Crime Report: Impersonation of an Officer, Obstruction, and Bullying

Suspicious Person: A resident of a trailer located at Pinewood Estates South mobile home park reported an unknown Hispanic man knocked on her door in an aggressive manner on Feb. 9 about 8:30 p.m. The woman told the man she would call law enforcement if he did not leave.  She said the man left and appeared very intoxicated, stumbling down the stairs.  The man is described as 5'1" with a slim build wearing a black nylon jacket and blue jeans.  The victim said she did not recognize the man as being a resident of the park.

Theft: A manager of Wendy's reported the cash register was found to be short about $60 on Feb. 8.

Threats: A woman told deputies she sent an employee home as a corrective action and on Feb. 7 the employee made a threat in a phone conversation with another employee to harm her.

Attempted Burglary: An employee of Star Thread Energy Partners, located on Old Barnett Shoals Road, reported someone tried to break into the upstairs portion of the building by cutting a small section of metal door and breaking out a window.  Windows on the lower portion of the building were also shattered by rocks.  No entry was made. Employees recalled having seen two young men running from the roof area on Feb. 6, but no damage was discovered until Feb. 9. 

Felony Theft: A woman told deputies a diamond ring, engagement ring, wedding ring and day planner were missing from her Willowwynd Way residence on Feb. 8.  Earlier in the day, her ex-husband picked up his belongings while the woman was at work and deputies stood by.  Investigations continue.

Bullying: Deputies met with a mother and daughter at on Feb. 8.  The mother said her daughter has been harassed for more than a year and she wants it to stop. The girl detailed the name-calling to deputies, who explained she could choose to file juvenile complaints with the Department of Juvenile Justice.  The mother and daughter said they wanted to file a report with the Sheriff's Office first and would consider filing juvenile complaints if the harassment continues.

Obstruction of an Officer: On Feb. 8, deputies went to a Jones Road address to serve a warrant.  When they arrived, they say the husband of the woman who was to be arrested told them his wife was asleep and deputies would not be allowed in to arrest her.  The deputies explained they were unable to leave without her arrest. 

The husband reportedly called his lawyer and, according to the deputies' report, began to get visibly upset. Deputies say they overheard the man tell his lawyer, "I'm not letting them take her.  I can take the big guy out.  I'm a former marine." 

One of the deputies pointed a Taser at the man and the other handcuffed him.  The 52-year-old man was charged with obstruction of an officer and taken to  jail. His wife, 53, was taken to jail on the simple battery warrant. Each later posted a $1,000 bond.

Shoplifting: A 41-year-old Athens woman was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting after reportedly trying to steal $115 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart on Feb. 7.

Impersonating a Public Officer: On Feb. 7 about 12:30 p.m., an off-duty Athens-Clarke County police officer driving his personal vehicle said he was traveling northbound on US Highway 441 in the area of Experiment Station Road when he noticed a burgundy Ford Ranger occupied by two white males who appeared to be running radar on oncoming traffic.

The officer said as he passed the truck, it pulled out behind him. The driver began flashing the high beams and the men were motioning for him to pull over, he said, but the officer did not stop.

Oconee deputies were not able to make contact with the truck at the time but ACCPD stopped the driver in the area of the Outer SR Loop 10 at Olympic Drive.  The driver said he and his passenger were "simply playing a joke" and would have continued driving if the officer had pulled over.   The driver said he "rolled a magazine up" to make it look like a speed detection device.

Because of similar instances reported in the region lately, the GBI and Arcade Police Department also spoke with the men.  The Oconee deputy noted in the report that both men were cooperative with the investigation. A Ruger LCP .380 pistol was taken into evidence and the men were released from the scene about 2:30 p.m.

According to the report, the off-duty officer planned to seek warrants out of Oconee County for both suspects.

Read more details and background in an Athens Banner-Herald article.

Suspicious Person: On Feb. 7 about 1 p.m., a deputy was dispatched to the Belfair Subdivision to investigate complaints of a suspicious person walking around and taking pictures of cars and homes.  The man told the deputy he never took picture of cars, and was only photographing vacant homes because he wants to purchase one.  A check of the man's ID revealed he had a suspended license for child support obligations and the license was taken away. 

Shoplifting: A 29-year-old Bogart woman was charged with misdemeanor shoplifting after she reportedly tried to leave Wal-Mart on Feb. 7 without paying for $80 worth of merchandise.

Stolen Boats: A man reported a canoe and a 12-foot aluminum boat that had been on the shore next to the lake at his 3500-block Barnett Shoals residence were taken sometime between December 2011 and Feb. 7.

Attempted Burglary of a Church: A woman reported someone tried to pry open a classroom window at sometime between 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 and 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 7. Nothing was reported missing and no entry was made.

A Slap in the Face: Deputies were dispatched to a trailer in the Pinewood Estates South mobile home park on Feb. 7 to investigate a disturbance.  A man said he was awakened by his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend arguing.  The man said he saw the girlfriend slap his roommate in the face while the couple was on the front porch.  A deputy noted that the victim's face was red on his left cheek.  The girlfriend, 41, of Maxey, Georgia was arrested and charged with simple battery.

Car Window Busted: A woman reported her car was damaged after it had been parked in the lot behind between 1:45 - 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 6. The victim found her rear driver's side window broken.  All of the doors were still locked and nothing was missing from the vehicle.

Employee Suspected of Stealing: store security officers met with deputies on Feb. 4 to discuss a possible case of internal theft.  The store security officer said he had been observing an employee over several weeks and developing a case.   Investigations continue.

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