Newspaper Page Text
On The Record
The
Commerce News
MARCH 19, 2008 • Page 7A
Commerce Police Department Arrests
Jefferson Man Charged With Buying Cocaine
A Jefferson man faces multiple
charges after he allegedly pur
chased cocaine as Commerce
Police detectives watched.
Captain Chad Knight, head of
the city’s Criminal Investigation
Division, said the case began
when Jefferson police stopped
Ronnie Chandler, 50, of P.O. Box
731, Jefferson, and recovered nar
cotics.
Knight said the JPD contacted
his office when they determined
that their suspect was delivering
drugs to a Commerce individual.
“We placed a recorded call and
made the arrangements, and
when Mr. Chandler showed up,
the exchange was made and he
was taken into custody,’’ Knight
said.
Chandler is charged with buy
ing cocaine, reckless conduct and
obstruction. Knight said there may
be further charges against another
individual.
Other Arrests
Others arrested or cited by
Commerce police during the past
week include:
• Kayron Lateek Jackson, 30,
46 West Avenue, Greenville, SC;
and Derrick James Jones, 26, 82
Bentley Drive, Lexington, SC,
both charged with possession of
a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to Knight, the two
were pulled over on Interstate 85
for a traffic violation, the city’s
drug dog alerted on the vehicle,
and officers found a pair of pis
tols. “They claimed to be musi
cians,’’ said Knight, who noted
that both had extensive criminal
backgrounds. Jackson was also
charged with misdemeanor pos
session of marijuana, while Jones
was charged with giving false
information to police.
•Samuel McArthur Roach, 42,
1191 South Elm Street, Apt. 5,
Commerce, terroristic threats and
acts, disorderly conduct, public
drunkenness and stalking after he
allegedly threatened his ex-fiance
and shouted obscenities at her
in the presence of her small chil
dren. The charges were based, in
part, on messages he allegedly left
on her cell phone. When the offi
cer went to Roach’s house shortly
after the incident, he reported
finding eight empty beer con
tainers and one almost-empty
whiskey bottle and concluded
that Roach was intoxicated. He
also observed that the porch of
the house, into which Roach had
moved after the victim had left
him and moved nearby, provided
an unobstructed view of the vic
tim’s residence by which “one
could easily surveil” the victim.
•Brian Keith Fleeman, 41, 44
Sailors Road, Bowersville, driving
without insurance, driving with
a suspended registration and a
windshield violation.
•John A. Alfonso, 44, 809
Tarpkins Road, Commerce, fail
ure to maintain a lane and driving
with a suspended license.
•Susan Eve Lasichak, 43, 85
West Wright Street, Winder,
weaving over the roadway and
driving under the influence (DUI)
of alcohol.
•Robert Elden Stauffer Jr., 47,
845 Eastmont Road, Winder,
DUI-drugs and failure to main
tain a lane. The arrest came after
a motorist flagged down an offi
cer and told him about a pos
sible drunk driver. The report
said Stauffer admitted taking two
Lortab earlier, but he said the rea
son he was weaving on the road
was because he’d been trying to
remove his false teeth.
•Jose Manuel Lopez-Romero,
19, 1465 U.S. 29 North, Lot D-9,
Athens, speeding, driving without
a license and a windshield viola
tion.
• Lilian M. Biney, 20, 7571 Kevin
Place, Jonesboro, DUI. City police
stopped her after a caller said
she’d driven into the grass medi
an on 1-85 and almost gone into
oncoming traffic. Police boxed
her in as she exited on Hwy. 98,
and the officer noted “fresh dam
age’’ on her vehicle that suggested
she’d been in an accident.
•Terry Thigpen, 55, 668 South
Broad Street, Commerce, arrest
ed on a disorderly conduct after
he allegedly yelled obscenities at
a teacher at Commerce Primary
School as children were arriving
at school. The incident arose from
a report the man filed the day
before alleging that his 7-year-old
grandson had been injured by the
teacher.
• Sharon Coon, 46, 155 Garnet
Ridge Road, Athens, picked up
from Athens-Clarke police on a
city bench warrant.
•Stephen Marcus Muniz, 20,
37 Hickory Street, Commerce,
picked up from Madison County
officials on an unspecified city
warrant.
• Marin Lamar Gonzalez,
19, 1660 Brockton Loop Road,
Jefferson; Casey Eugene Kimsey,
19, 1162 Jefferson River Road,
Jefferson; and Stacie Yvonne
Pruitt, 34,1803 Washington Street,
Jefferson, all charged with affray
following a fight near Warren’s
Package Store. Gonzalez was also
charged with driving without a
license, while Pruitt was charged
with possession of a controlled
substance, possession of tools
for the commission of a crime,
misdemeanor possession of mari
juana and obstruction of officers.
Witnesses said the three were all
exchanging blows in a fight that
had started while the vehicle was
still moving.
•David Lee Patrick, 51, 210
Ward Road, Commerce, driving
with a suspended license.
•John Cameron Bostick, 47,191
Lewis Circle, Commerce, picked
up at his residence at the request
of Jefferson police related to a “sit
uation from Kroger in Jefferson.’’
•William Lucas Wilbanks, 29,
373 Baugh Street, Commerce,
driving without insurance, driving
with an expired tag, driving with
an expired license and driving
with a suspended registration.
Police Confiscate $17,000 In 'Tax Refund' Cash
The Commerce Police
Department confiscated $17,000
in cash from two men’s “income
tax refund checks’’ after a traf
fic stop on Interstate 85 last
Tuesday.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation will determine if the
cash is drug-related or should be
returned to the South Carolina
men.
Their bad luck began when
they were pulled over on 1-85
on a window tint violation, said
Detective Chad Knight.
“The officers got conflicting
stories from the driver and the
passenger. It ended up with a K-9
(drug dog) alert on the vehicle,’’
he said.
The police found one stash of
cash under the driver’s seat, cur
rency wrapped in rubber bands
and in a plastic bag; and found
another in the passenger’s coat
pocket.
“If that’s from income tax
refunds, I’d like to meet their
accountant,’’ quipped Knight,
who noted that the two men, nei
ther of whom was charged, had
extensive criminal histories.
“One had a kidnapping and an
armed robbery. The other was
mainly for dope,’’ said Knight.
“The driver still has charges pend
ing on one drug case.’’
City finance director Steve
McKown said the money, if the
confiscation becomes perma
nent, will be split among the FBI,
Commerce Police Department
and Lowndes County Sheriff’s
Department, which was conduct
ing training with city police when
the seizure occurred.
In the year that Commerce
police have been conducting
drug interdiction on the inter
state, officers have confiscated
$696,000 in cash, according to
McKown.
Other incidents involving police
during the past week include:
•a burglary at a North Elm
Street apartment where someone
entered an unlocked door, and
stole a rented PlayStation 3 and
three games.
• theft of a dealer license plate
from the office of Don’s Used
Cars, Maysville Road.
•harassing calls reported by
a 36-year-old white female, who
told police that her soon-to-be-
ex-husband has made numerous
calls, cursing and threatening.
One voice mail informed the vic
tim that “she was going to regret
what she was doing,’’ the incident
report said.
•simple battery on Woodbine
Street where a 31-year-old white
male said he waved at a black
female and, when she didn’t wave
back, called her a “bitch.’’ Shortly
thereafter, three black males
drove up to his residence, called
him outside and one of them
struck the “victim’’ several times.
The black male who hit him told
police that there’s an ongoing
dispute between the two. The
white male said he planned to
take warrants for his assailant’s
arrest.
•criminal damage to property
at the Flying J Travel Center
where a 51-year-old white male
employee reported that he met a
white male in front of the store
who complained about “having
a bad week.’’ That person later
came in to tell the employee
that the employee’s vehicle had
a flat tire. A surveillance video
captured the man puncturing the
employee’s tire.
•theft of $35 in gasoline by a
white female from Fuel Mart,
Maysville Road. The clerk got a
tag number, which returned to a
Jefferson woman.
•a criminal trespass warning
issued to a 34-year-old white
male and a 27-year-old white
female at Commerce Tobacco
Outlet, South Elm Street. The
store clerk told police that the
two had tried to steal cigars on
the front counter. When told
to put them back, they did, the
report said, but the two were
warned that if they ever come
back to the store they’ll be
arrested for criminal trespass.
Police Offer Women's Firearms Course
The Commerce Police
Department will host a free
Ladies Handgun Course Saturday,
March 29, in conjunction with The
Outdoors Network.
The event, planned from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m„ will include classroom
and hands-on instruction, and
lunch. Participants need not own
a handgun to attend.
Anyone who is interested should
register at the police department,
South Elm Street.
The course will begin at the
Lanier Tech Commerce campus,
also on South Elm Street and will
move to the department’s firing
range later in the day.
Employment Solutions
MIG WELDERS
N
Words a Music:
Stories Thru Folktales a Song
Presented by The Crawford W. Long Museum
At the Jefferson Clubhouse
Bring ad for 1 FREE
Admission
Saturday, March 29, 2008
2 Shows:
». 2-3:30 pm with focus on folktales
• 7-9:30 pm with focus on music
Folktales by Donna Butler and folk
music provided by the “Solstice
Sisters."
'this program generously sponsored fry the grassroots
Jlrts program which is supported in
part by the georgta Ownedfor the
Jlrts through the appropriations of the
georgta generalAssembly and
administered by the Jlrts Qouncd Inc
gamesvxde—region S grassroots
Jlgency
For more information: 706/367
-5307
Admission: $1.00
Needed immediately
Positions located at
Kubota Ind. Equipment
Jefferson Location
1st and 2nd Shifts
FREE TRAINING AVAILABLE
For more information, call:
Cornelia 706-894-1005
Braselton 770-967-4166
Gainesville 770-536-1122
Jefferson 706-387-1036
Lawrenceville 770-513-4797
V
Background and Drug Screen Required.
y
Wrong-Way Driver
Of Stolen Car
Faces Multiple Charges
Braselton police followed a
driver who tried to flee during
a traffic stop to Commerce,
where he was later found hiding
behind an outlet store.
A Braselton officer said he
tried to stop a 1995 Mazda
Protege for a traffic violation on
Interstate 85 Sunday morning
at about 3:30. Dispatchers told
the officer that the vehicle was
possibly stolen.
The officer initiated a traf
fic stop after the driver exited
the interstate at Ga. Hwy. 211.
During the traffic stop, a pas
senger followed the officer’s
commands to place his hands
outside the window of the vehi
cle, but the driver didn’t follow
instructions, police said.
The driver then took off to
the interstate, where he drove
on the wrong side of an exit
ramp, according to the incident
report.
Braselton police asked the
Georgia State Patrol to assist
them as the driver continued
north on 1-85 but in the south
bound lane. Police gave chase
— but stayed in the northbound
lane. The suspect’s vehicle drove
recklessly on the interstate and
almost struck several vehicles
head on, police said.
Braselton police chief Terry
Esco told the officers to end
the pursuit after 16 miles on
1-85, and continue at a safe dis
tance, according to an incident
report.
At the Maysville Road exit, two
Commerce officers attempted
to deploy “stop sticks,’’ but the
driver swerved to avoid them,
nearly striking a Commerce
officer.
At the U.S. 441 exit, the Banks
County Sheriff’s Office had the
southbound lane of the inter
state shut down, according to
Braselton police.
As the vehicle slowed near
the exit, the driver executed a
U-turn, the passenger jumped
from the vehicle and was appre
hended by Commerce police.
The driver, later identified
as James Weston Benoy, 36,
of Shelby, NC, drove up the
embankment beside the Tanger
Outlet Center, drove through a
fence and stopped on Steven B.
Tanger Blvd., behind the Nike
outlet store. Benoy ran into a
wooded area behind the store.
A K-9 unit from the Lee
Arrendale Correctional Institute
later found Benoy hiding in a
field behind the outlet mall.
Braselton police charged
Benoy with fleeing or attempt
ing to elude police, failure to
maintain a lane, driving on the
wrong side of the road, driv
ing while license suspended
or revoked, speeding, reckless
driving, improper U-turn, failure
to wear a seat belt, failure to
signal when turning or chang
ing lanes, possession of a stolen
vehicle, theft by bringing sto
len property into the state and
obstruction of a law enforce
ment officer. Commerce police
added a felony charge of aggra
vated assault on a law enforce
ment officer.
The passenger in the vehicle
was not charged in the inci
dent.
February Busy For Police, Firemen
The Commerce Police
Department responded to
2,631 calls for service during
February.
Those calls included 2,340 dis
patched by the 911 center, 97
walk-ins at the police depart
ment and 124 reports to the
school resource officer.
Those calls resulted in 32 acci
dent reports, 99 incident reports
and 61 animal control reports.
The police issued 177 speeding
tickets during February. Other
citations included nine license
violations, two drunk drivers,
six for driving without insur
ance, and 43 seat belt or child
restraint violations
The department also reported
making three arrests for assault
and battery, 16 on theft-relat
ed charges and made 12 drug
arrests, four of which were on
felony charges.
Firemen Busy Too
The Commerce Fire
Department was dispatched 27
times during the month. Three
of those calls were to structural
fires, three were for vehicle fires,
two for grass or woods fires and
once for a trash fire. The depart
ment was called to six wrecks,
dispatched and cancelled twice
and responded seven times
where a system or smoke detec
tor malfunctioned.
FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH,
YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS!
Let your members know when your group is meeting!
Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your meeting time, place and date in...
• The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News
• The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal
JEFFERSON
ISP AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 3io
White Plains Baptist Church
Faith Bible Class meets every Sunday morning
at 10:00 a.m. It is a place where strangers
become friends and friends become family.
706-367-5650
White Plains Baptist Church
3650 Hwy. 124 West, Jefferson, GA 30549
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.os/os
BANKS COUNTY
i|I AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.o6/os
rpfe 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
UNITY LODGE
F& A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwight Wier • 706-367-5882
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
0k COMMERCE
WAMERICAN 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