Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
JANUARY 7, 2009
PAGE 6A
On The R ecord
Commerce Police Department Arrests
New Year's Party Turns Bad
A little alcohol, a little
marital indiscretion, anger
and a firearm could have
had tragic consequences at
a Brentwood Estates New
Year’s party last week.
But one party-goer stepped
up, took a loaded pistol
away from a distraught hus
band and defused the inci
dent until police arrived.
The Commerce Police
Department was summoned
to a Bishop Court residence
at about 3:15 a.m. Jan. 1 over
a report of a fight involv
ing a gun. When officers
arrived, they found Thomas
James Stephens, 31, of 76
Hillcrest Drive, Commerce,
outside of the house.
Stephens told police he
had just caught his wife
cheating on him, the report
said. Asked about the gun,
he told officers it was in the
glove box of his vehicle.
Interviewing other attend
ees at the party, officers
learned that Stephens
had caught his wife “mak
ing out" with a 19-year-old
man in the closet of the
upstairs master bedroom.
Stephens told his wife they
were leaving the party, but
she refused to go. He went
home and returned a few
minutes later with a pistol,
the witnesses said.
They also noted that at no
time during the event did
Stephens point the gun at
anyone.
Witnesses said others at
the residence tried to talk
Stephens out of doing any
thing rash, and a 41-year-old
white male took the gun
away, unloaded it, gave the
bullets to another witness,
and put the gun back in the
vehicle.
When police interviewed
the wife, who they found in
the upstairs bedroom, the
report said she “claimed to
have no knowledge of what
was going on — all she could
remember was puking in
the toilet.’’
The officer was skeptical,
noting that the 31-year-old
woman appeared intoxi
cated “but not to the point
of not remembering what
happened.”
Police also talked to the
19-year-old male, who they
found hiding in a closet. He
too claimed to not know
what happened.
The report indicated that
the man may have told
others he was 21, but that
information could not be
confirmed, according to the
officer’s account.
Stephens was charged
with disorderly conduct.
The owner of the house was
warned that she could have
been charged for allowing
people under 21 to con
sume alcohol.
Other Arrests
Others arrested or cited
during the week include:
•Terry Lee McDaniel, 49,
118 Old Harden Orchard
Road, Commerce, carry
ing a concealed weapon.
The charges came after an
officer saw a “suspicious
white male’’ walking along
U.S. 441 near midnight.
McDaniel told the officer
he had just left Walmart
and was walking to his resi
dence. A search turned up
three knives, one an open
pocket knife.
•Juan Zelaya Torres,
25, 368 Cherry Street,
Commerce, driving under
the influence (DUI) of intox
icants, a taillight violation
and violation of the open
container law. His vehicle
was pulled over after the
officer noted that it had
no taillights. According to
the report, Torres refused
repeated requests to blow
into an alcohol sensor.
Passengers in the vehicle
reportedly told police that
he’d consumed four beers
over three hours.
•Zachary T. Millsap, 55,
101 Tarheel Road, Maggie
Valley, NC, speeding and
driving with a suspended
license.
•Rampus Hoodie
Howington, 31, Commerce,
on a warrant for probation
violation. He was picked up
by an officer who spotted
him walking and knew of
the warrant.
•Clarence Ector Drake,
45, 1590 Griffith Road,
Colbert, reckless driving,
failure to maintain a lane
and unlawful conduct dur
ing a 911 call. The reckless
driving charged stemmed
from the speed with which
Drake left a convenience
store parking lot, while the
911 charge related to alleged
profanity he used when call
ing 911 to ask the dispatcher
to tell the (expletive delet
ed) officer to “quit riding his
bumper.”
•Brandon Oneil Mackey,
no age given, 675 Windy
Hill Road, Jefferson, arrest
ed on a Jefferson probation
violation warrant.
•Amy Denise Gary, 29,
255 Allen Road, Commerce,
speeding and on a failure to
appear warrant.
Sheriffs Office Reports 49 Arrests Last Week
JEFFERSON - The
Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office arrested 49 people
during the past week, includ
ing the following:
•Brandon James Allman,
25, 102 Westchester Lane,
Athens, probation viola
tion.
•Jacqueline Elizabeth
Bohensky, 44, 5432 Ridge-
moore Drive, Braselton,
violation of the Georgia
Controlled Substances Act
(VGCSA).
• Cecelia Marie Bolton,
23 , 7545 Jackson Trail
Road, Hoschton, loitering
or prowling.
• Teble Renee Cochen-
sparger, 36, 935 Livery
Circle, Lawrenceville,
VGCSA
•Melissa Danvell Davis,
35 , 694 MLK Drive, Jef
ferson, disorderly conduct.
•Ashley Nicole Garcia,
22, 115 Crane Mobile,
Homer, issuance of bad
checks.
•Jack Zeigler Glover,
57, 48 Jackson’s Walk,
Jefferson, battery.
•Anthony Chad
Holbroook, 35, 5432
Ridgemoor Drive, Braselton,
VGCSA
•Thomas Jefferson
Jarrett, 25, 4885 Hwy. 82,
Commerce, criminal tres
pass.
• Kirby Lynn Kesler,
39, 161 Tac Jabbs Drive,
Commerce, battery and
criminal trespass.
• Shannon Dale Luthi, 39,
77 Crooked Creek Village,
Athens, probation viola
tion.
•Timothy Eugene Miner,
33, 763 Paradise Park Road,
Cornelia, probation viola
tion.
•Michael Todd Morgan,
33, 234 Washington Street,
Commerce, probation vio
lation.
• Paula Michelle Pethel,
40,85 North Bowden Street,
Commerce, bad checks.
•Lori Jessica Reeves,
28, 281 Highland Way,
Maysville, violation of man
datory education law for
children between 7 and 16.
•Steven Fredrick Reeves,
30, 281 Highland Way,
Maysville, violation of man
datory education law for
children between seven and
16.
•James Aubrey Roach,
29, 118 Standridge Road,
Jefferson, cruelty to chil
dren, criminal trespass and
battery.
• Scott Kenneth Rutledge,
44, forgery.
•Stanley Jonathan Scott,
46, 206 South Springs
Street, Westminister, SC,
driving without license and
possession of marijuana.
•Ricardo Martinez Tello,
29,415 Hollow Ridge Drive,
Athens, probation viola
tion.
•Tommy Lee Watkins, 23,
160 Bonnie Lane, Athens,
probation violation and fail
ure to appear.
•Amy Diane Welch, 33,
177 Park Street, Commerce,
probation violation.
•Jason Donald Braswell,
34, 1329 Sewell Mill Road,
Danielsville, issuance of
bad checks.
•James Steven Clark, 36,
49 Birch Court, Jefferson,
theft by taking.
•Tammy Elizabeth Parr,
32, 5859 Hudson Rivers
Church Road, Danielsville,
issuance of bad checks.
• Kenneth Randall Ray, 50,
338 Golden Nugget Way,
Maysville, public drunken
ness, disorderly conduct,
terroristic threats and acts
and aggravated assault on
law enforcement officer.
• MartinWilliamAtkinson,
41, 2075 South Lumpkin
Street, Athens, child sup
port violation.
•Robin Beth Brock, 40,
1141 Mt. Sinai Road, Lula,
bad check.
•Jonathon Lamar Crain,
20, 458 Hickory Way,
Maysville, probation viola
tion.
•Deborah Poole Gibbs,
42, 50 North Main Street,
Maysville, disorderly con
duct.
•Dawn Gaye Hunt, 45,
537 Forest Lake Road,
Pendergrass, battery.
• Lee Charles Martin,
58, 524 Brookside Road,
Jefferson, probation viola
tion.
•Jeffery Scott May,
45, 132 Cherokee Ridge,
Athens, forgery.
• Gary Caleb Mealor,
19, 3946 Point View Circle,
Gainesville, probation vio
lation.
• Ronald Franklin Patrick,
53, 3045 Savage Road,
Bogart, DUI and failure to
maintain a lane.
•Joni Marie Payne,
19, 1586 Candler Road,
Gainesville, bad check.
• Pavel Arkadyevi
Polyukhovich, 42, 433
Summit Chase Drive,
Jefferson, aggravated assault
and terroristic threats.
•Janet Ethel Collins,
38, 1023 Westbrook Road,
Commerce, bad check.
•Aaron Scott Cook,
45, 5190 Strickland Road,
Gainesville, probation vio
lation.
•Howard Jefferson
Dorsey, 49, 275 East 5th
Avenue, Winder, probation
violation.
•Trampus Hoodie
Howington, 31, 2636 Hwy.
15, Jefferson, probation vio
lation.
•Leroy Jackson, 51, 572
Peter Street, Statham, forg
ery.
•Bobby Dwayne Martin,
39, 1214 Cabots Drive,
Auburn, probation viola
tion.
•Woilfrido Zanctez
Venegas, 29, 2351 Maddox
Road, Hoschton, no license
and driving on the wrong
side of the road.
• Wandy Jahn Yen, 25,243
Ednaville Road, Braselton,
criminal trespass.
•Juan Antonie Cabrera-
Tostado, 28,826 Shenadoah
Court, Winder, driving while
unlicensed.
• Hannah Elizabeth
Halden, 20, 1642 Leona
Street, Atlanta, possession
of marijuana and possession
of a drug-related object.
• Michael Arthur Lindsey,
20 , 780 Apsley Way,
Alpharetta, driving too fast
for conditions, possession
of marijuana and possession
of a drug-related object.
•Torres Adan Onofre,
26, 638 Hwy. 335, Jefferson,
windshield violation and
driving while unlicensed.
Isabella Grace Matthews spent
Christmas with her new baby brother,
Garrett Scott Matthews. Garrett will be
celebrating his first birthday, January
7th on a skiing trip in Colorado, with his
family. Isabella and Garrett are the
beautiful children of Scott and Jill
Matthews of Cumming, GA.
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 January 10,2009
Next Defensive Driving Class will be held on January 17,2009
City Police Seek
Armed Robbery Suspect
The Commerce Police
Department is looking for
a black male suspect in the
2 a.m. armed robbery of a
woman New Year’s Day.
According to the inci
dent report, the victim, a
30-year-old white female,
said she was in the vicin
ity of Martin Luther King
Jr. Drive and East Cordes
Place — an area known for
drug sales — “looking for
her brother” when a black
male jumped in front of
her vehicle “brandishing a
firearm.”
The woman told police
that he came to the driver
side of the vehicle, held
the gun to her head and
demanded all her money.
She gave him $60.
The victim was able to
give the police a name of
the suspect, apparently
from two witnesses to the
incident.
Other Incidents
Other incidents to which
police responded during
the past week include:
•forgery reported by a
Banks County man whose
35-year-old son had stolen
a number of checks, forged
them and passed them in
Commerce.
•a domestic incident on
Wildcat Lane where police
had to referee a property
settlement between an
estranged couple. The man
wanted the $10,000 engage
ment ring back from his
former fiance after they
split up before Christmas.
The woman was willing
to give the ring back, but
not until the man paid a
$4,000 credit card bill for
furniture. Police were able
to facilitate an agreement
without bloodshed.
•shoplifting at Quality
Foods, Maysville Road,
where store personnel con
fronted a 25-year-old white
male from Ila after he exit
ed the store with a variety
of merchandise concealed
upon him. The man broke
away and ran, but dropped
his cell phone, iPod and a
hat in the process. When
the responding officer
called the number marked
“Dad,” the father told him
his son had just gotten
out of prison. Police have
his name and address. He
allegedly stole batteries,
candy and a chocolate
drink mix.
•harassing phone calls
reported by a 30-year-
old white female at a
Huntington Lane address.
She told police that her ex
boyfriend left obscene text
messages on her phone
and drives by her house at
all hours.
•burglaries at two adja
cent buildings on Hospital
Road. In the first, someone
pried open the front door
and took $250 from a cash
register over the weekend.
Next door, the front door
had also been pried open.
The thief moved an empty
lock box, broke open a
locked drawer in the back
and removed two bank
bags (which were recov
ered), but apparently took
nothing.
Alcohol Sting Results
In One Arrest Dec. 30
An employee of the
Tobacco Outlet, South
Elm Street, was arrested
Dec. 30 for selling alcohol
to a minor.
Commerce police,
along with a confidential
informant and person
nel of the Department
of Revenue, went to 11
stores that sell alcohol by
the package.
Only at the Tobacco
Outlet did the underage
informant succeed. There,
the police report said, she
was able to purchase a
six-pack of beer without
showing any ID.
“One out of 11 means
that there was less than 10
percent noncompliance,”
commented Police Chief
John Gaissert.
Gaissert also pointed out
that the Dec. 30 operation
was limited to package
sales, but “restaurants are
subject to a check too,” he
warned.
NEWS DEADLINE
4:00 MONDAYS
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 lo 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
Georgia Real Estate Investors
Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center
1197 South Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
thewlettl@charter.net pj 12/09
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.-07/09
Citizens Organized for
Pipeline Safety
investigating the health risks to citizens from
underground pipelines and booster stations in
Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each
month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09
JEFFERSON
Ip AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 aio
White Plains Baptist Church Pd 02/09
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.it/08
BANKS COUNTY
fgf AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pd.06/09
VETERANS OF
9 FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m.
Lamar Langston, Commander
Phone 706-652-2627 263
JEFFERSON EIONS CEUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. *(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
542
Jh UNITY LODGE
W( F&A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. -(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
547