Oconee Blotter: Entering autos target areas along New High Shoals Road
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
SLEEPING MAN: On April 22, Deputy Gregory Harrison was dispatched to a home off Epps Bridge Parkway, where the resident called to report a man sleeping in the yard. The officer arrived to find a man asleep on the ground covered by a plastic tarp. After he was awakened, the man stood up, but was unbalanced and smelled of alcohol. The 49-year-old man from Canon became uncooperative and was arrested for public drunkenness.
WRECK INVESTIGATED: On April 21, Deputy Annessa Glenn was dispatched to a wreck on Union Church Road near Whitlow View Drive. The at-fault driver, an 18-year-old Watkinsville resident, admitted he had been drinking. After a prom, he drank Jameson whiskey until he began vomiting. The teen blamed the wreck on his Chevrolet Silverado, because he said the controls failed and he ran off the road. When he corrected, his pickup crashed head on into a Ford Escape. The teen along with the 39-year-old Bishop woman in the Ford, were both trapped in their vehicles. A witness to the crash told deputies that he saw the pickup leave the road, go into a ditch, then go airborne over a driveway then land in the road and hit the Ford. The collision forced both vehicles into a ditch. The teen was charged with DUI under 21, traveling too fast, and failing to maintain a lane.
FELONY CHARGE: On April 17, Deputy Dustin Mines was on patrol when he received a Flock dispatch about a Nissan Sentra coming into Oconee County on Highway 316 and the driver was wanted in connection with a felony shoplifting case. The car was stopped and the 20-year-old Athens man was arrested. The passenger, identified later as a 40-year-old man, gave a false name when initially questioned. He was found to also have a warrant for his arrest pending in Athens, so he was also placed in handcuffs.
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AGITATED MAN: On April 18, Deputy Richard Buzzard was dispatched to a parking lot off Epps Bridge Parkway, where an Athens-Clarke policeman notified deputies that he had located a wanted man. The 47-year-old Lavonia man was agitated for some reason, but was taken to jail.
ENTERING AUTOS: On April 20, several deputies were dispatched to subdivision homes along North High Shoals Road outside Bishop, where numerous vehicles were entered during the night at seven homes. A variety of items were taken by the thieves including camping equipment, glasses, laptops, a Glock 23 handgun with 27 rounds of ammunition, turkey call, pocket knife, checks and a passport. Most of the vehicles were left unlocked, but one locked vehicle had its windows shattered so the thieves to gain access to a briefcase. A deputy was able to pull a fingerprint for analysis from one vehicle.
LICENSE PLATES: On April 20, Deputy Bill Reynolds was on patrol when he spotted a Chevrolet Malibu with a suspicious-looking temporary license plate. One of the characters had a letter that Georgia temporary tags do not use. After a traffic stop, the 57-year-old Lawrenceville man told the deputy, “No English.” The officer replied, “Tienes licencia?” The man then indicated he didn’t have a driver’s license, however, he said was going to apply for one. After his arrest, the officer found three other temporary license plates in the trunk. The man said he ordered them online.
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SAW STOLEN: On April 20, Deputy Steven Heckler was dispatched to a home on the 1300 block of Oliver Bridge Road, where a man reported someone went into the home through a sliding glass door and stole a miter saw valued at $659 and a stand valued at $259.
SHOPLIFTER ARRESTED: On April 23, Deputy Seth McCart was dispatched to Walmart, where a loss prevention officer had detained a 30-year-old Athens man for shoplifting. The man had skip-scanned about $84 in merchandise including a bell pepper, four packs of meat and some fruit. The suspect explained he had accidentally missed scanning the items because he was tired and had a lot on his mind. After he was placed in custody, a search showed he was carrying 1,141 in cash.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Shoplifting suspect had more than $1,000 cash on him
