Published: November 26, 2008 08:38 am      

Police: Woman threatens to shoot nursing home employees

Police say a Richmond woman took a gun into a local nursing home and threatened to shoot two of its employees.

At about 8:10 p.m. Monday, police were called to Kenwood Nursing Home on Meadowlark Drive to investigate a report that an employee was at the facility with a handgun, said Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the Richmond Police Department.

When officers arrived, they found the woman, later identified as Denise A. Robbins, 37, of Darlene Court in Richmond, attempting to leave. They stopped her vehicle and discovered a loaded .22 caliber handgun on her front seat, Reardon said.

“Investigation revealed that Robbins had a conflict with her employer (Richmond Health and Rehab) and had threatened to shoot two of her supervisors,” Reardon said.

The nursing home is affiliated with Richmond Health and Rehab.

Robbins was arrested and charged with third-degree terroristic threatening. She also was charged with third-degree possession of a controlled substance, after police found Lortabs on her person during a search.

Both charges are class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to 12 months in jail.

Robbins was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center, but was released at 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Other reported crimes:

• On Sunday, a patron of the Richmond Mall interrupted an attempt by a suspect to steal from his vehicle while it was in the parking lot.

The victim told police he was inside the mall when he looked out and observed another vehicle pull up beside his pickup truck. A male then exited the other vehicle and removed an electric generator from the victim’s truck.

The victim confronted the suspect, who returned the generator to the bed of the truck and fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

• On Sunday, a resident of an apartment in the 100 block of Alycia Drive reported that his home had been broken into while he was away overnight. The resident told police he was at a friend’s house when he was contacted by a neighbor who said the glass in the front door of his apartment had been broken out.

The victim returned home to find the glass was missing and his apartment had been entered. He said numerous video games, a Sansi MP3 player, a .380 caliber handgun, a black leather backpack, a red backpack, a Night Hawk security camera and an Olympus digital camera had been stolen from the apartment. The items were valued at about $600.

• On Monday, a resident on the 100 block of Spurlin Mobile Home Park reported that several items had been stolen from the residence overnight.

The resident said the theft occurred while the resident and a number of others were asleep in the residence.

The resident told police someone apparently entered the unlocked home and removed an Xbox gaming system, several games and a camouflage backpack. The total loss was $400.

• On Thursday, a resident of an apartment on the 100 block of Barringer Lane reported an attempted burglary of his residence.

The resident told police he was asleep on his couch at about 10 p.m. when someone forced his front door open. No one entered the apartment nor did the resident see anyone.

There was minor damage to the front door.

• On Monday, police charged Joey L. Smith, 20, of Annville, for theft by unlawful taking under $300 after he was detained by Wal-mart employees for shoplifting approximately $5 worth of merchandise from the store. Smith also was charged for giving false information to a police officer after he tried to pass himself off as a juvenile of another name.

The same day, police charged a 16-year-old female for theft by unlawful taking under $300 after she was detained by Wal-mart employees for shoplifting approximately $15 worth of merchandise from the store.

Anyone with information related to any of these crimes is encouraged to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-8911 or 623-1162.

Lorie Love can be reached at llove@richmondregister.com or 624-6690.