Nov. 12
Harassing phone calls
A Guyton-area woman told deputies that her boyfriend had become violent. When the relationship turned abusive, she went to her ex-husband for help. She said the boyfriend had been calling and texting her, saying he was going to kill her and that he has a 9mm pistol he stole out of a police car in South Carolina.
Nov. 12
Harassing phone calls
A woman said her ex-boyfriend would not stop calling or texting her. She said he sent her a text stating she had 10 minutes to return a gun she stole from him or he was going to the police. She told deputies her ex has a gun but she does not have it.
Nov. 12
Animal complaint
Deputies went to the Effingham Hospital emergency room on a dog bite report. The dog’s owner said several children were playing in his backyard when the victim went to pet his male pit bull. As the child approached, the dog jumped and bit the child on the face. The dog’s owner took the child to the ER and notified her parents. The child later was taken to Memorial Health University in Savannah for further surgery.
Nov. 13
Civil matter
Deputies responded to a residence where a woman said her ex-husband and his truck were on her property with no right to be there. Later, deputies found the ex-husband on the property, and he said that though they are divorced, he lives there currently. He went on a hunting trip and when he returned, he discovered the locks had been changed. He and his ex-wife had been arguing in text messages during his trip. He also said she had posted on Facebook that she was selling some of his deer heads and that he had moved back in in September, even though their divorce was final in May. She admitted to changing the locks and said he had been living there for about three weeks. He provided a cell phone bill with the shared address on it. He explained all he wanted was his items.
Nov. 14
Entering automobile
A Bloomingdale man said his wallet was missing from his pickup. He said he came home the previous night and left his wallet in his truck because he was planning on leaving shortly. Instead, he never left again and forgot to retrieve his wallet from his truck or lock its doors before going to bed.
Nov. 14
Driving under the influence
Possession of marijuana less than an ounce
In conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, deputies conducted a traffic checkpoint at Midland and Blue Jay roads. A deputy detected an odor of burned marijuana coming from a car at the checkpoint. The driver also spoke in a slow, mumbled manner and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. The driver said he did not have any more marijuana and admitted to smoking a blunt an hour before.
Deputies observed the driver’s eyelids as droopy and there was a noticeable delay in his response to questions. His tongue also had raised taste buds and there was a greenish-brown film, a clue of marijuana smoking. Deputies also found a clear, plastic bag with a green, leafy substance consistent with marijuana. He said the marijuana belonged to him and not his juvenile passengers.
Nov. 15
Traffic complaint/violation
A deputy was in Faulkville and, as he left a store parking lot, he heard what he believed to be tires spinning out on asphalt. He saw a vehicle spinning its tires as it was coming onto Highway 26 from Zeigler Road. The deputy made a stop at the county line. The driver said he left his license at home, and the deputy smelled a strong odor of alcohol. The driver admitted he was “stupid” driving like that and admitted he had been drinking five or six beers. The driver identified himself and gave his age, which was under the legal drinking age.
After failing field sobriety tests, the driver was placed under arrest and his father was summoned to retrieve the vehicle.
Nov. 15
Structure fire
Deputies were called to a Springfield-area home, where a 10-by-10 shed was fully engulfed in flames. The house’s resident said there was no electricity to the shed and no one had been around the shed recently. Another deputy discovered what he believed was a trash burn pile behind the residence. A still-smoking trail of grass led to the shed. The home’s occupants said they burned a pile of trash the night before but thought they had extinguished the flames.
Nov. 15
Possession of marijuana
Possession of drug-related objects
While on patrol on Goshen Road near Highway 21, a deputy saw car without an operable passenger-side headlight and also an inoperable tail light. The deputy smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked the driver if he had anything illegal. The driver initially responded, ‘No,” before stating he had marijuana in the back seat.
Deputies searching the vehicle found marijuana and a cylinder called a “pipe” used to convey illegal substances inside what looked to be a bookbag. The driver said all the items were his, and a white metal tool known as a “one-hitter” also belonged to him. He said he had smoked it several days before but had not smoked any marijuana that day. He also did not have his license on him. He was arrested and booked on several charges.
Nov. 16
Harassing phone calls
A Rincon woman said her daughter had been getting harassing phone calls from her boyfriend. She told deputies the boyfriend said he was going to slash his own tires and then tell authorities the daughter did it in order to get her in trouble. The daughter was instructed how to block a number from her cell phone and the two women were given information on obtaining a restraining order.
Nov. 16
Criminal trespass
A woman told deputies she saw someone in the woods behind her house with a flashlight and said she has seen people with flashlights in the same area for the last few weeks. She explained it might be her ex-fiance in retaliation for an ongoing rape investigation involving him and her best friend. She also said a shed in the yard burned down and she believed her ex may have set it on fire.
Nov. 16
Criminal trespass
Deputies responded to a call from a woman, who said she had let someone who was homeless stay at her apartment, but they got into an argument the previous day and she asked him to leave. When he came back to the apartment, she had put his belongings into a plastic tub. He was convinced she had not put all of his items in the container and made his way into the apartment. He then became irate and kicked and broke an electrical outlet covering on the wall before leaving. The woman was told how to get a restraining order from the magistrate court.
Nov. 16
Burglary, first degree felony
A Springfield man said someone had broken into his house and stolen cash. He left his house around 4 p.m. and, when he returned five hours later, he noticed the money missing and that somebody had pulled down the plywood covering the back bedroom window.
Nov. 16
Head/tail light requirements
Possession of marijuana less than one ounce
While on patrol on Goshen Road, a deputy saw a car with its brights on. The deputy signaled to the car to switch to low-beams, but when the driver did so, the deputy noticed his passenger side headlight was not working. The car’s tag light also was not working. The car turned into a residence’s driveway and the driver cut off the headlights. The deputy, not knowing if that’s where the driver lived, continued on patrol.
Upon returning that way, the deputy saw the car make a left back onto Goshen Road and speed toward Highway 21, eventually reaching 70 mph. Once the deputy got the car to pull over, he saw three passengers, all making sudden movements. The driver’s eyes were very red and he seemed disoriented. He told the deputy he was coming from Highway 30 to Walmart. After the deputy saw the driver lean over to the passenger side, he asked for backup and Rincon Police responded.
Eventually, the driver said he had two blunts of marijuana in the vehicle. The front-seat passenger said he was the driver’s 14-year-old brother and also had smoked marijuana with his brother earlier that day. The guardian of the driver and his youngest brother was called by one of the other passengers in the vehicle. The youngest brother and the front-seat passenger were turned over to her, as was the car.
