Man attempts to flee arrest
On Feb. 11, law enforcement arrived at 1207 Orchard Hill Rd. to serve an arrest warrant on Timothy Bell. Officers made contact at the front door with William Cook. Cook stated Bell was not at the residence and that he did not live there. Consent was given to search the residence for Bell. During the search, a deputy located Bell hiding underneath a bed in one of the bedrooms. Bell came out from under the bed but resisted being handcuffed. Bell was instructed multiple times to stop resisting arrest, but he did not comply. Bell attempted to flee but was placed on the floor, where he was handcuffed after having been drive stunned by an officer who was on scene to assist. Bell complained of chest pain and shortness of breath and was cleared by EMS of any medical issues.
Cook was placed under arrest due to him lying about Bell's whereabouts in an attempt to help Bell avoid arrest. Cook and Bell were transported to the jail and turned over to jail staff. Warrants were secured for Cook and Bell for misdemeanor obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
Virginia locals busted with drugs and money
On Feb. 13, while patrolling the area of North Columbia Street and Log Cabin Road, an officer observed a dark colored sedan in the parking lot of Jet 69, on 2783 North Columbia St., parked away from the building and gas pumps in an area not designated for parking.
The tag displayed on the vehicle was out of Virginia. The vehicle came back through GCIC as being registered to a Kabul Rental Car Company. The individual in the driver's seat was bent over and appeared to be reading or on a cell phone. The individual in the passenger seat was slumped over to the side. The officer spoke with an employee who stated the vehicle had been there for thirty minutes and they had not seen anyone exit the vehicle. A customer had informed the employee that they had seen the vehicle reportedly driving unsafely on the road before parking at the store. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Bobi Duda by her Virginia driver's license. While the officer was speaking with Duda, the male passenger would not respond in his slumped position. Duda stated the male passenger was her friend of two years, Jeff Murphy. Duda stated that she and Murphy came down to see her sister and were heading back to Virginia, but stopped to finish eating. Duda stated she had nothing illegal on her person or in the vehicle and agreed to a consensual search of the vehicle. A deputy on scene to assist reported Murphy appeared to be out of it and would not speak coherently.
Murphy stated he had known Duda for over 5 years and stated they had come to pick up some money from a bank that only exists in Georgia. When informed that Duda had given consent to search the vehicle, Murphy reportedly became nervous and stated he wasn't trying to be difficult.
An officer located several used syringes on the floor of the vehicle.
Between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, sitting on the center console area, was a silver box that neither Murphy or Duda claimed to be their own. Duda further advised the box was in the vehicle when she rented the car in Virginia. Inside the box was paperwork with Murphy's name on it and a purple balloon object in a pocket of the box. In the balloon, the officer located numerous orange strips. “Through my training and experience, I have seen similar strips that contained LSD or Fentanyl. I showed the strips to Murphy, who stated he had no idea what it was and it was not his,” wrote officer Alex Rickey in the report. Rickey also located a Tandem Bank folder containing $5,000 in U.S. currency and a check for over $23,000.
Another officer located a white tube in Duda's purse that contained two blue pills with the Ace of Spades logo. Upon field testing the pills, they tested positive for methamphetamine. During transport to the jail, Murphy stated the strips were Suboxone and he had a prescription for them. Upon arriving at the jail, Duda advised she had an additional $4,500 in U. S. currency in her bra. Officers counted $9,500 in total in $100 and $50 bills.
Drunk minors caught fighting
On Feb. 15, law enforcement was dispatched to Ned Kelly’s, at 119 S.
Wayne St., due to Connor Beall and Wesley Skinner in a physical altercation.
When the officer approached Skinner and Beall, another male subject, later known as Kyler Dearman, was yelling at them to stop fighting. When the males separated, Beall was detained and EMS was called for Skinner, due to him having blood on his face. Beall stated the incident occurred due to Skinner attempting to talk to Dearman’s girlfriend. Beall stated Dearman asked Skinner to leave Griffin alone multiple times before they had got into a physical altercation. Beall stated he attempted to stopped the altercation between the two males but got into a physical altercation after Skinner had grabbed his hair. While speaking with Beall, other officers on scene arrested Dearman for yelling at Skinner. Dearman stated he did get into a physical altercation with Skinner. Skinner refused to talk about the incident. The girlfriend advised Skinner was trying to talk to her, and stated Dearman was stopping Skinner from talking to her. She reportedly did not see what started the fight but was going to hold onto Dearman and Beall’s belongings. Beall and Dearman were both placed under arrest and were transported to the Baldwin County LEC. Skinner was transported to Navicent Atrium by EMS, where he was treated for his injuries. Beall and Dearman were both charged with battery, and cited for public drunkenness and minors in possession of alcohol.