Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
Page 6A • December 26, 2007
On The Record
Commerce Police Arrests
Drugs, Alcohol Lead To Pair
Of Accidents, Three Arrests
A little drugs, a little alcohol,
and motor vehicles just don’t
go where they’re supposed to, a
couple of motorists in Commerce
found out last week.
The Commerce Police
Department charged two drivers
with driving under the influence
(DUI) of multiple substances
following traffic accidents last
week.
The two occupants of a vehicle
that wrecked on South Elm Street
at first said neither was driving,
but that could have been because
both were “highly intoxicated,”
according to the arrest report.
The investigating officer had
responded to a call that someone
had hit a tree, a utility pole or
a ditch on South Elm Street at
about 3:30 one morning and when
he arrived on the scene, he found
Kenneth Justin Martin, 23, of 2835
South Broad Street Extension,
Commerce, and Cody Thomas
Cook, 19, of 5762 Waterworks
Road, Nicholson, with their faces
covered with blood — and insist
ing they were not hurt, according
to the officer’s written report.
The officer said he asked who
was driving, whereupon both men
looked at one another “and both
stated they were not in control of
the vehicle.” But, when the officer
persisted, Cook fingered Martin,
who admitted to being at the
wheel, the report said.
Both appeared to be “highly
intoxicated,” the officer observed,
as “both were swaying in a very
pronounced manner.” The officer
observed slurred speech and red
eyes.
Martin, however, told the officer
he had not been drinking, nor had
he ingested any narcotics, the
officer wrote. The odor emanat
ing from his person suggested
otherwise, the officer wrote, and
Martin refused to allow a breatha
lyzer test or a blood test. Cook,
on the other hand, blew a .182, the
report said.
The report said that a search of
the vehicle produced three open
beer containers and a plastic bag
containing a trace of cocaine,
which the report said Cook said
was his. There was not enough to
warrant a charge, however.
The report said Martin had a
“deep laceration” to the forehead
but was literally “feeling no pain,”
even when 15 stitches were admin
istered at BJC Hospital. Cook suf
fered a “deep laceration” above
one eye, the report noted.
The officer charged Martin with
DUI from multiple substances,
driving too fast for conditions
and violation of the open con
tainer law. He cited Cook for
violation of the open container
law and underage possession of
alcohol.
The other DUI case came after
an accident on South Elm Street
where Dennis K. McElroy, 48, of
2360 West Broad Street, Apt. 526,
Athens, had moved his vehicle
from the scene. He suffered a
broken nose in the fender-bender,
the report said.
The report indicated that
McElroy admitted consuming a
single beer and that he had taken
Methadone earlier. It indicated
that while awaiting treatment, he
continued to fall asleep. He was
charged with DUI from multiple
substances, following too closely
and violation of the open con
tainer law.
Others arrested during the past
week include:
•Trandom Leroy Howington,
31, 586 McCreery Road,
Jefferson, driving with a sus
pended license and possession
of a firearm by a convicted
felon. The arrest came after
police responded to Sears after
two calls of a “suspicious per
son.” When the officer arrived,
the report said, Howington was
pacing back and forth nervous
ly and, upon seeing the officer,
left the store — leaving his pur
chases and his change behind —
and got into his car. The officer
asked him to get out and talk
to him. When the officer asked
for a driver’s license, the report
said Howington could not pro
vide one. Information on the
state data base revealed that
Howington had a suspended
license, was on active proba
tion and had been convicted
of several felonies. The officer
noticed a .22 rifle in the front
seat, which Howington said he’d
bought an hour earlier for $50
from someone in Jefferson.
•Martha Carrie Angel
Myers, 32, 214 Riverbend Road,
Commerce, on two unspecified
warrants from the Commerce
Police Department. She was
picked up in Banks County.
•Steve Donald Cox, 32, 336
Northview Drive, Commerce,
arrested on a local probation
violation warrant during a
response to a “welfare check” at
the Northview Drive residence
at which the officer observed
several occupants “were in vari
ous states of alcohol or chemical
intoxication.”
Shopping With A Cop
Cpl. Max Briggs of the Commerce Police Department helps
Cody Burbage decide on a shirt during the annual “Shop with
a Cop” program Thursday at Wal-Mart. Twenty-two kids from
Jackson County and a like number from Banks County were
matched with police officers and given $100 to spend on cloth
ing and $100 on toys or other items. Law enforcement agencies
from both counties participated. Photo by April Reece Sorrow
Now In Commerce
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Commerce Police Incidents
Ex-Girlfriend Wants Gifts Back,
Steals CDs And Damages Vehicle
Sometimes you should look
a gift horse in the mouth, it
seems.
At least a 21-year-old
Commerce man would have
been better off if he’d not
accepted several gift cards given
to him by his ex-girlfriend, 30.
The man said the woman
came to his Cedar Drive resi
dence wanting the cards back,
to which he told her he’d have to
find them. While he was search
ing for the cards, the man told
police, the woman left.
The man then went out to
his car to find all of his music
CDs gone, approximately 100
of them, and a dent in the door
panel, along with a foot print.
The mother of the victim, who
is actually the owner of the car,
told police that she wants to
prosecute the woman because
that is not the first time she’s
damaged the vehicle. The for
mer boyfriend also told police
he wishes to prosecute the case
over the stolen CDs.
Other activities investigated
by city police during the past
week include:
•possible identity theft
reported by a Heritage Hills
Apartments resident. The
33-year-old white female told
police that when she went
to reactivate a Windstream
account, she was advised that
the company had two other
accounts with her Social
Security number, one of which
was in a different name and was
10 years old.
•a criminal trespass warn
ing issued to the ex-boyfriend
of a Tractor Supply Company
employee.
•a house fire at a Clayton
Street residence. The nature of
the blaze — possibly started
by chemicals used to install
flooring — led the Commerce
Fire Department to summon
the State Fire Marshal, but Fire
Chief Keith Whitfield said he
believes that the cause of the
fire was accidental.
•forgery at Ingles in which
a 66-year-old white male told
police he’d been called by
the store where someone had
passed a check on an old
account owned by the victim.
•theft by taking at Quality
Foods, Maysville Road, in
which store personnel reported
that two white males and two
white females were walking
about the store drinking choc
olate milk and eating Vienna
sausages. When observed by
store personnel, they quickly
left — without paying for the
merchandise.
•a report of a runaway juve
nile from a Wesley Way address
following an argument with his
mother. He later turned up at
the emergency room at BJC
Medical Center, but the report
did not indicate that he was
injured or sick.
•possible violation of a court
order in which a 21-year-old
white female said her ex-hus
band, against whom she had a
no-contact bond, had contact
ed her twice via her MySpace
account.
•a dispute at a Northside
Drive residence where a 50-year-
old black male said a 29-year-old
black male arrived at his house
at 2:30 one morning wanting to
pick up his children. When the
man suggested that he come
back at a reasonable time, the
two argued and the younger
man got his children and left.
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• The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News
• The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal
& UNITY LODGE
F&A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
A. Ben Wurtz • 706-367-1400
Borders St. behind Tabo's 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. • (706) 654-2237
Clay Eubanks, President
260
.&%. COMMERCE
^AMERICAN LEGION
Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93
Carson Street - 1st Mon. night
Each Month, 7:30 p.m.
335-6400
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer Pd.-2/2008
JEFFERSON
^AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 310
T* Georgia Real Estate Investors
Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn
197 East Broad St, Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
mailto:thewlett1@charter.net
website: www.gareia.org Pd 10/07
The Jackson Co. Republican Party
Would like you to meet us for
breakfast the second Sat. of each
month, 8:00 at The Jefferson
House. For more information, call
706-652-2967 or email
fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.05/08
BANKS COUNTY
AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.06/08
VETERANS OF
'@ ! FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m.
Mike Buffington, Commander
Phone 706-335-6532 263
JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. • (706) 367-1400
Mark Bradley, President
260
Commerce fire and police officials await the
arrival of the State Fire Marshal at a Clayton
Street house following a fire last Wednesday
afternoon. Fire Chief Keith Whitfield says that
it appears that the fire was accidentally caused
by a combination of chemicals used to put
down flooring. The final determination will be
made by the State Fire Marshal.
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Weekly Health Tip From Kim Bost
Pharmacist - Owner
We Deliver!
Believe me, I can fully understand the fast pace
of today’s families. Between work, family and
church responsibilities, my family seems to stay
at a steady run! From this understanding, came
the idea to offer our patients an extra degree of
convenience. In November, Homer Drug Co.
and Tiger Town Pharmacy began a free
prescription delivery service. Yes, we’ll deliver
your prescriptions right to your front door. At
r this time, we are offering this service to any
location within a 5 mile radius of either Homer
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Homer Drug Co. - 706-677-3223
Tiger Town Pharmacy - 706-335-0099
706-335-0099
1939 Homer Rd., Commerce, GA
Intersection of 441 By-Pass and Homer Rd.
In Commerce Professional Park
Monday-Friday 9 - 6; Saturday 9 - 12 Noon; tigertownpharmacy@alltel.net