Feb. 3
Animal complaint
A woman said her dog was attacked by a neighbor’s dog. She said a neighbor’s pit bulls had gotten loose and killed her dog, which stayed on a tether in her front yard. A deputy saw two pit bulls jump the fence at the suspect house and roam freely. One of the pit bulls had blood around its neck and mouth, and the complainant’s dog was dead in the front yard, still attached to its tether. The pit bulls’ owner was told that because of a similar incident, the dogs would be impounded and held until a magistrate court date. The pit bulls’ owner assisted in the impounding of her dogs.
Feb. 3
Animal complaint
Deputies went to a Clyo address about an animal complaint and found four dogs tied to trees in the backyard. None of the animals had shelter or water. There were water bowls for each dog, but the bowls had leaves in them. The animals’ owner was in custody for other offenses, and four dogs and two cats were impounded. One of the cats scratched a deputy several times, and the cat was placed on a 10-day rabies observation quarantine.
Feb. 6
Identity theft
A man told deputies he filed his income tax return online but when he submitted the return, he received an error message. He got in touch with the Federal Trade Commission and discovered someone had used his name and Social Security number to file taxes from another state.
Feb. 7
Theft
Deputies went to a Rincon-area restaurant at 1 a.m. after a patron ordered food and took it without paying for it. One of the customers knew who the suspect was but when deputies went to the residence provided by dispatch, they discovered she longer lived at that address. The suspect ordered a waffle and sausage meal valued at $6.
Feb. 8
Domestic dispute
Pointing or aiming a gun at another
A woman said her boyfriend has been displaying paranoid schizophrenia. He woke her up at 2 a.m., complaining of chest pains, and he was unsteady on his feet. She helped him to the bathroom and he told her he felt better after spending some time in the bathroom. She said she thought he was going back to the living room to resume watching television but instead he came into the bedroom and pointed a handgun at her. She said he was angry because he said he repaired her mother’s car and was never paid for the work. She said she asked him repeatedly to put the gun down and she told deputies she did not know why he was pointing a gun at her if he was angry at her mother. She also said he had been displaying irrational, violent behavior toward her lately.
She also said her boyfriend had created trouble with the congregation where she attends church. She said the morning after the reported event, she went to her mother’s home in a neighboring county to stay and she is afraid of her boyfriend. When she brought her mother back over to her house in Effingham, she discovered the boyfriend had used a magic marker to write on the walls.
Feb. 9
Vehicle fire
Deputies were called out to a vehicle fire on Highway 80 and when they arrived, they found a car engulfed in flames. The car’s owner said he was driving to work when he struck a deer. He stopped to check on possible damage and found the driver’s side head light area was damaged. He continued to drive and then smelled smoke and saw the fire.
Feb. 9
Vehicle theft
A man told deputies his pickup had been parked in his driveway the night before but it had been stolen during the night. He said he did not know who may have stolen it, and he still had the keys.
Feb. 10
Battery
A man told deputies his father showed up at his house and attempted to instigate a fight. Someone tried to get between them but the fight continued until witnesses helped remove the father from the scene. He was asked several times to leave by the homeowner. The complainant said the injuries around his right eye were from the fight but other marks on his face were a result of unrelated incidents.
Feb. 10
Civil matter
A man called deputies after his rental property had been damaged. When he inspected the home after the last tenant moved out, he discovered the carpet throughout the house had been destroyed, there were holes in the walls and a door to the garage was damaged so badly it could not be secured. The damage was estimated at $12,000.
Feb. 10
Miscellaneous
Deputies went to a home on the report of a fraud case. The complainants said they had not received all of their mail since December. When they checked their mailbox on the report date, the woman said mail was packed into it. One envelope had been torn and taped back together. Further investigation showed the envelope was in a plastic bag and stamped by the U.S. Postal Service acknowledging that the envelope had accidentally been torn by the USPS. The complainants said they received 38 pieces of mail on the report date and think someone has been tampering with their mail. The complainants were advised they needed to make contact with the Postal Service.
Feb. 10
Identity theft
A woman told deputies someone had acquired and used her husband’s Social Security number to get a tax return. They had completed their 2014 taxes and were attempting to file them electronically when they were notified the IRS had received and accepted their taxes. She said they have begun the fraud process with the IRS.
Feb. 10
Criminal trespass
A Bloomingdale woman said an ex-boyfriend had been doing “doughnuts” in her yard. She and her ex had been together for 11 years and lived together for about 10 years. She said he called her drunk from a bar, wanting her to pick him up. She said no and later, he was in her yard in a vehicle, spinning the tires, flinging mud over her vehicle. She also said he dented a water pipe. She added she was in fear of her safety and that he calls her as many as 25 times a day. He also has followed her multiple times in Effingham and other counties. She was issued a pamphlet on temporary protective orders and briefed on peace bonds.
Feb. 11
Simple assault
On a report of threatening phone calls, deputies met with a woman who said her ex-fiance told her he would “(mess) you, the bathroom, the house, TV and your car up.” She said his behavior was in reference to a recent breakup because she believed he was on drugs again. There also was a disagreement about who had possession of a flat-screen TV. She said he became agitated after she told him he had to wait until her father picked up tools from her house before she would allow the ex to come over and pick up his tools.
Feb. 12
Theft by taking - misdemeanor
A Clyo man told deputies a three-wheeler was missing. The vehicle had been under a shelter and was covered by a number of other items, and the complainant believed the person responsible likely was familiar with the area. He did not notice any fresh tire tracks, so he thought it might have been taken through the nearby woods. He said neighboring juveniles might be the culprits, since he had not noticed anything missing until new neighbors arrived.
Feb. 12
Burglary
Deputies responded to a Guyton home after a woman said she returned from a local store with her sister to find her house’s back door open and things strewn about inside. The only damage was a broken ceramic pitcher handle. Nothing was reported stolen. The dead bolt also had not been locked when the victim went to the store, and she told deputies she usually locks it but did not do so this time.
Feb. 12
Theft by taking - felony
A woman said she returned home and found that jewelry she kept in a bag under her mattress was missing. Her grandson and a friend of his had been at the house when she left. She tried to call him once she discovered her jewelry missing but could not make contact. She called his mother to tell her that if the jewelry was not returned within an hour, she was calling law enforcement. Her grandson then called and said he would be there within an hour but when he got there, he straight to his room, packed some belongings and left.
Feb. 13
Aggravated assault
A woman said a man came to her home and told her 6-year-old son he was going to kill the child’s dog. When the mother went to the suspect’s home to confront him about what he said, she was attacked with a baseball bat and fists. The suspect told deputies his dog had come home injured, apparently the result of a dog fight, from the complainant’s residence. He said he went to the complainant’s home to confront her about his dog’s injuries, and the little boy kept telling him their dog would attack him. He said he told the boy, “If he attacks me, I will kill him.”
He said that on his way back home, his dog was in an open field and he called his dog to him. As he did this, the complainant’s boyfriend confronted him. He went back home, and the complainant came to his home, “acting crazy,” cursing him and his girlfriend and calling them vulgar names. The suspect’s girlfriend said the complainant was getting out of control, so she hit her to defend her boyfriend. They said the strike was in self-defense and they never hit her with a bat. They also said almost two hours had passed since the incident and deputy’s arrival. The deputy was on scene within 15 minutes of the call.
The complainant had a small scratch on her cheek but did not have any injuries consistent with being hit by a bat.
