During a patrol on Farmersville Road in the Gore Area last Friday, a black Jaguar passenger car was pulled over due to the car’s tag being bent and obstructed so the deputy could not read it. When the deputy walked up to the car to get the driver’s information he smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. 41-year-old, Lamar Benson, said he did not have any marijuana in the car and that he and his passengers had come from Atlanta and were around a hookah bar and that’s where the smell was coming from. Benson was then asked to step out of the vehicle and his car was searched. An Oxycodone pill was found, and in the trunk of the vehicle a red duffel bag was found containing a large amount of marijuana. Benson was then placed under arrest and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail.

On Saturday, July 20th, a Chattooga County Deputy and a few Trion Police officers were conducting a safety check on Old Highway 27 when a silver Altima approached and acted like it was slowing down for the stop but immediately sped up and turned om Thomas Drive. A officer on scene yelled at the car to stop and was pointing to the vehicle when another deputy initiated his lights to pursue the vehicle.

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Last Thursday, Chattooga County Deputies received a call to be on the lookout for a maroon colored Nissan Pathfinder that was driving recklessly on highway 27 near Walmart. The responding deputy that was on patrol on highway 27 spotted the vehicle and radioed it in that the vehicle almost hit him head on. Lorraine Morris was pulled over behind the Jack’s parking lot. The deputy noticed that Morris seemed to be intoxicated so he called another deputy on scene to do a field sobriety test. Morris stated that she had just left the Chattooga ER due to withdrawals from a narcotic medication she is on. The deputy asked what she was on the medication for and Morris stated that it was for an opiate withdrawal, she also said she had taken a 6mg Clonazepam 6 hours prior to her being pulled over. They then conducted the Field Sobriety test on her which deputies couldn’t finish due to her not being able to stand for long periods of time. After investigation, Morris was placed under arrest for failure to maintain a lane, suspended registration and DUI-drugs.

Deputies were called to the Texaco on Highway 27 on July 14th due to an intoxicated man causing a disturbance and jumping into the road. The responding deputy spoke with Salvador Hernandez and asked him how much he had to drink. Hernandez said he had drunk enough and then continued to get louder, making little sense. The deputy then placed Hernandez under arrest. Hernandez started yelling profanity and refused to give the Deputy any of his information, such as his name and birthday. Hernandez was then transported to the Chattooga County Jail. The jail staff had to ask for assistance with Hernandez because he was beating his head against the jail glass door.

A Chattooga County Deputy was traveling north on Highway 114 near Chattooga High School last Thursday whenever he noticed a pickup truck driving in front of him with no operational tag light. The driver of the truck, James Burkhalter, was pulled over and informed of the reason for the traffic stop. Burkhalter stated that he couldn’t provide his license due to a mishap that made them illegible. He was then asked for his name and date of birth to see if his license were valid. Burkhalter said, “I know my license is good.”However, his license were not good, in fact, Burkhalter’s license were suspended due to failing to appear in court. Burkhalter was then placed under arrest for driving on suspended license.

A man with suspended license was arrested by Chattooga County Sheriff’s Deputies on July 11th.  A deputy on patrol saw a dark colored car that was pulled over at the intersection of Hair lake Road and Mahan Road due to running a stop sign. The driver of the car, Johnathan Money, said that he didn’t realize he had ran the stop sign. After running his license it said that they were suspended due to failure to appear in court. The officer then placed Money under arrest but allowed him one call to have a friend retrieve his vehicle.

On July 11th, Chattooga County Officers were called to Walmart in reference to a possible shoplifting incident. Tina Campbell was outside arguing with the Loss Prevention Agent when the officers pulled up. The agent said that Campbell paid for some items but intentionally didn’t pay for other items totaling up to be $48.89. Campbell was then placed under arrest.

Chattooga County Deputies were called out to Lake Wanda Reita Road in Summerville on Monday due to a complaint from a woman who said a child had wandered into her yard unaccompanied by an adult. The woman said that she knew the child lived next door and that she was between the ages of 2 and 3.

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On Monday, a Chattooga County Officer was traveling over Taylor’s Ridge when he noticed a pickup truck swerving through traffic, crossing over lanes, and speeding. The Officer initiated his traffic stop lights but the truck still didn’t stop. The driver was going 77mph in a 55mph zone. The driver did not pull over until he got behind a car that slowed him down. Anaya Alejandro was finally pulled over at Wildlife Lake Road. The officer explained to him that he was driving very recklessly and could have gotten someone killed. Alejandro picked up his phone and said he was on it. He was also asked why it took so long for him to pull over and he pointed to the radio and said he didn’t notice the officer was behind him. Alejandro was asked if he had been drinking because his vehicle had the odor of alcohol in it, but he said he hadn’t. Alejandro agreed to a breathalyzer test to which he blew 0.41 grams. He was then arrested for reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain a lane, and distracted driving. After searching Alejandro’s vehicle, a crushed can of beer and a another bottle of beer was found in the passenger side of his vehicle.

A shoplifter was arrested at Walmart in Trion earlier this month.  According to a report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, Raymond Armoni is accused of pushing a buggy with $175.32 worth of items out of the doors of the store without paying for any of the items.  Walmart Asset Prevention employees told a responding deputy that Armoni went out the door “with no attempt at paying”.  Employees were able to stop Armoni in the parking lot and brought him and the buggy back inside the store without incident.  Armoni was booked into the Chattooga County Jail and charged with shoplifting.