Sometimes reading the news, just leaves me shaking my head.
While investigating one story, I stumbled upon two other ones, through the same source, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer - "Crime scene" three times: Columbus, Georgia.
Too Drunk To Go To Jail
A 46 year old Columbus man, James Allen C., was arrested last week, after relieving himself in a local grocery store. Columbus police officer William Ragland told the Ledger-Enquirer that he was called in the middle of the afternoon to check on an intoxicated man at the local Piggly Wiggly. (No pun intended!)
The shirtless man was lying on the floor with his pants below his butt after he had urinated on the floor. After a melee with the suspect and being helped by a soldier from nearby Fort Benning, the police officer was able to arrest the man. Fortunately nobody was injured during the struggle.
“He was so highly intoxicated that the jail refused him,” Ragland told the Ledger-Enquirer and added: “He actually ended up spending several hours in the hospital having to sober up.”
Represented by a public defender, the man plead guilty to disorderly conduct while intoxicated, obstruction and possession of drug paraphernalia. The judge sentenced him to 30 days in Muscogee County Jail, suspended if he pays a fine of $250 on the conduct charge. The other charges were forwarded to a State Court and bond was set at $500 for the other charges.
You know the saying "cling together, swing together" - well a 22 year old Valdosta, Georgia women, Karima T., may have to swing for a while on her own.
She got arrested early Saturday (1/7) after being left in a stolen car. The driver of the car is still unaccounted for, after he fled on foot leaving his passenger alone and ready to be arrested, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The woman was charged with possession of 10 grams of cocaine, 16 pain pills and being in possession of a Taurus firearm during a commission of a crime. Police were quoted in the newspaper as putting the value of the drugs at $1,360
In the last case, the article didn't really elaborate on how things came down, but reading the charges against 38-year old Steven W., it's quite easy to put the puzzle pieces together.
He was arrested Saturday (1/7) afternoon and according to police reports, printed in the Ledger-Enquirer, he "has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Other charges were driving with a suspended license, improper display of a license plate and violating the alcoholic beverage open container law."
The cops either pulled him over, because of his "misplaced" license plate or because they saw him drinking while driving.
According to Georgia law, your license will be suspended for at least six months, if you are charged with a drug offense. so it is possible, he was charged before. As a repeat offender, he may be looking at several years behind bars now.
He got the distribution charge (felony) because he had the 19 grams of marijuana divided into 26 bags. Would he have had the pot in one bag, the distribution charge would likely not have been called. Also with "only" 19 grams, he had below an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana on him, which would have resulted in "only" a misdemeanor charge, even in a second or third case.
Even though the full names of the accused were printed, I abbreviated their last name, according to European standards, reporting about crime. Also all people are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Cover Photo: Tobi Toaster (Creative Commons) Article Photo: Alcatraz Prison Cell by Tim Pearce flickr (Creative Commons), drugpossessionlaws.com
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