On July 5th, Joseph Maddox told Summerville Police that a white male was on his property without permission. Maddox said he confronted the man and told him to leave and that the male demanded to see a woman he believed resided there. Maddox stated that he knew the woman but that she didn’t live there. The male then became angry and knocked out the front porch screen door, hit Maddox in the nose, knocked his wheelchair over on the porch and punched the glass window out. All of this was recorded on video that the police later saw. Maddox gave a good description of the male and vehicle that he left in.
On Thursday of last week, Joseph Clark was pulled over after swerving lanes multiple times. The responding Deputy noticed open containers of miller light in Clarks passenger seat and asked him if he had been drinking to which Clark said no. Clark eventually admitted to only having one beer. The deputy then searched Clark and noticed his body language was off. A small plastic bag with a white substance in it fell out of Clarks pocket, he then tried to kick it under his vehicle to hide it. The deputy then tried to place Clark under arrest but he had to call for back up as Clark tried to resist him. After backup arrived, Clark was finally placed into custody and arrested on charges of failing to maintain a single lane, possession of methamphetamines, and obstruction of law enforcement officers.
On Wednesday of last week, Chattooga County Deputies were conducting a traffic stop to a driver they believed to be intoxicated. Joel Whittle was standing outside his vehicle talking with the officers when they smelled a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Whittle admitted to drinking six sixteen-ounce beers throughout his day. A breathalyzer test and field sobriety test were performed on Whittle, and it was concluded that he was impaired by alcohol. He was then placed under arrest and transported to the Chattooga County Jail on charges of DUI.
On Sunday, Officers were called to a residence in Summerville regarding a man named Justin Durham. Durham was banging on the windows of a residence and causing a disturbance. The resident of the home said that Durham opened her front door because he wanted inside but her boyfriend stopped him and they got Durham back outside and locked the door. Durham left the residence before officers arrived but a Summerville Police Officer found him walking down the street near the DFACS office. The officer observed Durham acting very erratic, sweating profusely, throwing his hands in the air, and yelling profane language. The officer said he wanted to talk with him about what had happened at the residence he was at earlier, but Durham said he had not been at that address. After hearing Durham speak and seeing the way he was reacting, the police officer believed him to be under the influence of drugs. Durham was asked to empty his pockets and he responded with, “Not unless you have a reason to arrest me”. Durham was then placed under arrest, to which he started yelling out more profane language. He was found to have drug related objects and substances on him.
Summerville Police responded to a call about vandalism to a vehicle on Sunday. The complainant, identified as Andrea Jackson, told a responding officer that her vehicle had a spot of white spray paint on the passenger side door. A witness also said that he saw this event happen and tried to prevent the man from vandalizing the vehicle. The damage done to the vehicle is less than $500 dollars, but Jackson said she still wanted to press charges against a suspect that she identified to the responding officer.
A forty-year-old Summerville man was taken to jail last Friday after being involved in a domestic dispute at an apartment on Northwest Congress Street. A responding officer arrived on the scene and could hear Timothy Burkett in his home being very loud and causing a scene. After many unsuccessful attempts to calm Burkett down, it was decided the only way to calm the situation was to place him under arrest. Burkett was charged with disorderly conduct and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail.
According to a report released late last week, a Chattooga County Sheriffs Deputy pulled over a vehicle after observing several driving violations. The driver, Rodney Wood, was having difficulty explaining to the deputy what had happened before he was even questioned. Wood was observed to have a very slow reaction time and turning his head to speak with the deputy. He was asked to exit his vehicle and was given a standardized field sobriety test to which he had difficulty doing. Wood told deputies several times during the investigation that he takes prescribed medications for PTSD and that the pills were in his vehicle. The pills were found and observed to belong to a friend of Wood that he claimed to be keeping for him while the friend was in jail. Wood was then placed under arrest and charged with DUI-Multiple substances- less safe driver.
A Chattooga County woman was arrested recently on DUI charges after being pulled over by law enforcement. A Chattooga County deputy conducted a traffic stop with a White Volkswagen Beetle that seemed to be turning down multiple roads to lose him. The vehicle had suspended registration and no valid insurance.
On June 22nd, Chattooga County Sheriff’s Deputies were conducting a DUI and license safety checkpoint on Mountain View Rd. was being conducted. A Suzuki motorcycle came upon the checkpoint. Deputy Reynolds asked to see the drivers license and saw that it was issued to a George Koonce and that the permit stated daylight hours only. Deputy Reynolds also noticed that the photo on the license did not look the same as the driver. Deputies believed the subject to be a man named Kenneth Koonce who is a known fugitive who gives false names. Deputy Reynolds explained to Koonce about his daylight only hours on his permit while Corporal Fielding went back to the jail to send a photo of Kenneth Koonce. After further investigation it was proven to be Kenneth Koonce after all, and he was placed under arrest for warrants and identity fraud.
According to a report released this week by the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, on June 19th, Walter Whitton was spotted in Trion near the triangle shopping center With a “spider webbed” crack across the windshield of his vehicle. Chattooga County Sheriff’s Deputies knew that Whitton already had outstanding complaints against him regarding drugs. After seeing Whitton cross over yellow lines, his tag was ran and found to be expired. After conducting a traffic stop with Whitton, it was clear that he was very nervous and shaking. He stated that he didn’t have any drugs in his vehicle. After further inspection he was found to have open beer cans, drug related objects, and a plastic bag with methamphetamines inside. Whitton was then arrested for possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug related objects and a traffic citation for the expired tag.
















