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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