Did the man who stole two vehicle delivery signs from a Pizza Hut go on a joy ride through a South Hall neighborhood — with residents trying to stop the suspect’s SUV?
That may have been the case, as cited in an incident report from the Braselton Police Department.
An employee at a Pizza Hut on Spout Springs Road told an officer that on Saturday, Feb. 4, someone stole two delivery vehicle signs from cars parked in front of the business. The suspects were trying to steal a third sign, when they were run off by a customer in the parking lot.
The employee said the suspects left in a white SUV and its driver appeared to be in his mid-twenties.
The employee said he didn’t report the incident to police until four days later — when he started receiving phone calls from residents in the Reunion subdivision, located off Thompson Mill Road.
The residents said a white SUV with a Pizza Hut sign was driving recklessly through the subdivision, according to an incident report. An officer was told that the residents tried to corner the vehicle in a cul-de-sac, but it sped away by driving through several yards.
Residents in the subdivision followed the vehicle to a Sonic on Spout Springs Road, where it tried to remain hidden. The residents gave police a tag number of the vehicle.
Other Incidents
Other incidents reported to the Braselton Police Department last week included:
•accident on Spout Springs Road, where a woman turning right from Thompson Mill Road to Spout Springs Roads said another vehicle cut her off, which caused her to swerve and hit another vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle agreed that the woman was trying to avoid hitting another vehicle, which didn’t stop for the accident. No citations were issued since both drivers said that the accident was caused by a third driver, who didn’t stop.
•driving while license suspended on I-85, where an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding and having a broken tail light. During the traffic stop, an officer said he could smell the faint odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A background checked showed that the driver had several warrants for his arrest, but the issuing police department didn’t want to extradite him. The driver told an officer that he had a marijuana “roach” in the vehicle. He allowed the officer to search the vehicle, where he found the marijuana cigarette in a cigarette pack. The officer also found a small plastic bag with a small amount of marijuana in it. The officer gave the man citations and released him from the scene.
•driving while unlicensed on I-85, where an officer said he noticed that a vehicle didn’t have a tag light and it slowed too much as it passed his patrol vehicle. During a traffic stop, a background check showed that the driver didn’t have a valid driver’s license. The driver denied having anything illegal in his vehicle and allowed an officer to search it. The officer later found a small pipe and a small amount of marijuana hidden in a concealment box that was disguised as breath mints in a cup holder of the vehicle. The officer gave the man citations for driving while unlicensed, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and no tag light. The man was released from the scene and the officer made him park his vehicle.
•accident on Ga. Hwy. 53, where a driver said he was trying to turn left into the truck entrance of the Pilot Travel Center, while another driver was trying to do the same thing in the wrong turn lane. An officer wrote in an accident report that the markings on the highway are badly worn at the intersection. The officer told the first driver that the turn had to be made from the lane of travel when heading east on Ga. Hwy. 53 and that the turn lane was for the west bound traffic to turn left.
•accident on Ga. Hwy. 124, where a woman said her vehicle hit a deer when it ran in front of the vehicle. The deer’s body caused damage to the vehicle’s front passenger bumper and headlight.
•accident in the Publix shopping center on Ga. Hwy. 211, where a man said when he returned to his vehicle after shopping in the store, he noticed that another vehicle had hit it. The driver side door of the vehicle was damaged. The man didn’t report the incident to police until 15 days later because he said he works late at night and didn’t have time to visit the police department to report the accident.
•financial identity theft at a Sahale Falls Drive address, where a woman said someone in Florida is using her check card without her permission. The charges totaled $277.
Braselton Arrests
The Braselton Police Department made the following arrests last week:
•Sean M. Morrison, 30, 7221 Silk Tree Pointe, Braselton, DUI. An officer on patrol on Thompson Mill Road said he noticed that a vehicle slowed down and later stopped in the entrance of a subdivision, where the passenger and driver switched seats. The officer stopped the vehicle and said both of occupants appeared extremely nervous. The officer said he would also smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. During the traffic stop, Morrison told an officer that he and the other occupant of the vehicle switched seats because he didn’t have his license. Morrison didn’t want to submit a field sobriety test. An officer arrested him for DUI because of the smell of alcohol coming from his breath and body, his admission to drinking two beers about a half hour before the traffic stop and his physical manifestation, according to an incident report.
•Matthew T. Ozbun, 41, 103 Shadylawn Court, Peachtree City, failure to maintain lane and DUI. An officer spotted a vehicle on Ga. Hwy. 211 that another motorist called 911 about. The officer got behind the vehicle and saw it swerve a couple of times. During a traffic stop of the vehicle, an officer said he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle. The driver, Ozbun, had an unknown substance on his pants. Ozbun said he was driving from a strip club to his girlfriend’s house. He asked the officer to let him walk to his girlfriend’s house. Ozbun told the officer that he had a prior arrest for DUI, but the charge against him had not gone to court. He completed a field sobrerity test and provided a breath sample. An officer determined that he was unsafe to drive and arrested him.
•Lauren Andrea Hunter, 22, 117 Mitchell Street, Maysville, failure to maintain lane and DUI. An officer stopped Hunter’s vehicle for failure to maintain its lane. A second officer said Hunter had a drowsy demeanor and bloodshot eyes. Hunter told an officer that she drank a mixed alcoholic drink at a bar. Hunter completed a field sobriety test and provided a breath sample. An officer determined that she was unsafe to drive and arrester her.
