Five young men from Bainbridge were arrested by the Department of Natural Resources shortly before midnight on Nov. 9 for illegal hunting at night.

Emergency 911 initially received a call of gun shots being heard in the area of Hutchinson Ferry Road and Hannatown Road. Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Humberto Dean made a traffic stop on a truck he located driving in the area. At which time they called in the DNR.

All five males in the extended cab truck, Andrew Cody Hyler, 20, of 525 Academy St.; Daryl Christopher Smith, 20, of 412 John Sam Road; Jordan Dewayne Cox, 17, of 163 Flint River Heights; James Ryan Higgins, 19, of 104 Blacken Fern Lane; and Jessie Allen Huckeba, 23, of 252 Cliff Circle Road were charged with hunting deer at night, hunting from a vehicle and hunting big game from a public road.

After transporting three of the males to jail, Dean located two hydrocodone pills under the rear seat where Higgins was sitting, according to incident reports.

In addition to the illegal hunting charges Higgins was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana (less than ounce).

Huckeba was also charged with possession of marijuana (less than ounce).

A DNR official said hunting deer at night carries a maximum penalty of loss of hunting privileges for two years and a steep fine.

Funding renewed for DUI programs

The Georgia State Patrol was recently awarded 2009 grant funding for two of its program.

Col. Bill Hitchens announced the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety approved funding for the Georgia State Patrol Nighthawks and the agency’s Administrative License Suspension (ALS) program. Both were created in 2004.

The ALS program provides GSP troopers training, legal assistance and, in some cases, legal representation for testifying at ALS hearings for people charged with DUI. ALS hearings occur when drivers contest a state administrative suspension of a driver’s license.

The GSP Nighthawks are a team that undergoes specialized training in impaired driving enforcement. They were recognized as the best DUI enforcement unit in North America as part of their annual Chiefs’ Challenge. The Nighthawks have already arrested 679 people for DUI so far this year as they patrol Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinett counties during peak hours for impaired drivers.

Arrests & Citations

The following arrests and citations, occurring between Nov. 10-13, have been reported by Bainbridge Public Safety and the Decatur County Jail:

•  Tiffany Danielle Culverson, 25, 128 Black Jack Road, driving while license suspended or revoked, SO;

•  Fernando Deleon, 24, 132 Johnny Skipper Road, Bainbridge, probation violation—original charge no state license, SO;

•  Yzetta Voneshilker Grant, 18, 851 MLK Drive, Bainbridge, deposit account fraud, SO;

•  James Perry Hall, 55, Route 1, Box 282, Attapulgus, burglary, SO;

•  Juan Pu Itzep, 34, 400 Belfew Road, Bainbridge, fighting in public place, SO;

•  William Michael Leverette, 44, 2734 Old Whigham Road, Bainbridge, probation violation—original charge theft by taking auto, SO;

•  Felton Lanell Millner, 34, Belle Glade, Fla., DUI, improper U-turn, possession of marijuana (less than ounce), GSP;

•  Roberto Morales, 28, 804 Water St., Bainbridge, DUI, disregarding officer directing traffic, driving without license, BPS;

•  Mario Cruz Perez, 32, 400 Belfew Road, Bainbridge, fighting in public place, SO;

• Tony Alexander Reese, 37, 812 Dennard St., Bainbridge, driving while license suspended or revoked, SO;

•  Deonte Tvaris Smith, 18, 6058 Hebrew Road, Bainbridge, burglary, BPS;

•  Frances Jane Trulock, 51, 703 Russ St., Bainbridge, failure to maintain lane (two counts), GSP;

•  Christy West, 27, 160 Lynn Justice Road, Bainbridge, deposit account fraud, SO;

•  Kevin Lee Wilson, 32, Pahokee, Fla., possession of marijuana (less than an ounce), GSP;

•  Anthony Benjamin Windows, 21, Albany, Ga., possession of cell phone by an inmate, SO;

•  Erick Lamar Grant, 25, 1502 Pineland Drive, Bainbridge, simple battery, BPS;

•  Shareda Ann Jackson, 28, 710 Gordon Ave., Apt. D-15, Bainbridge, disorderly conduct, obstruction, BPS;

•  Lakesha Turner, 29, 1405 E. Broughton St., Bainbridge, shoplifting (first offense), BPS;

•  Harry Ingram, 28, 244 Pine Forest Road, Bainbridge, driving while license suspended or revoked, BPS.