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Effingham County Sheriff's Office reports Oct. 18 edition
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Sept. 29
Animal Complaint
A woman stated that a large dog had attacked her dog while it was tethered in her front yard. Her son had tried to break up the fight and got bitten in the process. He was sent to the hospital for his injuries. The owner of the attacking dog said that it escaped as she was bringing in groceries. The woman’s husband then stated that he believed his dog to be injured, but no injuries could be found. The proper quarantine procedures were then carried out. The reporting officer was Ashby Zydonyk. 

Oct. 1
Burglary- First Degree (Felony)
 A woman stated that her grandson had entered her house without her consent. She had previously been staying with her son out of fear that her grandson would break into her house in the middle of the night. She then received word that he was storing stolen goods in her house. No one was found inside of the house and there were no stolen goods. The woman then secured the residence. The reporting officer was Kathy Dillard. 
Oct. 2
Wanted Person-Warrant Service; Suspicious Person
 An anonymous source stated that they spotted a suspicious woman sitting behind some bushes in a subdivision. The woman stated that she had been dropped off by her ex-boyfriend and was looking for two friends. She started coughing and complaining of shortness of breath, so emergency medical services were called. A background check revealed that she had two outstanding warrant, and she was arrested after she was cleared by medical services. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.
Harassing Communications
A woman stated that her ex-husband had been calling and texting her with threatening messages. She said that he had been violent in the past and had been violent to her recently when she dropped her kids off at his house. She believed that these violent threats stemmed from the fact that one of her close friends is a man. She decided to file a report after she began to fear for her life. The reporting officer was Bobby McCloud. 

Oct. 3
Theft by Taking-Misdemeanor
A man stated that his truck was towed and impounded while his son was driving it. Once he regained possession of the vehicle, he discovered that over $400 was missing from the console. He then decided to file a report. The reporting officer was Walt Lawson.
Wanted Person-Warrant Service
An unknown source stated that they heard a discharging firearm coming from inside of a trailer park. A man was found at the trailer where the shots were coming from. He said that he did hear the shots but did not fire them himself. A background check revealed that he had a warrant out for his arrest, and he was swiftly taken into custody. The reporting officer was Brittany Hanton.
3 Theft by Taking-Felony
It was reported that a vehicle had been abandoned in the parking lot of an insurance office. A background check revealed that it had been reported as stolen. It was left there for further investigation. The reporting officer was Brittany Hanton. 

Oct. 4
Damage to PropertyA man was blocking traffic on a local road when his tractor trailer got its back tires stuck in the dirt. He contacted his company wrecker to get the trailer back on the road, and they arrived after almost an hour. It was noted that the house on the trailer was not secure, and as the wrecker attempted to get it out of the ditch, it tipped off the trailer which caused extensive damage to the house’s floor and frame. An inspector was brought in to investigate the load, and he found it to not meet legal requirements. He also found that the man had no insurance or permit to move the load. He was given multiple citations, and the home owner was contacted to inspect the damage. The reporting officer was Kristopher Withem. 


 Dog at Large
 woman stated that she was pulling into an animal shelter where she worked when she saw a man letting a dog out of his car. She told him that he had to wait until normal business hours, but he let the dog out anyway leaving the shelter staff to capture it. The man’s place of employment was identified, and he was contacted by officers. He admitted to dropping the dog off, saying that he could not wait because he had to get to work. He became frustrated and accused the shelter of not doing its job. He continued to argue with police and was later charged by the county. The reporting officer was Brandon Roberts. 
Oct. 5Driving while License Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor); Seat Belt Violation; Giving False Name, Address, or Birthdate to Law Enforcement; Wanted Person-Warrant Service 
A man was spotted driving down the highway without proper seatbelt restraints. He stated that he was picking up the vehicle for someone that he worked for. He also gave his name and stated that he did not have his license. His information would not come back when a background check was attempted. After several minutes, the man’s employer pulled up and provided the man’s actual information. It was discovered that he was wanted for probation violations, and he was arrested. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks.
Disorderly Conduct 
A man stated that while he was trying to pull his truck out of a ditch, a driver pulled up beside him and began yelling at him. The driver got out of his vehicle and continued to yell while the man attempted to explain the situation. The driver became extremely irritated when it was suggested that he hit the man’s truck. The driver then left and returned with a phone. He began to video the man and threaten him. The man then left the scene to defuse the situation. The driver could not be located. The reporting officer was Max Barber.
Simple Assault
 A woman stated that she had gotten into an argument with her daughter over attitude issues. The woman was making a sandwich during the altercation and became so agitated that she threw it on the ground. The daughter then picked up the sandwich and threw it at her mother. It did not hit her, but she fell down and became sore. The daughter supported this story and left the residence to let things cool down. The reporting officer was Tonya Hodges.
Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer; Reckless Driving; Obstructing or Hindering Law Enforcement Officers; Failure to Maintain Lane; DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
 A man was seen driving at a high rate of speed who matched the description of a man who had previously been involved in a physical dispute. He sped through a gas station parking lot to avoid police while customers were pumping gas which put them in danger of being struck. He continued to drive erratically and shift between lanes before finally stopping after hitting an officer’s vehicle. He then refused to open the door of his car leading officers to break open the driver’s side window. After a brief struggle, the man was placed into custody. He continued to yell obscenities at officers, and it was noted that he smelled of alcoholic beverages. He refused to submit to a blood test, and he was arrested on multiple charges. The owner of the vehicle was called to pick it up. The reporting officer was Deandre Loucks. 
 Burglary-First Degree (Felony) A woman advised that an unknown person entered her home and stole a variety of items. She had previously had extensive surgery and was staying with her boyfriend at the time of the theft. The boyfriend had been checking on the house at the time of the incident. She noted that there were no signs of forced entry indicating that it was someone with access to a key. The reporting officer was Jason Bragg. 
Harassing Communications
A woman advised that she was getting harassing phone calls from her ex-boyfriend. In the calls, he told the woman to kill herself and called her a whore. The ex-boyfriend’s father also contacted the woman’s younger brother and told him that his sister was trying to kill herself. The woman was told to avoid contacting the ex-boyfriend. The reporting officer was Kathy Dillard.
Theft by Taking- Misdemeanor
A man stated that someone had stolen his rifle out of his shop. It was stolen within the timeframe of 26 hours. The rifle has a Kraft International logo and notches down the side. The reporting officer was Caleb Grovenstein.
Domestic Dispute A woman stated that an upset mother with a child came into her store looking to use her phone. As she was calling a friend, a man came into the store and began to argue with the mother. The woman told the man to leave, and as he did, he snatched up the child and left the scene. The mother left the store afterwards on foot. Neither of the parties involved could be located. The reporting officer was Tommy Williams. 


Oct. 7
Suspicious Person 
A man advised that a suspicious person was walking around in someone’s back yard and that he did not think the person belonged there. The person was identified and detained for further details. The owner of the house said that she was expecting the person, and he was released from custody. The reporting officer was James Ashley Denny. 
Damaged Property
A man was driving down the interstate when smoke started to come out from under his hood. He pulled over to the side of the road and managed to exit the vehicle before it was completely engulfed in flames. The fire department was called, and the fire was extinguished. No one was injured. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.
Aggravated Assault
A woman stated that a man became very angry when she went to his house to repossess his vehicle. As she was attempting to leave the driveway, she heard several gunshots and saw the man enter his vehicle in an attempt to drive it off the lift. When he was unsuccessful, he tried to open the woman’s truck. The man came out as the woman was speaking with police and told his version of the story. He claimed that he thought his vehicle was being stolen which is why he fired the shots. It was noted that the vehicle had several bullet holes and that the man smelled of alcohol. The gun was located, and the man was arrested. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary. 


Oct. 8
Traffic Complaint/Violation; Wanted Person-Warrant Service 
A man was stopped for driving down the road with a cracked windshield. A background check revealed that he had a warrant for failure to appear, and he was swiftly arrested. His vehicle and personal property were released to a licensed driver. The reporting officer was Christopher Cary.
DUI-Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol; No Insurance; Driving on Wrong Side of Road; Failure to Yield to Motorcycle/Bicycle/Farm Vehicle
 An unknown informant stated that two vehicles had been involved in an accident. The driver of the involved car said that he was driving when he noticed an off-road vehicle approaching him at a high speed. The off-road vehicle reacted slowly and side swiped the car as it passed. The driver snatched the wheel in response and ended up on the shoulder of the road. The off-road vehicle driver admitted to having a few beers and said that the entire situation was his fault. He failed a field sobriety test and was later arrested. The reporting officer was Malcom Foy.
Harassing Communications; Criminal Trespass 
A woman stated that someone had been placing campaign signs in front of her property without her consent. After removing them numerous times, she was approached by a man in a truck who began yelling at her for taking the signs down. She tried to explain that she did not want the signs near her property, but the man insisted that she would be arrested for taking them down. The woman later said that the signs were put back up on her property after the incident was reported. The reporting officer was Kathy Dillard.
Aggravated Assault; Kidnapping; Possession of Tools for Commission of a Crime; False Imprisonment; Terroristic Threats or Acts; Obstructing or Hindering Persons Making Emergency Contact
 A woman stated that her son had gone to her house the night before and was acting erratic. The next morning, he was even more erratic, and he was asking her where she put his drugs. He then placed a knife to her neck and forced her around the house. Eventually, he sat her down on the couch and began poking at her with the knife. Officers were called, and they forced their way into the house, arresting the son. He admitted to taking an unknown substance over the course of several hours. His father, who was the one to call officers, supported his wife’s story. The son was taken to the hospital, and the knife was collected as evidence. The reporting officer was Bryan Shearouse.


Oct. 9
Public Drunkenness; Disorderly Conduct 
A man stated that his friend started screaming at his son for taking his vehicle. He attempted to calm his friend down, but the friend came onto his property, looking for a fight. The man went back inside to let his friend cool off. When he came back outside, his friend was still cursing to the man’s family and wanting to get into a physical altercation. The friend admitted to these actions, and it was noted that he was slurred of speech and smelled of alcohol. He was arrested a short while later. The reporting officer was Jason Bragg.