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Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports June 27 edition
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June 8

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

A woman was seen driving in a vehicle that was unfit for operation on the road. It was noted that she smelled strongly of alcoholic beverages and that she had an open beer bottle in her vehicle. She failed a field sobriety test and was swiftly placed under arrest. Her vehicle was towed by a local wrecker service. The reporting officer was Jason Fondren.

June 11

Theft by Deception-Felony

A man stated that he paid a mechanic $700 to fix his car. The mechanic then refused to fix or return the car after accepting the money. The mechanic could not be contacted at the time. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

June 12

Theft by Deception-Felony

A woman stated that she had been scammed by a man that she had been dating over the internet. She said that she had given the man her banking information so that he could make funeral arrangements for his father. She also sent him five money orders which were valued at nearly $5,000. When the man proceeded to withdraw over $4,500 from the account, the woman canceled the money orders and reported the incident. The man could not be contacted at the time. The reporting officer was Ramsey Mannon.

Motor Vehicle Crash; DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

A man stated that a woman ran into the back of his vehicle while he was stopped at a red light. It was noted that the woman smelled strongly of alcoholic beverages. She denied being under the influence, and due to heavy rain, a field sobriety test could not be conducted. She failed a breath test and was swiftly arrested. She was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment, and her vehicle was towed by a local wrecker service. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud.

Domestic Dispute

A man stated that his separated wife threw all his belongings in the yard and started arguing with him for no apparent reason. The wife said that she was angry with his drinking and cursing and that she wanted him out of the house. Both parties agreed to remain civil in all future confrontations. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Marijuana-Possess Less than One Ounce; Wanted Person- Warrant Service

A woman and her father advised that a relative was banging on the woman’s door as if he was on drugs. It was noted that he smelled strongly of marijuana and some was later found in his right pocket. He admitted to being wanted for a probation violation and was swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

Simple Battery-Family Violence

A man stated that his step-daughter attacked him with a shoe after he told her to leave his property. The step-daughter, however, claimed that the man was drunk and that he attacked her for no reason. The man’s son confirmed the step-daughter’s story. The man later said that the step-daughter and son had been smoking meth. All parties were advised to avoid contact for the time being. The step-daughter agreed to let the son spend the night with her. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud.

Domestic Dispute

A man stated that his step-mother hit him in the leg with a chair. He said that they had been fighting over the step-mother’s missing cell phone. The step-mother, however, claimed that the man had pushed her for no apparent reason. Both parties agreed to separate for the rest of the day. The reporting officer was Matthew Petrea.

June 13

Domestic Dispute

A man stated that his ex-girlfriend went to his residence to return two titles. The two began to fight when the ex-girlfriend revealed that she had illegal drugs in her possession. She proceeded to scratch his face and crack her own windshield before driving away. The ex-girlfriend could not be located at the time. The reporting officer was Caleb Grovenstein.

Simple Battery

A man advised that he was joking with a coworker when the coworker got mad for no apparent reason and busted the man’s nose. Another person on the scene confirmed this series of events. The man was taken to a hospital for his injuries, while the coworker could not be found. The reporting officer was Caleb Grovenstein.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony); Theft by Taking- Misdemeanor ($501-$1,500)

A woman stated that she returned to her residence to discover that it had been broken into. The missing items included her television and most of her roommate’s clothing. It was noted that the back-door handle had been damaged. She believed that her former roommates were responsible for the break-in, but she could not prove this. The former roommates could not be contacted at the time. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud.

June 14

Probation Violation

A man started taking a large quantity of pills in a court room after being ordered to serve 30 days in the county jail. He was secured on a table and treated by emergency medical services. The reporting officer was Dawn DeVoss.

June 15

Burglary-Second Degree (Felony)

A couple stated that the property they had been trying to sell had been broken into and items stolen. Their trail camera captured photos of some vehicles in their yard, but they did not know to whom they belonged. The reporting officer was James Ashley Denny.

Wanted Person-Warrant Service; Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor); Possession and Use of Drug Related Objects

Two men were spotted driving down the road in a vehicle that had been reported as stolen. The driver admitted that he had taken it from his mother, and both men were swiftly arrested. A search of the vehicle revealed six syringes and a pill bottle wrapped in black tape. The mother was contacted to collect the vehicle, and the passenger was ultimately released from the scene. The reporting officer was Christopher Cray.

Damage to Property

A woman stated that a substantial amount of damage had been inflicted on her rental property after she evicted the tenants. The damage was contained to the doors, walls and windows. The previous tenants could not be located. The reporting officer was Matthew Davis.

Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor); Wanted Person- Warrant Service

A man was spotted driving down the road with a broken brake light. A background check revealed that he had an active warrant and that his license was suspended for failure to appear. He was arrested, and his vehicle was towed by a local wrecker service. The reporting officer was Karyn Witherington.

June 16

Wanted Person-Warrant Service; Possession of Firearms by Convicted Felons and First Offender Probationers

A man was seen driving down the road in a vehicle with an incorrect license plate. He stated that he had recently purchased the vehicle and was in the process of getting the registration transferred. It was noted that the vehicle smelled strongly of unburnt marijuana, although none was found. A background check revealed that two passengers had outstanding warrants, but only one was ultimately placed under arrest due to the fact that she was a felon and had a firearm in her possession. The man and the remaining passengers were released from the scene. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Missing Person; Death Investigation

A man advised that his father had been missing for the past 24 hours. He went to his father’s house and discovered that all his vehicles and personal belongings were still there but his father was not. He had also tried to call his father’s friends to see if they had any information but this proved unsuccessful. The father could not be located at the time. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud.

Disorderly Conduct

A woman stated that her brother had bruised her arms and hit her head during an argument over his drinking problem. Both parties were advised to separate for the time being. The reporting officer was James Ashley Denny.

Criminal Trespass; Pointing or Aiming Gun or Pistol at Another; Obstruction of Law Enforcement (Misdemeanor)

A woman advised that her ex-boyfriend had taken a substantial amount of money out of an account that the two shared and was threatening to break some of her personal belongings. She and her current boyfriend went to his house to collect some of her items when the ex-boyfriend pulled up and pointed a gun at the current boyfriend. He lowered the weapon and proceeded to charge the current boyfriend which caused him to bleed from the mouth. The ex-boyfriend would not corporate with police and had to be tasered to be properly arrested. The gun was confiscated, and the woman gathered the rest of her things. The ex-boyfriend was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. The reporting officer was Jason Bragg.

June 17

Domestic Dispute

A man stated that his step-father had stolen his truck keys during an argument. The man’s mother later added that the step-father took the keys to prevent the man from going to his girlfriend’s house and arguing with her. All parties were advised to work out the situation on their own. The reporting officer was James Ashley Denny.

DUI-Alcohol/Controlled Present in Driver; Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor); Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance

A man was spotted asleep in his parked car in a subdivision. It was noted that the vehicle smelled strongly of alcohol and marijuana and that the man had urinated on himself. A search of his vehicle revealed a glass pipe and crack along with marijuana and a metal pipe. He was to intoxicated to conduct a field sobriety test and had to have his blood drawn. He was swiftly arrested, and his vehicle was towed by a local wrecker service. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Domestic Dispute

A woman stated that her daughter was preventing her from leaving her residence to go get alcohol. The daughter confirmed this story and said that her mother was in rehab and that she had to push her to keep her from leaving. The woman eventually said that she was fine with being alone with her daughter. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Driving While License Withdrawn; Wanted Person-Warrant Service

A man was seen driving down the road with a suspended license. It was noted that his vehicle smelled strongly of marijuana, although none was located. The man was placed under arrest along with a passenger who was wanted for failure to appear. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

A man advised that he had been involved in a crash with a driver who he believed to be under the influence. The driver did smell strongly of alcoholic beverages, but he denied being drunk. He later failed a field sobriety test and was swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was Garett Buckles.