Traffic

July 22 - A 20-year-old Riceboro man was arrested for DUI (under 21) and speeding after he was caught going 61 mph on Hwy. 17 near Harris Trail Road, a police report said. While at the police department, the driver gave two breath samples to police – .079 and .084. He was charged with the lesser of the two.

July 21 – An officer running "lidar" on Hwy. 17 near Mulberry Drive registered a Dodge Neon running 49 mph in the 35 zone, so he pulled a traffic stop. The driver "advised he did not have a license and produced a Guatemala ID card," the report said, and when asked for insurance, provided the title to the car.

He was arrested and cited for driving without a license and speeding. The car was released to a woman with a North Carolina license.

July 24 – An officer behind a Camaro on Hwy. 144 East near Port Royal Road "saw him make a lane change without a turn signal," a report said. "When I looked closer I realized that he had the right turn signal on, but the tinted covers over the tail lights were so dark you could barely see it. There was also a brake light in the middle upper brake light not working."

So, the officer pulled the Camaro over. "When I asked the offender for his license he stated that he didn’t have one that they were taken away for a civil action," the report continued. It turned out the man’s license – and a commercial driving license - had been suspended for DUI (less safe). He was arrested and charged with driving without a suspended license. The officer gave him warning for the tinted cover on the tail lights and the burnt out brake light.

July 26 – An officer stopped at the intersection of Hwys. 144 and 17 checked the tag number on a Taurus and learned it had been suspended. He conducted a traffic stop and "the driver stated he did not have a license and provided me with a Mexico ID card," the officer’s report said. The man, who had a Savannah address, was arrested and charged for driving without a license and driving on a suspended registration. His car was towed.

July 25 –An officer stopped at the intersection of Hwys. 144 and 17 checked a license plate on an Isuzu Rodeo and learned the SUV’s registration was suspended and it didn’t have valid insurance. He conducted a traffic stop and was told by the driver, a Riceboro man, that he didn’t have insurance.

"He stated it was too expensive so he canceled it," the report said. "I asked him when he planned to restore insurance on the vehicle and he stated maybe next week. I advised him that I could not allow him to operate the vehicle without valid insurance coverage." The driver was booked for driving on a suspended registration and no insurance. "The driver and his passengers became disorderly on the scene until backup arrived, upon arrival of backup units their demeanor changed. The driver was released to appear on charges."

July 25 – Two officers were trying to serve a warrant for contempt of court on a Young Way man when the man decided to make a run for it, police said. "As we were speaking to his wife at the front door of his residence I noticed that the offender was driving down Young Way in his vehicle," the report said.

But he didn’t get far. "The offender stopped in front of the residence and then attempted to back up striking the curbing."

The two officers then walked over to the man’s car and confirmed he was the person they were looking for, and more, the report said. "As the driver attempted to exit the vehicle he was extremely unsteady on his feet and was swaying from side to side to keep his balance. The driver had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person." After blowing .104 and .117 at RHPD he was charged with DUI, having an expired driver’s license and the warrant was served.

July 26 – This one might be a first. An officer patrolling Hwy. 17 just before 8 a.m. "observed a moped traveling inside of the right lane at about 10 mph impeding the free flow of traffic," his report said. "The moped was also failing to maintain its lane by crossing from the right lane across the yellow fog line and onto the curbing three times. The driver was drinking from a soda can while operating the moped."

The officer pulled the moped over and learned the driver’s license had been suspended more than once. "Due to the operator operating a motor vehicle on public roadways with a suspended license, impeding the free flow of traffic and failure to maintain lane, I placed him under arrest," the report said. "The driver asked me if his father could remove the vehicle from the scene and arrangements were quickly made. Moments later the driver’s father arrived on the scene …"

July 26 – A Pelican Lane woman reported someone had thrown a rock through the back passenger side window of her car.

July 24 – A Harris Trail Road woman reported her tire had been cut and was flat.

July 22 – An officer was dispatched to Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell, where he was told that since July 15 a customer has been "coming into the restaurant with food stating that the order was wrong and the restaurant had always refunded the money," a report said. "He went on to state that each time the unknown subject did not have a receipt for the purchase."

But apparently he didn’t get a refund, because the police report also noted that when he didn’t get a refund because he didn’t have a receipt, the "subject started to get irate and belligerent." The complainant, a KFC/Taco Bell employee, was told to call 911 the next time the man entered the store.

July 22 – A Belle Grove Circle woman reported her ‘very expensive’ cat and its kitten were missing. There was no sign of a break in and nothing else was missing, according to a report.

July 21 – An officer was sent to Falcon Drive, where he met with a man who wanted him to stand by "while he cut the 2x4 that he put in the front yard of this residence earlier (on July 21) with a For Rent sign attached to it," the report said.

"The complainant is the owner/landlord of the property and has had problems with the tenant. Apparently, there was another sign in the yard previous to this date and the sign was taken down so the complainant returned on this date (July 21) to put up another For Rent sign. The complainant requested I document the incident for his records."