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Rincon checkpoint nets dozen arrests
11.13 checkpoint 1
Rincon police, Effingham deputies and Georgia State troopers combined to conduct a traffic checkpoint late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. - photo by Photo by Pat Donahue

It may have taken just a little longer to get through Rincon late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Rincon police officers, with help from the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol, set up a checkpoint at the intersection of Highway 21 and 9th Street.

“It’s to try to get some of these drunk drivers off the road,” Rincon Police Chief David Schofield said.

Officers also checked for such violations as seat belt use and safety infractions  and looked for drivers without licenses or driving on suspended licenses. Schofield said one of those caught in the early stages had had his license suspended a handful of times.

Nine people who were driving on suspended licenses were arrested and two were wanted in other jurisdictions for outstanding charges. Three drivers were cited for driving under the influence and one had a misdemeanor amount of narcotics, according to Schofield.

Fifteen other citations were written.

“We worked hard and I think it was a good thing,” Schofield said.

Those drivers who tried to circumvent the checkpoint by taking either Carolina or Richland Avenue also found law enforcement officers waiting for them.

“We’re trying to cover all the (arteries),” Schofield said.

The intersection of 21 and 9th was a natural because of the amount of traffic that comes through there.

“We try to pick a good high value spot,” he said. “It’s a major artery. We’ve got traffic coming off Blandford and everything moving north.”