REPORTING OFFICER'S NARRATIVE (Brief narrative of the facts surrounding the offense and the arrest.)
At 7:01 p.m., Dispatch received a 911 call regarding malicious mischief in the parking lot of Baptist Memorial Hospital. The caller identified herself as Dr. Veronica Smith.
Unit #225 (Officer Richard Squire) was on patrol nearby and was dispatched to the scene. R/O arrived at the scene at 7:07 p.m.
Upon arrival, R/O was waved down by an adult female in the hospital parking lot. The female identified herself as Dr. Veronica Smith (Person 1) and directed R/O to her vehicle, which was located in the northwest section of the parking lot. R/O observed a 2016 Acura TLX sedan, dark red in color, with obvious tire damage. Closer inspection revealed apparent sharp force damage to the sidewalls of all four tires. Visual examination of the fenders revealed no fingerprints or handprints and seemed to indicate the surfaces had been wiped down recently.
The parking spaces on either side of the vehicle were vacant, but the complainant indicated they were occupied when she arrived approximately one hour earlier. The complainant said she arrived at the hospital at approximately 6:00 p.m. to check on a patient. She said she did not notice any other persons in the parking lot at that time, but said she was focused on getting in the hospital and "not looking for criminals loitering in the parking lot." The complainant said she discovered the damage when she returned to the parking lot.
While the complainant was giving her account, a second adult female approached and inquired about complainant's well-being. The second female identified herself as Margaret Brittingham (Person 2), a friend of the complainant and a physician at the hospital. Brittingham said she had not seen or heard anything unusual in the past hour.
A tow truck from Billee's Auto Service arrived at the scene at approximately 7:20 p.m. Complainant indicated she had called AAA auto service for a tow after contacting 911.
R/O recommended to the complainant that she take photographs of the damage for her insurance company and provided her with the incident number of this report for reference.
Complainant inquired about what additional investigative steps would be taken and expressed strong annoyance that more aggressive action was not being taken immediately. R/O assured complainant that investigators would do everything they could to find the responsible party and follow up with her at a later date.
R/O departed the scene at 7:35 p.m., while the vehicle was being loaded onto the tow truck, and returned to patrol.
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