Newspaper Page Text
July 27, 2022
Page 6D
Reporter
Keshia Brown talks to Monroe County deputies after her girlfriend accused her of kidnapping. The girlfriend was later arrested. (Photo/Debbie Menard)
Report: Jackson woman falsely
accuses girlfriend of kidnapping
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A Jackson woman was
arrested after she claimed
her girlfriend had kid
napped her on July 21
around 3 p.m.
According to the sheriffs
report, Lesley Brice, 45,
called 911 from the front
seat of a blue 2014 Nis
san Altima saying she
had been kidnapped by
another woman. She was
later let out of the car on
1-75 S near mile marker
183.
Deputy Corbin Becelia
stopped the Nissan, driven
by Keshia Brown, 45, of
McDonough near Rumble
Road. Brown told Becelia
she and Brice got off work
together and Brice will
ingly got into her car after
she filled up her gas tank.
She said they got into an
argument because Brice
was having an affair on
Brown. She added that she
passed the exit at Hwy. 18
and was looking for the
next exit to pull off on.
Deputy Shania Hawkins
spoke with Brice who
admitted she filled up
Browns gas tank for a ride.
Brice stated that she asked
Brown to pull over once
they began arguing and
Brown did not pull over
to the side of the road.
She said she then called
911 and told dispatch that
she had been kidnapped
and the driver would not
pull over. Shortly after the
phone call to 911 Brown
pulled over and let Brice
out. Brice was handcuffed,
taken to jail, and charged
with a false report of a
crime.
Florida
woman
gets DUI
with kids
A Florida woman was
charged with DUI-child
endangerment on July 19
around 7 p.m. after she
parked her Jeep Cherokee
in the middle of Hwy. 83 N
with a baby in the car. Ac
cording
to the
incident
report,
resi
dents
at 641
Elbert
Jackson
Road VANN
told
Sgt.
Chris Sherrell that they saw
the woman Alisha Suzan
Vann, 37, of South Day
tona, Fla., throwing trash
on the side of the road.
They said she had a baby in
her car, and they yelled at
her to stop. Vann then got
into her car and drove into
their yard.
Vann was clearly in
toxicated with glossy eyes,
smelled of alcohol and
could barely stand. She ad
mitted to Sherrell that she
was an addict, that she had
been drinking and needed
help. She said that she was
on the way to Toccoa to
take her son to her father.
She refused any testing
and became very combat
ive when Sherrell tried to
arrest her. After help from
deputies Cory Adkins
and Courtney Morgan,
Vann was put in the rear
of a patrol car after a brief
struggle.
Because the child’s sup
plies and car seat were in
the Jeep, Morgan drove
the juvenile to the sheriff’s
office in Vann’s vehicle and
turned over to the victim
services unit which had
DFACS take the child to
meet with his grandfather.
Deputies found both
full and empty bottles of
Suboxone (used to treat
opioid addiction), one
bottle of Fithium (a mood
stabilizer), and one bottle
of Gabapentin (a pain
killer), all prescribed to
Vann in the car. They also
found 3 empty bottles of
Tito’s Vodka was found in
the center console.
She was also charged with
DUI-refusal, open con
tainer, and littering.
Wanted contractor still at large
A contractor who faces fraud
charges in Fouisiana and who
worked in Monroe County and
throughout Middle
Georgia is still at
large.
Jimmy Collins, Jr.,
55, who operated
Choice Roofing out
of Roberta, is wanted
in Allen Parish, La.
for fraud.
The Monroe Coun
ty Sheriff’s Office has
asked the public to
be on the lookout for
Collins. He is wanted for six felony
warrants for fraud and swindling
in Louisiana. Monroe County
COLLINS
did its own separate investigation
of Collins but is not expected to
file additional charges. Crawford
County however may.
In Louisiana, Collins
is accused of taking
money from victims
of Hurricane Laura
to do home repairs
before leaving the area
without completing the
work.
Hurricane Laura, in
August 2020, was a
category 4 storm and
Allen Parish was one of the
hardest hit areas.
Collins has been in Central
Georgia including Bibb, Craw
ford, Peach and Monroe Counties
doing work as well and there have
been complaints.
This is not the first time Collins
has been in trouble. In 2009, a
judge threw out charges because
of a “defective indictment” but
prosecutors appealed and the
court reversed the dismissal. In
March 2011, Collins, at the time,
was indicted on charges of swin
dling his congregation at God’s
Worship Center, into taking out
loans totaling more than $600,000.
He pled guilty to racketeering
in Bibb County Superior Court.
Collins and Steve Pittman, a for
mer BB&T Bank employee were
indicted on two violations of the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organization Act. In exchange
for Collins’ plea and cooperation
in testifying in Pittman’s case, the
prosecution agreed to dismiss the
second count of RICO and recom
mended that his prison sentence
be capped at five years with ten
years on probation.
Anyone with information about
Collins’ location should contact
the Monroe County Sheriff’s Of
fice, at 478-994-7010, Ext. 232 and
speak with Investigator Yolanda
Mercer.
Some of the information in this
story is courtesy of Vicky Simmons,
publisher of The Georgia Post in
Roberta.
Chase suspect in drug-induced heart attack captured
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
A Rincon man who allegedly had
a heart attack after ingesting ecstasy
while fleeing Monroe County depu
ties in May has finally been arrested
and charged two months after
wrecking in a high-speed chase with
deputies.
Jordan Smart, 28, had been hos
pitalized after reportedly suffering a
drug-induced heart attack while flee
ing deputies at 150 mph on May 15.
He wrecked on 1-75 north near the rec depart
ment and was taken to Atrium hospital in Ma
con. Monroe County Sgt. Chris Sherrell took
SMART
warrants out on Smart, but Smart
got out of the hospital without
being apprehended. Gwinnett
County deputies arrested him on
July 22 and Monroe County went
to pick him up so he could face
charges of fleeing, hit and rim,
reckless driving and driving in
forbidden area.
Smart had been driving west
on 1-16 in Twiggs County on
May 15 when he first caught the
attention of deputies there. Here’s
what happened next according to
Sherrell: Smart eluded Twiggs County deputies
and headed north on 1-75. The Georgia State
Patrol picked up the chase but also lost track
of Smart in his grey 2015 Corvette. Sherrell
caught up to Smart on 1-75 at mile marker 185
(Shoney’s exit) and Sgt. Kirk Seckinger put out
stop sticks on the interstate at mile marker 186.
But instead of hitting the stop sticks, Smart
almost struck Seckinger in his patrol car and
kept going north. Finally at mile marker 188
he slammed into the center wall and bounced
across the interstate and crashed into the
guardrail of the 1-75 entrance ramp at exit 188.
After crashing, Smart ran on foot and jumped
a fence but was finally captured on Hwy. 42 at
the entrance to the rec department.
Monroe County EMS took him Monroe
County Hospital and then to Atrium. Deputies
said Smart had swallowed ecstasy during the
chase and had suffered a mild heart attack.
INCIDENTS
Continued from Page 5D
Street.
Officer John Bogdan
pulled over a white Ram
truck because dispatch said
that there was no insurance
and the owner had a sus
pended license. The driver
stated that he knew his
license was suspended, but
he drove because his pas
senger struggled to drive.
Bogdan determined that
the passenger’s license was
also suspended. The driver
was arrested for driving on
a suspended license and
deputies detected mari
juana inside the car.
Bogdan found a scale and
green plastic container that
contained a syringe and a
small bag of meth. McCune
searched the passenger and
found liquid methadone.
Both were taken to the
Monroe County Jail where
the driver was charged for
possession of marijuana,
no insurance, and driv
ing while suspended. The
passenger was charged with
possession of marijuana.
Stolen Mercedes recov
ered near Rumble Road
Monroe County was
alerted of a stolen red Mer
cedes around 5:18 p.m. by
Bibb County on July 15 and
Captain Duncan, deputy
Courtney Morgan and Sgt.
Sam Leggett stopped the
car just south of Rumble
Road. After ordering the
occupants from the vehicle
at gunpoint the male driver
and female passenger were
handcuffed.
The 35-year-old driver
who is homeless said the
only thing in the car that
belonged to him was his
phone after a bottle of gin,
a plastic bag of marijuana, a
plastic bag of crack cocaine
and two glass pipes were
found. He was charged
with receiving stolen
property, and two counts
of drug possession. The
40-year-old passenger of
Macon was cited for an
open container and two
counts of drug possession.
Both were taken to jail.
Forsyth woman
charged with DUI
A 47-year-old Forsyth
woman was arrested for
DUI at about 6:04 p.m. on
July 15 after a BOFO was
issued on her silver 2010
Fexus FX570 for failing
to maintain lane on 1-75
S near mile marker 191.
Deputy Joshua Warren
spotted the vehicle doing
around 35 mph and failing
to maintain lane.
At the stop the woman
told the deputy with slurred
speech she didn’t have her
license while constantly
grinding her teeth. War
ren asked her to step out
and she exited very slowly
and needed to use the door
to keep from falling over.
Several items fell out of the
car as she got out but she
didn’t seem to notice or
care. She told Warren the
only thing she had con
sumed was Dayquil. While
talking with the deputy she
had trouble keeping her
balance and was seemingly
confused about what was
happening.
She agreed to a sobriety
test but was wearing high
heels and didn’t think she
would be able to perform
the test with her shoes on.
She took them off but said
the asphalt was too hot.
After failing the eye gaze
test she was issued several
citations and turned over to
jail staff.
Drunk Forsyth driver
blames weaving on
phone use
A 36-year-old Forsyth
man was jailed for DUI
and other charges on July
16 around 3:30 a.m. after
deputy Charles Bryson saw
him driving a white 2009
Chevrolet Suburban south
on Indian Springs Road
at a very slow speed and
weaving all over the road.
Bryson got behind the
vehicle when it turned left
on Mize Street then right
onto Fee Street. The driver
crossed the center and fog
lines several times then
stopped at the light to turn
left into the Circle K when
Bryson initiated a stop.
The deputy could smell
alcohol as he got the
man’s license and the man
explained he was weaving
because he was on his cell
phone. When asked how
much he had to drink, he
replied he had a beer about
an hour earlier.
His eyes were watery, red
and he continued to talk
about his past and re
quested that Bryson follow
him home, insisting that
he was “not that impaired”.
He added he couldn’t get a
DUI because he would lose
his job.
He had a positive test for
breath alcohol on a por
table breath test and Cpl.
Farry Sullivan arrived to
perform a sobriety test. It
was determined that the
driver was impaired, and
he was arrested.
An open bottle of alcohol
was found in his vehicle.
He continued saying he
wanted to work something
out and asked the deputies
to take him home.
He is facing charges of
DUI, failure to maintain
lane, open container, and
phone use.
Macon man caught rid
ing stolen motorcycle
A stolen 2016 Suzuki
GSXR-600 motorcycle was
recovered after Cpl. Farry
Sullivan saw the bike trav
eling without a license plate
or tag light on 1-75 N near
Hwy. 18 at about 9:44 p.m.
on July 16. Sullivan stopped
the 30-year-old Macon
rider and asked if he had
a tag. The driver replied
he thought the tag was in
the rear compartment of
his bike. The man said he
didn’t have his license on
him.
He looked in the rear
compartment briefly for
the license plate before
shutting it and saying
he must have left it at
home. Sullivan then ran
the bike’s VIN through
dispatch which found it
had been reported stolen
out of Crawford County,
the registration had been
cancelled, and there was no
insurance.
When the corporal told
the rider the motorcycle
had been stolen, he said
he bought it last year from
a friend for $2,300. Asked
if he thought that low
price seemed suspicious,
he agreed that it did. He
also stated he did not ride
much so he never obtained
registration or insurance.
He was then arrested for
driving a stolen vehicle.
Sullivan found a Taurus
G2C pistol in an inside vest
pocket. After handcuffing
him and placing him in
his vehicle, Sullivan found
the license plate in the rear
compartment of the bike
which returned as belong
ing to the stolen vehicle.
While waiting on the
wrecker, several of the
man’s family and friends
stopped on the shoulder
after seeing the motorcycle.
He was allowed to give his
helmet and vest to one of
his friends and was taken
to the Monroe County
Jail. He was charged with
receiving stolen property,
and possession of a firearm
during the commission of a
crime. He was also cited for
tag lights, tag requirement,
no insurance, cancelled
registration, and driving
without a license.