious calls over the past week, including another ruptured gas line on the Davidson College campus and a motor  crash collision with injuries on I-77 last Friday. Short-circuiting electrical outlets and a smoking computer tower prompted several 911 calls, as well. Davidson firefighters also held a joint training Monday night with the Odell and Mount Mourne fire departments.

Monday’s training, on Shearer Road in the un-built River Run Phase 5 expansion,  involved rural water supply operations and required firefighters to shuttle water more than 1/2 mile from a hydrant to a simulated fire. The drill was designed to prepare for fires in outlying residential areas during the hot summer months.  Details on these incidents and a tally of the week’s medical calls may be found below.

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Davidson Police are investigating two major larcenies this week, including one in which an unknown suspect stole merchandise with a combined value of $2,415 (including luggage, camera equipment, jewelry, a telephone, and a wool coat) from outside of Executive Delivery Service. In a second case, $2,500 worth of jewelry was stolen from an East Rocky River Road residence.

Meanwhile, a Portside Drive resident in Davidson Landing reported that an unknown suspect stole household appliances from her back porch and inflicted an estimated $300 damage to her sailboat. Details on these stories and the week’s traffic accidents (along with a tally of arrests, citations, and traffic enforcement) may be found below. Read the full story

Davidson Police Department and other local groups will host a community cookout and crime-prevention festival Tuesday night at Roosevelt Wilson Park, off Griffith Street. It’s part of the National Night Out, a series of events in cities and towns nationwide.
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Kathryn Firmin-Sellers of United Family Services (center) speaks during last week's Focus Friday. With her are Cornelius Commissioner Lynette Rinker and chamber president Bill Russell. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CORNELIUS – United Family Services expects to hire someone soon to be north Mecklenburg’s first dedicated domestic-violence victim advocate. The position is a new one, funded by area towns and Mecklenburg County after a three-year push by a handful of local leaders to improve support for those touched by family violence.

Supporters say the new service not only will help victims navigate the legal system, but it also will bolster area police departments as they respond to domestic-abuse cases. They also hope the advocate’s experiences and data will help make the case for another area need: a magistrate for north Mecklenburg to issue restraining orders and hear other cases – especially after hours. Read the full story

Cornelius police are trying to figure out what caused a driver to lose control of his car and veer off U.S. 21 at midday Friday in a violent crash that left his car on top of a parked vehicle. Story on CorneliusNews.net, CLICK HERE »

Power surges prompted alarms and sent fire units to two homes in Davidson this week. No signs of heat, smoke, or flames were found, but a technician from Duke Energy was dispatched to inspect the houses before the power was turned back on. Emergency crews also helped a homeowner clear smoke and carbon monoxide from her home after a cooking fire triggered a smoke alarm and alerted the fire department. Elsewhere, false alarms (including burnt toast at Davidson College’s Ryburn Apartments) kept firefighters on the road. Details on these calls and a tally of the week’s medical calls may be found below.

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