Colbert woman charged with animal cruelty

Tammy Ann Craft, 39, 399 Christmas Circle, was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals after animal control officer Jack Huff received a phone call about two dogs at her residence being in “bad health and chained up close to the roadway.” Huff went to the residence, took photos of the dogs and called the sheriff’s office. He and officer Matthew Pilkington then went back to the residence where they met with Craft, who stated that the dogs were hers. One was a brown pit bulldog and the other a shepherd mix, according to the report. Pilkington noted that both dogs “were neglected and in an emaciated state.” She signed the dogs over to animal control and Huff reportedly took them to the animal control facility for medical attention and proper nutrition. Warrants were issued for Craft.

In another incident, a Danielsville woman was arrested following a domestic dispute last week that turned violent.

Betty Jo Johnson, 47, 4871 Colbert-Danielsville Road, was charged with battery after she allegedly struck her husband in the face. According to the incident report, deputy Brandon Hanley was dispatched to the couple’s home where he found Johnson, who was intoxicated. She told the officer that she hit her husband and that he then pushed her to the ground during an argument. Hanley said he did not see any injuries to her person but that her husband’s face was swollen and red. Her husband said she struck him in the face and then attempted to hit him with a cooking pot. The officer noted that a black cooking pot nearby was bent where it struck the kitchen counter. Her husband said he pushed her away from him in self-defense.

She was taken to jail and he was advised of the TPO process.

Other incidents on file at the sheriff’s office included:

•Two missing juveniles were reported on Shoal Creek Road.

•Criminal trespass was reported on West First Avenue last week after a man told officers that a houseguest became disorderly. According to the incident report, the offender stayed the night at the victim’s house before others came over to visit. The offender reportedly became upset at something the victim said during a conversation with the visitors and told him to “come outside to fight.” The offender went outside first and the victim shut and locked the door behind him. The offender then hit the glass on the door, breaking it. The offender left by the time the officers arrived.

•Criminal trespass was reported on Hwy. 106 after a woman said she was driving when she heard a very loud noise and later noticed a small ding in her driver’s side front door. The officer noted that it appeared the car was hit by a BB or pellet rifle.

•Burglary was reported on Jot-Em-Down Road when a man said his wife returned home and found a strange man on the back porch. She drove down the street and parked with her lights off and when he arrived home he found the “shaggy” haired white male standing in their backyard near a storage building. The subject ran through the woods behind their building at that point. The man said their front door was left unlocked and when he went inside he found a cabinet open in the living room and an envelope with $600 inside missing. No other items were reported missing.

•A man on Blacks Creek Church Road reported that someone had cut the screen on his back door while his daughter was home alone around 3 p.m. He said his daughter had called him to tell him she heard what sounded like someone trying to break into the residence.

•Harassing phone calls were reported on Lucky Jones Road when a woman said that she had been receiving threatening text messages from a man who is dating her daughter. She said the man had come to her residence earlier and they got into an argument because she and her husband had told him not to come there. She was advised of the TPO and warrant process.

•A man on Booger Hill Road reported that the back window of his truck had been broken out while it was parked under a carport behind his home. The damage appeared to have been done, according to the report, by either a rock or a bolt. A bolt was found in the bed of the truck under the toolbox.

•Criminal trespass was reported on Sailors Road last week after someone called 911 to report a trespasser. The victim said he has had problems with someone coming onto his property during the night and that his son woke him up about 12:30 a.m. and said something hit his window. The victim went outside today and found mud had been put on his son’s window.

•A woman on Morris Lane reported that she thinks her ex-boyfriend has been putting roofing nails in her driveway. She also said her parents above ground pool was cut, possibly with a box knife. She said she and the suspect used to date, but that he is now upset because she is talking to her “baby’s daddy” again. She said the same type of roofing nails had been placed in his driveway on McGinnis Chandler Road as well. She later called to report that a roofing nail was found in one of her tires and that she located a picture of the suspect in her center console that had not been there before. The officer spoke with the suspect by phone, but he denied placing the nails in the driveways and said that his picture had been in the car when he and the victim broke up.

•A woman on Pine Street reported that she was having problems with her ex-boyfriend because he is verbally abusive to her and that he became irate as he was moving his belongings from her residence. She said he called her a name and threatened to harm her and that she is in fear for her safety. She was explained the TPO process and told to call 911 if he returns.

•A man on Settler’s Ridge came to sheriff’s office to report that he had received a letter from the State of Georgia saying that his Social Security number may have been accessed or compromised.

•A 17-year-old male was charged with disrupting public school after he reportedly struck another male in the head at the high school’s alternative school.

•Financial identity fraud was reported on Blacks Creek Church Road after a man reported that a finance company said they could not file his taxes for 2010 because someone had already used his Social Security number for this year. He then contacted the IRS which told him that he had an outstanding balance of $7,000 due from 2008. The victim said he didn’t file taxes that year because he was incarcerated. The IRS told him they would be conducting their own investigation. He was told by the responding officer to obtain as much information as he could from the IRS.

•A woman on Hwy. 106 South reported that she received a letter from the State of Georgia informing her that certain identifying information of hers may have been accessed illegally.

•A man on Old Kincaid Road came to the sheriff’s office to report that he had received a letter from the Department of Corrections stating that a felon had used his Social Security number. At the time of the report, the victim stated he did not know of any incidents where anyone has used his number fraudulently.
•A woman on Fitzpatrick Road reported that she noticed several items missing from her home since she had been allowing a man to stay there with her daughter. She said when the suspect left that day she noticed that several other items were missing.

•Financial identity fraud was reported on Davis Street after a woman complained that her sister had been using her Social Security card in an attempt to get credit cards. She said she found out about the matter when she began getting notices that the credit card applications were denied. She said her sister has also used her name and Social Security number to write checks to obtain groceries. The warrant process was explained to her.

•Aggravated sexual battery was reported on Allen Road after a woman said that her daughter made complaints about a 70-year-old man having inappropriate contact with her.

•A woman on Piedmont Road reported that her ex-boyfriend has been harassing her by calling or texting her at least once a day since he left in May. She said she would like to get him served with a TPO, but did not know where he was living. She requested a subpoena of his phone records to be able to get his address.

•A woman on Irvin Kirk Road reported that her husband has been calling and harassing her since he left their home that day. She said they got into a physical altercation on the morning of Jan. 25 because he came home later than she wanted him to. During that altercation, she claimed that her husband hit her on the back of the head with a beer can, requiring five staples to mend the wound, but that she did not file a report at that time. The warrant process through magistrate court was explained to her and also the TPO process. She was told to call 911 if her husband came back causing any trouble.

•A woman on Hwy. 72 West said she believes a friend who has been staying at her residence took her debit card from her pocket book. She said that $500 is also missing from her account and that she had already cancelled the card.

•A woman on Old Danielsville Road reported that a man came to her residence trying to take her dog. She said that the dog was in her front yard and that a white male in a white pickup stopped in the road and was trying to load her dog into his truck. She said the man then came in the yard and started fussing with her about the dog, saying if he “ever seen the dog running loose again he was going to take it.” She said she told the man to get off her property and that he told her he would “come on her property any time he wanted.” When she told him she was going to call the law, he reportedly left. A family member reportedly told her there was a truck matching that description in her yard the day before.

•A man on East Paoli Road called to report a burglary that occurred at his residence sometime between Jan. 10 and Jan. 22. The man said he is in the military overseas and had just come back when he was notified of the incident. The main wire to the power meter box had been cut and a door pried open. A gas heater, a stove and a refrigerator had been stolen from the hall and kitchen.
•A woman on Emerald Circle came to the sheriff’s office to report that an unknown person was using her name and identifiers to obtain various credit purchases and loans. She said she discovered this through her credit report. The identity thefts have reportedly taken place from 1999 – 2009.
•An employee of the Piedmont Water Company’s Colbert office reported that someone broke into the office and took brass pipe-fittings and a weed eater. He also said the office had been entered before but that he did not report it, though items were also taken at that time. He stated he would e-mail a list of items from both burglaries to the sheriff’s office.
•A man on Norwood Road reported that rental property behind his residence had been severely damaged. He said someone broke all the windows, kicked the door in and damaged all of the inside of the mobile home. He said he did not believe anything was missing, but things were torn up. He said he did not have insurance on the property.

•A man came to the sheriff’s office to report that his debit card number had been used fraudulently at a Family Dollar Store in another state. He said he had already reported the incident to his bank, First Citizens.

•Harassing phone calls were reported on Hudson River Church Road last week. A man there said a woman he knows has been sending him harassing text messages and that he has changed his phone number. He said he is concerned she will come to his home and cause problems. The officer told him if she does come to his house, to call 911 for assistance.

•A realtor showing a vacant home on Brush Creek Drive, reported that someone had broken the door open. There was nothing missing from the home.
•Harassing phone calls were reported on Pine Street. The complainants said they have been getting phone calls and texts from a person known to them who threatens to call DFACS and to do bodily harm to them.

•The mother of a middle school student reported that her son was assaulted on a school bus on Booger Hill Road.

•A man on Foote McClellan Road reported that his 1987 Chevy truck was stolen. He said the truck was sitting in his yard down by the road with a for sale sign in it. The truck was described as a regular cab with two-wheel drive chassis, black exterior and five dents in the original paint job. The truck has extra wide tires with mag wheels and is black inside with a cracked dashboard. He said he suspects a man who offered to buy the truck in the past has taken it. The officer went to the suspect’s home but could not spot the vehicle on or around the property. The truck was listed on GCIC as stolen.

•A woman on Norwood Road reported that someone had damaged her Pontiac Vibe by shattering the back glass with a beer bottle as it sat in her yard.

•A woman came to the sheriff’s office to report her 55-year old mother missing from her Horace Reed Road home. The woman said her mother had walked away from the home after she became angry with her. She said she thought her mother had gone outside to smoke a cigarette but when she didn’t return after about 45 minutes she went to look for her. She said she and a friend had both been searching the area but could not find her. The woman said her mother has a history of strokes and perhaps dementia/Alzheimer’s. She was entered on the missing persons listings.

•A woman reported that she had left her wallet at Ingles in Hull and when she went back to get it she found the money was missing from it. According to the woman, Ingles had a video of the male subject who turned in the wallet to them, but they did not get a name.