Oconee Blotter: Man lies to deputies after woman borrows and wrecks vehicle
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
FALSE NAME: On March 12, Deputy Collin Worsham was investigating a matter at a business on Epps Bridge Parkway when a Dodge Ram driven by a 36-year-old Athens man arrived. The deputy spoke to the man regarding the investigation, then asked to see his driver’s license. The man said he didn’t have it on him. The man provided a name, which later proved to be false and happened to be the name of his girlfriend’s son. Cpl. Lex Ogan arrived and began questioning him closely about his identification, and it was determined he gave the wrong name and was wanted on a warrant from Clarke County. He was taken to jail.
DRIVER ARRESTED: On March 11, Deputy Doug Mattocks was monitoring traffic and discovered a passing Dodge Dart was driven by a man with suspended license. After a traffic stop, the 38-year-old Madison man disclosed that he was in fact headed that moment to the motor vehicle division to get a driving permit for a job. He was taken to jail.
DRUGS FOUND: On March 13, Deputy Dustin Mines was on patrol when he spotted a Honda Accord traveling east on Highway 316 with a broken taillight. After a stop, the deputy smelled marijuana and the woman disclosed she was on probation for possession of marijuana and cocaine. She also had a THC pen and a metal spoon with some residue. The 19-year-old Bogart woman was taken to jail.
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MAN LIES: On March 15, Deputy Boris Argueta was dispatched to a home on Greensboro Highway, where a 60-year-old man reported someone stole his Ford Ranchero. He explained someone he knows called him and said the vehicle was involved in a wreck in Oglethorpe County, while it was driven by a woman. During questioning, the man then admitted the woman driver was in his home. The deputy went inside and found a 57-year-old Lexington woman on a mattress with extensive injuries to her face including an eye swollen shut and wounds to her mouth. Finally, the man admitted he had allowed the woman to use his vehicle. Asked why he reported the vehicle as stolen, the man said he had no explanation. The man confessed that “he screwed up by lying to me.” He was taken to jail.
AMBULANCE CALLED: On March 14, Deputy Bill Reynolds was dispatched to Stripling’s General Store on U.S. Highway 78, where someone spotted a woman passed out in her car at the gas pumps. The deputy located the woman in a black Audi and upon awakening her, she had a startled look on her face. She explained she fell asleep due to narcolepsy. Her speech was slurred and she had a burn mark on her thumb. She said she was fine to drive, but when the deputy kept inquiring about her condition, she became argumentative. Four other deputies arrived and the woman finally exited her car. She refused to answer questions, then suddenly fell to the ground and was unresponsive. The deputy administered two doses of Narcan, but she remained unresponsive until a third dose was administered. She became somewhat alert. An ambulance arrived and took her to a hospital. The deputy searched the car and found six pipes, digital scales, and 22 Hydrocodone pills. The 30-year-old Atlanta woman will be charged with possession of the drugs.
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FENTANYL OVERDOSE: On March 14, Deputy Annessa Glenn met with an Athens-Clarke police officer on Puritan Road to take custody of a 29-year-old Athens man wanted on a warrant in Oconee. As they drove to the jail, the man exclaimed, “I swallowed fentanyl.” He fell over in the backseat and began gasping. The deputy called for an ambulance to meet her at the jail. She gave him a dose of Narcan, then a sternum rub. She provided another dose of Narcan before the man was transported to a hospital.
STOLEN GUN: On March 15, Deputy Dustin Mines stopped a car on Highway 316 after seeing it almost hit a truck and its taillights were malfunctioning. The car had three occupants and six other deputies arrived to assist. A 19-year-old passenger, who initially gave a false name, was wanted on a warrant from Clarke County, while a 28-year-old Lavonia woman was wanted on warrants from Barrow and Oconee counties. Deputy Lex Ogan searched the car and found a Glock 9mm pistol inside a bag. There was one round in the chamber and nine rounds in the magazine. The driver, a 32-year-old Athens man was a convicted felon and he denied knowing who owned the gun. A check on the serial number showed it was reported stolen in 2020 in Athens. All three were taken to jail.
CAR CRASH: On March 15, Deputy Lex Ogan was dispatched to a crash at the Oconee Connector, where two witnesses reported the driver of a Nissan Titan accelerated his vehicle and drove straight into the side of a Toyota Tacoma, which spun the pickup off the road and onto a sidewalk. The pickup driver said he was changing lanes to get on the bypass when the other man crashed into him. The 61-year-old Hull man driving the Nissan said he was changing lanes when the other man also changed lanes. He said he honked his horn before the collision. The deputy noted the crash was similar to a PIT maneuver that police use to stop fleeing vehicles due to the way the pickup was spun off the road. The Hull man was charged with reckless driving and taken to jail.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Man tells cops his vehicle was stolen; it's a lie
