Royston man charged with having stolen guns

Keith Weylin Varnum, 37, 540 Dove Drake Road, was charged with theft by receiving stolen property and 10 counts of receipt, possession, or transfer of a firearm by a convicted felon or felony first offender.

According to the incident report, officer Brandon Hanley, Sheriff Kip Thomas and several other officers, including a Franklin County officer, went to Varnum’s residence in an attempt to locate the firearms. Varnum admitted to having the guns and he allowed officers to retrieve them.

In another arrest, Tommy Dupree Highland, 63, 301 Faye Carey Road, Danielsville, was charged with battery, criminal trespass and obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency call after an officer was sent to the residence following the report of a physical domestic dispute. Highland told officer Bradley Free that he and a woman were “just fussing” but he did admit that he had taken her phone away to keep her from calling 9-1-1 because he just wanted to talk with her. The woman stated the argument started over Highland being upset over how his coffee was made when he got out of bed that morning. She said she was trying to call a shelter because she had nowhere else to go when he grabbed her phone and broke it. Her glasses were broken and her left arm was bruised. She said Highland and she are just friends and that she came over the previous night because she did not have anywhere else to go.

Other arrests on file at the sheriff’s office this week included:

•Randall Todd Harris, 41, 220 Gillsville Lake Road, Gillsville, was charged with dumping egregious litter after he was found burning copper wire in a metal drum at Mike’s Body Shop on Hwy. 98 West. He said he got the wire from his sister, but his sister told officers she had no knowledge of any wire.

•Rufus Lee Kelley, 51, 351 Farm Road, Colbert, was charged with the false report of a crime after he told a 9-1-1 dispatcher that someone was in his yard with an assault rifle trying to kill him. He told officer Jeffrey Vaughn that he had said that “because it would speed up the response time for the sheriff’s office.” Vaughn found Kelley and another man in his yard talking when he arrived. There was no weapon.

•Nikki Nelson Allen, 91 Old Canon Church Road, Bowersville, failure to appear.

•Eric Gary Brewer, 48, 2821 Holly Springs Road, Pendergrass, brake light/turn signal violation, fleeing or attempting to elude and reckless driving.

•Gregory Michael Byrd, 48, 505 Norwood Drive, Athens, DUI/alcohol and no proof of insurance.

•Angela Victoria Callaway, 50, 37 Bison Wood Road, Lexington, failure to appear.

•George Thomas Collins, 42, 1171 Della Slaton Road, Comer, DUI/alcohol and failure to report striking a fixed object.

•Boyd Crocker Junior, 51, 125 Walnut Drive, Alto, failure to appear.

•Cory Shannon DeJesus, 39, 1862 Jones Ferry Road, Elberton, driving without a valid license and no proof of insurance. (Comer PD)

•Ronald Nelson Epps, 53, 1857 Pine Valley Farm Road, Comer, receipt, possession, or transfer of a firearm by a convicted felon or felony first offender, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, sawed-off rifle, machine gun, dangerous weapon or silencer, seat belt violation. (GSP)

•Willie James Faust, 56, 19 Beaver Run, Winterville, failure to appear.

•James Bernard Flanigan, 25, 360 Buckland Drive, Athens, probation violation.

•Danielle Rae Hill, 24, 55 Mathews Sims Road, Comer, driving while license withdrawn. (Comer PD)

•Richard James Holloway, 61, 2705 Trutter Pointe Drive, Snellville, failure to appear.

•Dustin Horne, 19, 1401 Irvin Kirk Road, Danielsville, probation violation.

•Michael Ryan Jackson, 24, 400 Paces Parkway Suite 403, Woodstock, DUI/alcohol and weaving over roadway.

•Kelvis Kentae Lundy, 28, 222 Rustwood Drive, Athens, failure to appear.

•Randy Dean McLaughlin, 17, 1445 Cedar Shoals Drive, Athens, driving without a valid license.

•Willie Antonio Mena, 37, 145 Old Godfrey Hwy., Eatonton, hold for Morgan County.

•Jerry Moody, 56, 300 Sanders Road, Athens, two counts of theft by taking.

•Stacie Jo Player, 40, 2627 Stone Drive, Comer, child or youth restraint not used properly, seat belt violation and driving while license withdrawn.

•Jermaine Dale Rucker, 32, 1110 Porter Drive, Elberton, probation violation.

•Sonya Renee Smith, 41, 400 Coile Drive, Crawford, driving while license withdrawn and no proof of insurance.

•Michael Charles Swilling, 24, 206 Osley Mill Lane, Comer, probation violation.

•Ashely Leanne Watson, 28, 204 Amberly Drive, Hull, probation violation.

•Terry Alton West, 46, 3657 Wildcat Bridge Road, Royston, probation violation.

•Latasha Shanta Wilbon, 32, 42 Sidetrack Way, Comer, probation violation.

•Aemark Reshaw Young, 33, 26, Peach Circle, Jefferson, probation violation.