Oconee Blotter: Man facing DUI charge declined to take a sobriety test due to a hemorrhoid
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:
SHOPLIFTING CHARGE: On Jan. 29, Deputy Devin Blair was dispatched to Walmart, where a 28-year-old Braselton woman was seen concealing items. When she began to leave the store, the deputy attempted to stop her, but she tried to push her way past. When she again resisted, the officer put her on the floor. Cpl. Quinton NeSmith arrived and put her in handcuffs. NeSmith noticed a man walking by who looked nervous, so the officer asked him if he knew the woman and he said she was his girlfriend. The 46-year-old Watkinsville man was not involved in the crime, but he was taken to jail due to a warrant for his arrest in Gwinnett County.
PICKUP RECOVERED: On Jan. 29, a Dodge Ram 3500 was reported stolen on Commerce Court in Watkinsville. Later that day, a deputy from Richmond County called to report he located the truck in that county and a man was taken into custody for having stolen property. The truck owner did not know the suspect, identified as a 49-year-old man from Rome.
MAN ARRESTED: On Jan. 30, Cpl. Lex Ogan and Deputy Scotty Bodie were patrolling on Hog Mountain Road when they spotted a man driving a Lexus and they knew his license was suspended. A traffic stop was made. The 54-year-old Watkinsville man explained he didn’t have his license on him and he was taking his wife to the hospital. The officers asked the woman if she needed an ambulance and she refused, saying she was fine and could drive herself home. The man was taken to jail, where he became uncooperative. The woman was cited for allowing an unlicensed person to drive her car.
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DUI CHARGE: On Feb. 3, Deputy Boris Argueta was patrolling Hog Mountain Road when he saw a Chevrolet van swerving in its lane. A traffic stop was made and the 33-year-old man from Buckhead in Morgan County apologized saying he was using his GPS to find his way to Greshamville. The man, who works in tree service, told the officer he has five children. When asked to do a sobriety test, he declined due to what he described as a large hemorrhoid. He demonstrated its size with his thumb. When the man was told he appeared to be under the influence of something, he explained that when he was young an optometrist told him he was far-sighted. The man, who was wanted in Greene County on a charge related to a DUI case, was taken to jail. At the jail, he removed his shirt, but was told to put it back on.
SHOPLIFTING CHARGE: On Jan. 31, Deputy Ryan Buzzard was dispatched to Walmart, where a 52-year-old Athens woman tried to leave the store without paying for two baking pans and some groceries. When the officer checked her purse, he found a pack of cream cheese and an energy drink. She said she brought these items into the store and there was no evidence otherwise.
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NO LICENSE: On Feb. 3, Cpl. Scotty Bodie, Cpl. Lex Ogan, Sgt. Daniel Ellis and Deputy Collin Worsham had all gathered on a dead-end road called Puritan Road near the Athens Perimeter. While parked there a Honda Accord drove up behind them and stopped. A deputy attempted to speak with the driver, who indicated he only spoke Spanish. They asked why he had come down this road with a reputation among law enforcement for illegal trash dumping, narcotics sales and dead bodies. The man was able to explain that he became lost after leaving Bell’s in Watkinsville and headed to Lexington to wash his clothes. The deputies noticed his pants were unbuttoned, but he offered no explanation. The 41-year-old man was taken into custody for being an unlicensed driver.
WRECK: On Feb. 1, Deputy Dustin Mines was dispatched to a wreck on Epps Bridge Parkway near the Oconee Connector. A 37-year-old Atlanta man was at fault in a collision between his Chevrolet Silverado and a Athens man’s Jeep Patriot. The Atlanta man did not have a driver’s license, only a passport from Guatemala.
THREAT: On Feb. 2, Cpl. Dylan Pulliam responded to a report of a reckless driver on U.S. Highway 78. The deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the Nisan Versa kept traveling about 68 to 71 mph until it entered Clarke County and drove into Stonehenge subdivision. The driver from Hull said he couldn’t hear the siren due to wearing air pods. The man was advised he would have to get a ride as the car was not insured. When the man became uncooperative, he was taken into custody. After his arrest, he warned the officer, “I’ll catch you on the street and beat your (expletive).”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Man declines roadside sobriety tests due to hemorrhoid
