CORDELE — Warrants have been requested against a man accused of theft by taking and obstruction of an officer in the performance of his duties after the subject fled from authorities by both car and foot late Thursday night.
Patrolman Chris Forsythe said that in addition to those charges, he has also written citations against Lee Brown for reckless driving, fleeing, attempting to elude police and a stop sign violation.
All of the offenses stem from a traffic stop Forsythe made near 16th Avenue and Sixth Street for a possible window tint violation.
While the officer was obtaining a tint meter from the trunk of his patrol car, he said he heard the driver of the car in question slam the door and speed away.
The officer said he pursued the vehicle at a high rate of speed for about five blocks during which the driver failed to maintain his traffic lane and also ran a stop sign.
After coming to a stop in the Fifth Street-15th Avenue area, the driver jumped from the car and ran from the scene. After inventorying the car, Forsythe said he found a bill containing the name of a woman who when contacted came to police headquarters to file a report.
She said she was at a local service station when Brown snatched the keys from her hands and drove away in her car. She said she tried several times to call police to report her vehicle had been stolen but kept having telephone problems.
As of late Friday, police still had not been able to locate the alleged offender.
In other activity, officers:
— Investigated theft reports filed by local businessman Lance Richards and resident Isiah Marlow.
Richards told Ptl. Clinton Latham that sometime between noon last Saturday and 3 p.m. Thursday someone entered Cordele Glass Inc. property on Seventh Street North and stole a quantity of lawn equipment.
Among the missing items taken from a trailer located in the center of the business’ yard were Shindowa, Echo and Stihl weedeaters and a Stihl backpack leaf blower. No value was indicated.
Marlow told Sgt. Robert Green that a man he named had removed 25 sheets of scrap tin from the yard of his 307 N. 10th St. home. He said he learned of the theft when a neighbor called to report the items were placed into a green and white pickup truck. No value was listed.
— Received vandalism complaints made by two local women.
Jasmine Mason of a W. Fifth Ave. address told Ptl. Latham someone damaged her mailbox around 9 p.m. Thursday. The officer said the mailbox appeared to have been struck by a car.
Tequilla Tyson told Sgt. Robert Montgomery that someone had scratched and hit her Chevrolet Lumina. The car owner was unable to determine exactly when and where the car was when it was damaged.
— Charged Freddy Perez, 26, with public consumption of alcohol.
Sgt. Montgomery said he was on routine patrol when he made the case against Perez after seeing him consuming a beer while on the parking lot of a 16th Avenue East motel.
