June 5, 2009 Police blotter

Samplings of recent calls received by Clovis-area law enforcement officers, according to reports:

About midnight May 17 an officer responded to a hotel in the 1000 block of Mabry Drive for theft of services.

A cab driver said he had transported a man from a bar to the hotel and the man was refusing to pay the $7 fare.

The man, who the officer noted was extremely intoxicated, told the officer he was willing to pay for the ride but when he fished around in his pockets, he only had two quarters and a cell phone.

The 26-year-old then told the officer his money was in his hotel room.

However he couldn't find his key and when the officer looked through the window, the room appeared empty.

Officers then checked with the manager of the hotel, who told them the man was not a guest at the hotel.

The man was taken to jail.

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Around 3 a.m. May 17 an officer responded to a residence in the 300 block of Cactus for a battery report.

A 23-year-old male was hit in the head with a beer bottle. He said he was having a party and when it started getting out of hand, he began telling people to leave.

He said a couple he did not know got mad and claimed he was only making them leave because of their race.

A female friend told the officer she then touched the male suspect on the shoulder in an attempt to calm him down and his female companion hit her and knocked her to the ground.

The resident said he then covered his friend on the ground to protect her and someone began punching and hitting him in the back of the head.

Then, he said, the people left his house.

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About 8 p.m. May 17 an officer responded to a hotel in the 2000 block of Mabry Drive for a battery report.

A desk clerk said a man came into the business, threw a phone book at him, then jumped over the counter and began to punch him.

He said he believed the man attacked him because he had called the police on him earlier in the day.

The officer observed a mess in the office from the scuffle and the clerk's shirt was ripped and noted intent to seek a warrant for battery against the suspect.

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About 11 p.m. May 17 an officer responded to a hotel in the 4000 block of North Prince Street for a domestic battery report.

A woman said her husband hit her in the head with the muzzle of a pistol during an argument at their home in the 1000 block of South Prince.

She said they had been arguing because they were struggling financially to maintain a business they own.