Oconee Blotter: A mother and daughter fight over a phone after scammer steals $200,000

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:

RIFLE STOLEN: On June 10, a 23-year-old Bishop man reported the theft of a Yugoslavian M24-47 8mm Mauser rifle from his vehicle. The man said he was uncertain whether the rifle was removed in Athens or at his home.

REPEAT SCAM: On June 22, Lt. Chris Higginbotham was dispatched to a 911 call to a home in Watkinsville, where a 53-year-old Gainesville woman and her 79-year-old mother engaged in a dispute. The woman explained she came to the house to talk to her parents about a scammer who had already taken about $200,000 from them. When she arrived, her mother was on the phone with the scammer again. As the daughter attempted to take the phone from her mother, they both fell to the floor during the struggle. The deputy explained to the elderly couple that they were being scammed and they shouldn’t take phone calls from the unknown thief.

COUSIN SCAM: On June 22, Deputy Annessa Glenn met with a 79-year-old Oconee man, who explained that he received a telephone call from a person purporting to be his cousin. The caller explained he was in jail in Mexico and needed $6,300 to bond out. The Oconee man got cash from the bank and shipped it overnight through UPS. However, when the package reached California, it was flagged for fraud. The Oconee man received a call from law enforcement and he was told to make a police report so he could recover his money.

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COUNTERFEIT SCAM: On June 24, Deputy Christopher Haag met with an employee of Subway on Epps Bridge Parkway, who reported that she received a telephone call at work from a person who said he was a law enforcement officer investigating counterfeit money. The caller suspected the restaurant had counterfeit money and he instructed the 47-year-old woman to open the safe and take a picture of the cash. She sent him the photo and sure enough he told the woman it was counterfeit. He instructed her to purchase a gift card with the money and send him the activation information. She did, but later she realized her workplace had been scammed.

PRISON SCAM: On June 26, a 71-year-old Oconee woman reported she received a telephone call from a man who said he was with the U.S. Parole Commission. The man explained he was trying to expedite the release of her daughter from a federal prison. However, she needed to pay him $998 today for monitoring equipment or the daughter would be placed further down the list for release. The woman sent him the money, but later discovered it was a scam.

BRIAR PATCH HIDEOUT: On June 23, Lt. Paul Maxey responded about 9:30 p.m. to a call about a reckless driver traveling on U.S. Highway 441 who almost crashed with other vehicles before he ran off the road into a ditch near Tappan Spur Road. The deputy found the man revving the engine as he kept trying to get out of the ditch. Upon seeing the deputy, the man rolled up the window and locked the door. When Maxey pulled out his baton, the man rolled the window down and pleaded, “Please don’t break my window." The man climbed out of the passenger side door and ran. He fled into a field of heavy brush so Maxey called for backup. And he also called the fire department because a fire had ignited in the grass under the car. Deputies made a perimeter on the field and occasionally they would spot him, then he would duck back down inside the brush. Deputy Devan Blair went about 200 yards into the brush and found him hiding in a briar patch. The 40-year-old man from Cleveland in White County, was arrested, but he complained the handcuffs were too tight. Later at the jail, he began yelling and cussing at jailers until they gave him a sleeping mat and blanket. The man smelled of alcohol, but he refused to do a breathalyzer test. He was charged with DUI and obstruction.

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SUSPENDED DRIVER: On June 22, Deputy Johnny Richards was dispatched to a wreck on Highway 316 near U.S. Highway 78. He found a Kia Sportage upside down in the woods. Another motorist explained that during the heavy rain he was traveling about 65 mph and the Kia was traveling at a slightly higher speed. The Kia appeared to hydroplane and went off the road. The driver, a 41-year-old Athens man, already had his license suspended for a super speeder violation. The man declined any medical treatment and was taken to jail on charges including traveling too fast for conditions.

WEIGHT LOSS: On June 20, a deputy met with a Watkinsville woman who explained that her roommate sneaks into her room at night and applies something to her skin that makes her lose weight. She said she has lost 40 pounds. The deputy urged her to get medical help.

OVERDOSE: On June 23, Deputy Brian Meadows and Cpl. Lex Ogan responded to a woman, who was reported to be having a seizure in a car on Morningside Drive. When they arrived, they found she had overdosed and was no longer breathing, nor did she have a pulse. The 32-year-old Covington woman was administered Narcan and a medic who arrived began chest compressions. After a period of time, she became alert and explained that the man in the car with her had given her a drug which she snorted. She explained she met the 30-year-old man at a truck stop in Monroe.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Woman tries to stop parents from being scammed