Oconee Blotter: Cussing leads to pepper spraying and arrest of roommate
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office reported the following incidents:
DUI CHARGED: On April 17, Deputy Robert McCannon was dispatched shortly before 1 a.m. to a call about a Chevrolet Avalanche parked in the middle of a lane on U.S. Highway 441 at New High Shoals Road. He observed the truck then made a traffic stop. The driver, who smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and watery eyes, exited the truck and appeared confused and unsteady on his feet. The 21-year-old Bishop man explained he and his 20-year-old companion were just talking when he stopped. The man was given sobriety tests and his eyes showed 'a lack of smooth pursuit.' He was charged with DUI. The female passenger also appeared intoxicated. She was cited for underage drinking. He was taken to jail. She was released to her father.
RECKLESS DRIVING: On April 17, Lt. Sam Smith was traveling on a hilly and winding section of Simonton Bridge Road about 5:30 p.m. when he saw a red Alfa Romeo car approaching at a high rate of speed and passing two cars. Smith had to apply brakes and move toward the ditch to avoid a collision. He turned around, called for backup, and police in Watkinsville were alerted to the possible approach of the car. Smith hunted for the car, which he found abandoned on Holly Point Way in Hickory Hills subdivision. The driver couldn't be located so the car was towed. Later as Smith was returning from a gun range in Athens, he received a call that a man was in the subdivision looking for the Alfa. The officer located the man and his passenger, a 29-year-old woman. The woman eventually admitted she was driving the car and was charged with reckless driving.
THREE NABBED: On April 18, Deputy Steven Heckler and four other deputies went to a home on Treadwell Bridge Road to look for two men and a woman who were wanted on warrants charging them with felony theft by receiving. A 52-year-old Athens man was found outside a chicken house and the other two were also found on the premises.
WATER AND RELIGION: On April 20, Deputy Bill Reynolds was dispatched to Frazier Hill Road in North High Shoals, where several people were in a driveway pointing at a 59-year-old man. The deputy asked the man if he knew the people and he said he did; however, a woman in the group shouted that they didn't know him. The man identified them as his 'brothers and sisters in Christ.' He wanted the officer to know that they didn't own the waterway on the nearby Apalachee River. Sgt. Pat Holl arrived and the man was barred from the property. However, the man wanted to argue the law and refused to leave. He then launched into a religious speech for the deputies, who again ordered him to leave. He refused and was arrested. On the way to jail, he informed the deputy he planned to apply for a firearms carry permit.
Oconee Property: YWCO puts its 21-acre property in Oconee County up for sale, plans upgrades to Athens facility
ASSAULT CHARGED: On April 19, Deputy Bill Reynolds was dispatched to investigate an assault on Elder Court, Bogart, where he observed a 36-year-old woman, who was crying and said her boyfriend had choked her. She explained they were drinking and he called her fat and sorry because she didn't work. She was about to leave when he made threats, pushed her down, slapped her face and began choking her. When she managed to escape, she ran to a neighbor's house to call for help. The suspect was gone when officers arrived. The next day, Deputy William Lewis returned to the house. The suspect stepped outside with a cellphone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He dropped to his knees, but refused to drop the phone. However, after numerous commands, he complied, laid down and was put in handcuffs. A razor knife was found in his pocket. The 36-year-old man was taken to jail.
CUSSING PROBLEM: On April 19, Deputy Devan Blair was dispatched to a home on High Shoals Road after a man reported that his roommate assaulted him. The 56-year-old man explained they were traveling to the grocery store when they began arguing about their living conditions. He said his 62-year-old roommate warned him, 'Don't be cussing at somebody while driving.' The suspect then sprayed him in the face with pepper spray. The suspect stopped the car and the victim exited. The man said he walked home only to see the suspect standing in the yard with pepper spray in one hand and a baton in the other. The man said he explained he only wanted to get his dog, but the roommate began spraying him again. He fled to a neighbor's house. Sgt. Pat Holl arrived and knocked on the door, but the suspect would not open the door; however, he could be heard yelling. Holl explained they wanted to get the victim's dog. When the suspect opened the door, Holl grabbed him by the arm and put him in handcuffs. He was taken to jail.
ROBBERY ALLEGED: On April 20, Deputy Collin Worsham was dispatched to Old Salem Road, where a 54-year-old Greensboro man reported he was robbed of his phone. The man explained he came to the location to hang out with a 46-year-old woman who resided there, when a 63-year-old man aggressively approached and demanded, 'What are you doing on my property?' The suspect grabbed him and pushed an object against his head. He said the suspect then took his cellphone and ran. The suspect was seeing taping the phone to a rake in the yard. The victim said he became so frightened that he drove back to Greensboro and told his sister what happened. The deputy met with the suspect, who said he didn't know the Greensboro man and that he never had physical contact with him. The deputy removed the victim's phone from the rake and charged the suspect with robbery by snatch.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Robbery victim says robber taped cellphone to rake
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Pentagon orders review of base moves, and more military news
TGIF! If you are a service member or a military family member, you are painfully aware of just how often troops are required to move. Now, the Pentagon is giving the military branches until Sept. 25 to come up with plans to limit the number of permanent change of station, or PCS moves, that are not absolutely essential. The military spends about $5 billion per year on PCS moves, but now wants to drastically cut that by 50% starting in fiscal year 2030. The toll taken on troops and families by constant moves has been an issue over the years. Project 2025, the policy blueprint produced by the Heritage Foundation think tank, recommended that the Defense Department evaluate 'the military family holistically when considering change-of-station moves.' More recently, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said that Marines should be able to stay at their current duty stations if they want to, instead of being forced to move every few years. 'If you want to stay at Camp Pendleton, your spouse has good employment, you're happy in your home there, and you know the terrain and you know the training, why can't you stay there for nine, or 10 or 12 years?' Smith said on May 1 during the annual Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C. 'I'm not saying you should stay there for your entire 30-year career, but we don't have to move you every three years.' Of course, there's more news. Here's your weekly rundown. Huge Somalia airstrikes. Planes from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman dropped 124,000 pounds of ordnance within two minutes during Feb. 1 airstrikes against the Islamic State group, or ISIS, in Somalia, a defense official told Task & Purpose. Within the past two years, ISIS-Somalia has grown from about 500 to roughly 1,500 members, of which an estimated 60% are foreign fighters, said Kelly Cahalan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command, which has conducted 33 airstrikes so far this year in Somalia against both ISIS and al-Shabab, a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida. National Guard unit goes analog. The Missouri Air National Guard's 139th Operations Group conducted flight operations without computers or cell phones as part of an exercise that simulated a cyber attack. Airmen relied on other forms of communication, including sticky notes, dry erase boards, and smoke signals. Better late than never. After more than a decade of delays, the first Littoral Combat Ship equipped to neutralize sea mines has arrived in Bahrain, USNI News has reported. The Navy plans to eventually replace its Avenger-class minesweepers, which date back to the 1980s and have wooden hulls coated in fiberglass. Air Force sends message to China. The B-52H, B-1B, B-2, F-22. F-15C, F-16C, and A-10 flew together for the first time during a recent airshow in Miami. 'Did it send a signal to our nation's enemies, including China? Absolutely,' said retired Air Force Col. Mark Gunzinger, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for forces transformation and resources. Ukraine denies attacking Putin's helicopter. Ukrainian officials have denied a claim by a Russian commander that Ukrainian drones attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin's helicopter when he visited a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region on May 20. The commander, Maj. Gen. Yuri Dashkin, told Russian media, 'We simultaneously waged an anti-aircraft battle and ensured the safety of the president's helicopter in the air.' 'Loss of confidence' — North Korea-style. North Korea has arrested four officials after one of the country's newest warships capsized during its May 21 launch. North Korean state-run media claims the 5,000-ton vessel was not seriously damaged and attempts to right the ship are underway. Thank you all for reading! Jeff Schogol
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Mayor Adams expands key safety program to Central Park to crack down on aggressive pedicabs, illegal hawking
Mayor Eric Adams is expanding his multi-agency safety initiative to Central Park in a push to address quality-of-life concerns in the city's most iconic green space. The expansion of the administration's 'Community Link' program will bring in 20 city agencies and cultural institutions as part of a coordinated response to various issues, such as illegal vending, unlicensed pedicabs, excessive noise and park rule violations. 'Central Park is the backyard of New York City,' Adams said. 'Everyone — families, kids, joggers, cyclists, and tourists — must be safe and feel safe while enjoying this iconic space.' Mayor Adams announced the Community Link expansion Friday Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office The new initiative, dubbed the Central Park Conservancy Partnership, includes increased enforcement by the NYPD, Parks Enforcement Patrol and the Central Park Conservancy's new Ranger Corps. Adams said the extra effort will result in a safer and cleaner Central Park. The program expands on previous Community Link deployments in New York City's worst crime and drug-ridden neighborhoods like Midtown West and Roosevelt Avenue. A Community Link initiative has already been operating along the park's northern edge at 110th Street. The enforcement has resulted in over 1,000 summonses and 111 arrests since it began in April 2024. Year-to-date data showed a 50% drop in crime in the Central Park Precinct, including a 90% reduction in robberies and a nearly 29% decline in grand larcenies, according to the mayor's office. A cornerstone of the Central Park crackdown that Adams announced Friday is the newly launched Central Park Ranger Corps, which now patrols the park daily. Betsy Smith, president and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy, said it makes the park more 'welcoming and enjoyable.' 'Central Park is one of the most visited places in the country, with millions of visitors every year,' Smith said. 'This creates unique challenges in how we manage the use of shared space for the benefit of everyone.' Though they do not have enforcement authority, Rangers serve as visible guides and liaisons, responding to complaints, supporting first responders and addressing recurring issues like dogs off-leash, misuse of e-bikes and aggressive solicitation by pedicab or horse carriage drivers. The New York Pedicab Association will also partner with the interagency task force to rein in rogue pedicab drivers and educate terrorized park-goers of their rights and how to report violations. To support the stepped-up enforcement and further deter crime, the NYPD, Parks Department and Department of Transportation are also repairing lighting and installing security cameras. 'We are working to make the park more welcoming and enjoyable for everyone,' Smith said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘They need to be held accountable': Minnesota man says agency billed Medicaid for housing aid he never got
'I've never got an hour of help." That's how Steven Smith sums up his experience with Leo Human Services, the for-profit agency that — according to Medicaid billing records reviewed by KARE 11 — charged taxpayers thousands of dollars for supposedly helping him find and keep a home. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Smith, who'd just finished inpatient treatment for substance-use disorder, says he only received a few phone calls and never met anyone in person. Yet the company still sent a bill to Minnesota's Medicaid program. Smith's situation is part of a broader KARE 11 investigation that is shaking confidence in Minnesota's Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program, designed to help people with disabilities — including those with mental health issues and substance-use disorders — to find and maintain housing. Since its launch in July 2020, this initiative has already cost taxpayers $248 million, but investigations show it may not be reaching the vulnerable Minnesotans that it was designed to help. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) — which oversees the HSS — told KARE 11 the housing and transition services are intended to help seniors and people with disabilities to get hands-on assistance with finding and maintaining housing. According to state rules, at least half of those services must be delivered in person. But Smith says he received only a handful of phone calls. His girlfriend, Rachel Lien, has a similar story after Leo Human Services charged Medicaid $14,000 in her name. "I had never heard of this company," Lien told KARE 11. 'I never met with them. I never talked to them on the phone.' Billing data shows that Leo Human Services — run by Asad Adow out of a strip-mall office in Brooklyn Park — billed Medicaid $1.2 million in 2024. When KARE 11 asked Leo Human Services for Smith's records, the paperwork included an electronic signature that Smith insists he never wrote. The signature also misspelled his name as 'Steven Jr Smith.' 'Why would I say that I'm Steven Jr Smith?' Smith asked. 'My middle name is actually Steven Dwayne Smith.' KARE 11 investigators took a look at the metadata taken from the PDF document that Smith allegedly signed and found that Smith's electronic signature — which was dated August 28, 2023 — was actually written the following day on August 29. The signature was also reportedly authored by someone who goes by the name of 'Wats Hanin.' KARE 11 was unable to locate anyone by that name, and under DHS rules, providers are barred from signing documents for clients. When KARE 11 reporters confronted Adow in the parking lot outside his office, the latter denied any wrongdoing. 'People say you're not doing work, that you're billing thousands of dollars for work that's not being done,' said KARE 11 reporter A.J. Lagoe. 'I'm doing everything correctly,' Adow insisted before climbing into his car and driving off. Fraud worries around HSS are hardly new. According to KARE 11, a 2024 report from the housing nonprofit Hearth Connection warned of 'predatory activity to enroll individuals without their knowledge,' including recruiters waiting around emergency shelters and misrepresenting their companies' offerings. In a Senate hearing in January 2025, then-DHS Commissioner Jodi Harpstead downplayed the issue, saying 'there's a lot of rumors of fraud more than there is actual fraud.' She resigned from her position just weeks later. Her interim successor, Shireen Gandhi, has taken a different tack: DHS now lists HSS as a 'high-risk' service, subjecting providers to fingerprint checks and unannounced site visits. She confirmed 40 active fraud investigations are underway. 'It's clear that these critical services need more oversight,' Gandhi said in a press release. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it When providers siphon off Medicaid dollars, the people HSS is meant to serve risk losing legitimate help at a time when affordable housing is scarce. It also breaks the public's trust in legitimate services, putting other important programs at risk. If you think you've been targeted by a fraudulent housing assistance program, there are steps you can take: Verify the provider: Confirm the agency is enrolled and in good standing on the DHS website. Collect your records: Request detailed service logs and signatures, and remember to keep all correspondence. Report suspected fraud: Call the DHS Program Integrity hotline or submit an online tip using the Program Integrity Oversight hotline form. You can also file a complaint with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office or your county's human services fraud unit. If you need assistance, seek help from verified programs. Housing navigators in your county and Continuum of Care agencies can connect you to legitimate support. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Choice Voucher and Section 811 programs also offer rental assistance for people with disabilities. With new investigations launched and stricter screening on the horizon, state officials say they're working hard to protect both vulnerable residents and public funds. But for people like Smith and Lien, their wish is simple: 'I think they need to be held accountable." Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
