Police: Driver Who Flattened Lamppost Is Arrested

Several days ago, people who were taking a ghost tour in downtown Watkinsville saw a truck back up and knock over a lamppost. Watkinsville Police found the driver of the truck. This past Wednesday, they arrested Jason Farmer, 40, of Malcolm Bridge Road, and charged him with  interference with government property, reckless driving, striking a fixture and leaving the scene of a traffic accident with property damage.

The charges resulted from an Oct. 11 Friday night incident where Farmer is accused of being involved in a heated domestic argument and following another person into Watkinsville.  After words were exchanged on Main Street, police believe Farmer lost control of his Dodge Ram truck, backed up and hit the lamppost, then left. He was booked in the Oconee County Jail.

The Watkinsville Police also handled these situations:

At 11am on Tuesday, October 16, police were called to Whitehall Road and Calls Creek Drive after a 2004 Cadillac turned into the side of a 2012 Mercedes.  Neither driver was injured.  Barbara Taylor, 71, of Athens, was charged with Failure to Yield the Right of Way.

At 11:45 on Saturday morning, during the Fall Festival, a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu was hit from behind by a 2006 Dodge 2500 in heavy stop-and-go traffic on Whitehall Road at Third Street.  No one was injured and damage was minor.  Raif Sejdi, 59, of Twelve Oaks Circle, was charged with Following Too Closely.

The Oconee County Chamber Of Commerce annual Fall Festival was Saturday in Watkinsville.  Traffic was extremely heavy all day.  There were no major incidents. There were the usual complaints about traffic and parking. There were several incidents of lost parents but the crowd was very positive all day. 
 
During the week ending on Sunday, October 20th, the Watkinsville Police Department responded to 31 calls for service in addition to Fall Festival calls.