March 30: DUI, canceled registration, suspended license — A Midway man was arrested around 10:15 p.m. for DUI, driving on a suspended license and having canceled registration near Gen. Stewart Way and Oglethorpe Highway. The man reportedly blew a .083 and .085. He was processed, given a court date and released to the Liberty County Jail.

April 1
Disorderly conduct — A resident in the 800 block of Hod Lane reported a neighbor verbally assaulted him and used profanity because the complainant tried to pick up a football from the middle of the street. Another neighbor said she witnessed the exchange but there were no threats.

April 5
Fraud (counterfeit check) — A Hinesville resident on Olmstead Drive told HPD she got a call from a man identifying himself as Greg Nelson who needed help getting money to his sister. He said he would send her a check for $2,900 if she would deposit the check in her account then write a check for $2,500 to give his sister. When the check came, she said she took it to the bank explaining to the teller that she was suspicious about the check. The teller told her the check was counterfeit and said the bank would investigate. She said she has not heard from Nelson again.

April 6
Vicious animal — A Hinesville resident said she was walking her two small dogs near Fraser Drive and Rogers Road when a much larger dog came out of a yard and attacked her dogs. She said the big dog, which the owner later said was a Great Dane and mastiff mix, picked up one of her dogs by the neck and took off with it. The smaller dog was killed. The report said the big dog was quarantined for 10 days and the owner was given a citation for having a vicious dog.
Criminal trespass, discharging a firearm in the city — A man was arrested and charged with criminal trespass and discharging a firearm within city limits after an incident escalated during a party in a mobile home park on Hollywood Drive around 1:30 a.m. A man called HPD about someone pounding on his door and refusing to go away. Just prior to their arriving, witnesses say shots were heard outside the trailer.
According to witnesses, the intoxicated man was “trying to pick a fight with everybody.” After an altercation with one of the guests, he was escorted outside the trailer. A short time later, a shot was fired. HPD found a car later identified as belonging to the man in a ditch about 100 yards from the party. A shell casing for a .40 caliber pistol was found near the corner of the trailer. The man never admitted or denied firing the shot from his Taurus .40 pistol. No previous warrants had been issued for the man.
April 14
Burglary (forced entry/business) — Police were dispatched to Auto Acceptance when the store’s front-door alarm was triggered. The manager arrived and toured the facility with police. They didn’t immediately notice any items missing, but they found a back window of the store open and someone had placed a bucket under the window. They also found a hand gun the manager said normally is kept in his desk drawer. The gun was found next to the open window.

April 15
Terroristic threats — A woman lodged a complaint alleging her husband has been texting and posting Facebook messages saying he was going to kill her and her family. She said they are currently separated and he left the area with her children. She told police he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and he hasn’t been taking his medication.

Fraud, illegal use of credit — A man said someone used his debit card for five transactions without his knowledge. He said he had the card the whole time, but he thinks someone in his home might have gained access to his number. He said his wife denied using the card but his daughter has a live-in boyfriend and he isn’t sure if he gained access to his card number.

Driving on suspended license, probation violation, no insurance — Officers pulled over and arrested a man after they noticed the vehicle he was driving had an expired tag. The driver was pulled over by the Pit Stop on Veterans Parkway and he admitted to police he knew his registration and license were suspended. Police ran a check and discovered he was also wanted for failure to appear and probation violation. The man was taken to Liberty jail.

April 16
Simple battery — A couple staying at the Liberty inn and Suites had an argument that turned physical after a night of heavy drinking. The couple admitted they had too much to drink and the man claims the woman hit him in the face while he was holding their infant daughter. As a voluntary reflex he said he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her down against the bed, waking their other two kids. The woman denies hitting the man in his face and argued that the man was calling her derogatory names.

April 20
Theft by shoplifting — Walmart’s loss prevention team reported a shoplifting in progress, where the suspect reportedly had store laptops in his backpack. The man had reportedly left by the time police arrived, but the store showed surveillance footage of the man. The loss prevention employee reportedly grabbed the man’s backpack and identified himself as the suspect made his way toward the exit, but the suspected bolted and left the stolen items behind. The laptops were recovered and placed back on the shelves.