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Riceboro burglary results in $1,500 loss of electronics
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Recent reports filed by Liberty County Sheriff's deputies include:

April 30
Cruelty to animals — A man complained about his neighbor’s dog running around in front of his residence. He said the dog was in poor health and did not look like it had been fed for some time. The complainant also said the neighbor had several other dogs in poor health on the property. Upon arriving at the residence, the dog owner’s daughter said she was not aware that the dog was missing or in poor health. The daughter said the dogs are owned both by her father and stepmother, but her stepmother is the primary caretaker. The daughter then called her father to tell him what was going on. When the sheriff’s deputy spoke to the father on the phone about the dog getting loose, its poor condition and that Animal Control had taken possession of the dog, the man became very angry and told the deputy that officers were stealing his dogs and that he was going to press charges. Another Animal Control officer arrived on the scene and spoke to the man on the phone about Animal Control’s protocol regarding incidents like these. The officer hung up after a brief conversation with the owner after he became irate with him and made verbal threats. Animal Control had the daughter set up a veterinary appointment for the dog, which was released into her care. The investigation was turned over to Animal Control.

May 1
Burglary — Owners of a residence in Riceboro came home after a few days away to find their back door partially open and marks where the door was forced open. Their 60-inch and 42-inch Vizio TVs were missing from the house as well as a Sony PlayStation 4, totaling $1,500. Their bed and sheets were strewn across the room and a jewelry box was overturned, but nothing of value was stolen. Because of the unknown date of entry, the deputy was unable to find usable footprints, and the residence had been compromised when the residents entered and moved items, making fingerprints unavailable. The owners were given a case number and advised on how to get a copy of the report.

May 2
DUI — During a traffic stop, a car passed next to a deputy’s vehicle and then accelerated westbound on Highway 38. The deputy recorded him driving at 60 mph in a 45-mph zone, pursued the vehicle and pulled it over. Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy smelled alcohol, which the driver blamed on his female passenger. After failing the field sobriety test, the driver stated that he was intoxicated and his girlfriend had not had anything to drink. The driver was brought to the Liberty County Jail and provided a breath sample of 0.164 percent blood-alcohol level. He was arrested for DUI, improper passing of emergency vehicle and speeding in excess of maximum limits.

May 9
Public drunkenness — An officer responded to a residence where a woman was attempting to move out. Her male roommate had been drinking heavily. He was upset and had thrown some of her belongings out the front door, including plates that broke. She also stated that he was yelling and cursing in the front yard and had threatened to strike her 2-year-old daughter. The roommate admitted that he had been drinking and was on probation. He also admitted that he had thrown her belongings. He was given an alcohol test and registered a 0.155 percent blood-alcohol level. He was arrested and taken to jail for public drunkenness.

May 10
Matter of record — A woman was instructed to go to the magistrate’s office after she was threatened by another woman. The complainant told the deputy that a woman called her cellphone and promised to make good on a previous threat the same woman had made on her life. The complainant wanted the incident noted in case the woman went through with her threat.

Matter of record — A man reported being the victim of an online scam after he sold his laptop on eBay for $550. The man said he received an email that looked authentic stating that the payment was being made by PayPal. The man later discovered that the payment was never posted to his account and the email was a fraud, but he already had shipped the laptop. The man made a report with the Monticello, Arkansas, Police Department and spoke with an officer who said the issue would be investigated.

May 11
Verbal dispute — Roommates got into a verbal disagreement at a home on John Wells Road. The man said he was sleeping in his room when his female roommate came in and woke him up. He told the deputy that the woman accused him of having an affair with the neighbor. The woman claimed the man keeps bothering her and will not leave her alone, and she just wants him to leave the house. The deputy reported the argument did not become physical and that the woman said both parties are listed on the lease.

Matter of record/harassing communication — A man reported that his girlfriend’s grandfather has been harassing him with texts. He said the texts were telling him to stay away from his granddaughter and, “Your butt is mine.” The man took a picture of the deputy’s business case that had the case number written on it, sent it to the grandfather and asked him to stop contacting him.

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