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April 2024 Briefing

Total Calls for Service: 669


Burglary of Residence

1300+ Brunmore Ct

April 1, 2024 – 3:30AM

Officers responded to the 1300 block of Brunmore Court in reference to a burglary of a residence that

had just occurred. The Detective Bureau is investigating. (Incident #2401898)


Larceny

700+ Blue Ridge Ave

April 1, 2024 – 12:50PM

Officers spoke with a caller who believes their cell phone was stolen out of their vehicle. The Patrol

Division is investigating. (Incident #2401911)


Destruction of Property

400+ Otey St

April 1, 2024 – 1:56PM

Officers responded to the 400 block of Otey Street in reference to a property damage call. Four juveniles

were seen by a witness throwing rocks at a trailer belonging to a community church. After further

investigation, the juveniles confessed to the incident. The church declined to press charges on the

juveniles and instead offered to find an alternative resolution for the matter. (Incident #2401917)


Possible Narcotics

600+ Blue Ridge Ave

April 2, 2024 – 3:11PM

Officers were patrolling the 600 block of Blue Ridge Avenue when they observed a vehicle with no front

tag. Officers initiated a traffic stop and later located suspected narcotics. (Incident #2401944)


Destruction of Property/Larceny

1128 E Lynchburg Salem Tpke

April 7, 2024 – 6:04PM

Officers responded to the Goodwill on East Lynchburg Salem Turnpike for the report of a subject spray

painting the dumpster behind the building. After further investigation, Christian Leonard, 20, of Bedford

was taken into custody and transported to the magistrate where charges for petit larceny and property

damage were obtained against him. He was released on an unsecured bond. (Incident #2402066)


Burglary of Residence

1000+ Dillons Way

April 8, 2024 – 5:13AM

Officers responded to Dillons Way for the report of someone trying to kick in the door at the caller’s

residence during the night. The caller had doorbell camera footage of the incident. When viewing the

video, officers identified the subject from previous encounters. Warrants for trespassing, destruction of

property, and breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony were later obtained against

Christian Leonard, 20, of Bedford. Leonard was arrested and held without bond. (Incident #2402069)


Trespassing

700+ Vine St

April 10, 2024 – 8:00PM

Officers responded for the report of an individual on the caller’s property that has been told several

times by members of law enforcement that they are not allowed to be at the residence. Edward

Wooldridge, 55, of Bedford was taken before the magistrate where a warrant for trespassing was

obtained against him. Wooldridge was granted a secured bond. (Incident #2402106)


DUI Arrest

900+ Blue Ridge Ave

April 13, 2024 – 10:00PM

Officers were patrolling the 900 block of Blue Ridge Avenue when they observed a vehicle with

suspicious driving behavior. Officers later approached the subject and smelled the odor of an alcoholic

beverage coming from his person. After further investigation, Harvey Witcher, 60, of Bedford was

placed under arrest for driving under the influence. He was transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.

(Incident #2402191)


Fraud

1820 E Lynchburg Salem Tpke

April 17, 2024 – 9:15AM

Officers responded to the Bedford Lowes for the report of two incidents involving fraudulent

transactions. The Patrol Division is investigating. (Incident #2402272)


Warrant Service

1128 E Lynchburg Salem Tpke

April 21, 2024 – 2:07AM

Officers were patrolling the parking lot of Walmart when they observed a vehicle that was running with

the headlights on and a subject asleep in the driver’s seat. Further investigation revealed Tapree

Merkman, 28, of Bedford as the subject. Dispatch advised Merkman had an active capias for failure to

appear in court. He was transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail where he was held without bond.

(Incident #2402356)


Larceny

Lyle St/South St

April 22, 2024 – 3:33AM

Officers were on patrol when they observed a pickup truck parked at the intersection of Summit Street

and Macon Street. Officers saw two subjects get into the truck and leave. Moments later officers

received a call in regards to two juveniles in a pickup truck taking a stop sign at the intersection of Lyle

Street and South Street. Officers responded to the registered address of the tag from earlier in the

morning. The juveniles admitted to taking the sign and advised they will return it. The parents of the

juveniles were advised of the incident. (Incident #2402370)


Possible Narcotics

1500+ Longwood Ave

April 22, 2024 – 3:30PM

Officers responded to the 1500 block of Longwood Avenue for the report of a subject slumped over in a

vehicle. Upon arrival, officers located the subject in the driver seat and observed suspected narcotics.

The Patrol Division is investigating. (Incident #2402382)


Destruction of Property

400+ Crenshaw St

April 22, 2024 – 6:00PM

Officers responded to the 400 block of Crenshaw Street for the report of a property damage. The caller

advised an old pick up truck on their property had been damaged. Officers observed a broken window

and a large rock lying on the floorboard. The Patrol Division is investigating. (Incident #2402384)


Warrant Service/Narcotics

1500+ Longwood Ave

April 27, 2024 – 4:05PM

Officers were patrolling the area of Longwood Avenue when they observed a subject known to them

from previous encounters. Officers checked their wanted status with dispatch. It was confirmed that

Travis Coles, 32, of Bedford had an active capias. When searching Coles, possible narcotics were

located. Coles was transported to the jail where he was served the capias. Officers also obtained a

warrant for possession of controlled substances. Coles was held on a secured bond. (Incident #2402496)


Larceny

1000+ Laurel St

April 29, 2024 – 10:00AM

Officers spoke to an individual who advised their license plate had been stolen. The Patrol Division is

investigating. (Incident #2402529)


DUI Arrest

Route 460/Turnpike Rd

April 29, 2024 – 11:47PM

Officers were patrolling the area of route 460 when they observed a vehicle approaching at a high rate

of speed. Officers initiated a traffic stop. Lydia Perschino, 22, of Bedford was subsequently taken into

custody and transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail where a warrant for Driving Under the Influence

was obtained against her. Perschino was set to be held until sober. (Incident #2402542)


Fraud

1000+ Roundtree Dr

April 30, 2024 – 3:09PM

Officers spoke to an individual who advised they may have almost been a victim of a scam. The

individual described a notification they received on their phone that their data had been corrupted and

they were advised to call a phone number listed. Once they called the number, a subject claiming to be a

male named “Jerry” advised them that their account had been accessed by multiple other people.

“Jerry” advised that a loan of $70,000 had been taken out in the caller’s name and that they would be

held liable for the loan if payments were not made. The “Jerry” subject advised the caller to go to their

bank and get a cashier’s check and send it to a specified address. The caller advised they were about to

send the check when they realized they may be getting scammed. Luckily, no money was lost during the

incident. (Incident #2402559)


This report is published monthly. The information in each report covers

significant criminal incidents generally from the month before.

Addresses shown indicate blocks or specific locations. This is not a

comprehensive list of every police event in the town of Bedford in the

stated time frame.


Note: Information contained in the MONTHLY BRIEFING is generally

based on initial reports made to the police department. Follow-up

investigations may reveal different or additional information.




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