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A disabled 60-year-old man was arrested and charged with shoplifting at Piggly Wiggly on Lexington Road at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5. He placed a pack of Raisinets in his pocket, and an employee stopped him before he left the store and said they had a zero tolerance policy. He’s been barred from Piggly Wiggly for two years, according to the police report.
What do you guys think? I’ve seen a few cases like this in Newnan, Ga., in which a guy was arrested for shoplifting a can of Spam and another took a can of peas. The guy who took the peas said he just needed to eat.
I always wonder what the backstory is to these arrests. Did the guy intend to steal the pack of candy? Would he have taken more? I also wonder if maybe he just put the candy in his pocket to pick up other items and would have paid for it if they had let him get to the cash register.
Any thoughts?
On Thursday I wrote an article about the weapons policy on campus. A day later, two students were charged with possession of a weapon on campus.
Robert David Walker and Joseph Tyler Daniels had a BB gun on campus at the intramural fields and were shooting at trees and a milk jug near the pond. Officer Thompson of the University police department arrived at the area after a “concerned citizen” called police at 4:30 p.m. and said two males had a rifle at the intramural fields, according to the police report.
Walker said he had bought the BB gun a few days ago, but both said they had been shooting the gun. They were charged with weapon possession and reckless conduct for shooting the BB gun in front of a walking and running trail, according to the report. The BB gun was taken into evidence.
Just think about what you’re doing, everyone. All of these reports of weapons seem to be honest mistakes, but that won’t stop you from getting a felony count on your criminal history.
Police were called by a neighbor at Cobb Hill Apartments on 755 West Hancock Avenue to check an empty apartment at 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 16. The neighbor reported that for three days the door to the apartment stood open, and window screens were pulled away from the windows. On Sept. 15 the neighbor heard a lot of noise.
Police entered the apartment and found a hypodermic needle on a bed, two more on the bathroom vanity and two torn jewelers bags. Police called the owner from paperwork located in the apartment, and the voicemail box was full. Parker and Associates property management said it would secure the apartment.
I found this report really interesting and raises many questions. This is what goes on outside the bubble of the University.
It just goes to show that old habits die hard.
Eugene Smith, 73, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and improper driving. He was booked at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 15. I wonder where police found this grandpa driving around drunk on Saturday afternoon. Police didn’t release him until past midnight…
Wilford Sims, 47, was arrested on more than 50 charges of animal cruelty. He was booked at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14. He is an Athens-Clarke resident. While I looked through the arrest log online, I thought the never-ending charges was nuts. I thought you students should know.
I don’t know if Sims is the guy who abandoned more than 40 cats in an Athens home for several months, but police and animal control officers rescued them from a condemned Lavender Road house the week of Sept. 2. The Athens Area Humane Society has put the cats up for adoption at its Beaverdam Road shelter.
So we beat Western Carolina in football, but it’s always good to know we got one of their students behind bars. On Friday night, Mitchell Hatley, 20, partied before the game. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, false name on license and underage possession of alcohol. He was booked at 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 15. He was released at 3:45 a.m., so atleast he was out in time for the game. He is a sophomore at Western Carolina.
On the same thought, Brandon Eugene Pressley, 18, was arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol. He was booked at 3:40 a.m. and released by 5:15 a.m. He is a junior at Coastal Carolina, which is in South Carolina. I wonder if he was here for the game or was just visiting friends.
Either way, it’s interesing that almost as many non-University students are arrested during the weekends for underage possession as University students. I find that a majority of the students are from Gainesville State, Kennesaw State or Atlanta. Watch out for your friends if you take them downtown with you!
Alright guys, after almost two weeks of not blogging, I have much to say.
First topic: towed vehicles again.
24 vehicles were towed on campus Friday and Saturday. Don’t be stupid! That’s all.
The University police department doesn’t publish arrest logs during the weekends, so today’s daily log was really long after the football weekend. One thing definitely caught my eye … 28 towed vehicles!
Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, parking permits on campus are not valid in many places. Three cars were towed Friday night, and 25 were towed by University police Saturday. This doesn’t include Athens-Clarke County police, and I don’t have their numbers.
Other good news … only one student arrested Monday night, and it was for probation violation under the Athens Superior Court. I guess students had enough partying for the weekend and decided to hit the books or bed.
According to police, apparently 130 people arrested during football weekend is the norm. Granted, about 30 of those were students. I applaud the student body. I expected more! From what I can tell, only those who were passing out on street corners or blatantly carrying open containers were really stopped.
Moral of the post: If you’ve got to drink, don’t be stupid. Don’t walk on Broad Street with a Solo cup in your hand. If you’re underage, don’t walk around on North Campus with a six-pack and cooler. If you’re really drunk, make sure a friend will keep an eye on you and get you home.
And maybe most importantly… Don’t urinate on public streets. There are plenty of restrooms downtown and many more port-a-potties available during gameday.
Let’s shoot for fewer arrests this weekend with the game against South Carolina. 
Hey, interesting comments on Tuesday’s “Police snag” article. At least you guys are reading.
My brief thoughts: If someone is arrested, we will report it. Instead of posting the crime notebook physically in the paper, I’ve been posting it online. Check it out. For the bigger stories, they deserve to be on the front page. First, check how small the paper is. The news section basically gets the first and third pages. Second, check what happened. If you ignore all other factors, 20 University students were arrested during one incident. That’s pretty rare and rather newsworthy.
I’ve interned at a community newspaper the past two summers and have covered crime (among other beats) both times, writing major stories and typing incident reports. I understand that a lot of students drink and that it is common, but if you really think about it, drinking is the major crime for this campus. If we had students who were arrested for cocaine, murder, rape, or whatever examples you guys are giving, of course those are more newsworthy. But in the meantime, this campus has been putting more emphasis on the alcohol policy. And as far as the articles seeming “tabloid-ish” or “sensational” by being placed as the lead story, check the other headlines in the paper. It makes sense. Being arrested is a big deal, is newsworthy, and the record will follow these kids.
At any rate, keep up the comments.
My advice for today: keep up with your possessions. I came across several theft reports filed by University students on campus and around downtown. I know it’s the same thing your mom has been telling you since you were two, but don’t leave your purse unattended, even if you walk away for five minutes. There are some really great people out there who will steal it from you without thinking twice, and you will never see it and your IDs again. Just thought I’d give the friendly reminder!
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