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Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports Dec. 13 edition
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Nov. 19

Criminal Trespass-Property Damage; og Collar Removal Without Permission from Owner with Intent of Committing a Crime

A man stated that one of his dog’s tracking collars was not showing up. He later found the damaged collar on the side of the road, and his friend found the unharmed beagle that had been wearing it in the woods. Another friend noted that he saw a gentleman remove the collar and nameplate from the dog. The gentleman was angry at the dog because it came onto his property, so he removed the collar and shooed it away. The gentleman denied removing the collar but agreed to pay for its replacement. The reporting officer was Tommy Williams.

Nov. 27

Domestic Dispute

A woman stated that her son had assaulted her the previous night during a fight over the belongs of his deceased brother. She claimed that he grabbed her by the throat and threw her onto a bed. In response, she slapped him across the face. Both the son and the woman’s sister gave a different account, saying that the woman kicked the door of the son’s bedroom down. The son said that he pushed her but did not grab her throat. The woman said that her son is disrespectful, but the son claimed that she is jealous of his new girlfriend. The woman said that she would evict her son but promised to remain civil about it. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Theft by Taking-Felony
A man stated that someone broke into his house while he was on vacation. Some items that were missing included a razor and a table saw. He said that he did not know who could have taken the items. There was no evidence of any disturbed area around the property. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud.

Nov. 29

Simple Battery-Family Violence; bstructing or Hindering Persons Making Emergency Call

A woman stated that she was attempting to hug her son when her fiancé pushed her onto a bed post. The fiancé claimed that the woman had been drinking and was bothering him as he bathed the son. He threw a sponge at her which caused her to fall over. He then took the phone when she threatened to call law enforcement. The fiancé was arrested for taking the phone. The reporting officer was Daniel Handshumaker.

Maintaining a Disorderly House

A woman stated that her tenant was smoking inside of her residence after she had been served an eviction notice. The tenant said that she would go outside to smoke. Later, the tenant locked the woman out of the house, so the tenant was arrested. The reporting officer was Daniel Handshumaker.

Battery-Family Violence (First Offense) Misdemeanor

A man advised that he and his wife had gotten into a heated argument. She had slapped him across the face, so he held her down in response. The wife admitted to being the primary aggressor in the situation. She was swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Aggravated Assault; Terroristic Threats and/or Acts

A woman stated that a man texted her and stated that he was planning on taking his own life. He refused to call an ambulance, so she drove to his house to take him to the hospital. He appeared to be fine when she arrived and went into his house to collect some items. While she was waiting on him, two ladies came out and threatened to shoot the woman’s car if she did not leave. One of the ladies counted to five and upon reaching five, pulled out a handgun and shot the car which disabled it. The car was towed from the house. The lady confirmed this story but claimed that the woman was the instigator. The man claimed that the woman had previously paid someone to jump him, and he denied threatening to harm himself. Due to conflicting stories, no one was arrested. The reporting officer was Brittany Hanton.

Fire Ordinance Violation
A woman stated that her neighbor had a fire the previous day which she believed was intended to harass her and her health conditions. She also said that the neighbor had previously admitted to using fire to harass the previous owner. It was noted that the fire pit was close enough to a shed to be in violation of the local fire ordinance. The neighbor stated that he was not trying to harass the woman and that a shift in the wind caused smoke to drift onto her property. He agreed to not burn at that location in the future. The reporting officer was Terry Gideon.

Nov. 30

Damaged Property

A woman stated that someone damaged her impound lot fence and two vehicles. Tire impressions were discovered in the ditch next to the fence where a vehicle had rammed it. A grinding disk and a putty knife were also found on the ground. A gold paint chip from the vehicle was found in the fence. The woman provided security camera footage of the incident. The reporting officer was John Reinhart.

Domestic Dispute
A woman stated that she and her husband, who is out on bond for homicide by motor vehicle, had gotten into an argument. He threatened to beat her during this time. The woman’s daughter confirmed that her father was currently using methamphetamine. The woman said that she would be gathering her belongings and taking her children to another location. She confirmed that this was not the first time that law enforcement had been contacted on her husband, and she said that she was going to file for divorce because of these incidents. She believed that he was more dangerous than before since he was likely going to jail for the homicide. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Theft by Receiving Stolen Property-Felony

A man stated that he found his stolen boat on a phone application that allows people to buy and sell unwanted items. The seller said that he traded his bike for the boat several months prior and had a bill of sale to prove it. He also said that he got the boat from a young man who matched the description of the man’s grandson. He provided paperwork from where he registered the boat. The boat was seized and towed to a local impound lot. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Terroristic Threats and/or Acts
A woman advised that two people who were living in a camper behind her house had been harassing her. She said that they followed her to and from a local department store and when they all returned home, they began to argue. During the argument, the people threatened to kill the woman and her children. The people said that the woman’s boyfriend asked them to follow the woman as he suspected her of cheating. The boyfriend confirmed this story. The woman proceeded to leave the residence in her father-in-law’s vehicle. The reporting officer was Tonya Hodges.

Dec. 1

Warrant Service; Speeding in Excess of Maximum Limits (State Speed and Zone Violations)

A woman was seen driving down the roadway at a high rate of speed. She stated that she was on her way to pick up a friend and that she did not have her driver’s license on her. At first, a background check did not bring back any information, but she later confirmed that she had lied about her birth date. It was revealed that she had an active warrant out for her arrest for shoplifting. She was placed under arrest, and her vehicle was left in a parking lot. The reporting officer was James Thompson.

Domestic Dispute
A man stated that he had gotten into an argument with his grandson over the grandson not waking up for school. The man chest bumped his grandson, and the grandson responded by pushing the man over the arm of a couch. The man told his grandson to leave and he did. The grandson could not be located. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.

Dec. 2

Marijuana- Possess Less than One Ounce; Brake Light/Turn Signal Violation
A man was spotted breaking and turning spontaneously while driving down the road. It was
noted that his left break light was not working. He stated that he was lost and apologized for his driving.
Police could smell the scent of marijuana coming from his vehicle. He admitted to having marijuana in
his truck and was placed under arrest. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Dec. 1

Burglary-First Degree (Felony)

A man advised that a suspicious vehicle was present in his driveway. The vehicle was gone when police arrived, but it was noted that all the windows of the house had been pried open. A storage container in the back yard appeared to be bent as if it had been stepped on. The inside of the house was found to be in a cluttered condition. Drug residue was also found in several locations. Fingerprints were lifted off a bathroom window. No one was found in or around the house. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.

Failure to Maintain Lane; Possession of Open Alcohol Container; DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

A woman was spotted driving across the center line of the roadway and attempting to conceal something in the passenger seat of her vehicle. She stated that she had dropped her phone in the floor of the car and was attempting to retrieve it. It was noted that she had a bottle of homemade wine and an open beer can in her vehicle. She admitted to having a beer at a birthday party and was given a field sobriety test. It was determined that she was driving impaired, and she was swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.

Criminal Trespass
A man stated that he was sorting some things out on the side of the road, but he refused to elaborate on what those things were. He was very apprehensive when questioned by police. A resident at a nearby house advised that the man knocked on the resident’s door to call out a relationship that the resident’s daughter was having. The daughter then confirmed that she used to be in a relationship with the man, and even though it has been over for some time, the man has continued to come onto her property. She also said that the man was addicted to drugs. The resident’s wife also claimed that the man had been sending her threatening text messages. She also said that the man has taken nude photographs of her while she slept and posted them on the internet. The man claimed that he was never told not to be on the property and that the nude photos were sent to him. His story was different from that of several witnesses, so he was placed under arrest. The reporting officer was Bryan Shearouse.

Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance

A large group of people were seen having a party on the side of the road. When police arrived, the group began to disperse. Most were caught, and one man admitted to having a smoking pipe and a bottle of ecstasy in his truck. The drugs were confirmed to be in the vehicle, and the man was arrested. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.

Criminal Trespass-Property Damage; Simple Battery-Family Violence; Battery- Family Violence (First Offense) Misdemeanor

A woman stated that her ex-husband hit her and threatened to do so again if she called law enforcement. Her lip was swollen and she had bruises on the side of her face and arms. The ex-husband had also thrown an object threw a window during the altercation. He proceeded to go to sleep after the fight. He was awakened and placed under arrest. The woman advised that she would be leaving the house with her children. The reporting officer was Caleb Grovenstein.

Dec. 3

Damaged Property
A man stated that a woman drove into his mailbox while driving down the road. She stopped and said that she would return later that day. The woman was located, and she admitted to hitting the mailbox. She further said that she was about to return to the scene to repair the damages. The reporting officer was Garett Buckles.

Failure to Maintain Lane; DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

A man was spotted driving down the road in an erratic manner ,which included crossing the center line. He stated that he was on his way home from a party. It was noted that the inside of his vehicle smelled of alcoholic beverages. An open case of beer was later discovered in the back seat of the vehicle. He then admitted to being too impaired to drive, so a field sobriety test was not conducted. He was given a breath test and swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.