Two of a kind

Katt Williams, 42, was arrested on March 29 for hitting a store clerk. Williams, known for his share in many different outlets, such as music, comedy and film, was arrested in Gainesville, Georgia, after a verbal altercation escalated to physical. Williams has had multiple arrests within the past 10 years and was released on $5,000 bail.

Similarly, James Jefferson Vanhouten was also arrested for assault causing bodily injury. Like Williams, Vanhouten is no stranger to arrests. Vanhouten, 44, was arrested on Feb. 20 for the fourth time in the last two years. Vanhouten was not given bond.

Blotter — Des Moines

Off-season robbery
Police were dispatched to a property just a few miles away from The Blank Park Zoo on reports of a burglary of a camper on Feb. 27. The victim told police that the property manager of the area had told the victim that multiple other burglaries had also occurred in the area. The victim told police those two televisions, multiple DVDs and a CD player were taken from the camper. The victim told police that he didn’t know of any suspects. IDENT was called to process the scene, including other campers in the area. The RV storage lot has surveillance that could show more information. There was no further information known at the time of the report.

Not free 2U
Police were dispatched to New 2U Treasures on a commercial alarm from a security break-in on Feb. 26. Officers arrived and observed that the front door had been broken, but while checking the perimeter of the store, did not observe any other damages. The suspect did not gain entry, but there was an estimated $350 of damages done to the front door. Police were able to view security tape of the incident, a man was observed coming from the south side of the building and attempting to break the glass open with a metal, triangle-shaped object. When the alarm went off, the suspect ran away from the building, dropping the metal object near the store. IDENT was called to process the scene, but there was no further information known at the time of the report.

Employee of the month
On Feb. 26, police were dispatched to Merle Hay Mall on reports of a shoplifting incident at Sears. A Sears employee observed two suspects putting items into a purse and confronted them when they left the store. One of the suspects then pushed the victim into a wall and punched him once on the left side of his face. The store employee found four watches in the purse that were not paid for. The suspects were charged of theft in the fifth degree. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident and were transported to Polk County Jail.

Expensive relationship
Police were notified on Feb. 25 that a man was reportedly robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint. The victim told police that on Feb. 24 he was planning to spend the night at an acquaintance’s home. While at the house he realized his girlfriend had put a bag of cocaine in his backpack, so he flushed it down the toilet. He told police he does not do drugs, but his girlfriend is a dealer. The next day the victim walked outside of the apartment to be met by his girlfriend and two other suspects offering to give him a ride. After the victim got in the car, the three suspects demanded the money for the cocaine that he had flushed down the toilet. The three suspects continued to demand the money from the victim and threatened him with a gun. Eventually the suspects dropped the victim off at a department store parking lot but demanded the money within 48 hours. The victim then called police. CV