Oconee Blotter: Suspect in stolen pickup tries to run from deputies
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
TWO BEERS: On May 2, Deputy Devin Blair made a traffic stop on a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette along Georgia Highway 316. Cpl. Quinton NeSmith arrived to assist after alcohol was smelled on the 61-year-old Loganville man driving the car. The man explained he had been downtown to Athens and had two beers. He read 0.17 on a breath test and a search of his car revealed five empty 16-ounce cans of Bud Light and an open bottle of Seagram’s whiskey. Another bottle of whiskey was found in his boot at the jail.
DRUG USE: On May 3, Deputy Annessa Glenn responded to a report of a man seen slumped over in his pickup along Jordan Drive. The vehicle was still running when the deputy arrived. The man awoke when the door was opened. The man explained that he was OK and he had been kicked out of his home. The 34-year-old Winterville man admitted he had ingested the drug fentanyl. He was also wanted to a felony probation violation.
MARIJUANA FOUND: On May 3, Sgt. Chris Higginbotham was on patrol about 9:20 p.m. on Hog Mountain Road, when he spotted a Nissan Frontier with a headlight out. He ran the tag and discovered the tag registration was also expired. After a stop, the officer smelled marijuana, but the 30-year-old Statham man denied any weed was in the vehicle. However, after the deputy said he would search the pickup, the man admitted he had some marijuana and THC gummies, which he said were purchased in Chicago. The officer also found a bottle of Dianabol pills.
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SUSPECT RUNS: On May 4, Cpl. Baer Schiffer and deputy W. Lewis received a tip that a 34-year-old Winterville man would soon show up at Walmart to get his vehicle. The man was wanted on a probation violation warrant from Walton County. The deputies saw him arrive in a Waste Pro F-150 pickup, which they learned was reported stolen in Athens. The deputies confronted the man, who jerked away from the officer’s grasp and began running. Lewis pursued and tackled the man, then placed him in handcuffs.
MAN ASLEEP: On May 5, Deputy Bill Reynolds responded to a report of a BMW stopped on U.S. Highway 78, Bogart, with the driver slumped over the steering wheel. The deputy found the man apparently asleep and the car still in drive. He woke the man and told him to place the gear in park, which he struggled to do. The 44-year-old Athens man explained he had worked two jobs. He smelled of alcohol, but said he drank Nyquil. The officer found an open bottle of Tequilla, an open bottle of Zzzqujil and a prescription drug in the car.
UPSET MAN: On May 6, deputies responded to a home in Watkinsville, where an 82-year-old woman explained how her son became upset when she would only give him two pills of her medication. The 59-year-old man pushed his mother down, threw a taco in her face, then broke a mop, rocking chair and a porcelain turtle. He was later located and charged with trespassing and domestic battery.
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WOMAN ARRESTED: On May 6, six deputies went to a home off Epps Bridge Parkway to serve an arrest warrant on a 60-year-old man. They did not locate the suspect, but did encounter a 36-year-old woman, along with meth on a spoon in her residence. The woman began yelling at deputies during her arrest on a charge of possession of meth.
TWO ARRESTED: On May 7, Deputy Doug Mattocks was dispatched to a disabled vehicle off Epps Bridge Parkway on a ramp leading to the loop. A detective was already at the scene, where the driver, a 40-year-old Watkinsville man, was wanted on warrants from Walton County and the U.S. Marshal’s Office. A deputy observed that the passenger, a 35-year-old Athens man, was fidgety and talking fast about things that made no sense. Methamphetamine was found in the car and both were charged with possession.
ALMOST HOME: On May 8, Deputy Annessa Glenn responded to a report of a reckless driver seen on U.S. Highway 78 coming out of Walton County and headed into Oconee. The deputy spotted the Jeep Cherokee weaving from one lane to the other. She conducted a traffic stop and smelled alcohol in the vehicle. The 39-year-old Loganville woman confessed to drinking two Truly alcohol seltzer beverages. But she also pleaded that “I’m almost home.” She read 0.25 on an alcohol test and was charged with DUI and having an open container.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Suspect in stolen pickup tries to outrun deputies
