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PAGE 6A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JUNE 29. 2017
Crime
The GA Fraternal Order of Police recently donated four ballistic vests to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Pic
tured (L-R) are: Madison County Deputy Jordan Scotland, FOP representative Craig Fulghum, Sheriff Michael
Moore, Chief Deputy Jeff Vaughn, Captain Jimmy Patton and Deputy Neal Hinsley. Also pictured (center) sport
ing one of the new vests is “future” officer 3-year old Roland Hinsley. Margie Richards / staff.
GA Fraternal Order of Police
donates vests to sheriff’s office
The Georgia Fraternal
Order of Police (FOP) recent
ly donated four ballistic vests
to the Madison County Sher
iff's Department.
These vests are part of the
FOP’s “Operation Protect
Our Protectors” ballistic vest
program, according to FOP
representative Craig Ful
ghum.
“Operation Protect Our
Protectors” is designed to
donate ballistic vests to law
enforcement agencies across
Georgia, specifically to those
agencies that can’t afford to
purchase the vests, according
to a press release,
“Officer safety is a very
important issue to all of us
in law enforcement, and the
ballistic vest has been proven
to save lives and reduce inju
ries,” the release stated.
“Every officer should wear
a ballistic vest every day. The
FOP is working to ensure
that more officers within our
state have this extra level of
security.”
The Georgia FOP rep
resents 4,000 law enforce
ment members across
the state and is part of the
nation’s largest law enforce
ment organization, with
more than 318,000 members
nationwide.
The FOP is committed to
achieving better working
conditions and benefits for
its members and to providing
quality service to the public.
The Georgia Fraternal
Order of Police works to
improve communities across
the state in a number of ways,
including the donation of bal
listic vests to underfunded
law enforcement agencies,
support for Easter Seals and
the “Cops and Kids” pro
gram, in which officers take
children shopping during the
holidays.
Multiple men sending obscene
images to area underage girl
A Lem Edwards Road
couple reported last week
that their pre-teen daughter
has been receiving obscene
images from men she met
on the online app “KIK.”
Deputy Neal Hinsley met
with the couple and their
daughter on June 25. The
father told Hinsley that he
had seen nude pictures of
men who had been corre
sponding with his daughter
on her iPod through KIK.
He confronted his daugh
ter about the photos and she
admitted she had met several
men online. Hinsley spoke
with the girl in her father’s
presence and asked her if
she told the men she was
only 12 years old. She said
she told them she was “13.”
She also admitted that she
had sent one or two pictures
of her backside to some of
the men, but denied that she
had sent topless or other ris
que pictures of herself.
Hinsley examined the iPod
and found several men’s
names on it, along with
obscene pictures, includ
ing at least two pictures of
penises.
One of the men who called
himself “Bigg Daddy”
engaged in sexual talk with
the girl, knowing that she
was underage.
One also sent a por
nographic website link to
the girl.
Hinsley asked and was
granted permission from the
father to seize the iPod as
evidence due to the num
ber of people potentially
involved in the illegal activ
ity.
The matter remains under
investigation.
In another incident,
Deputy Zachary Brooks was
dispatched to a residence
on Hwy. 72 East following
the report of sexual battery
against a child under 16
Captain Jimmy Patton
said this matter is still under
investigation and no further
details can be released at
this point.
Other incidents on file at
the sheriff’s office this week
include:
•Someone called 9-1-1
after a child fell into a pool
behind a residence on Lem
Edwards Road on June 23.
The report initially stated
the child was unresponsive,
but when officers arrived,
the child was conscious and
alert and had been adminis
tered CPR by a family mem
ber who was also a nurse,
Captain Jimmy Patton stat
ed. The child was transport
ed to a hospital for evalu
ation.
•Deputy Jordan Scotland
and other officers were dis
patched to Ed Coile Road on
June 15 regarding a welfare
check on five children.
Officers were advised that
the children were living
in the residence and that
an individual that recently
moved in was a heroin user.
Officers were unable to get
anyone to come to the door
though there were several
cars in the driveway. There
was also a bag of trash on
the porch with maggots and
flies on it, according to the
report.
Officers entered the resi
dence and a woman emerged
from the back of the home.
She told Scotland that her
boyfriend was also there.
The woman was carrying
a small child and was also
visibly pregnant, Scotland
noted. The house was “a
complete mess with clothes
and things shewn all over
the floor” that left little
room to walk around.
Scotland also saw mul
tiple bugs and roaches all
over the floor and walls and
a hole in the living room
floor that could have caused
someone to fall through and
be injured. The house had
exposed insulation on the
inside of the residence and
many other violations, the
report noted.
DFACS and code enforce
ment were notified. Code
enforcement officers
declared the home unsafe
to live in and the couple
was told they would have
to find someplace else to
live. They were allowed to
get some of their belongings
before being escorted from
the property.
The DFACS caseworker
advised the woman of the
steps she needed to take
regarding her children.
•A woman went to the
sheriff’s office last week to
report fraudulent telephone
solicitation. Deputy Greg
Bryson met with her and
she told him she had been a
victim of fraud.
She said she received
a phone call the previous
week from a man saying his
name was “John Clapper”
and he called to inform her
she had won $4 million. He
also asked for her Social
Security Number and bank
account information.
She said she only gave
him the last four digits of
her Social Security Number,
but did give him her bank
account information.
Earlier that day, she dis
covered that $9,000 had
been withdrawn from her
checking account. She
said the bank refunded her
money and changed her
account numbers.
•Aggravated assault was
reported on Belhaven Lane
on June 20. Deputy Neal
Hinsley was dispatched
and met with a man and
his nephew. The uncle told
him that he was fixing a car
in the backyard when seven
Hispanic males showed up
looking for his nephew. He
told them he did not know
where he was. A couple of
the men walked to the side
of the house looking in his
nephew’s bedroom window.
They allegedly walked back
to him and one of them
pulled a handgun and point
ed it at him and said again
that he wanted to know
where his nephew was. The
man said he told them again
that he did not know. After
they left, he called 9-1-1.
The nephew told Hinsley
that he was at one of the
stores off Norwood Avenue
when a tan Honda Civic
pulled up beside him. As
he was walking into the
store, he heard someone call
him a “b*& A %.” He said
he stopped and asked them
what did they call him. Two
males got out of the car
and began to fight him. The
others also got of the car
and also attacked him. A
friend in his car got out to
help him. When he was able
to get away he drove home
and the men showed up a
short time later, this time in
a silver Ford Edge. He wit
nessed one of the men point
a gun at his uncle and ask
him where he was. They
did not get a tag number for
the Edge. The victim was
able to give several nick
names the men go by. He
also said they ran with an
Athens gang called “SR13.”
Athens-Clarke County
police were notified.
•A woman on Jot-Em-
Down Road reported that
while she and her husband
were at work, a male neigh
bor came to their home and
gave their two juvenile boys
candy and talked with them,
then invited them over to
his house to see his dog and
“hang out” for a while. The
children went to the man’s
house for a while and sat on
the couch watching TV. The
older son told his mother
that after a while he began
to feel uneasy and took his
brother back to their house.
The woman told Deputy
Neal Hinsley that she want
ed something on file and for
the neighbor not to come
back on their property.
Hinsely went to the neigh
bor’s house but could not get
him to come to the door.
•Deputy Christian Sisk
responded to the possible
overdose of a small child
on June 21. He went to the
home on Hwy. 29 South,
where EMS had already
arrived and evaluating the
little girl. The mother said
her daughter was on the
porch and she came outside
to check on her and found
her surrounded by pills.
She handed Sisk the bottle,
which was labeled Ativan,
100 count. EMS confirmed
that there were 90 of the
100 pills left. The mother
stated she did not know
where the pills came from,
but believed that her hus
band brought them home
from a house he cleaned.
The expiration date on the
bottle was August, 1993.
After speaking with EMS,
the mother refused transport
for her daughter, who was
conscious and alert and she
said she didn’t believe she
had ingested any of the pills.
Sisk took the pills back to
the sheriff’s office to be dis
posed of.
•A phone scam was report
ed on James Spring Road
last week. Deputy Greg
Byson met with a woman at
the sheriff’s office who told
him that the day before she
received a call from a man
claiming to be Investigator
Pat Holl from the sheriff’s
office. She advised that the
man told her that he had two
warrants for her son and
that if she didn’t go to Rite
Aid and get a money card
for $1,200 and send it to
him that her son would be
arrested.
Man charged with multiple
counts of aggravated
assault from 2015 incident
A Colbert man was brought from prison last week to court
to receive additional charges related to a drive by shooting
in Rose Hill Subdivision off of Nowhere Road in November
2015.
Tomara Lanorris Lowe, 22. was charged with five counts
of aggravated assault, second degree criminal damage to
property and criminal street gang activity.
Other arrests on file at the sheriff’s office last week includ
ed:
•Francois Donald Champagne, 32, Comer, failure to
appear. (Comer PD)
•Cana Chambers Cleghome, 33, Nicholson, hold for other
county.
•Daniel Ray Cook. 43, Commerce, probation violation and
failure to appear.
•Pansy Marie Cowart. 41, Colbert, obstruction.
•Carla Michelle Doss. 27, Hartwell, failure to appear.
(Danielsville PD)
•Anthony Terrell Faust, 41, Athens, two counts of failure
to appear.
•Russell Edward Flanagan, 38, Danielsville, two counts of
shoplifting.
•Melissa Ann Fleeman, 37, Hartwell, criminal trespass.
(Royston PD)
•Crystal Michelle Freeman, 35. Commerce, possession
and use of drug-related objects and drugs not in original
container.
•Jose Ricardo Guevara, 31, Athens, speeding, weaving
over roadway, driving without a valid license and DUI/
alcohol. (GSP)
•Alex Ramon Hall. 39, Athens, child support abandon
ment.
•Jon Paul Hansen, 26, Acworth, probation violation.
•Zachery Taylor Hedgelon. 28, Danielsville. failure to
appear. (Danielsville PD)
•William Richard Hewell. 64, Colbert, theft by shoplifting.
•Barret Sven Johnson, 23, Royston. DUI/alcohol.
•Keith Mitchell Justice, 27, Commerce, probation viola
tion.
•James Lewis McDougal, 28, Carlton, probation violation.
•Noel Ehrmentraut Morris, 40, Athens, probation viola
tion.
•Michael John Morrison, 54, Colbert, driving while license
suspended or revoked.
•Forrest Wayne Perry, 29, Hull, probation violation.
•Mystical Starr Peterson, 34, Athens, disorderly conduct.
•Jeremiah Edward Pike, 36, Hull, possession of metham-
phetamine, marijuana possession less than an ounce and
possession and use of drug-related objects.
•Gloria Christina Pugh, 38, Leesville, SC, battery FVA.
•Ryan Matthew Shuman, 36, Comer, order to incarcerate
and two counts of probation violation.
•Thomas Cole Stephens, 26, Greensboro, probation vio
lation.
•Frank James Tolbert, 32, Gordon, probation violation.
(Comer PD)
•Neva Mildred Varga, 51. Willington, IL, DUI/alcohol,
registration and license requirements, driving while license
suspended or revoked and weaving over roadway.
Arson hotline offered
Insurance and fire commissioner Ralph Hudgens wants to
remind Georgians that the state has a toll-free arson hotline,
1-800-282-5804, sponsored by his office and the Georgia
Arson Control Program.
Callers to the hotline will be eligible for rewards of up to
$10,000 if they provide information leading to the arrest and
conviction of an arsonist. According to Hudgens, callers and
reward recipients may choose to remain anonymous.
“We want to remind Georgians of this incentive to report
any information they may have about a suspicious fire,” said
Hudgens. “In many cases, investigators rely on evidence
provided by witnesses to convict an arsonist.”
Since its inception in 1979, the Georgia Arson Control
Board has approved 560 rewards totaling $1,617,850. The
average reward paid is $2,889.
In 2013, arsonists caused $1.68 million in property dam
age in Georgia.
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