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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. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE! We offer a 4.10% APY CD for 12, 18, 24, 30 or 36 months. You choose the term that’s right for you. j£ f Georgia Declare Your Independence Whether it’s home, business ownership, or early retirement, your American dream can be a reality with the right bank partnership. We are a true community bank committed to service and your success. Achieve financial independence with our special CD rate, and “you choose” terms. COMMERCE 3165 Maysville Rd. 706.423.2500 HOMER 185 Oak Street 706.677.5250 JEFFERSON 1057 Winder Hwy. 706.367.4300 WINDER 20 W. May Street 770.867.8737 www.freedombankga.com * Annual Percentage Yield. Rate is subject to change without notice and may be withdrawn at anytime. The minimum balance to open and obtain the APY is $500. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. The APY assumes interest will remain on deposit until maturity. A withdrawal will reduce earnings. The APY is accurate as of this publication. MEMBER FDIC 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 V J