About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2017)
Friday, February 10,2017 Lake Oconee News Page All Ride Continued from A1 Linda Grant told Freeman smoking was prohibited on the bus. Another passenger, a man, was on the bus and also told Freeman he needed to put out his ciga rette, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. Freeman continued smoking anyway, so Grant then stopped the bus and told Freeman to get off. When he failed to do so, she called her boss, who told her to call 911. “When she started to call 911, Mr. Freeman became enraged, took the keys out of the bus’ ignition and struck her with them multiple times,” Sheriff Sills said. He then used his cigarette lighter to set her hair on fire. She was able to swat the flames and extinguish them with her hands, and she and the other passenger both got off the bus at where Crooked Creek intersects Scuffleboro Road. The other passenger was not accosted, the sheriff said. Freeman, who was “under the influence of something” according to Sills, stole the county bus and took off along Scuffleboro Road towards Pea Ridge Road. However, he made several U-turns to return to near to where the driver was to curse out the window at her as she stood along the road. Finally continuing on Scuffleboro, he turned right onto Pea Ridge and traveled northwest at a high rate of speed, Freeman hit a vehicle that was traveling on Pea Ridge in front of Concord United Methodist Church. Deputies Scott Owen and Dylan Rucker caught up with him close to Oconee Springs Road and Freeman turned the bus right onto Oconee Springs Road and headed towards Rockville Road. Freeman accelerated to speeds exceeding 65-75 mph on Oconee Springs and the deputies slowed down in an effort to get him to slow down, but it did not work, according to the deputies’ radio traffic with the dis patcher during the chase. Following his fellow officers’ cues that Freeman was heading towards State Route 16/Sparta Highway, Deputy Thaddeus Dennis put out Stop Stick, a tire de flation device, where Oconee Springs runs into SR 16. The device pierced and flattened the driver’s side front tire, but Freeman did not stop, Dennis was heard saying on the scanner. Freeman turned right onto SR 16 and continued towards Sparta, accelerating to speeds up to 95 mph. The deputies behind him were heard exclaiming on the scanner that Freeman was running vehicles off the road, driving on the wrong side of the road, and came close to hitting some vehicles head on. “Every hill he crested, he was on the wrong side of the road and you know how many hills there are on the way to Sparta,” Sills said, noting a deputy said “it was truly a miracle no one was hurt.” Sills was heard on the scanner several times telling his deputies to “pull back and slow down, but don’t lose sight of him,” but each time they did so, “he (Freeman) only went faster,” they responded. Deputies also were heard saying at some point along the Sparta Highway that “the tire blew and it’s gone,” and “he (Freeman) threw a brown bag out the window” (it was the bus driver’s purse). As he crossed the Oconee River bridge at the Putnam County/Hancock County line, Freeman passed the Hancock County Sheriffs Office deputies and con tinued on to Sparta with the Putnam and Hancock deputies in pursuit. Just inside the Sparta city limit, he struck another vehicle. “I would have bet you six months pay no one could have gotten from Putnam to downtown Sparta with a front wheel out going 95 mph, usually the rim will catch on fire,” Sills said. As he approached the Hancock County Court house/Confederate Square, Owens and Rucker per formed a “pit maneuver,” in which Owens used his patrol car to strike the rear side of the bus to cause it to spin and Rucker then used his patrol car to pin the front of the bus to keep it from moving forward. “I’ve never even heard of a pit maneuver being used on a bus, but it worked,” Sills said. Both patrol cars sustained damage execut ing the maneuver, but one remains drivable. Freeman reported ly fought with Hancock officers as they tried to arrest him. “He’s a biter, too,” Sills noted. But after 45 minutes from when he first took over the bus, Freeman was taken into custody. Freeman, 63, of 805 S. Steel Bridge Road, racked up 35 charges, including habitual violator, two counts of battery, one count driving under the influence of Michael D. Freeman We know Water Filtration IT’S ALL WE DO! • Proudly serving the Lake Area for over 25 years • Widest range of quality products to meet any budget • Service plans available to meet YOUR needs • Let us inspect/service your existing system Household WATER SPECIALIST • WATER FILTRATION • % 706-453-1151 /a* householdwater.com ® WE FIX BAD WATER! PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE A Putnam County Sheriff’s Office patrol car rests against a Putnam County Transit bus it helped stop in downtown Sparta following a 31-mile, high speed pursuit from the Rockville area. The bus was stolen by a passenger who authorities say became enraged when asked to extinguish his cigarette. drugs/alcohol, aggravated assault-Putnam, aggravat ed assault-Hancock, three counts fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer-Put- nam, fleeing or attempting to elude police officer-Han- cock, six counts obstruc tion of an officer-Hancock, robbery (of the bus), three counts failure to stop for a stop sign, five counts improper passing, three counts overtaking and passing generally, littering highway, speeding 80-plus mph in a 55 mph zone-Put- nam, speeding 90+ mph in a 55 mph zone-Putnam, speeding 90-plus mph in a 55 mph zone-Hancock, two counts driving on the wrong side of the road-Put- nam and one count driving on the wrong side of the road-Hancock. Freeman was denied bond during a magistrate court hearing Monday and remained in custody in the Putnam County Jail at press time. Freeman reportedly refused to take a blood test to measure his blood alcohol level, but Sills said he obtained a search warrant and forcibly took it, adding that it could be three months until results come back. “I can tell you he was extremely intoxicated,” Sills said. The other drivers who were run off the road or struck by the bus were not injured. The female bus driver was treated and released from the hospital for minor scratches and bruises, the sheriff said. PCSO Sgt. Jim Barbee was slightly injured helping remove Freeman from the bus. “It’s a true miracle he didn’t kill somebody driving on the wrong side of the road,” said Sills, who credited his deputies for “an excellent job” in how they responded to the fleeing bus. The back fender of the transit bus was damaged from the pit maneuver, and the front bumper was damaged where it was driven with a deflated tire, Sills said. An estimate of the damage cost was unavail able by press time, County Manager Paul Van Haute said, noting the transit buses are insured with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. The county had two transit buses, Van Haute added, so there will be only one while the damaged one is being repaired. The sheriff also said he did not yet have an estimate of damages on the patrol cars. WELLS FARGO Markets fluctuate. Relationships shouldn't. We’re with you every step of the way. Patricia Ware, CFP® Vice President - Investment Officer 1031 Parkside Cmns Ste 102 Greensboro, GA 30642 Direct: (706)453-2663 pat.ware@wellsfargoadvisors.com Investment and Insurance Products: ► NOT FDIC Insured ► NO Bank Guarantee ► MAY Lose Value | ; Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2010,2014 Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved. 0815-02678 Richard Newsom Jr. Vice President - Investment Officer 1031 Parkside Cmns Ste 102 Greensboro, GA 30642 Direct: (706) 453-2663 richard.newsom@wellsfargoadvisors.com wellsfargoadvisors.com You Are Cordially Invited LOVE YOUR HEART LUNCHEON Monday, February 20th, 2017 12:00 PM-1:00 PM Keynote Speaker: Dr. Isik Turker Attire: Red Attire is Encouraged First United Methodist Church 302 N. Madison Avenue Eatonton, GA 31024 Tickets $10 Per Person-Cash or Check Please RSVP by February 14th to Marsha Grimes at mlgrimes@putnamgeneral.com or 706.923.2028 for women PUTNAM GENERAL HOSPITAL ^ CU Navicentllealth Partner American Heart || Association Learn and Live
