Crime & Safety

Watkinsville Police: Driver Distracted by Cell Phone Causes Accident with Injury

The following information was supplied by the Watkinsville, Ga. police department. An arrest does not mean a conviction.

Watkinsville police and medical units responded to Experiment Station Road near Harris Shoals Drive on Tuesday, July  24 at 12:02 p.m. after a 2002 Toyota Sienna was struck almost head-on by a 2001 Ford Mustang GT in the westbound lane.

One person was injured and both vehicles suffered major damage, according to Police Chief Lee O'Dillon's news release. The highway was closed during the lunch hour while the wreckage was cleared.

A 22-year-old Watkinsville man was charged with improper lane usage  for crossing over the center line. The driver told officers that he was distracted by his cell phone, O'Dillon noted in the release.

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O'Dillon also recapped some of the other incidents that police responded to during the week ending on July 29:

  • At 5:45 p.m., on Monday, July 23 a 2003 Chevrolet 1500 was bumped from behind by a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country on Ga. Highway 15 at Barnett Shoals Road. No one was injured. An 18-year-old Watkinsville man was charged with following too closely.
  • At 1 a.m. Tuesday, July 24, police observed a 1996 Dodge Ram drive through the red traffic signal on Main Street at Whitehall Road. Police attempted to stop the truck, but it sped away.  Officers were familiar with the truck and knew the identity of the driver so, due to safety concerns, police did not continue the chase for a minor traffic offense. With the assistance of another family member, police were able to charge the driver within the hour.  Lonnie Register, 68, of Brittain Estates Drive, was charged with attempting to elude police and running a red light.  Register was booked into the Oconee County Jail and released after posting bond.
  • A2010 Nissan Altima was bumped from behind by a 2004 Ford F-250 on Experiment Station Road at North Main Street on July 25 at 11:19 a.m. No one was injured and only minor damage was done. 
  • At 12:30 Friday,  a motorist reported that a large chain saw slid out of the back of a red pick-up truck on Main Street. Police took possession of the chainsaw and are attempting to locate its owner.
  • At 7 a.m. Saturday, July 28, police were called to an on-going domestic situation at a Cedar Hill Circle address.  A man was reporting that his 30-year-old wife had been missing since Friday. After numerous telephone calls to different relatives, the woman was located and she returned to the residence. The woman advised that she and her husband had been arguing about him getting a tattoo.
  • . The artificial right leg was discovered by a jogger along Barnett Shoals Road on Monday July 23. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Watkinsville Police Department, 191 VFW Drive, 706-769-7891.

Watkinsville police responded to a total of 33 calls within city limits between July 23 and July 29.  

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