A Brinson man was critically injured when his pickup truck ran off the side of U.S. Highway 84 West and struck a tree on Saturday evening, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

The accident happened at about 5 p.m. Saturday, just west of Highway 84’s intersection with Gaston Road, about five miles west of Bainbridge.

Donald Mayfield, 55, of 2346 Yates Springs Road, Brinson, was driving a 2000 Nissan Frontier westbound on U.S. 84.

“We had three witnesses who stated he just drove off the side of the road, where he struck a tree in the ditch,” said Senior Trooper Charles Hall of the Georgia State Patrol’s Colquitt post.

Firefighters had to pry open the driver’s side door of the truck to free Mayfield so that he could be treated by paramedics. The injured driver was transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital by emergency medical helicopter. Mayfield was still listed as being in critical condition as of Sunday morning, Senior Trooper Hall said.

BPS makes drug bust at apartments

Bainbridge police paid an early morning visit to a West Bainbridge apartment Friday, which led to the arrest of one of its residents on illegal drug charges.

Bainbridge Public Safety investigators began an investigation into sales of illegal drugs at Rivers Apartments, located at 1105 Lake Drive, and executed a search warrant at Apartment 706 at about 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Inside the apartment was 22-year-old Tashunski Levon Green, who had been asleep when officers arrived, BPS Investigator Mark Esquivel said. A search of the residence and Green’s pants pockets uncovered 32 bags of suspected powder cocaine and two bags of marijuana. Green was arrested without incident and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana (less than an ounce).

Deputy reports tires slashed

A Decatur County Sheriff’s deputy reported to Bainbridge police that someone had flattened all four of his patrol car’s tires by cutting them.

Sheriff’s Deputy Efrain Beltran said his patrol car had been parked outside his residence, in a subdivision off Lake Douglas Road, on Thursday night. When Beltran left his house, to go to work Friday morning, he noticed the tires had been flattened.

Bainbridge Public Safety officers took pictures of the damage to the vehicle, which is under investigation.

Anyone with more information is asked to call BPS investigators at (229) 248-2044.

Another copper theft

BPS received another report of copper wire theft on Saturday, Jan. 7. The pastor of Magnolia Baptist Church, located at 1012 Center Street, called to report that sometime between Jan. 4-7 that someone had damaged the church’s heating and air conditioning unit by cutting out copper tubing inside it.

Other copper thefts and damage to air conditioning units were reported last week at: Jamestown Apartments, 909 Palm Street; The Friendship House, 220 N. Russ Street; a residence at 900 MLK Jr. Drive; and a residence at 1607 E. Broughton St.

Anyone with more information about the copper thefts is asked to call BPS Investigator Ryan Deen at (229) 248-2044.