June 5
Removal of an unwanted person
A woman said people associated with the Palmetto Pipeline keep entering her property, and she did not want them there anymore. She said she originally agreed to allow them access to her property, but the survey company began to travel all over her property more than what she wanted, so she asked to have them removed.
A deputy spoke to one of the survey crew about the situation, and he said the property was on the list of those to which they had permission. He said he contacted his boss about the situation, and the property was going to be red-flagged. The woman was told of this development and advised to contact whoever asked for her signature in the first place so she could retract her statement.
June 5
Forgery-first degree
Deputies went to a Rincon business on the report of a counterfeit bill. The complainant said that a phony $20 bill had been passed in his business that day, but he did not realize it was counterfeit until the end of the day. With no surveillance cameras present, there was no footage of who might have passed the bad bill.
June 6
Vehicle fire
A Savannah man said he was driving when he could no longer steer the vehicle and looked down to see the instrument panel was not working. He smelled something burning and managed to coast into the Honey Ridge ball park parking lot. When he got out of the vehicle, flames and smoke were coming out of the front end. He said there were two recalls on the vehicle but did not know if they were related to the fire. The vehicle was a total loss.
June 6
Injured animal
After receiving an anonymous call about an injured animal, a deputy discovered a badly-injured coyote on Old Augusta Road. The animal’s back was broken and it appeared most of its internal organs had been spilled onto the pavement. The deputy reported that he could tell no treatment could save the animal, so he fired one round from his pistol to put down the coyote.
June 6
Animal complaint
A deputy went to Effingham Hospital on the report of a dog bite victim. A woman who had multiple dogs at her house said two of the male dogs likely got into a fight over a female dog in heat. She tried to separate the dogs and was bitten on the hand. Her granddaughter also tried to get in between the fighting dogs and was bitten, but she refused treatment.
June 7
Simple battery-family violence
A woman said she had been hit and threatened with a handgun by her boyfriend. They got into an argument over an incident that happened the night before. They were in her car talking when he started using profanity toward her and suddenly struck her in the face. She pulled over and tried to call 911 when there was a struggle for the phone.
Her boyfriend continued to talk profanely at her but she was able to call 911 and he kept talking at her in a profane manner during the call. She also saw he removed his semiautomatic pistol from his holster. She said that while she was talking to the dispatch officer, he threatened to shoot her. She said she was told to drive back to his residence, where she could drop him off. They got back to his house, and he got out of the car without further incident.
Deputies requested 911 and dispatch listen to replays of the call. Dispatch said a male voice could be heard in the background but there were no threats or yelling. There was an agitated male voice but no yelling or threats, 911 reported. The complainant asked if her boyfriend was going to be arrested, and the deputy told her the investigation was continuing and the boyfriend would be apprehended if there was probable cause.
She said she wanted to go to her friend’s recital but wasn’t sure if she was presentable. The deputy said her hair and clothing did not appear to be disheveled and aside from her slightly swollen lip, he said he would not have known she was in a physical altercation.
The deputy arrived at the boyfriend’s house. The boyfriend was cooperative and acknowledged he got into an argument with his girlfriend. As they argued, she pulled into a subdivision and she hit him with the back of her right hand. He admitted he retaliated by striking her. He said he had his pistol with him but it was in the passenger door side pocket throughout the argument and it remained there until he got back to his house.
The deputy called the complainant on her cell phone and said because of reasonable doubt he was not placing the boyfriend under arrest.
June 7
Criminal trespass
A Clyo woman said a juvenile was on her property without permission and had removed two posts she had blocking a trail. She also said her “no trespassing” signs had been spray painted. She also alleged the juvenile drove his ATV in the ditch near her driveway, damaging the ditch. The deputy spoke with the juvenile and his mother, and the juvenile was advised to stay off others’ property unless he had permission. The complainant was notified of civil and warrant procedures.
June 7
Obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers
Disorderly conduct
Simple battery against a police officer
Sexual battery-misdemeanor
DUI
A deputy was called to a domestic dispute in Rincon between a man and a woman who may be drunk. As a deputy entered the subdivision, the 911 caller said the suspect was leaving in a pickup. The deputy eventually pulled in behind the truck as it entered a driveway. The driver got out and walked to the front of the truck and a passenger, later identified as his son, also got out and went to the front of the truck. The deputy could hear them screaming at each other, and the son yelled at the dad, “He kicked my (expletive).”
The son lunged at his father, striking him chest-to-chest and sending his father across a pile of construction equipment. The father continued to push his son away, and the son ignored the deputy’s commands to stop.
The son, because of his intoxication, could not answer the deputy’s questions. The father opened the garage door, and the son announced his intention to go inside the house, though the deputy ordered him to remain outside. The deputy threatened to use his Taser if the son did not comply. The deputy had been to the home before and knew there were several dogs inside, including a pit bull, and he was concerned he could not continue the investigation if the son went inside the house. When the son saw the Taser in the deputy’s hands, he returned to the truck.
The deputy told both men to go to his patrol car. The son said he would not cooperate, so he was arrested for obstruction. As the deputy handcuffed him, the father said he was going inside the house to get the son’s mother. The deputy ordered the father not to enter the house, but he continued to make his way through the garage, despite a warning that the deputy would use his Taser. The father opened a door, went into the house and opened another interior door, and the deputy fired the Taser.
As the deputy walked into the alcove, the pit bull and another bulldog were coming from the house, barking and growling, so he ordered the father to stand walk to the car. Without another set of handcuffs, the deputy kept the Taser’s prongs in place. They got halfway through the garage when the father dropped to his knees until the deputy ordered him to the car.
At the car, the deputy pushed the father against the left side and placed the son in the rear seat. He grabbed another set of handcuffs and put those on the father. The deputy searched the father and placed his left leg between the father’s legs to prevent him from kicking the deputy. As he did that, the father pushed back into the deputy and then grabbed the deputy’s private parts and started to squeeze before the deputy managed to get free.
The son continued to be disorderly and banged his head repeatedly against the door window. When that failed to get attention, he laid on his side and started kicking the window. A nylon hobble was placed around his ankles, and other deputy rode in the back seat with him to prevent him from injuring the car or himself.
June 7
Agency assist
A Springfield officer asked for assistance at the hospital with a disorderly person. The officer told the deputy the subject was mentally unstable, had become violent and broke the window in the secure room. The officer and the deputy managed to talk the suspect into cooperating, and he was arrested for damaging the window.
June 8
Burglary-second degree
Criminal trespass
Responding to a domestic dispute in Clyo, a deputy was told by the complainant that the offender had been drinking and disorderly. The complainant also said the offender took two nail guns from the back of his truck. The offender, who was in a shed next to the house, said he took the nail guns because he was mad at the complainant. The victim also said the offender had taken a new car battery and thrown it to the ground. The battery broke open, and acid leaked from it. The complainant said the offender did it because he was mad.
