Local News
Police (Off)Beat | Honest man arrested for needing beer
- A man holding a "Why lie? I need beer" sign was arrested for darting into traffic after less-than-amused policemen approached on the Lee Street exit of I-20 in downtown Atlanta.
- It's so hot in Atlanta that the cards police use to obtain fingerprints are melting on car dashboards.
- What's the street price of marijuana? The price varies, according to reports by undercover police officers, who paid as much as $10 for 1.4 grams on Candler Road (enough for three joints) and as little as $25 for 8.4 grams at a South DeKalb Mall kiosk (enough for 17 joints).
- A 21-year-old Stone Mountain man caught kicking in a BMW dashboard to steal a GPS unit screamed "I live for this [bleep]!" before charging a DeKalb police officer and punching him in the eye.
- A man driving a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am crossed the center line on Franklin Road in Cobb County "several times" while snorting cocaine.
- A Pryor Street man is having trouble getting a good night's sleep after arguing with his girlfriend and realizing she left his apartment with his 9mm.
- A man pulled over in a tanning salon van was burned by the screwdriver jammed into the stolen vehicle's ignition.
- A Marietta McDonald's manager is accused of punching a woman in the face who brought a service dog and autistic children into the restaurant, according to a warrant.
- A 91-year-old Atlanta woman told police her grandson, a Navy seaman, called from the Dominican Republic to say he was in the island nation's jail after being involved in a traffic accident. He asked her for $3,800, which she wired via Western Union. The next day, a man claiming to be her grandson's lawyer called and told her his fees amounted to $6,800. She paid that too, but her grandson has yet to call and say thanks.
- The manager of a downtown Atlanta hotel told police a woman dancing around in the lobby in a boxer's stance refused to leave. The woman screamed she wanted to see Dr. Barack Obama and that she was a lawyer and physician in town to fight the "occupancy law" of Illinois. Her purse contained a perhaps unused bottle of prescription pills.
- A Marietta woman is accused of stealing beer and 17 "picnic items" from a Lower Roswell Road Kroger.
- A U.S. Airways employee told a passenger wearing two neck ties he couldn't buy a ticket while intoxicated. The man became irate, screaming "I can fly whenever I want to!" He stumbled away from the ticket counter, leaving his luggage behind. The cop told the man unattended luggage is considered a security risk. The man yelled "I'm leaving it" in the cop's face. Once in handcuffs, the man fell asleep astride an airport toilet.
- A 26-year-old Stone Mountain man stupid enough to flash a "gang sign" in the presence of a DeKalb police officer was asked to dump the contents of his Crown Royal bag. Inside, police found dozens of ecstasy pills and a bag of weed.
- A man sipping from a large can of Miller High Life while driving down Glenco Drive was pulled over and had a pocket full of cocaine, according to DeKalb police.
About the Author
George Mathis has worked in the AJC newsroom since 1999 in a variety of roles including editing local news, blogger and columnist.
