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Officer buys foam to shade dog in truck
Recent crime reports
crimescenetape

From Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and Richmond Hill Police Department incident reports:

July 27

Fraud — An Ellabell woman was the victim of an apparent scam.

The woman told BCSO deputies she voluntarily had given $6,000 to a company that claimed to provide technical support for her computers. She said the “company” had deposited more than $5,000 into her bank account and asked her to send back $3,000, which she did.

A short time later, she was told the $3,000 was never received and she needed to resend it, and she did. The woman became suspicious and contacted her bank, which froze her accounts and said it would conduct an investigation.

July 26

Threats — An Ellabell man reported that he and his nephew were threatened by neighbors on Homestead Drive.

According to the report, the nephew was riding his bicycle when “several juveniles” at a nearby house charged toward him and one yelled, “Tell your fat uncle that he’s gonna get it tonight.” The boy accused of making the threat told BCSO deputies that he had been walking down the road, and the bike rider’s uncle swerved at him like he was going to hit him with his car.

The juvenile said he yelled and cursed at the man in the car, but denied making any threats. The accused boy’s grandmother said the man who complained of the threats “speeds by often and flips their family off,” the report states.

July 25

Theft — An Ellabell man reported that pain medication was stolen from his home on Splinters Lane.

The man stated that he had a box of five 50-micrograms/hour Fentanyl pain patches on the counter, and he noticed the medication was missing after he had a female visitor.

Burglary — An Ellabell man returned to property he is renovating on Bill Futch Road after being away for two weeks and noticed several items were missing.

The back door had been pried open, and the man’s cordless drill, 11 circuit breakers and a bucket of electrical tools were missing, according to the report. Inner and outer elements of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system also were missing, and the ¾-inch copper wiring for the HVAC system had been cut and taken from under the home. Deputies did not find fingerprints or other evidence, and neighbors said they had not seen or heard anything suspicious.

The property owner had reported seeing two men in a green pickup trespassing on the property and looking at the HVAC unit about two months ago. The men said they were looking to rent property, but the property owner told them his was not for rent and asked them to leave, the report states.

Harassment — An Ellabell woman reported receiving threatening messages from her husband, with whom she is separated and going through a divorce.

The estranged husband sent her a text message that he “should punch (her) in the face” and posted an obituary on Facebook, according to the report. The woman saved screen shots of both in her phone.

July 23

Animal cruelty — A woman who lives on Daniel Siding Loop Road in Richmond Hill reported a possible case of animal cruelty.

The woman said her 8-month-old Rottweiler, which is kenneled outdoors, wasn’t acting normally, and she suspected the dog had been poisoned by neighborhood children. The dog owner said she would notify the BCSO if her veterinarian determined the dog had been poisoned.

July 22

Threat — A Richmond Hill man reported that a neighbor “threatened to beat him or shoot him for causing him a loss of $40,000,” according to the report.

The man told deputies he had contacted the Georgia Department of Transportation about removing a curb from in front of his home on Highway 17. While the DoT was looking at the curb, they noticed the neighbor had constructed a crush-and-run driveway that connects to the highway, the report states.

July 19

DUI — A Warner Robins man was charged with driving under the influence after an RHPD officer stopped him for driving erratically on Highway 17.

The driver smelled of alcohol and had glazed eyes and slurred speech, the officer said. The man was missing one shoe and walked unsteadily after stepping out of the car, according to the report.

The driver was asked if he could complete sobriety tests and responded “it depended on what we wanted him to do,” the report states. The man failed the tests he attempted and refused to give a breath sample at the traffic stop and at the police station.

July 17
Marijuana possession — The compartment for a garage-door opener in a man’s car turned out to be an ineffective hiding place for his marijuana.

The man, from Stone Mountain, was pulled over by an RHPD officer for weaving on Interstate 95. A check of his identification showed he had an extensive criminal history including drug-related arrests, according to the report.

The mad said he didn’t have anything illegal in the car and consented to it being searched. The officer checked the car’s garage-door opener compartment, and two small bags of marijuana fell out, the report states.

July 15

Animal welfare — A woman complained that a dog was inside a pickup in the Kroger parking lot on a hot day, but an RHPD officer said the requirements for animal cruelty were not met because the truck was parked in shade, its windows were down and the dog had adequate food and water.

The truck owner said he was being harassed when the officer spoke to him inside the store, according to the report. The man stated he had been in the store for about 20 minutes, but the officer said 50 minutes had passed since the call had been dispatched.

The officer told the truck owner he could face criminal charges if the dog ran out of food or water or became distressed. The officer reportedly bought four foam boards that could be cut and custom-fitted for the front and rear windshields, and gave them to the man.

Property damage — A Richmond Hill woman hired a Savannah man to repair her car, but the car wound up in worse shape than before.

A friend told the woman her car was damaged and parked along Lancaster Way in Richmond Hill. The car owner told police she didn’t know how and where the damage occurred or how the car ended up in Richmond Hill from Savannah.

The car body had “damage all over,” the windshield was broken, a rear tire was flat and most of the motor was sitting in the rear seat, according to the report. The woman said she likely will pursue a civil suit.

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