Statham Police Respond to Multiple Car Crashes over Past Week

Officers with the responded to eight motor vehicle collisions over the past week, an increase Chief Steve Martin attributed to speed and deer — "lots of them," he wrote in an e-mail to Barrow Patch.

The department also issued eight citations and four warnings. Martin said that due to the high number of accidents and high speeds officers are regularly seeing, the department will be operating enhanced traffic enforcement through the end of the year.

Here are summaries of recent incidents to which Statham officers responded.

• On Nov. 18, 2011, officers responded to a report of the possible death of an elderly female. Upon arrival, they met with family members and found that a resident had passed away in her sleep. The county coroner was called to the scene and released the deceased to Smith's Funeral Home.
• On Nov. 20, 2011, officers responded to an Atlanta Highway location regarding a report of a stolen vehicle. Officers met with the complainant, who said some time between 11 p.m. Nov. 19 and 5:30 p.m. Nov. 20 someone stole a white, 2008 Nissan Maxima from the parking lot. The car was entered as stolen on the national and state law enforcement computer systems.