Crime Blotter May 23-30: iPad Seller Dragged By Car

Online sale a drag

A woman attempting to sell an iPad through Craigslist got taken for a ride — literally.

The 22-year-old iPad seller met her prospective buyers in an In-N-Out Burger parking lot a few miles northwest of Carmichael on Wednesday night. The buyers — identified in a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department report as Alexandria Klemmgreene, 23, of Sacramento and Anna James, 20, of Modesto — asked to take a look at the popular tablet to make sure it worked, according to department spokesman Dep. Jason Ramos.

The two women were still sitting in their car when the victim handed over the tablet she was selling for $420.

“She started to get nervous, so she went to grab the money that one of the occupants was holding (showing her that they really had cash),” Ramos explained. “When the victim went to reach into the car to get the money, they rolled up the window and took off.”

Klemmgreene had closed the window on the victim’s hand and pulled away, dragging her for a short while in the parking lot before the victim was able to pry herself loose and rolled onto the roadway. The sheriff’s report says the victim was transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital for treatment of a cut to her forehead and several abrasions she sustained in the fall.

A California Highway Patrol officer intercepted the suspect vehicle at Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, discovering Klemmgreene’s young daughter in the backseat during the two women’s arrest on separate charges of robbery.

It appeared the daughter was not in the car at the time of the robbery, as the victim was able to give officers a detailed description of the suspects but didn’t say anything about a child being in the backseat, Ramos said.

Prosecutable difficulties

For the second time this month, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has not filed charges against an allegedly abusive boyfriend.

Last Monday, a verbal argument between a young couple living together just north of Carmichael erupted in violence when Samuel McCain, 22, of Sacramento reportedly punched his 19-year-old girlfriend in the face. The two traded blows until McCain fled their Blachly Way residence, according to a report from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

When McCain returned a short time later, he was taken into custody, Ramos said.

Noting visible injuries, responding paramedics recommended the victim visit the hospital as a precaution but it was unknown if she actually went. Crime scene investigators documented the woman’s physical condition and she offered a “detailed account” of what transpired, Ramos added.

Though McCain was booked into county jail on May 23 on a single charge of inflicting visible injury on a spouse, cohabitant or co-parent — the couple has two children together — there was no record of his arraignment available on the Sacramento Superior Court’s online database.

A spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office wasn’t able to return a request for comment before deadline, but previously confirmed the office’s decision not to pursue criminal charges in a similar incident in Carmichael earlier this month.

On May 5, sheriff’s deputies arrested Thomas Trask, 28, of Sacramento for assaulting his live-in girlfriend on the drive back from a bar. The victim showed visible signs of injury and made a formal complaint, Ramos said then, but the DA’s Office declined to file charges due to “insufficient evidence,” said spokeswoman Shelly Orio.

Orio did not respond to a follow-up question requesting details about the determination. However, law enforcement officials have previously said that it’s not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to experience a change of heart after their attacker’s arrest, especially in situations where both parties live under the same roof.

“Obviously there are cases with recanting and that’s understandable,” said Elk Grove police Det. Brad Chew, a veteran domestic violence investigator.

Regarding the May 23 assault complaint, Ramos described the victim as cooperative.

“With respect to what makes a case harder to prosecute or not, that is a question better directed to a member of the District Attorney’s Office,” he added.