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PAGE 6A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023
Public Safety
Winder PD
Winder PD reports several car break-ins
The following incidents were reported by the
Winder Police from Oct. 26-Nov. 2:
• Criminal trespass Oct 26 at 839 Exchange
Cir, Bethlehem, where a woman reported a
sticky unknown substance on her doorknob and
inside her deadbolt lock.
• Criminal damage to property Oct 26 at 25
E Midland Ave., Winder, where a woman her
vehicle damaged while parked overnight while
parked on N. Fifth Ave.
• Criminal damage to property Oct. 26 at 67
W Athens St., Winder, where a man reported his
vehicle damaged while parked in a parking lot
on West Athens Street.
• Reckless driving, improper lane change,
striking fixed object, criminal trespass Oct. 27
at 279 Ryan Road, where a teenager crashed his
diesel-style truck into a utility pole, causing it
to fall in front of a residence on Ryan Road and
damaged a fire put and soccer goal in the front
yard and then fled the scene.
• Public drunkenness; unlawful possession
of open containers Oct. 27 at 113 E Athens St.,
where a woman was reported highly intoxicated
at the Spooktacular event and was yelling pro
fanities at police during questioning.
• Public drunkenness; criminal trespass Oct.
26 at 79 Marion Lay St., where a man who was
criminally trespassed from his home was bang
ing on the door of the home.
• Criminal trespass; public drunk Oct. 28 at 24
Duke Cir., where a woman reported an unknown
male knocking on her door and window.
• Entering automobile or other motor vehicle
with intent to commit theft or felony; financial
transaction card fraud; theft by taking Oct. 28
at 235 Glen Ave., where a woman reported her
vehicle broken and her wallet stolen.
• Aggravated stalking Oct. 27, where a woman
reported her ex-husband whom she has a protec
tive order against keeps contacting her.
• Disturbing the peace; disorderly conduct
Oct. 28 at 271 N Broad St., where a woman was
screaming and cussing at an employee inside a
restaurant.
• Disorderly conduct; disturbing the peace Oct.
29 at 180 Bellingrath Dr., where a man reported
his neighbors were outside in their yard yelling
and cursing at each other.
• Criminal trespass Oct. 30 at 193 Bellview
St., where a woman reported her home was bur
glarized while she was in the process of moving
out.
• Theft by taking Oct. 30 at 19 E Wright St.,
where a woman reported her prescription pill
bottle missing from her home.
• Entering automobile or other motor vehicle
with intent to commit theft of felony; theft by
taking Oct. 31 at 309 Ryan Rd., where a woman
reported her car had been broken into and a bag
with medication was missing.
• Entering automobile or other motor
vehicle with intent to commit theft of felony;
theft by taking Oct. 31 at 18 S Williams St.,
where a woman reported her wallet stolen from
her vehicle.
• Theft by taking Oct. 31 at 225 Hidden Ct.,
where a man reported the front grille shell on his
vehicle was stolen.
• Battery; disorderly conduct Nov. 1 at E May
St., where a road rage incident occurred between
two vehicles.
Barrow County Sheriff’s Office
Man shoots neighbor’s dog, threatens to shoot neighbor
Deputies from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Of
fice responded to a call at 1112 Summer Chase
Drive in Auburn, in reference to a call about an
assault. The caller told the deputy that she let her
dogs out that evening so that they could go to the
bathroom, and her Jack Russell Terrier walked
into her neighbors yard.
A verbal dispute between the neighbors erupt
ed, and the caller’s neighbor shot the dog with
a BB gun, after pumping it three times. He then
threated to shoot the caller.
The dog was bleeding and could not climb the
stairs into the house, so the caller said she carried
him in, then called law enforcement.
The neighbor complained that the dogs come
into his yard often to use the bathroom and to
dig in the flower beds. He showed the responding
officer the BB gun, and admitted to threatening
to shoot his neighbor. The neighbor was arrested,
and the gun was confiscated for evidence.
The officer reported that he would obtain war
rants against the neighbor for aggravated cruelty
to animals, and for terrorist threats and acts for
threatening to shoot his neighbor.
The officer advised the caller to seek immediate
medical care for her dog.
State/ National
Winder man charged in Missouri interstate shooting incident
Vernan Wayne Crutcher of Winder faces first-de
gree assault and armed criminal action following
an incident in which he allegedly shot another
driver on Interstate 44 in Franklin, Missouri, ac
cording to a report by KSDK-TV.
According to Missouri State Highway Patrol,
the incident occurred around noon Nov. 1 on 1-44.
Crutcher was apprehended at the scene and the
victim was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot
wound to the abdomen.
According to witnesses, Crutcher and the vic
tim parked their tractor-trailers on the shoulder
of 1-44 with the victim’s truck positioned ahead
of Crutcher’s. Crutcher got out of his vehicle and
approached the other truck on the passenger side.
The two engaged in conversation in the grassy
right-of-way before Crutcher drew a handgun and
shot the other man.
Witnesses reported that when the victim at
tempted to flee, Crutcher fired a second shot be
fore they both went back to their trucks.
The victim told police the confrontation was
initially a verbal argument stemming from a dis
pute on the CB radio. He said Crutcher had been
driving aggressively, which led to them both pull
ing over. The victim said the altercation had been
verbal until Crutcher unexpectedly brandished a
weapon and shot him from about six feet away.
Crutcher provided a different account during a
police interview, claiming that he had engaged
in a road dispute before pulling over and had not
communicated with the victim over the CB radio.
He alleged that he shot the other driver in self-de
fense as he swung a knife at him during the argu
ment on the side of the highway.
However, surveillance footage from a local
business substantiated the victim’s statements,
demonstrating that the two drivers were never
within proximity of each other to engage in phys
ical combat.
Crutcher was taken in custody and held without
bail at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Violence at Fulton County Jail a product of overcrowding
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Fulton County Jail
needs a new building and
more staff, shortcomings
that could be solved with
more funding, the chief
counsel to the Fulton
Sheriff’s Department
told state lawmakers
Thursday.
Overcrowding at the
main Rice Street lock
up has led to violence,
including 293 stabbings
this year, 922 inmate as
saults of other inmates,
68 attacks by inmates
on staff, and 10 deaths,
two of which were ho
micides, Amelia Joyner
testified during the first
meeting of a state Senate
subcommittee formed to
look into problems at the
Fulton jail.
Contributing to the
violence are a large
number of inmates who
shouldn’t be in the Ful
ton jail because they
have been convicted of
violent crimes and be
long in the state prison
system, Joyner said.
“We house entirely too
many individuals who
are dangerous,” she said.
The Fulton Jail is at
tempting to cope with
the overcrowded con
ditions while seriously
understaffed. While the
jail’s authorized strength
is 1,017, its staff is down
to 889, including 243
civilians, Joyner said.
Despite a pay raise that
brought the starting sal
ary for sworn correction
al officers to $60,000 a
year, the jail staff’s turn
over rate stood at 36.3%
as of the end of last year,
she said.
Joyner said the deteri
orating jail building - in
cluding crumbling brick
and mortar - is adding to
the stress.
“The physical plant has
been so dilapidated the
inmates are able to create
weapons,” she said.
Joyner said the sher
iff’s department has
taken steps to address
overcrowding, including
working with the court
system on pre-trial di
version efforts. Fulton
County also has entered
agreements to house
some of Fulton’s inmates
at jails in three other
counties and the city of
Atlanta, she said.
Those efforts had re
duced the jail population
from a high of 3,700 to
2,915 as of Wednesday,
Joyner said. Still, a few
inmates are being forced
to sleep on “portable
sleeping devices” that
are essentially legless
cots.
Sen. Randy Robertson,
R-Cataula, the subcom
mittee’s chairman, said
none of the overcrowd
ing problems are the
sheriff’s department’s
fault, since they can’t
control how many in
mates are brought to the
facility.
Robertson suggested
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the subcommittee will
have to look elsewhere
for solutions, includ
ing to the court systems
to reduce the average
length of inmate stays at
county jails.
Joyner said the average
inmate stay at the Fulton
jail has risen to 295 days,
multiple times the length
of time inmates should
be expected to be housed
at a county jail rather
than in a state prison.
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November 1, 2023
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