Kidnapping
On Feb. 1, Hinesville Police Officers responded to a call from a frantic woman saying that her estranged husband had kidnapped their child. The woman said they are currently separated and going through the process of legitimizing their two-year old child, but the paperwork is not yet completed. The woman reported that on the evening of Jan. 31, she had placed her child in his bedroom to sleep for the night. She said she woke up a little after midnight to check on him and noticed the window in his room was slightly open and the child missing from his bed. She said she immediately called her estranged husband fearing he had taken the child after they had an argument on the phone. The woman told the officers that he answered his phone, confirmed that the child was at his home in Statesboro and provided the woman with a brief video chat with the child. Officers called the man who said he had the child; all is well and that since he was married to the woman, he didn’t need to do anything further to legitimize the fact that he is the father. He told the officers he wasn’t going to bring the child back and hung up on the officers. HPD called officers in Statesboro to make contact with the man and ask him to return the child. Statesboro Police reported they made contact with the man who said he wasn’t planning in returning the child at the moment. Statesboro Police reported the child appeared well and in no danger.
Theft by taking
A woman claimed her ex-boyfriend stole her belongings when he moved out of her home. The woman reported the loss on Jan. 31 telling officers that she left her home on Jan. 21, in the evening. Her ex-boyfriend remained at the house gathering his items. When she returned the next day, she noticed he took her 32-inch TV, a suitcase that had her personal belongings, bed sheets and comforters, and a washer and dryer set. She said the items were worth $600.
Simple battery
Police responded to a domestic violence call in progress at a home on West Oglethorpe Highway. A woman at the home said her boyfriend struck her in the face with a closed fist so she ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife for protection. She said her boyfriend grabbed her wrist and turned it so the knife was pointed at her. But the woman said he made no attempt to try and stab her. The boyfriend said there was no knife involved and denied he punched her in the face. He said the argument started when she became upset that he was talking to another roommate.
Simple battery
Police were called to a possible domestic in progress at Regency Place Apartments. The complainant said she and her wife started arguing over minor things. She said she got frustrated and began throwing things around the house so, her wife asked her to leave. The complainant said she began gathering her belongings. While gathering her items she said she also called the power company to terminate the account because she pays the bills. She said as she was calling the utility company, her wife came into the room and got on top of her and tried to pry the phone from her hands. She reported things escalated from there wit items being thrown around and the police was called. The complainant said things never got physical, just verbal.
Suspicious person
An HPD Officer was dispatched to the area of 877 West Oglethorpe Highway, Chick-Fil-A, about a suspicious person. Dispatch advised the suspicious person was a black male wearing navy blue pants and a gray jacket. Officers found the man who matched the description who said he needed medical attention. While waiting for EMS to arrive, the man was responding to the officer’s questions incoherently and appeared to be confused. The man abruptly took off running away and Toward traffic on Highway 84.
The officer managed to stop the man to stop running toward traffic. The officer said the man had a strong odor of marijuana was emanating from his person. The man was detained but later refused to ben seen by EMS personnel. No contraband was found, and the man said he had just been released from a mental hospital in St. Simons island. The man later walked himself home.
Damage to property
An HPD officer was dispatched to the CVS Store on General Screven about a damage to personal property. The officer spoke with a woman who said she was driving on E. G. Miles Parkway when a green pickup truck pulled out in front of her. She stated the truck was pulling a trailer and that a large cardboard box fell out of the truck and she struck it with her car. She said she did not think her vehicle was damaged for a few minutes until she heard a dragging sound. She pulled into the CVS parking lot and saw her front bumper hanging off her car. The officer saw that the front bumper was hanging and also a crack on the bottom of the front bumper along with a crack in the grill of the car.
-Patty Leon