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PACE 8A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008
Questions about an item on this
page? Contact Chris Bridges at
706-367-2745 or e-mail him at
chris @ mainstreetnews.com
Crimes/Court/Wrecks
Sheriff's office reports 20 arrests
The Banks County Sheriff's Office
reported 20 arrests during the past
week including the following:
•David Keith White, 29, 239 Hwy.
323, Maysville, pedestrian under the
influence of alcohol.
•Jorge Veloz Vidana, 31, 367
Shallowford Road, Doraville, driv
ing without a license, excessive
speeding and window tint violation.
•Sonya Jan Summerford, 50, 362
Hunter Road, Jefferson, possession
of a controlled substance and false
report of a crime.
•Octavious Orlando Sarden, 22,
150 Reed Street, Athens, possession
of a controlled substance.
•Michael Claude Sanders, 18,
141 Irish Lane, Clayton, terroristic
threats and acts.
•Hailey Nicole Ramey, 10,302 Old
Gainesville Highway, Pendergrass,
theft by shoplifting.
•Casey Marie Pittman, 20, 126
Horseshoe Bend, Maysville, theft by
shoplifting.
•Madelynne Jo Ogletree, 21,
302 Old Gainesville Highway,
Pendergrass, criminal trespass.
•Kevin Daniel Kelly, 23, 3807
Shiloh Road, Kennesaw. possession
of marijuana (less than one ounce).
•Gregorio Reyna Infante, 30, 860
Sunset Drive, Athens, following too
closely, seat belt violation and driv
ing without a license.
•Stephanie Elaine Ballard, 33, 111
Massey Lane, Athens, theft by shop
lifting.
•Adrian Davis Beasley, 37, 218
Alexandra Road, Commerce, DUI
(alcohol) and excessive speeding.
•Jason Christopher Campbell, 18,
1830 Bennett Road, Homer, driving
with a suspended license.
•Rothell Curtis Caudell, 50, 269
Taylor Road, Baldwin, criminal tres
pass.
•Cardo Antrell Celements, 32,
1078 Hwy. 59, Commerce, driving
with a suspended license.
•April Dawn Couch, 26, 433 East
Ridgeway Road, possession of mari
juana (less than one ounce).
•Miguel A. Cavazos Garcia, 46,
driving without a license and driving
without a tag.
•Evelyn Renee Gordon, 49, 67
Bowden Street, Commerce, proba
tion violation.
•Catherine Elizabeth Grizzle, 49,
264 Borders Road, Commerce, pos
session of a controlled substance.
•Tommy Lamar Grizzle, 45, 264
Borders Road, Commerce, disor
derly conduct.
Baldwin Police dept monthly report given
The Baldwin Police Department
recently released its monthly activ
ity report for June.
The department handled the fol
lowing: 226 total traffic stops and
issued 127 citations and 131 warn
ings; made one felony arrest, 11
misdemeanor arrests, one drug
arrest, two warrant/hold arrests,
handled 27 incident reports, seven
accident reports, three family vio
lence reports, 295 business patrols,
303 residential patrols, 267 business
check cards, 707 citizen contacts,
65 motorist assists, 35 other agency
assists, 48 BPD assists, 11 false
alarms, six theft by taking reports,
seven disputes, one public intoxica
tion, seven 911 hang-ups, 12 public
disturbances, two simple assaults/
battery, one sex offense, three animal
complaints, one report of shots fired,
three juvenile complaints, two fight/
disorderly conduct reports, three
harassing phone calls, three reports
of person dead, one welfare check,
two funeral escorts, 14 reports of
suspicious person/auto, 71 miscella
neous calls and two warrants served
for a total of 1,024 calls.
The department patrolled a total
of 5,828 miles during the month of
June.
Nan arrested for explicit text messages to minor
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A Nicholson man faces charges
of sending explicit text messages
to a female minor in Banks County
and allegedly enticing her for sexual
purposes.
Banks County sheriff Charles
Chapman said his department, along
with officials of the Jackson County
Sheriff's Office and the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation worked
together on the case, which led to
the arrest of Stanley David Hollis,
38, on July 3. Hollis had been alleg
edly sending text messages to a
female juvenile in Banks County
and the child’s mother made a report
for the BCSO.
At this time a tri-investigation
began and a search warrant was
obtained for Hollis' home and cell
phone. It is unclear at this time how
Hollis obtained the juvenile’s cell
phone number, Chapman said.
Even once the investigation began,
the juvenile continued to receive
explicit text messages which
Chapman described as “lewd and
sexual.” The sheriff said Hollis was
charged under a 2007 statute con
cerning sending electronic messages
to a minor, which entices them for
sexual purposes.
Chapman said to his knowledge
the female juvenile did not know
Hollis. Since his arrest, Hollis has
had a court hearing and has bonded
out of jail. The investigation into the
case is ongoing.
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Lula man charged with firing at Hall deputies
The Hall County Sheriff's Office
is investigating an incident that
involved shots fired at deputies by
a Lula man.
Deputies responded to a report
of a person threatening suicide
with a firearm in the 6400 block
of Narramore Way in Lula. Upon
arrival, and as deputies approached
the front and rear of the residence,
the perpetrator fired one shot from
the rear of the residence and retreat
ed inside. Due to the nature of the
incident the Hall County Sheriff’s
Office, SWAT Team was requested
to respond to the scene.
Deputies held their position and
evacuated neighboring residents
adjacent to the perpetrator’s home
for their protection. During this pro
cess, the perpetrator exited the front
TONY WHITFIELD
of the residence and surrendered to
deputies without further incident.
The SWAT Team was canceled
and the residents were allowed to
return home. No one was injured
during the incident.
The perpetrator is identified as
46-year-old, Tony Whitfield, of
Lula. He has been arrested and
charged with two counts of aggra
vated assault on a police officer and
reckless conduct. He is being held at
the Hall County Jail without bond.
Deputies recovered a 9 mm hand
gun inside the residence and a shell
casing at the rear of the residence
where the shot was fired. Whitfield
reportedly has a prior history of sui
cide threats and obstruction.
The incident remains under inves
tigation by the Hall County Sheriff's
Office Criminal Investigation
Division.
Couple leaves restaurant without paying for food
Employees of La Hacienda res
taurant at 173 Steven B. Tanger
Boulevard contacted the Banks
County Sheriff's Office on Sunday
after four customers left without
paying their bill.
Restaurant employees said two
white males and two white females
left without paying and departed in
a red Thunderbird, almost running
over a family in the parking lot in
the process. According to the BCSO
report, no video of the incident was
available.
OTHER INCIDENTS
The BCSO also responded to the
following incidents during the past
week:
•horse in roadway on Carson
Segars Road, Maysville.
•eight cows in roadway on
Damascus Road.
•alarm at a Rock Springs Road,
Lula, residence which proved to be
/
false.
•tree in roadway on Sweetwater
Way.
•burglary at a Hwy. 323, Lula,
residence.
•livestock in roadway on Moccasin
Gap Road.
•suspicious activity on Yonah
Homer-Road concerning an indi
vidual taking water from a hydrant.
•entering an auto at Wal-Mart.
•horse in roadway on Hickory Flat
Road.
•damage to property on Wilkinson
Road, Baldwin.
•open doors and broken windows
at Craven Pottery building.
•tree in roadway on Pinehills
Drive.
•fireworks complaint on E. Coker
Road.
•burglar alarm at Taco Bell which
proved to be a food services driver
making a delivery.
A
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 July 19, 2008
Next Defensive Driving Class will be held on July 12,2008
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to serve
you as your District Attorney these past ten
months. Since Governor Perdue selected me last
September as the best qualified person to bring
change to the Office of District Attorney, we have
made a great deal of progress. In just a few short
months, my team and I have:
l^Rick
Bridge
MAN
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
• Recruited the most experienced group of professionals in the history of the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit.
• Resolved the backlog of over 2,000 uncharged criminal cases we inherited.
• Increased the rate of successful prosecutions from 54% to 85%!
• Reduced the dismissal rate from 24% to 15% and are working to lower that
further.
We instituted practices which result in more effective and efficient prosecutions at
significant savings to taxpayers, by:
• Filing most accusations and indictments within 90 days of arrest.
• Tracking and expediting jail cases to reduce the costs of pretrial detention.
• Contacting victims and arresting officers on ALL cases to discuss their case,
solicit their input on plea negotiations and provide assistance with victim
compensation and restitution.
I have a proven track record as a career prosecutor for over thirteen years. I have
personally prosecuted thousands of cases ranging from DUI to murder. I have tried
over 100 felony criminal cases before a jury, 95% of those successfully. I have built a
record of incarcerating repeat offenders, violent offenders and those who commit acts
of child abuse. I have built relationships with our law enforcement partners and others
in the criminal justice system in order to serve you better.
The Office of District Attorney belongs to you. I am committed to being a trustworthy
and faithful steward of that office. I have brought all funding under the oversight of
county finance departments with annual independent audits. I release a public
quarterly report showing our caseload statistics and financial disclosures and I am
working to put all of our information online so that it is easily available to any citizen.
I am a career prosecutor, not a politician. Unlike the other two candidates, I have not
hired a high-priced political consultant to run a campaign; I am speaking to you from
my heart. Because I will not neglect my duties to campaign, I hope you understand
that it is impossible for me to see each of you and ask you personally for your support.
Please visit my website at www.Diedmontda.com to find out more about me and my
record.
We have made great strides since September, but we still have work to do. I am
committed to bringing a culture of excellence to the Office of District Attorney and
seeking justice on EVERY case. I need your vote on July 15 in order to continue this
progress. Thank you for your support, your vote and your prayers.
Please vote on July 15 to keep
Rick Bridgeman serving as your District Attorney!
iyp
Paid for by Friends of Rick Bridgeman, District Attorney
Wade Carter, Chairman - 706-654-5435
P. O. Box 335, Hoschton, GA 30548
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