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All-terrain vehicles stolen
Liberty County Sheriff's blotter for May 4
crimescenetape

Recent reports made to the Liberty County Sheriff's office include:

April 2
Possession of marijuana, less than 1 ounce — Deputies initiated a traffic stop on a Dodge Charger after it was clocked traveling 99 mph in a 70-mph zone. During the stop, the deputy requested permission to search the vehicle. The driver denied the request. The deputy had his K-9 conduct a free-air sniff test around the outside of the car. The dog alerted the deputy to possible narcotics. The deputy searched the car and found what appeared to be marijuana in the car, as well as a digital scale. The man was arrested and cited for speeding and possession of marijuana.

Matter of record — A deputy reported nearly being struck by a vehicle that failed to obey his directions while he was directing traffic at Highway 84 and Leroy Coffer Highway. The deputy said that as he jumped back to avoid being hit, he dropped his flashlight, causing a dent on his patrol car. The deputy reported the female driver eventually stopped and got out of the car apologizing profusely to the deputy. She said she was in a hurry because she had a family member in a Savannah hospital that was dying and that she needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

Knowingly driving with a suspended registration; open-container violation — A woman was arrested in the Taco Bell parking lot after a deputy had run her tag and found that the vehicle’s registration was suspended. A second deputy arrived and verified that the woman was cited a while back and had her registration suspended. Because she was knowingly driving with a suspended registration, she was placed under arrest. When her car was searched, the deputy reported finding paraphernalia used for smoking narcotics. Deputies also found a digital scale and an open container of Icehouse beer.

April 6
Driving without license; speeding/driving less than minimum speed; new license required within 60 days of address change — A 37-year-old Hinesville man was stopped while driving west on Highway 38. He was driving 38-40 mph in a 45-mph speed zone. A check of his license found that it had been suspended for a “super speeder” citation. He was arrested for driving on a suspended license, impeding traffic flow and failure to update his driver’s license.

Public drunkenness — A 57-year-old homeless man was arrested for public drunkenness and an outstanding warrant from Indiana after he was found walking in the road near Sand Dollar Road and North Coastal Highway. The intoxicated man told the deputy he was homeless and was heading to a store to buy some ramen noodles.

April 9
Theft by taking, felony — A 38-year-old Hinesville man reported the theft of two all - terrain vehicles to LCSO. The Polaris Sportsman and Polaris Ranger ATVs have an estimated value of $15,000. Both ATVs were later found in the wood line behind the Flemington Presbyterian Church. The deputy noted that one of the ATVs was missing the ignition key. The other appeared to have hit a tree with damaged noted to the driver’s side front wheel.

April 10
Driving with suspended license; DUI; possession of open alcohol container; expired tag; illegal transfer of license plate — A 57-year-old Midway man was arrested on multiple charges following a stop in the Woodland Lakes subdivision. The deputy recognized the driver, whom he had stopped before and knew had a suspended license. The man and his passenger both were drinking a beer. The driver was given a sobriety test, which showed a positive result for alcohol in his system. When the deputy ran the license-plate number on the driver’s Ford Ranger, he learned the tag on the truck belonged on a Volvo belonging to the man’s daughter. The plate registered to the truck was expired.

April 11
Criminal damage to property, second degree; burglary; arson, third degree — A 38-year-old Hinesville man was arrested by deputies following complaints about a man trying to set a house on fire. While responding to the call, the deputy noted that the side door was open at the residence, then found that a bed, headboard and curtains in one of the bedrooms had been burned. A woman reported having had an altercation with her boyfriend the night before. She said he had tried to choke her for not going with him. He then continued calling her, saying she had better come back to the residence or he would burn it down.

April 12
Fleeing or attempting to elude; failure to stay in right lane — A 38-year-old Savannah man was arrested after being stopped for driving his tractor-trailer in the left lane through town. The driver demanded to know why he was being stopped as the deputy repeatedly asked to see his license, which the man finally said was in his vehicle. As he walked back to his vehicle, the man told the deputy not to shoot him in the back. As the deputy attempted to show him the citation for driving a truck in the left lane, the man asked the deputy not to “go King on me” or “go Gardner on me.” He told the deputy his comments were expected for someone with PTSD; he then called the officer a “pig.”
When the man was allowed to return to his vehicle, he pulled back into the left lane and continued through town in that lane. Attempts to get him to stop again were not successful until another deputy came for assistance. As he was being arrested, the man told the deputy he was going to get his “Gen 4” pistol and challenged the deputy to fight him “toe to toe.”
The arrest was recorded on two car videos and two body cameras.

DUI; driving with suspended license; hit-and-run — A 47-year-old Midway woman was arrested following a complaint by a hit-and-run victim. A man and his passenger reported being hit on the driver’s door by a maroon Oldsmobile Alero as they were driving in the parking lot of the Pal N Food Mart in Midway. The store clerk allowed the deputy to look at the video from the store camera. The video showed a slender woman wearing a yellow shirt and red pants leave the store enter the Oldsmobile. A canvass of the area found the car at the woman’s residence. She was still wearing the same clothing and was irrational and unable to focus when questioned. The woman staggered in a drunken manner and smelled of alcohol. She failed breath and blood-alcohol tests. Also, the deputy found her license was suspended.

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