Oconee Blotter: Mini-bike rider apologizes for late-night antics

Oct 28, 2024

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:

WARRANT SERVED: On Oct. 6, Deputy Bill Reynolds was dispatched to the Home Depot area where store management wanted two people barred from the store due to suspicious activity. The deputy located the pair walking nearby and they denied taking anything from the store. However, the 42-year-old Augusta woman was wanted on a warrant from Clarke County for felony shoplifting. She was transported to jail.

MONEY DISPUTE: On Oct. 7, Deputy Doug Mattocks was dispatched to a home on Moore’s Ford Road for what he was told was a theft in progress. When he arrived, he could hear an argument and upon knocking on the door, a 65-year-old man exited. The man explained that his girlfriend had ordered him to leave the house and he was just trying to get his money. When he attempted to remove money, he said she assaulted him. The man had blood and bite marks on his back. The 62-year-old woman told the officer that he threw her around, but there was no evidence of an assault on her. She was placed in custody as the primary aggressor. The man wanted $400 and the bulk of the money was given to the woman. She complained that the man had lived with her for a year and never paid for anything.

RECKLESS DRIVER: On Oct. 8, Cpl. Lex Ogan heard a dispatch at about 4:30 p.m. that Watkinsville police were looking for a reported reckless driving on Georgia Highway 15. Ogan was pulling into the sheriff’s office when the 911 caller who reported the driver flagged him down and pointed to a pickup on Experiment Station Road. Due to heavy traffic, the deputy didn’t catch up to the vehicle until it reached the Butler’s Crossing area. A traffic stop was made and the man explained he was going home after spending time in a hunting camp in Greene County. The 61-year-old Barrow County man appeared under the influence, but he complained of having numerous problems from depression, bad knee, neuropathy and diabetes. An ambulance arrived and it was determined he was not in medical distress. However, after he learned he would be charged with DUI, he cried out and kicked the trailer he was pulling behind the pickup. The deputy then transported him to a location to have his blood drawn. A .44-caliber Magnum pistol was found in the pickup.

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CHILD SUPPORT: On Oct. 10, Cpl. Lex Ogan was monitoring traffic along Epps Bridge Parkway when he ran a tag on a Kia Optima and discovered the driver had a suspended license due to a child support issue. After the car stopped at a gas station, the deputy approached and made an arrest. The man had a Glock 19 firearm in the car.

SIGN TAKEN: On Oct. 12, Deputy Chris Haag was dispatched shortly after midnight to a home in Bogart regarding a person driving recklessly on a dirt bike and damaging a sign on private property. When he arrived, the 18-year-old Bogart resident was apologizing to the homeowner for taking the political sign. The man knew the suspect and didn’t want to prosecute, however, he was irritated by the fact the motorcyclist awoke him and his sleeping infant. A video was taken that showed the situation. Two persons could be seen riding their mini-bikes without lights on and one taking the sign. The deputy could also hear the youths cursing. After the officer smelled alcohol on the teen he charged him with reckless driving, public drunk, not having insurance on the bike and violating the headlights law.

HIT AND RUN: On Oct. 12, Deputy Matthew Lariscy was dispatched to a hit and run case on Georgia Highway 316, where a Bogart resident reported he was traveling east when he was rear-ended by a black Chevrolet Malibu. The Malibu then drove around him and left at a high rate of speed. The man said he pulled over and called 911. The license plate on the Malibu was traced to a resident of Oglethorpe County, who lived outside Winterville. An Oglethorpe County sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the house, where the officer found a Malibu with front-end damage. The man at the house denied driving the car, but said he would go to the sheriff’s to sort things out.

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