Just stay out of the woods

A man taking a shortcut through the woods between the Raceway gas station and a Food Lion store near the Heritage Court Apartments learned the same lesson as Little Red Riding Hood - walks may be safer if you just stay out of the woods.

On Jan 20, at about 7:30 p.m., as the victim walked near the 5200 block of Goolsby Court, someone grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground. The suspect produced a black semiautomatic handgun and demanded the man's money. The victim complied, handing over his cash. The suspect ran away, heading toward Jefferson Davis Highway.

Anyone with information about this crime should call police at 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 748-0660, or text the code tip699 with the tip and send to 274637 (CRIMES). Tipsters may also visit www.crimesolvers.net to report information anonymously online.

In other crimes:

Braebrook Drive. Between 7:30 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. on Jan. 23, someone broke into a home in the 19400 block and stole guns, money, jewelry and other property.

Centralia Road. Sometime between 8 p.m. on Jan. 18 and 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 22, someone broke into the Iglesia Bautista Missionera Church in the 5900 block, rummaged through the interior and stole food.

Courthouse Road. At about 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 24, someone found a Molotov cocktail in the parking lot of Shiloh Pentecostal Church in the 3400 block. A second Molotov cocktail was found in another nearby parking lot. No one was injured.

Dundas Road. At about 5:35 p.m. on Jan. 21, several suspects assaulted a victim riding his bike in the 3000 block. The suspects pulled his bike away from him, knocking him to the ground, and demanded his wallet. Witnesses yelled, and the suspects ran away, taking nothing.

Eastwood Drive. Between 10 p.m. on Jan. 19 and 8 a.m. on Jan. 20, someone stole gas from a car parked in the driveway of a home in the 700 block.

Enon Church Road. Sometime between noon on Jan. 15 and noon on Jan. 23, someone pried loose the coin box on a pay phone in the 200 block and stole the money from inside.

Hopkins Road. Between 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 and 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 26, someone broke into Falling Creek Middle School in the 4700 block and stole cash from an office.

Escada Drive. Between 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 and noon on Jan. 26, someone put an explosive device into a mailbox at a residence in the 12300 block.

Huguenot Road. Sometime between 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 23 and 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, someone entered the Huguenot Barber Shop in the 2000 block and stole cash from the register. The front door to the business was found unlocked.

Learning Place Loop. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Jan. 22, a juvenile suspect threatened to blow up someone at Tomahawk Creek Middle School in the 1600 block.

Liverpool Lane. Sometime between 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 8 a.m. on Jan. 22, someone broke into an apartment in the 12400 block at River's Bend Apartments and drank a couple of beverages, then placed lit cigarettes near flammable items in an apparent attempt to set a fire.

River Road. At about 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 26, shots were fired into a residence in the 9000 block. No one was injured in the incident.

Van Hoy Drive. Just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, several suspects wearing bandanna masks went into a vacant apartment in the 7600 block at the Cross Creek Apartments where workers were installing carpet. They pulled a handgun on the workers and stole personal items from them before fleeing.