Oconee Blotter: Man on lawn mower charged with DUI, slow speed
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
TRUCK ENTERED: On April 24, Deputy Robert Perrin was dispatched to a home on Calls Creek Circle, Watkinsville, where a man reported someone entered his pickup and stole a safe with $3,000 cash and an engagement wedding set valued at $7,000.
TIP JAR THEFT: On April 26, Deputy Collin Worsham was dispatched to Jittery Joe’s on Epps Bridge Parkway, where an employee reported that a woman with gray hair, wearing all black and who seemed to have a goatee, had stolen $15 out of the tip jar. The deputy spotted a woman matching that description squatting in the corner of a nearby building. He asked her what was going on and she replied, “Nothing.” She denied being at Jittery Joe’s, but she was placed in custody. She was found with $5 cash and she had a pack of cigarettes. A check with a nearby Shell gas station showed she purchased the cigarettes there for $10. The 51-year-old woman was taken to jail on a theft charge.
TAG SWITCHING: On April 26, Deputy Matthew Lariscy was dispatched to Walmart, where a loss prevention officer had detained an 18-year-old Athens woman for shoplifting. She was observed tag switching by using a $1.97 barcode to scan her items.
DUI CHARGED: On April 28, Deputy Devin Blair was patrolling near the Oconee Connector shortly after midnight when she observed a car at a stop sign. She drove behind the car and it sat there for four minutes without moving. Blair exited her unit to check the driver and saw a woman with her head down and eyes partially closed. The woman then pressed the accelerator, but the E-brake was on and the car didn’t move. She looked at the deputy and appeared confused. The deputy told her to turn off the ignition, but she turned up the music. Capt. Quinton NeSmith arrived and he blocked the woman’s car. The officers got the woman out and she explained she was going home following a trip to downtown Athens. She denied being under the influence, but after a sobriety test the 35-year-old Athens woman was charged with DUI.
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SUSPENDED LICENSE: On April 29, Deputy Robert Perrin and an officer in training were on Mars Hill Road when they observed a Honda Odessey run the red light at Daniells Bridge Road. A stop was made and they saw the driver immediately light a cigarette. The 44-year-old Bogart man’s license was suspended and he was taken to jail.
MOWER ARRESTED: On April 30, Deputy Annessa Glenn was patrolling on High Shoals Road when she observed a man driving a zero-turn lawn mower in the roadway. The man, who was drinking from a can, saw the officer and steered to the roadside. The deputy made a traffic stop and the man explained he had been to the Golden Pantry and was headed home. The man smelled of alcohol and claimed he drank one beer. The 64-year-old Bishop man was charged with DUI, having an open container of alcohol and a low-speed violation.
STOP SIGN VIOLATION: On May 1, Deputy Seth McCart was patrolling at the Oconee Connector when he observed a man in a GMC pickup run a stop sign without ever hitting the brakes. A stop was made and the man confessed to running the stop sign, but explained he was having problems with the brakes. The 41-year-old Watkinsville man was unlicensed and taken into custody.
SHOPLIFTER SICK: On May 2, Deputy Matthew Lariscy was dispatched to Home Depot, where a loss prevention officer saw a man leaving the store without paying for a nail gun. The suspect said it was a mistake. After he was taken into custody, the man said he wasn’t feeling well and needed water. As he was being transported to the jail, he slumped over in the seat. Medics treated him at the jail and after he was cleared health-wise, he was placed in a cell. The 44-year-old man gave an address in Westland, Mich.
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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Lawnmower man stopped for DUI and driving slow
