Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
DECEMBER 10, 2008
PAGE 6A
On The R ecord
Commerce Police Department Arrests
130 MPH, Wrong Way On 1-85,
Driver Asks What's The Big Deal?
A Norcross man who
drove at speeds up to 130
miles per hour in the wrong
lane of Interstate 85 early
Sunday morning expressed
dismay that police thought
he’d done anything wrong.
A Commerce officer work
ing the interstate received a
lookout from Banks County
about a vehicle traveling
south in the northbound
lane of 1-85. The officer
awaited the vehicle at an
exit ramp and, when he saw
it approaching, deployed
“stop sticks," only to see
the driver swerve and avoid
them.
The officer gave chase —
two cars barreling down
1-85 going the wrong way
— trying desperately to get
the driver to pull over. He
reported oncoming cars
swerving to avoid head-on
collisions as the chase hit
100 mph.
The officer broke off the
chase, switched to the south
bound lane, caught up with
the vehicle and tried to con
vince the driver via flashing
lights and the vehicle’s PA
system to pull over.
The driver, later identified
as Darnell Prince Clifton,
24, 5705 Singleton Road,
Norcross, kept both hands
on the steering wheel, stared
straight ahead and ignored
the officer. His speed hit
100 mph, later 130 mph,
the officer wrote, until he
finally slowed down, drove
his car into the median and
stopped.
With his gun drawn, the
officer said he approached
the vehicle and yelled for
the driver to shut off the
car and put his hands up,
but Clifton ignored him,
the arrest report said. After
a backup officer arrived,
they finally got Clifton to
unlock the car, at which
time he asked, “Why are
you being so mean to me?"
according to the arrest
report.
The officers pulled him
out and placed him prone
on the ground.
“He began to complain
that he was being beat up,"
the officer wrote. “However,
no blows were thrown ..."
The suspect complained
that police “were messing
with him and he did not
see what the big deal was."
He also denied fleeing from
officers and said he “tried to
slow down" three times and
complained that the inter
state highway was “very
confusing."
On the way to the Jackson
County Jail, Clifton alleg
edly complained that “I ain’t
did nothing," that he didn’t
run into anyone and that
he was flashing his lights to
warn oncoming motorists.
He was charged with driv
ing under the influence
(DUI), reckless conduct,
reckless driving, criminal
interference with govern
ment property, driving the
wrong way on a one-way
road, failure to maintain a
lane, aggressive driving and
fleeing and attempting to
elude. Police also discov
ered that he had an out
standing burglary warrant
from Williamsburg, YA.
Other Arrests
Others arrested during
the past week include:
•Carmine Gerald J.
Costello, 38, 409 Lucky
Jones Road, Hull, a head
light violation, an unspeci
fied warrant from city police
and the improper transfer
of a license plate.
•Joshua Jack Cothren, 29,
29 Martin Road, Hiawassee,
public drunkenness after he
was found intoxicated at the
Flying J, Maysville Road.
•Alicia Flores, 41, 408
Heritage Hills Drive,
Commerce, arrested at her
residence on three city fail
ure to appear warrants.
•Jose Francisco Martinez,
29, 6186 Hwy. 441 South,
Nicholson, violation of a
family violence order after
he was found in the same
vehicle with his wife, who
had a temporary protective
order against him.
•Micah David Bowen, 24,
P.O. Box 326, Nicholson,
driving without a license.
•Cory Lamont
Buffington, 35, 101 Sunny
Lane, Commerce, driving
without brake lights, driving
with an expired license and
an unspecified warrant.
Routine Traffic Stop Leads To Two Drug Charges
A routine traffic stop for
a tag violation led to the
arrest of two Carnesville
men, one for a pair of felo
ny drug offenses.
A Commerce police offi
cer working the U.S. 441
bypass pulled a vehicle over
for the absence of a tag
and right away noticed that
the front seat passenger was
extremely nervous — shak
ing and sweating.
The back-seat passenger,
Brian Terrell Segars, 42, of
10459 Hwy. 59, Carnesville,
was arrested on a Franklin
County warrant after the
officer ran his information.
That led to a search of the
vehicle, during which the
officer allegedly found
methamphetamine and
cocaine.
The driver and Segars both
said the drugs belonged to
Michael Clifton Manley, 51,
the nervous front-seat pas
senger. Both also said he
had advised the driver not
to stop when the officer
pulled her over.
Manley, of 4775 Athens
Road, Carnesville, was
charged with possession of
methamphetamine and pos
session of cocaine.
The driver was cited for
the insurance violation.
It's City Cops Versus Deputies In Charity Football Game
The Commerce Police
Department will take on
the Banks County Sheriff’s
Department in a benefit
football game Friday night.
The contest, to benefit
Toys for Tots, will take place
at 7:30 p.m. on the Grove
Level Baptist Church soft-
ball field, according to Cpl.
Scott Rogers, who will man
age the Commerce squad.
The price of admission is
an unwrapped toy.
“They’ve been doing this
for a couple of years, and
they called us and said,
‘Hey, want to be in a foot-
Banks-Jackson Risk Reduction
DUI SCHOOL
706-336-6777
DEFENSIVE DRIVING
1728 North Broad Street, Commerce, State Certified 5010 and 2007
Next DUI Class begins on December 13,2008
Next Defensive Driving Class will be held on December 20, 2008
ball game?”’ ments hope to make it an
Rogers said both depart- annual event.
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2 At Jail Fired Over
Inmate's Hanging
Two employees of the
Jackson County Jail have
been fired following an
internal investigation into
a recent inmate hanging.
Inmate Ricky Finch, 50,
Winder, died after hang
ing himself at the Jackson
County Jail after having
been arrested in Arcade.
He had been put into a
“segregation cell" and a
15-minute watch cycle after
he indicated to officers
that he wanted to harm
himself. He was found
around 9:30 p.m. that night
hanging in the cell by a
pair of socks.
“As a result of the
Sheriff’s office internal
investigation, two jail
employees have been
terminated from employ
ment for failing to follow
proper procedures that are
in place for these type situ
ations and not physically
checking inmate Finch
every 15 minutes as indi
cated in file documenta
tion," said Major David
Cochran of the Jackson
County Sheriff’s Office.
“The discrepancies in the
physical checks were dis
covered after a review of
the security tapes."
Cochran said the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation
had not yet released its
findings in the matter.
Finch had been arrested
on charges of open con
tainer, public drunkenness
and theft by taking.
Employee Victimized
At The Flying J
An employee of the
Flying J Travel Plaza
surprised a thief in an
“employees-only" room
last week, according to
the Commerce Police
Department.
The 68-year-old white
female said she entered
the off-limits-to-the-public
room and found a black
male rummaging through
her purse as he held her
wallet in one hand.
“What are you doing?"
she inquired.
“Nothing," he replied,
whereupon he fled, exited
the store and got into a
vehicle driven by a female.
The woman got the tag
number of the vehicle
and observed that a child
was also present. The tag
number returned not on
record.
The woman said the thief
stole her wedding ring, val
ued at $250, and a cell
phone valued at $200.
Police investigated two
other thefts during the
week.
One was at Quality
Foods, Maysville Road,
where store personnel
told police that a white
male in his 40s entered
the store on two occa
sions and on each left
with a family pack of filet
mignon steaks. On a third
attempt, an employee
stopped him and recov
ered the meat, but the
man exited the store and
escaped.
Also last week, some
one stole a go-cart from
an Old Colony Place
residence and someone
damaged the key pad at
the entrance to Crossing
Place Apartments, Steve
Reynolds Industrial
Parkway.
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school of Dance
Jr. & Sr. Companies present
Act II of The Nutcracker
plus “Rockettes style"
Holiday Tap & Jazz Selections
FREE ADMISSION
(Sponsored by Friends of
Commerce School of Dance)
SATURDAY
Dec. 20 • 7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY
Dec. 21 • 3:00 p.m.
E.J.C.H.S. Auditorium
General Admission seating begins 45 minutes
prior to each performance.
Photo:
Anna-Marie
Hooper
as the Sugar Plum Fairy