The Oconee County Sheriff's Office reported the following incidents:
WALKING INTOXICATED: On July 18, Deputy Christopher Haag was dispatched to High Shoals Road, Bishop, where a motorist reported seeing a man in the roadway. The officer spotted the man staggering in the road and holding a Strawberry BuzzBallz cocktail. When the man spotted the patrol unit, he placed the drink in his pocket. The deputy spoke with the man, who said he came from North Carolina and was visiting his grandmother. When asked if he purchased the drink, he said, "I didn't. You got me." However, he said he didn't know how the BuzzBallz came to be inside his pocket. The 41-year-old man was taken into custody and transported to the nearby Golden Pantry, where a video shows him take two of the cocktails and a breakfast burrito and leave without paying. He was charged with being a pedestrian under the influence and shoplifting.
Oconee Blotter: Suspect flees workplace and goes 70 mph through town
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER: On July 24, Sgt. Lex Ogan received a report from Flock that a Jeep was entering the county and there was a warrant for the driver's arrest. A search began, and the Jeep was spotted in the Walmart parking lot. In the store, Ogan met with a loss prevention officer, who was watching the 43-year-old Athens woman and her 13-year-old daughter. Both had shopping carts and split up to collect items. Once they met, the woman seemed to be upset at what her daughter selected, so she put some items back. Later they met again and put all the items in one cart and went to checkout, where the mother used a $3 price tag to scan all the merchandise. As they were leaving, Ogan and two other deputies confronted the pair. The woman was transported to jail, and the daughter, who also had Advil and makeup in her pants, was released to a relative. DFACs also arrived to investigate.
DUI CHARGED: On July 25, Deputy Tyler Ward responded to a traffic stop made by another deputy after a lookout was posted for a 2007 Toyota Tundra that was "swerving terribly" on the roadway. A Comer resident spotted the driver's driving behavior and called 911. The man followed the truck until the traffic stop. The 30-year-old Athens man had red, bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, but he denied drinking. The passenger, a 67-year-old Athens man, was intoxicated. The driver was charged with DUI and taken to jail.
UNLAWFUL BACKING: On July 25, Deputy Tyler Ward responded to an incident on Hopping Road in North High Shoals. Deputy Devan Blair was on patrol and pulled up behind a Ford Escape that was stopped in the middle of the road. As Blair walked over to the driver, the Ford began rolling back. The deputy shouted for the woman to stop, but the Ford hit the patrol unit, then went into a ditch. The 77-year-old Watkinsville woman driving the Ford was clearly under the influence as she was grinding her teeth and couldn't explain what happened. She denied taking either drugs or alcohol. She was given a sobriety test, and afterward she wanted to be seen by a doctor. A warrant will be signed charging her with DUI.
DRUGS FOUND: On July 25, Deputy William Lewis was patrolling on Epps Bridge Parkway when he ran the license plate on a 2025 Kia and learned the driver was wanted on warrants from Hall County and Athens-Clarke County. After a traffic stop, the 24-year-old Athens woman was arrested. However, she told the deputy there was something in her purse that she didn't want to take to the jail. The deputy found some rock-like substances that he identified as MDMA.
CHEVRON DOCTRINE: On July 25, Sgt. Lex Ogan was patrolling on U.S. Highway 78 when he observed a 2007 Chrysler Aspen with a driver using a cell phone. The Aspen also braked, and the brake lights weren't working. A traffic stop was made, and it was learned the Aspen, driven by a 55-year-old man from Lithonia, was not insured or registered. The man then cited the "Chevron Doctrine," in which he explained the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled the insurance law was unlawful. Ogan disagreed and issued the man several citations. The vehicle was towed.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Man's trip to visit grandmother ends with him in jail