Traffic stop leads to firearm seizure

Published 6:41 pm Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Police confiscated two firearms and arrested a Whigham man after conducting a traffic stop in Bainbridge on Saturday.

On Saturday, April 25, Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Vincent Edmonds conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Alice Street and U.S. 27 South for a seat belt violation, according to incident reports.

Deputy Edmonds reported an odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle and received permission to search the vehicle for alcoholic beverages.

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Edmonds requested that the back seat passenger, Derrick Tisellis Myles, 33, of Whigham, exit the vehicle and while checking him for weapons, a loaded handgun fell to the ground from his waistband.

When searching the vehicle, officers also found a .22-caliber revolver in the center console in plain view. None of the passengers of the vehicle claimed ownership of the gun. Both firearms were confiscated.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Myles gave a false name and once his true identity was obtained, he was arrested and charged with possession of firearm by a convicted felon, giving false information, carrying a concealed weapon and a parole violation on the original charge of burglary.

Burglary arrest made

Bainbridge Public Safety arrested an Attapulgus man after an early Sunday morning home burglary.

At around 3:30 a.m., BPS Investigator Chris Jordan responded to a reported burglary that occurred at an East College Street home. The homeowner reported that a number of items, including a DVD player, laptop, Playstation 3, were stolen with an estimated total value of $3,000.

Jordan said the homeowners believed an Attapulgus man, Michael Anthony Mirick, 21, of 211 S. Wilson St., was responsible for the burglary.

He said approximately 30 minutes later he responded to an altercation occurring between the burglary victims and Mirick at his home. Jordan said he interviewed Mirick, who admitted to having a number of the items in the trunk of his car. He later led investigators to a wooded area behind an Attapulgus business where the remainder of the items were located.

Mirick was arrested and charged with burglary.

Safety check nets arrests

A multi-agency road safety check conducted Saturday night resulted in two DUI arrests and one misdemeanor illegal drug charge, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Working together with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the Pautala Circuit Drug Task Force, the Georgia State Patrol conducted the checkpoint on Georgia 253 South near the border between Seminole and Decatur counties.

In all, state troopers from the GSP’s Colquitt, Ga., post issued seven traffic citations and 12 warnings as a result of the four-hour check, according to Cpl. Kyle Duke. Offenses included failure to place a child in safety restraints, possession of an open container and non-working equipment such as headlights and tail lights, Duke said.

State troopers also made one arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol under the age of 21. While patrolling near Brinson early Sunday morning, Trooper Jay Tucker observed Michael Alan Marty, 20, of 466 Woodhull Road, Bainbridge, attempt to turn off one road onto another and then turn back onto the one he had been traveling on, causing the state patrolman to stop Marty’s SUV. Marty was charged with DUI and making an improper turn.

In Georgia, drivers under the age of 21 can be charged with DUI for having a blood alcohol content of .02 or greater, a level that can be reached by consuming just one drink and then proceeding to drive less than an hour afterwards.