Crime Report: Craigslist Scam, $16,000 Worth of Cell Phones Missing, and Man Allegedly Influences Witness While in Court

Man Cheated after Working Job Posted on Craigslist: A Bishop man reported on April 23 he was contracted via Craigslist for a job, performed the work, and was sent a check for $2,889 by mail.  When he attempted to cash the check, the bank told him there were no funds available.

Mailboxes Damaged in Neighborhood: A resident of the 1400 block of Old Farmington Road reported his mailbox was damaged sometime between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on April 23.  The responding deputy noticed other mailboxes in the area were also damaged.

Man Accused of Concealing 20 items and Walking out of Store: A 53-year-old Athens man was charged with misdemeanor theft  by shoplifting on April 23 after loss prevention officers reported the man purchased an item at the checkout register in the Garden area and exited the store without paying for 20 items he had concealed.  The items, valued at $32, were recovered.

Wallet Removed from Purse: A woman reported she made a purchase at on April 22 and when she reached for her purse on the way home, she noticed her wallet was missing.  She attempted to locate it, but it was not in the parking lot or in the cashier area. The wallet contained a checkbook, driver's license, social security card and debit cards.

Pathfinder Stolen from Driveway: A dark green 1996 Nissan Pathfinder was reported stolen from a driveway at 1700 Jimmy Daniel Road on April 22. The theft is believed to have occurred sometime between noon on April 21 and 4:45 p.m. on April 22.  The victim said he wasn't sure whether the vehicle was locked and said there could have been an extra key inside.  No glass was found in the driveway.  The vehicle was reportedly located in Barrow County on Tuesday.

:Nine citations were issued for underage alcohol consumption at a Franklin Grove Parkway residence early Sunday morning.

Power Source Damaged By Rocks Thrown: Someone damaged four ceramic insulators located on a power source to the Old Barnett Shoals Dam, causing the power source to malfunction. The damage occurred sometime between 9:30 p.m. on April 20 and 8:45 a.m. on April 22. Deputies noticed several rocks appeared to have been thrown at the insulators.

Bags of Charcoal Removed from Storage Building: A Cemetery Road resident reported someone took seven bags of Kingsford charcoal from a storage building located behind his residence sometime between 6:15 and 9:30 p.m. on April 20.  The charcoal is worth about $35.

Suspected Shoplifter Throws Gloves at Employee: A shoplifting suspect reportedly threw a pair of stolen batting gloves at a loss prevention officer on April 20 as he hopped into a Chevy Impala and fled the scene.  The suspect allegedly took a t-shirt and a pair of men's athletic shorts with him in the car.   The car's tag did not match the vehicle type. Both the suspect second person in the car appeared to be in their late teens or early twenties.  Walmart was able to capture an image of the suspect and turn the photo over to investigators.

Woman Steals Shower Curtains, Tries to Exchange Them for Gift Card: Loss prevention officers at Walmart reported a 19-year-old Athens woman took two shower curtains, exited without paying for them and waited in a white Kia in the parking lot. Five minutes later, she reportedly re-entered the store and attempted to return the merchandise in exchange for a gift card.  It happened on April 20. She was charged with misdemeanor theft by deception.

Leaf Blower Snatched: A man told deputies on April 20 he parked his truck and trailer in Lowe's parking lot around 1:30 p.m. and when he returned about 10 minutes later, he realized a backpack leaf blower, valued at $450, was missing from the trailer.  Other lawn equipment inside the trailer was untouched.

Health Care Items Concealed in Shoplifting Attempt: A 38-year-old Jefferson woman was charged with misdemeanor theft by shoplifting on April 20 after Walmart loss prevention officers said she tried to conceal $94 worth of health care items and leave without paying for them.

Investigation Into Disappearance of $16,000 Worth of Cell Phones: An employee of on Experiment Station Road reported 26 cell phones were removed from a store room sometime between 9 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. on April 19.  The phones are collectively valued at $16,000.  Employees are the only ones with keys to the store room, according to the deputy's report.  The case was turned over to investigators.

Lawn Mower Missing: Sometime over the last five weeks, a commercial walk behind lawn mower was removed from the side of a Bradford Place residence.  It had been there because it needed a new tire, according to the victim.  The theft was reported on April 19.

Woman Says Someone Keeps Stealing From Her: A resident of a Cemetery Road home told deputies on April 19 someone has been taking items from her home over the last five weeks.  She said a 4-month-old Lab mix puppy, chainsaw, and her photo ID are among the missing items missing.  The deputies noted the victim "believes that whoever has been doing this has been staying under her house but she is yet to see the suspect."

Shoplifting Suspect Sneaks Items Into Purse: A 22-year-old Statham woman was charged with misdemeanor theft by shoplifting on April 18 after Walmart loss prevention officers said concealed items in her purse and attempted to leave the store without paying for them.

Woman's Information Used to Fraudulently Obtain Gift Card: Kohl's notified an Oconee County woman that someone used her store credit card account to buy a $200 gift card and a second attempt at a high-dollar gift card purchase came soon after.  The thief did not have the card, but did provide the woman's social security number in order to make the purchase.

Man Allegedly Intimidates Witness in Court: Chief Deputy Lee Weems reports he was in court concerning a violation of a temporary protective order on April 17 when he overheard Scott Louis Lindsey, 51, of Bishop, intimidate a witness after a judge ordered Lindsey into custody. 

According to Weems' report, Lindsey looked directly at the male witness "with a fixed, hard stare and said 'I'm going to get you.'" The witness responded with "What did you say?" and Lindsey reportedly replied, "You and I are going to talk about this," the report stated.

Chief Weems noted he asked Lindsey quietly if Lindsey was threatening the witness in front of him and Lindsey replied, "Oh, we're definitely going to talk."

Based on Lindsey's "countenance, demeanor, and tone," Weems noted in the report he interpreted the exchange as an attempt to intimidate the witness.  The witness requested the remarks be noted on the record and also said he wished to press charges.  Another deputy also wrote in the incident report a similar account of what Weems said had occurred.

Lindsey was charged with one count of influencing a witness in addition to a charge of contempt of superior court. He posted a $5,000 bond on April 20, according to jail records. An arrest does not mean a conviction.

See Oconee Patch .