An early Tuesday morning wreck on U.S. 27 North and Bethel Road caused one car to flip and sent four people to the hospital.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m., a driver in a Nissan Pathfinder traveling south on U.S. 27 attempted to turn left onto Bethel Road that struck a Nissan Altima traveling north on U.S. 27, said Bainbridge Public Safety Sgt. Marvin Knight.

The Altima collided with the Pathfinder on its passenger side, causing the Pathfinder to roll onto the hood of a Honda Accord at the stop sign on Bethel Road. The Altima came to rest on its driver side, leaving the driver pinned between the steering wheel and the seat.

Decatur County Fire and Rescue helped BPS officers free the driver of the Pathfinder. They used the jaws of life to remove the top of the vehicle and then cut away the steering wheel and safety belt she was wearing, said BPS Fire Chief Dennis Mock.

The female driver of the Altima may have suffered a broken arm and the female driver of the Pathfinder sustained lacerations to her head, said Sgt. Knight. He said the two passengers in the Accord were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The skid marks from the Altima attempting to stop were in excess of 20 feet.

Sgt. Knight said it appeared everyone involved in the accident was wearing safety belts.

Meth lab discovered

Sheriff’s deputies made two arrests and confiscated a methamphetamine lab last Saturday, thanks to a conscious home owner on Bennett Rentz Road.

The home owner discovered a meth lab on his property made from a large pickle jar and when he inspected it, he saw the pink substance inside was bubbling, according to incident reports. The man went to his home and called police. While on the phone, the home owner witnessed a man walking away from the area of the meth lab toward a nearby camper.

Upon arrival, Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Trammell and Sgt. Steve Singleton witnessed a vehicle leaving the camper. They followed and performed a traffic stop at which time the passenger, 44-year-old Allen McCurley of Donalsonville, fled into the woods. Investigators called in the Apalachee Correctional Institution tracking dogs out of Sneads, Fla. The dogs picked up McCurley’s scent and police recovered meth-related contraband they believe he dropped while running, said DCSO Major Wendell Cofer. The dogs lost the scent when they reached a nearby highway.

A butane can and a set of scales were found in a bag in the back seat of the car. Inside the camper, investigators found more precursors to meth production and parts of a previous meth lab, said Cofer.

Both the car’s driver, Suzianne Bell, 40, of Colquitt, and Dawn Hill, 39, of 393 Bennett Rentz Road, were arrested and charged with possession of meth and manufacturing meth.

Bell was also charged with possession of marijuana in addition to a warrant for a probation violation, original charge of driving on suspended license, no insurance and expired tag.

Police are seeking warrants for McCurley.

Tranquilizers found at school

A 14-year-old Bainbridge High School student was taken to the hospital on Dec. 3 for prescription drug use.

According to incident reports, the female student was taken to the hospital because she appeared to be under the influence of drugs. At the hospital she told police she purchased 10 pills of alprazolam, also known as Xanax, from another student at school for $30. She said she took five pills in one school day.

The school resource officer searched the student she named and did not locate any pills or money.

Arrests & Citations

The following arrests and citations, occurring between Dec. 5-8, have been reported by Bainbridge Public Safety and the Decatur County Jail:

• Christopher Monroe Brown, 26, 215 Greenshade Road, Bainbridge, obstruction, driving while license suspended or revoked, DUI, failure to maintain lane, probation violation—original charge burglary, probation violation—original charge possession of cocaine, SO;

• Andreika Green, 20, 1015 MLK Drive, Bainbridge, possession of drug related objects, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, SO;

• Andrecas Laron Harris, 19, P.O. Box 113, Fowlstown, Ga., driving while license suspended or revoked, the move over law, SO;

• Aaron Howard, 17, 1105 Lake Drive, Apt. 1803, Bainbridge, disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property (first degree), BPS;

• Jordan Rashad Howard, 19, 816 Bruton St., Bainbridge, disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property (first degree), BPS;

• David Lee Barfield, 37, 448 Whigham Dairy Road, Bainbridge, probation violation—original charge deposit account fraud, SO;

• Marcea Renarda Halyard, 26, 829 Washington St., Bainbridge, forgery in the first degree, SO;

• Reese Welch, 34, Cairo, Ga., probation violation—original charge driving on suspended license, SO;

• Andrea Monique Salter, 21, Damascus, Ga., shoplifting (first offense), BPS;

• Evander Vann Burkett III, 57, Dothan, Ala., DUI, open container, reckless driving, expired tag or decal, leaving the scene of an accident, driving on wrong side of the road, no insurance, GSP;

• Melissa Gay Dollar, 43, 502 Green St., Bainbridge, parole violation—original charge forgery, SO;

• Rufus Jerome Lewis, Jr., 35, 1108 MLK Drive, Bainbridge, shoplifting, SO;

• Jeremiah Baker, 20, 2206 Fowlstown Road, Lot 20, Bainbridge, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, BPS;

• Keith Javodd West, 23, 1508 E. MLK Drive, Bainbridge, shoplifting (first offense), BPS;

• Jonathan Evans, 20, 808 Lord Ave., Bainbridge, DUI, failure to maintain lane, DUI, BPS;

• Dennis Michael Eakin, 17, 2384 Faceville Hwy., Bainbridge, driving while license suspended or revoked, BPS.