The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
THIEF SEEN: On Oct. 3, Deputy Baer Schiffer was dispatched to meet with a 38-year-old Statham woman, who reported her vehicle was broken into while parked at Oconee Veteran’s Park on Hog Mountain Road. The thief had knocked out a window and stole the woman’s purse in the backseat. The woman received an alert that her credit card was being used at the local Walmart, so Schiffer went to the location and viewed the video footage. The video shows a woman attempting to purchase gift cards with the stolen credit card. However, the woman leaves and left three gift cards at the checkout station. The cards were taken as evidence to be processed for fingerprints.
ZONE SPEEDING: On Oct. 4, Sgt. Andrew Henderson was working a school traffic zone about 3 p.m. when a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder went through the 35 mph zone at 59 mph. A traffic stop was made and the 26-year-old Athens woman was taken to jail on charges of speeding in a school zone and driving while her license was suspended.
RECKLESS DRIVER: On Oct. 6, a motorist called 911 to report that he was on Greensboro Highway and had observed a gray muscle car headed into Watkinsville and passing other vehicles at what he guessed was 100 mph. Deputy Dustin Mines was on U.S. Highway 441 and he soon spotted the 2020 Dodge Shelby Charger stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, the Dodge sped off and Mines’ laser showed it going 92 mph and when he activated his blue lights, the car went over 115 mph as it headed south toward Bishop. The deputy followed and the Dodge slowed for traffic when the highway narrowed to two lanes. When Mines attempted a PIT maneuver the car swerved to avoid it, but the deputy then attempted another and the Dodge began braking and stopped. Deputy Bill Reynolds, who had been working a funeral procession in Watkinsville, arrived and he assisted Mines with a felony traffic stop with guns drawn. The driver, a 23-year-old Atlanta man, refused to exit the car, so the deputies removed him. Found lying in the floorboard was a Ruger P94 pistol loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The man was charged with obstruction and felony fleeing.
GRANDMOTHER APOLOGIZES: On Oct. 6, Deputy Steven Heckler was dispatched to Home Depot, where a woman was fleeing from a loss prevention officer after trying to steal a Milwaukee power tool kit. She was headed to her Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot, when Heckler confronted her. The 45-year-old Forsyth woman, who was also wanted on a warrant from Clarke County, explained she was a grandmother and was sorry for what just happened, describing it as stupid. She was taken to jail.
SPEEDER CAUGHT: On Oct. 7, Deputy Robert Perrin was monitoring traffic about 3:30 a.m. on Georgia Highway 316 near Mcnu*tt Creek Road, when he clocked a 2018 Infinity sedan traveling 122 mph. Perrin radioed Deputy Baer Schiffer who was further up 316 and he clocked the car at 82 mph. After a traffic stop, the 17-year-old driver from Alpharetta was arrested. Schiffer checked the car and discovered there was no oil in the engine. The teenager said he noticed the check light was on. Asked why he was driving so fast, the teen replied, “he had somewhere to go.” The deputy took him to jail.
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GUN ASSAULT: On Oct. 7, Cpl. Daniel Ellis and eight other deputies responded to a residential area off Epps Bridge Parkway, where witnesses said a man had put a gun to the head of a 31-year-old man. The gunman and a companion left in a gray pickup. Ellis located the parked truck and a group of people standing around it. Only one in the group could speak English and this 33-year-old man was argumentative and refused to identify which of the other men was the driver. Deputy Robert Perrin saw the man arguing with Ellis. The gun suspect was identified and he and his companion both smelled of alcohol and had blood-shot eyes. When deputies attempted to converse with the suspected gunman, the other man interfered and kept trying to touch body cameras on deputies. He was arrested on an obstruction charge along with the 26-year-old man identified as the person pointing a gun at the victim.
BLANK STARE: On Oct. 8, Deputy Annessa Glenn was monitoring traffic about 2:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 441 near Experiment Station Road when she saw a Ford F-150 pickup pass with only one working headlight and no taillights. After a traffic stop, she noticed the 19-year-old Watkinsville man had bloodshot eyes and a blank stare on his face. He smelled of alcohol, but denied drinking. The teen failed roadside sobriety tests and was charged with DUI under the age of 21.
