Dispute over repairs ends with drug search

The complainant said he took his vehicle to Neil’s Automotive at 480 Harry McCarty Road to have some repair work completed.

According to the complainant, the shop did not repair the car properly. When he returned to the shop, he was informed there would be a $20 diagnostic fee. The complainant disputed the charges because he claimed the shop failed to repair the vehicle during the initial visit.

The shop owner said he did additional work on the car for which he normally charged $65 per hour. When the vehicle owner would not pay, the shop owner decided to hold the car.

The shop owner was advised to return the keys to the vehicle owner and to pursue his claim in Magistrate Court. The owner asked that the vehicle owner be served with a prohibited entry notice.

After the deputy advised the vehicle owner not to return to the property, he asked to see the receipt for the repair work done to the vehicle.

When the vehicle owner opened the door, the deputy detected a strong odor of marijuana.

The owner consented to a search of the vehicle. During the search, the deputy found a small piece of marijuana lodged between the front seats of the vehicle. He was unable to retrieve the piece.

The deputy requested a drug sniffing canine. The canine hit on the front doors of the vehicle, but no marijuana was recovered.

The vehicle owner was allowed to leave after being warned about having marijuana in his vehicle.

Other incidents investigated by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office this past week include:

• civil dispute on Summerfield Road. The complainant advised that his ex-fiancée had removed several of his personal belongings from their residence.

• suspicious incident on Highway 82. The caller reported hearing a noise on her porch and someone knocking on her bedroom window. A check of the residence showed nothing out of order.

• custody dispute on Atlanta Highway. The complainant advised that her child’s father would not relinquish custody of the child. The deputy resolved the situation and advised the father to follow legal procedures if he wished to obtain custody of the child.

• criminal trespass on Scott Circle. The caller reported that the passenger side window of his 1989 Ford Thunderbird appeared to have been shot out. The damaged window will cost an estimated $350 to replace.

• theft of a vehicle on Inglewood Road. The victim advised he gave a friend of his a ride to an address on Inglewood Road. Later, when the victim opened his car door to spit, the friend began fighting him and pushed him out of the car. The friend then drove away in the victim’s vehicle. The vehicle, a 1990 Honda Civic, was recovered later that evening on Carl Bethlehem Road.

• theft by taking on Carl Bethlehem Road. A chainsaw valued at $350 was reported stolen from a barn on the property. A 1990 Honda Civic was located at the entrance to the driveway. The vehicle had been reported stolen 45 minutes earlier. The vehicle was returned to the owner. The chainsaw was entered on GCIC as stolen property.

• refusal to leave on Fletcher Drive. A former tenant was knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell. The tenant left after being asked to do so.

• suspicious activity on Diamond Ridge Trail. The caller was awakened when the lights of a car in her driveway were turned on. There was no sign of forced entry.

• recovered vehicle on Cedar Creek Drive. A black Ford Taurus was found off the roadway. The driver’s side window and door handle were broken and the hood was covered with muddy hand and shoe prints. The vehicle was reported stolen from Winder-Barrow High School.

• suspicious vehicle on Gainesville Highway. The caller advised a truck had been parked on the side of the road, backed in against the woods for several days.

• criminal trespass on Paces Court. The caller reported that his vehicle had been egged during the night.

• criminal damage to property on Rockwell Church Road. A vehicle sustained $1,000 worth of damages after an unknown person(s) pelted the vehicle with rocks as it passed.

• theft on Monroe Highway. Five stacks of wood were stolen from the front yard of a residence.