Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016
THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 7A
Commerce Police Department incidents
Commerce police investigate alleged rape
The Commerce Police Department
is investigating an alleged rape of a local
woman by an old friend who came to her
residence early one morning to “catch up”
and watch movies.
The victim came to the Commerce Police
Department to report the incident. She told
police that she had been friends with the
alleged assailant for four years, but had not
seen or spoken to him in two years before he
came by at 1:30 a.m. on July 19.
She said she went to bed fully clothed at
about 6 a.m. and was awakened by the man
laying on top of her unclothed. The victim
said she pushed away from him, and he
did not hit her or say anything. He just got
dressed and left.
The victim said she awakened naked and
had not felt the man remove her clothing
during the night.
She went to her boyfriend’s home in Ath
ens and he advised her to go to the police.
Other Incidents
Other incidents looked into over the past
week by Commerce police include:
•battery at a Piedmont Street address
where a man and his 16-year-old son got
into an argument because the boy and his
grandmother had not gotten cigarettes for
the man in a timely manner. The boy said his
father grabbed him by the throat, and the boy
grabbed his father’s index finger and bent it
back to remove his father’s grasp. The report
indicated that the finger might have been
broken. The boy’s mother told police that the
boy lives in fear of his father, who threatens
him constantly, and she said another officer
had been to the house earlier that day.
•a burglary and theft by taking at Com
merce Printing Co., South Broad Street where
someone stole about $160 from a cash box
and an envelope. There appeared to be no
sign of forced entry. The owner of the proper
ty gave police the name of a possible suspect.
• theft by taking at Commerce Vision Cen
ter, Homer Road, where an ex-employee was
reported to have been taking cash from the
business for some time. The owner reported
that a client came in to ask for a receipt to
show she had paid $600 for a pair of frames,
but there was no record of the payment being
made. That led the owner to look over the
records for the past three months of clients
who paid in cash and he found at least eight
in which he believes the suspect took the
payments instead of depositing them. He also
said he had caught the employee making
unauthorized purchases through the compa
ny, and paying for them only when confront
ed by the owner. The owner believes the
suspect cost the business $4,000 over three
months.
•pointing a gun at another reported at
a Katie Lane residence. The resident told
police his ex-wife came to his house wanting
him to sign some papers, which he refused to
do. When he told her to leave, she began yell
ing and returned to her car. The woman told
police that when her ex-husband answered
the door he had a pistol in his hand, which
he pointed at her. The man admitted to hav
ing the gun in his hand but denied pointing it
at his ex-wife.
• criminal trespass at a Rice Street Address
where someone broke the rear window out
of a vehicle.
•criminal trespass on Victoria Street in
which someone smashed a mailbox with an
unknown object.
• criminal trespass on Oak Street where a
man indicated that his live-in stepson broke
the glass in a shed, stole some pork chops
and left the scene. The man complained that
the stepson refused to get a job and pay rent
and said he would get a restraining order
against the stepson.
• hit-and-mn at the parking lot of the Dol
lar General Store, B. Wilson Road, where a
woman backed into a parked vehicle and left
the scene. A witness got a tag number, which
police traced to a Hampton Creek Road
woman. A Jackson County deputy went to
the address, found the vehicle, saw damage
from the collision and left the scene to get a
camera. When he returned the vehicle was
not visible, possibly located in the garage.
Meanwhile, the officer was able to confirm
by store video and with the driver’s license
photo of the subject that the person who
owned the vehicle had caused the accident.
The officer took a warrant for the owner for
violation of duty upon striking an unattended
vehicle.
• terroristic threats and acts at an Old Hard
en Orchard Road address where a woman
said her father threatened to kill her boy
friend. The woman said her father accused
the boyfriend, who lived at the residence with
the woman and her father, of stealing several
items and that she was scared for her safety.
•criminal damage to property at Heri
tage Crossing Apartments, Steve Reynolds
Industrial Boulevard where a tenant was
accused of stealing electricity from another
apartment. The suspect, in turn, reported
that someone had “keyed” her vehicle two
nights earlier.
•recovery of an enclosed trailer aban
doned on Interstate 85. The trailer was empty,
and the Georgia Department of Transporta
tion called and asked that it be towed.
•suicide threats at a Baugh Street
address where police found an intoxicated
man who denied threatening to kill him
self, though he’d had a gun in his hand.
A witness said he did threaten to shoot
himself, as he had on a previous date. The
officer had the man taken to Northridge
Medical Center and told the witness to
secure the weapons.
• criminal damage to property at a Wash
ington Street location where the glass in one
of the doors had been broken. The cause for
the breakage was not determined.
• a dog bite on Laura Lane where a boy
was bitten by a neighbor’s dog as he played
basketball in a cul de sac. The victim was
taken to an Athens hospital, and the owner
said her 4-year-old daughter went out to play
basketball with the victim and other children
and the dog escaped from the house. She
characterized the bite as unintentional.
• a dog bite on Clayton Street where a man
had a pit bull that had shown up at his house.
He said he tried to find the owner, but was
unsuccessful. At one point, the dog jumped
onto the kitchen counter and nipped the
man’s finger when he ordered it down. The
man turned the dog over to Animal Control.
•battery at Heritage Crossing Apartment
Complex, Minish Drive, where a woman said
her 9-year-old son was attacked by two male
juveniles about the same age. She said he
came home vomiting and crying. The boy
had scraped his elbows and said he was
kicked in the back of his head and between
his shoulder blades. The officer got first
names of the other boys and went to their
apartments, but no one answered the door
bell.
Baldwin
Commerce police
to host block
party on Tuesday
Seeking improved community relations, the Com
merce Police Department will join the National Night
Out program on Tuesday, Aug. 2, with a block party at
the Boys and Girls Club.
“It’s a community crime prevention program,” reports
Capt. Ken Harman. “On one night, police departments
host block parties to interact with their citizens, to get to
know people better and to have a good time. The focus
is to establish relationships that can serve to prevent
crime and improve communities.”
The event, featuring free hot dogs, drinks, inflatables,
games for the kids and displays, will take place from 6:30
p.m. to 9 p.m. in the field adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club.
According to the program’s web site, National Night
Out was created to increase awareness about police
programs in communities, ranging from dmg prevention
to crime watches.
In the light of recent high-profile shootings of black
suspects by police and the recent attacks killing police
officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, police departments
all across the U.S. are considering ways to restore
trust and confidence between citizens and police.
The Commerce Police Department, for example, is
stressing “community policing,” in which officers make
a concerted effort to meet, talk with and get to know
members of the community. It held its second “Coffee
with a Cop” event today (Wednesday) as part of that
effort, and it’s held a couple of community forums, with
others planned.
The National Night Out program occurs annually on
the first Tuesday in August, although a few agencies
hold their events the first Tuesday in October.
GSP charges four
in Jackson County
The Georgia State Patrol
charged four people last
week, including the follow
ing:
• Michael Wayne Veal,
52, 259 East Ridgeway Road,
Commerce, pedestrian under
the influence of intoxicants.
•Rita Elaine Standridge,
56, 2352 Brockton Road, Jef
ferson, driving under the inv-
fluence (DUI) and failure to
maintain lane.
• Thomas Keith Brown,
46, 840 Sheep Pasture Road,
Commerce, DUI and failure
to maintain a lane.
• Jeremy Keith Baggett, 42,
3013 Ridgelake Drive, Meta-
rie, La., DUI, failure to main
tain lane and violation of the
open container law.
The Baldwin Police Depart
ment reports the recent arrests
of seven individuals.
They include:
• Cecilia Nicole Barrett,
37, 308 Baldwin Court Apart
ments, Cornelia, drugs to be
kept in original container, driv
ing under the influence (DUI)
of drugs and a headlight vio
lation. Barrett was arrested at
a traffic stop on the 1998 Ford
Explorer she was driving on
Duncan Bridge Road.
•Cody Christopher Ball,
31, 110 Grado Lane, Baldwin,
criminal trespass. Ball was
arrested in connection with a
theft at The Hairport.
•Rosario Martinez-Torres,
37, 318 Airport Road, Baldwin,
driving while unlicensed or
on an expired driver’s license.
Martinez-Torres was arrested
on Willingham Avenue when
his vehicle was stopped for a
brake light violation.
• Jack Thomas Pearson, 22,
875 Highway 326, Carnesville,
operating a vehicle without
a valid tag/decal and driving
with a suspended license.
Pearson was stopped on U.S.
441 for an expired tag.
•Jorge J. Procopio Guer
rero, 25, 300 Canterberry
Trail, Mount Airy, DUI -
alcohol. Procopio Guerrero
was arrested at a Brookcrest
Haven residence when offi
cers responded to a noise
complaint.
• Marshal Douglas
Andrews, 40, 308 Ken Norris
Road, Canon, operating a vehi
cle without a valid tag/decal,
driving and a tire violation.
• Martin Herman Castro, 33,
211 Boxwood Avenue, Corne
lia, driving with a suspended
license. Castro was arrested
on Willingham Avenue when
his 2008 Ford Crown Victo
ria was stopped for a taillight
violation.
Arrests ••• Cont. from Page 7A
17,437 Old Pendergrass Road,
Pendergrass, driving without a
valid license.
• Zachery Ray Hix, 35,1100
Berea Road, Commerce, driv
ing with a suspended license
and driving too fast for con
ditions.
• Cecila Melendez, 22,3125
Windgate Drive, Buford, driv
ing with a suspended license.
• Dillon Jacob Thompson,
36,34 Woodland Circle, Com
merce, cruelty to children.
•Deshawn Terrell Gard
ner, 25, 334 O’Kelley Road,
Athens, burglary and theft by
taking.
•Tonya Bost Hart, 29, 254
Peach Hill Drive, Jefferson,
failure to appear.
• Robert Steven Morris, 54,
1640 Daniel Park Drive, Dacu-
la, DUI and failure to maintain
a lane.
• Rhonda Edith Kay Whis-
nant, 29, 347 Trotters Ridge
Road, Jefferson, bench war
rant.
• Chirininos Enamora-
do-Molina Elmer, 21, 2150 Ed
Bennett Road, Nicholson,
driving without a valid license,
concealing the identity of a
vehicle and operating an
unregistered vehicle.
• Le’Andre Derrell Rousely
18, 69 Nancy Drive, Hartwell,
driving with a suspended
license and a tail light viola
tion.
•Duane Martin Sudy 60,
1207 Blacks Creek Church
Road, Commerce, false
imprisonment.
police make seven arrests
Incidents
Recent incidents reported
to the Baldwin PD included:
•a burglary at a Baldwin
location, where a man report
ed the theft of numerous tools
and an electronic tablet.
• driving without insurance
and driving with a suspended
tag on Highway 365, where a
traffic stop was initiated on a
2006 Kia Sedona.
•an assist to the Haber
sham County Sheriff’s Office
with a vehicle stopped on
Highway 365.
• an assist to the Habersh
am County Sheriff’s Office with
a call on Yonah Post Road,
where a woman reported a
buck driving up and down her
road and hearing people walk
ing through the woods at the
rear of her residence.
• a warrant service arrest at
the Jackson County Jail, Jef
ferson.
TAX-FREE
You do the shopping.
We pay the sales tax!
at Banks Crossing
Commerce
Stadium
Cinemas 6
Dollar Tree
Coleman Outlet
Goody’s
Aaron Rents
Fabulous Finds
Consignment
Lenox
CATO
Lodge Manufacturing Co.
Hibbet Sports Goods
Papa Johns
Guitar Outlet
PetSense
GameStop
On Deck Sports
Pearl Nail and Tan
Sally Beauty Supply, LLC
The Purple Door Boutique
Sassy Rabbit
Enterprise Leasing Co.
Sprint
Axiom Staffing Group
Reloaded Fitness
Peace Pipe Vapors
Gold Kings
110 Banks Crossing Dr.
Commerce, GA
Located Behind
QuikTrip
onHwy441