Statham Police Issue Six Citations over Past Week

Statham Police Chief Steve Martin reported the issued six citations and one warning this past week.

Here are summaries of some of the incidents to which police responded:

• On June 7, an unidentified caller contacted the police department about what she believed was a deceased dog at a residence on Railroad Street. The caller reported she had thrown a stick at the animal and it hadn’t move. Upon investigation, a Statham officer found the animal alive, although the dog did not respond to the officer’s presence. According to police, the animal had what appeared to be fresh water and food. Upon eventually making contact with the dog’s owner, the officer reported the owner stated the animal was very old and he didn't expect her to make it through the winter.
• On June 8, a Statham police officer responded to a McCarty Road residence to investigate a report that the resident had been threatened. The resident told the officer he had walked to his mailbox, where a neighbor followed him onto his property and threatened to kill him if he called police again. The resident told the officer the dispute with the neighbor was ongoing and the neighbor had been served a criminal trespass notice. The officer informed the resident that since the incident did not occur in his presence the resident would have to obtain a copy of the police report of the incident and contact magistrate court if he wished to pursue charges. The officer made contact with the neighbor, who said the resident had called him into the yard and no threats were made. The officer advised the neighbor to stay off the resident’s property even if called into the yard. 
• On June 9, an officer observed an open gate at a cell phone tower on Fieldcrest Drive. Upon further investigation, the officer found a copper theft may have occurred, as several pieces of wire seemed to be freshly cut and sections were missing. The officer contacted the owner of the site to look into the situation.
• On June 12, an officer was dispatched to the at 2077 Atlanta Highway in response to a report of shoplifting. The manager told the officer three white males and a white female entered the store. Upon watching video surveillance tapes, the officer observed one of the males exiting the store with what appeared to be a Dollar General plastic bag with toilet paper in it. The male suspect never approached the service counter to pay for any items. The female was seen entering the store, but when she exited she had a pocketbook that appeared to be very full of unknown items.