Oconee Blotter: Thousands of dollars lost in multiple scams on Oconee residents

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents:

AVOIDING DEPUTY: On June 16, Sgt. Andrew Henderson was traveling along Georgia Highway 316 when he noticed a car in the left lane traveling slow in an apparent effort to avoid passing him. When Henderson slowed down, the car also slowed. When the officer slowed to 45 mph in the 65 mph zone, the car did pass. The deputy saw that the tag was expired so a traffic stop was made. The 24-year-old Elberton man had an open bottle of liquor in the car along with some marijuana and some cannabis oil gummies. He was taken to jail.

RECKLESS DRIVER: On June 17, Deputy Jonathan Strum responded to a dispatch about a reckless driver traveling on Highway 316 from Barrow County into Oconee County. The officer located and observed the vehicle swerving in the road, then make a U-turn back toward Barrow. The vehicle was stopped and the driver, in a mumbling and slurred speech, said he was headed to Athens to see his girlfriend. Asked why he made a U-turn, he replied that he and the woman had argued so he was going home. The man had an open bottle of Tequila, but denied drinking, then later confessed to having two shots. The 30-year-old Monroe man was charged with DUI.

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WARRANT FRAUD: On June 16, Deputy Baer Schiffer met with a 49-year-old woman, who fell for a common fraud perpetrated around the state. She received a telephone from a man claiming he was an Athens-Clarke police officer and that because she failed to appear in court a warrant was issued for her arrest. However, she could pay $3,000 to avoid incarceration. The woman had recently been to court, but still felt it might be a scam. However, she sent the money on the Venmo app and while on the telephone with the scam artist, she was directed to drive to the Athens-Clarke police headquarters. The man remained on the phone with her until she arrived at the police station, at which point he hung up. Police told her to report the crime to the sheriff’s office.

GIFT CARDS: On June 16, Deputy Annessa Glenn met with a 69-year-old Blue Ridge man, who reported he was at a location in Oconee when he received an e-mail in regards to a Bitcoin purchase. The person explained they would refund him the money and asked to have remote access to his computer. He complied and once they had access to his computer he provided his banking account. The person then proceeded to remove $3,225 from his account. When he was also asked to go and purchase some gift cards, he knew he was scammed.

NUDE PHOTOS: On June 16, Deputy Joshua Warren met with an 18-year-old Watkinsville man, who said he was contacted by someone who claimed to have pictures of him naked and if he didn’t send them $700 the photos would be distributed to his followers. The teen sent the money on the sendwave app.

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FELONY THREAT: On June 18, Deputy C. Shook and four other offices went to a home on Epps Bridge Parkway, where a 59-year-old man said another man at the location threatened to kill him with an axe. The deputy located the 50-year-old suspect and he had a hatchet. He was charged with aggravated assault.

LITTLE SWERVING: On June 18, Deputy Annessa Glenn spotted a Ford Ranger swerving on Highway 316, so she made a traffic stop. The 22-year-old Bogart man admitted in slurred speech that “I was a little bit swerving.” The man offered that he was looking forward to going to the Waffle House. The man, who smelled of alcohol and had red eyes, told the officer that if she would let him go he “would drive like a NASCAR driver to his dad’s house.” He was taken to jail instead.

EMPLOYEE DISPUTE: On June 17, Deputy Bill Reynolds was dispatched to Freddy’s restaurant at the Oconee Connector, where two employees had engaged in a dispute. During the dispute, one employee said the other, a teenager who had been drinking alcohol, pulled a knife on him. The man didn’t want to press charges.

BOOTS: On June 15, a 31-year-old Athens man was taken into custody for stealing a pair of boots and a pair of pants at Walmart. The suspect explained someone stole his work boots so he came to Walmart to steal another pair.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Several frauds and scams cost victims thousands