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Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports Dec. 20 edition
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Dec. 4

Burglary-First Degree (Felony); Criminal Trespass; Theft by Taking-Misdemeanor ($500 or Less)

A man stated that someone stole his wallet from his house during the night while he was sleeping. The wallet contained $200 in cash as well as several credit cards. He did not know who the offender could have been. The reporting officer was John Reinhart.

Wanted Person-Warrant Service
An anonymous source advised that a man and a woman with an outstanding warrant were at a residential house. The home owner said that the man and woman were no longer living there but advised police of their new location. The man and woman were later located in a nearby camper. The reporting officer was William West.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony); Theft by Taking-Felony; Theft by Taking-Misdemeanor ($501-$1500)

A man advised that someone broke into his house and stole a pistol and a box of money. He suspected that his son was to blame, as he was at the house alone for a period of time. This could not be confirmed. The reporting officer was Loren Richard Scholes.

Dec. 5

Theft by Taking-Misdemeanor ($500 or Less)

A woman advised that her wallet had been stolen sometime the previous day while she was shopping. She said that it could have been stolen from her vehicle, but there was no damage to said vehicle. The blue wallet contained her driver’s license and several credit cards. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Drugs

A man stated that he was on his way back home when he was forced to drive of the roadway by another vehicle. His vehicle did seem as if it had run off the road, but he changed his story several times as to why he drove off the road. It was noted that he appeared to be uneasy on his feet as if he was impaired. Earlier in the day, an unknown informant reported that a drunk driver was going down the road in a vehicle that matched the description of the man’s. The man later failed a field sobriety test and was placed under arrest. He agreed to have his blood drawn for evidence. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Dec. 6

Robbery
A woman stated that while she was meeting up with someone with a friend, a man punched her in the face and stole her purse which had several pills in it. Anoher woman present during the incident said that the man was her boyfriend and that he was not the one who took the purse. She claimed that it was two men who wanted to buy the pills from the friend. Another woman on scene supported this story. The friend claimed that the two men came up to the vehicle while she was stopped in the middle of the street and that she was not trying to sell her pills. Due to conflicting stories, no one was arrested. The reporting officer was Tonya Hodges.

Traffic Violation
A man was spotted driving through an intersection without stopping. He said that he was simply trying to get to his destination as quickly as possible. He later admitted that his license was suspended and that he did not have valid insurance for his vehicle. He was swiftly arrested and his vehicle was towed by a local wrecker service. The reporting officer was David Cribbs.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony)
A man stated that he returned home to find his back-bedroom window open. A handgun with a laser attachment and three magazines had been stolen from his gun cabinet. Other missing items included a gold watch, a pair of tennis shoes and a rolling luggage bag. He noted that he was not on speaking terms with his son who knew where the gun cabinet was. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.

Aggravated Assault; Criminal Damage to Property-Second Degree

A woman stated that stated that her boyfriend assaulted her by throwing two cans of soda at her. He then kicked the door of her vehicle which caused a very large dent. The woman’s mother said that she saw the boyfriend kick the door. She also noted that the boyfriend had been using methamphetamine. The boyfriend could not be located. The reporting officer was Loren Richard Scholes.

Dec. 7

Driving While License Withdrawn

A woman was seen driving down the road in a vehicle that had a suspended registration. She stated that she had valid registration, which turned out to be true. However, it was revealed that her license was suspended out of another state. She was arrested and an acquaintance was contacted to collect the vehicle. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance; Disorderly Conduct (County Ordnance)

A man advised that he came home to find a woman lying on the back porch with a bottle of pills. She was also bleeding from her head. He said that she had previously been suspected of abusing her medications along with several other acquaintances. The woman refused treatment from the medical professionals on scene. It was discovered that the half empty bottle of pills had been prescribed to a different person. Family advised that they would care for the woman until she was well. She was later placed under arrest for destroying property. The reporting officer was John Preston Morris.

Criminal Trespass
Several anonymous sources stated that a man had been knocking on doors in their neighborhood soliciting cleaning products. He admitted to working for the cleaning supply company and it was later revealed that he had previously been arrested for the same offense. He promised not to return to the neighborhood for the purposes of selling products. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Dec. 8

Theft by Taking-Felony

A man stated that his motorcycle was stolen from the ditch in front of his friend’s house. He said that he left the keys in the lockbox on the bike’s side. The bike had a cracked windshield and black and
red rims. Tire tracks were present leading out of the ditch. The reporting officer was William West.

Dec. 9

Hit and Run-Duty of Driver to Stop at or Return to Scene of Accident

A woman stated that she was driving down the road when a vehicle struck her on the passenger side. Her grandson was in the passenger seat and managed to get the offender’s tag number before she drove off. The woman’s car had scrapping on the passenger side door and rear-view mirror. The offender could not be located. The reporting officer was Matt Smith.

Animal Compliant

A man advised that he was walking two small dogs when he was charged by two pit bulls. He managed to pick up one of the small dogs before the pit bulls jumped on him. They were trying to attack the small dog in his arms. He succeeded in kicking them off him, and they ran away. Neither he nor his dogs were injured. The two pit bulls were later hit by a car on the road. A woman was contacted and she verified that they belonged to her. The reporting officer was Tonya Hodges.

Stalking-Misdemeanor

A woman stated that she saw a van which belonged to an old friend stop near her apartment complex as she was arriving home. She said that he had been wrongfully accusing her of having an affair with her husband. She drove past the apartment complex so that the friend would not know where she lived. She continued for several miles before he stopped following her. The friend could not be located. The reporting officer was Dawn DeVoss.

Theft by Taking-Felony; ntering Automobile of Other Mobile Vehicle with Intent to Commit a Crime

Two men stated that someone had broken into their unlocked vehicles and stolen their belongings. The missing items included two guns, two scopes and a socket set. The dashboard of one of the men’s’ trucks was also damaged. There were no footprints near the vehicles. The reporting officer was William West.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony); Criminal Trespass-Property Damage

A woman stated that while she was away, someone broke into her house, put a hole in her bathroom wall and ripped up her daughter’s teddy bear. The bear was missing an arm and a leg. The woman was unsure of who the offenders were or how they got into the house. There were no signs of forced entry around the house. The reporting officer was John Reinhart.

Entering Automobile or Other Motor Vehicle with Intent to Commit a Crime

A woman advised that someone had tried to steal her vehicle by breaking in through the passenger window. Fingerprints were discovered on the side window and a screw driver was found on the driver’s seat. Evidence was collected for further investigation. The reporting officer was William West.

Dec. 10

Theft by Shoplifting-Misdemeanor

A woman stated that a man stole a candy bar and a box of condoms from the store where she worked. She provided footage of the incident. The man was later found to have crashed his vehicle a short distance from the store. He was placed under arrest for driving under the influence and warned about the shoplifting. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Burglary-;Second Degree (Felony); Criminal Trespass- Property Damage

A woman stated that the shed door on her property had been cut while she and her husband were away. She said that the shed was filled with her father-in-law’s items and it had been ransacked. She further advised that the shed on her other property had been tampered with but not broken into. She did not know who could have committed the crime. The reporting officer was Justin Hynko.

Giving False Name, Address or Birthdate to Law Enforcement

An unknown informant stated that a man and a woman were sleeping in a vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex. The woman had an outstanding warrant out for her arrest and the man was believed to be in possession of a stolen pistol. The man stated that he was simply sleeping with his girlfriend in his wife’s truck. The man provided his name and said that his license was out of another state. When no information came back for the name that he provided, he gave his real name and was swiftly arrested. It was later revealed that his license was suspended. He proceeded to make vulgar comments to an officer about his appearance and sexuality. The reporting officer was Terry Gideon.

Failure to Use Due Care

A woman stated that an aggressive driver threw nails at her car as he passed. The driver said that the woman break checked him and began to tailgate him as he passed. He admitted to throwing ice at the woman. There was no major damage on the woman’s vehicle. Both parties were advised to avoid any incidents of road rage. The reporting officer was Matt Smith.

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

A woman was spotted driving across the center line of the roadway. It was noted that she smelled of alcoholic beverages. She admitted to having at least one beer earlier in the day. She was given a field sobriety test which indicated that she was under the influence. She was placed under arrest. An open bottle of beer was later found in her vehicle. The reporting officer was Daniel Handshumaker.