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Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports Nov. 22 edition
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Nov. 5

Harassing Communications
A man advised that his former employee sent him a hateful message filled with profanity and death threats. The man tried to calm the former employee down, but the latter continued to send messages with obscene language and racist remarks. The man stated that he felt that his safety and that of his family were threatened. The reporting officer was Ramsey Mannon.

Nov. 6

Animal Complaint
A man stated that he had two contained dogs in his back yard that belonged to an acquaintance. On this date, the dogs had torn up the liner of the man’s pond and knocked down his wife. The dogs
were impounded, and the acquaintance was advised that he would have to appear in court before he could get them back. The reporting officer was Tommy Williams.

Speeding in Excess of Maximum Limits (State Speed and Zone Laws); Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor)

A man was spotted driving down the highway at a very high rate of speed. He was pulled over, and a background check was performed. It revealed that he had a driver’s license that was suspended. He was placed under arrest, and his vehicle was released to his friend. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

Domestic Dispute
A man stated that he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument about paying bills. Both said that the argument never got physical in any way. The girlfriend advised that she planned on moving out to which the man agreed. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony); Possession of Firearm or Knife during Commission of Police Investigation; Theft by Taking- Misdemeanor ($500 or Less)

A woman stated that her cousin was in the process of breaking into her house. The cousin was detained, and he stated that he had no weapons on him. This turned out to be a lie as it was discovered that he possessed a knife and a nail file. The woman then provided video footage to prove that her cousin had broken into the house. The cousin was then placed under arrest. The reporting officer was Justin Hynko.

Driving Without a Valid License (Misdemeanor)

An unknown source advised that a man had taken lumber from a construction site. The man stated that he was building a roof, but he did not have a valid driver’s license. He was advised not to drive on the road, but he ignored these requests and drove with a passenger. The man was swiftly
arrested, and his vehicle was towed. The passenger was taken to a nearby location. The reporting officer was William West

Nov. 7

Criminal Trespass
A woman stated that over the past several months, there had been several cases of suspicious activity in her neighborhood. These incidents included strangers riding ATVs down the roadway and her two dogs going missing. She could not provide any further details about the occurrences. The reporting officer was Matt Smith.

Domestic Dispute
A man stated that while he was giving his child a bath, his wife and father-in-law began to argue very loudly. The father-in-law advised that the wife was yelling at him due to him being slow with cleaning up the house. They both advised that the fight had not gotten physical. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony)
A man advised that he went to check on his father’s house to find that the lock was broken, and the front door had been pried open. He soon discovered that the home had been ransacked. He also noticed that the shed in the back yard had been broken into. He could not provide a complete list of the items stolen at the time but assured police that he would compile one as soon as his father got home. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Multiple Substances; Tag Light Required

A man was seen driving down the highway without a light illuminating his license plate. It was also noted that he swerved into oncoming traffic before quickly correcting himself. The man appeared to be under the influence of some type of substance. He admitted to both drinking a beer and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel. A field sobriety test was performed in which the man failed. The man was swiftly arrested, and his vehicle was turned over to a licensed driver. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Nov. 8

Possession of Marijuana Less than One Ounce; Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance; Speeding in Excess of Maximum Limits (State Speed and Zone Laws); Failure to Have License on Person

A man was spotted driving down the road at a high rate of speed. He pulled into a gas station and said that he had forgotten his driver’s license at a friend’s house. It was noted that marijuana appeared to be present in the back seat of the vehicle. The man advised that the car was his friend’s, and he did not know whether there were any illegal items in it. It was later discovered that there was marijuana in the vehicle as well as meth and heroine. The man insisted that he did not know about the items. He was arrested, and a wrecker service was called to collect the vehicle. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

Nov. 9

Discharging Firearms Within 300 Yards of Other Dwellings

A man was heard shooting off rounds of ammunition with his friends near other houses. He stated that he assumed that he could fire the gun since he was on his own property. He was advised of the law, and he thanked police for informing him. He promised to not discharge the gun at his house anymore. The reporting officer was James Ashley Denney.

Nov. 10

Criminal Trespass
A man stated that his former employee who had a criminal trespass ban for the business had been seen on the property. The employee in question could not be located. The reporting officer was Bradley Brown.

Possession of Methamphetamine; Head/Tail Light Requirements
A man was seen driving down the road with one of his headlights out. Once pulled over, officers noted that a glass pipe with burn marks on it was resting in the passenger’s seat. The man was detained, and he stated that a blue sunglass case in the vehicle contained methamphetamine. He was swiftly arrested, and a towing service was contacted to collect the car. The reporting officer was Max Barber.

Wanted Person-Warrant Service
An anonymous informant advised that a man with an outstanding warrant was in the area. The man’s father informed police of his exact location. The man was allowed to get dressed before he was placed under arrest. The reporting officer was William West.

Battery-Family Violence (First Offense) Misdemeanor

A man stated that his girlfriend attacked him while he was asleep. There was a cut next to his eye with blood running down his face. She was mad because she blamed him for taking her bottle of medication. She scratched him several times and threw a picture frame at him. The man then called his friends who advised him to contact authorities. He noted that his girlfriend has had drug problems in the past. The girlfriend’s parents stated that they were present during the event but were asleep at the time. The girlfriend admitted to getting into an argument but denied any physical violence. She claimed that the man had an alcohol problem. She eventually admitted to throwing a book at him and was swiftly arrested. The reporting officer was John Reinhart.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony)
A woman stated that while her friend was at her house alone, someone had pried open the door and stolen a set of speakers. She contacted her neighbor about the incident who said the he had not seen anybody. The woman was unable to tell exactly when the break in occurred. The reporting officer was Matt Smith.

Nov. 11

Simple Battery-Family Violence; DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Under the Age of 21; Furnish/Sell Alcohol to Person Under 21; Failure to Maintain Lane; Failure to Have License on Person; Violation of Conditions on Limited Driving Permit

A woman stated that she was driving down the road when she saw her ex-boyfriend walking on the shoulder of the road. She attempted to get him to ride with her, but he pushed her away. Deputies attempted to contact the ex-boyfriend’s friend as well as the friend’s mother, but they could not be reached. Deputies then attempted to go to the ex-boyfriend’s house, but they could not locate the address. They then attempted to contact the woman but found that she was no longer in her designated location. It was then advised by a local gas station that the woman and two of her friends were being disorderly in the parking lot. As police were going to the gas station, they spotted the vehicle of the woman going back to the designated spot. It swerved into the opposite lane on the way there. It was noted that the woman was not driving. The woman stated that she left the spot to buy a drink and cigarettes. She attempted to describe the location of the ex-boyfriend’s house, but her directions were very vague. She admitted to drinking earlier, but she passed a breathalyzer test. She also said that her underage friend had been drinking. The friend denied this but appeared to be very intoxicated. She was then arrested for underage drinking. The woman received the keys to the vehicle from the friend and she escorted officers to her ex-boyfriend’s house. He denied placing his hands on her. The friend cursed and made obscene gestures at officers on her way to jail. The reporting officer was Loren Richard Scholes.

Burglary-First Degree (Felony)
A man stated that a house that he owns had been broken into. He did not live on the property, but he noticed the burglary when he went to check on it. The glass on the front door had been broken. Officers cleared the residence of any suspects. They noted that all the downstairs electrical outlets had been removed as well as some of the copper wiring. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Theft by Deception-Misdemeanor

A woman stated that she attempted to buy a puppy from Oklahoma through social media. She sent $850 to the man who advertised the puppy, but she received a text message from him on the day the delivery was supposed to take place saying that he needed more money. The reporting was Tonya Hodges.

Fleeing or Attempting to Allude a Police Officer for an Illegal Reason; ruelty to Children-Causes Excessive Physical or Mental Harm; Obstruction of Law Enforcement (Misdemeanor); Reckless Driving; Loud Stereo Violation; Failure to Maintain Lane; Improper Passing of Emergency/Towing/Highway Vehicle; riving While License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor)

While conducting a traffic stop, an officer spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed past him with his stereo turned to a high volume. The vehicle attempted to allude police by making an illegal U-turn in the middle of the road. It continued to drive erratically, switching lanes at random times and putting the lives of other drivers in danger. The driver eventually ran over spike strips that were set up by police, but the officer also ran over them due to the incident taking place at night. He pulled his patrol car to a safe location to call a wrecker service. He was informed that the driver fled the scene on foot, but he was later captured. He was driving on a suspended license and had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear. He also had two small children in the car who were not harmed during the incident. Deputies also suspected that marijuana was present in the car. The officer got the tires on his vehicle changed and returned to the station. The driver apologized to him for running. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

Nov. 12

Theft by Shoplifting-Misdemeanor

A woman stated that two men went into a convenience store and stole two packs of candy as well as a bag of chips. Security camera footage confirmed this story. The two then left in a vehicle that had been reported as stolen. The reporting officer was Tonya Hodges.

Possession of Marijuana Less than One Ounce; Possession and Use of Drug Related Objects

An unknown source advised that a suspicious man was sleeping in his vehicle in a gas station parking lot. As officers approached that vehicle, they noticed a knife laying next to the man’s leg. They made him step out of his vehicle and consequently noted that the smell of marijuana was coming from him. He then admitted to having marijuana on his person. He was placed under arrest shortly afterward. The reporting officer was Dawn DeVoss.

Domestic Dispute
A woman stated that she had gotten into an argument with her husband after she found out that he was using drugs. He had already been convicted of domestic violence in the past. On this day, the husband had become irate, so the woman and her mother-in-law decided to take the four children to another location. She needed to go back to the home to retrieve some items and asked officers if they could remove the husband from the home. They said that they could not as he had not committed any crimes. The woman ultimately decided to handle the situation on her own. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.

Dog at Large
While being checked on for a wrist injury, a woman stated that a dog had been coming on to her property and scaring her children. She noted that the incidents usually occur at night. She could not provide a description of the dog, and she did not know to whom it belonged. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.

Disorderly Conduct
A man stated that his ex-wife had recently moved out of his residence, but her parents still lived with him. On the listed day, the father-in-law began to harass the man by chasing him down the driveway. He then tried to run him off the road while telling him to get off the property. He provided a video to prove his story. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem.