Recent Activity by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Law Enforcement Division

This report is a broad sampling of events that have taken place in the past month, but does not include all
actions taken by the Law Enforcement Division.
For additional news and updates, “Like” the LE Division’s Facebook page.

Region V- Albany (Southwest)

TERRELL COUNTY
On February 14th, Rangers Quinn Fogle, Jim Atchley and Steve Robinson were working complaints of illegal
hunting, when three individuals in a car were observed shooting at deer from the road. The driver and
passenger who shot were charged with hunting from a public road, hunting from a motor vehicle and hunting
out of season. The other passenger in the car had outstanding warrants from Coffee County Georgia, for
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and violation of Georgia’s controlled substance act. This
passenger was also found to be in possession of marijuana on this day and was charged with violation of
Georgia’s controlled substance act. The three offenders were arrested and transported to Terrell County
Sheriff’s Office for booking

Region II- Gainesville(Northeast)

RABUN COUNTY
On the evening of February 7th, RFC Chad Chambers received a call from Rabun Co. 911 regarding a missing
person in the Stamp Creek area. RFC Chambers, Sgt. Steve Seitz and Intern Christian Ayoob proceeded to the
area and met with Rabun EMA and Rabun Sheriff’s Office personnel. Assisted by a helicopter from the
Georgia State Patrol equipped with a FLIR unit, they were able to locate an individual in a remote location
about a mile from the road where he had initially went missing. The terrain in this area was very steep and
thick with mountain laurel. RFC Chambers relayed radio transmissions between the GSP helicopter and the
ground rescuers and was able to guide them to the lost man and ultimately back out to a road downhill from
where they started. The total search and rescue operation lasted approximately four hours with the lost person
being uninjured and able to walk out with his rescuers.

HART
On February 15th, while working a drowning on Lake Hartwell, Sgt. Stan Elrod and Cpl. Craig Fulghum
received a call about a sinking boat near the Hartwell Dam with persons in the water. Elrod and Fulghum
pulled off the drowning detail and responded by boat to the dam. A South Carolina patrol boat also responded
from the drowning incident to assist. Upon arrival, there was only one subject and he had been pulled into a
Geico Fishing boat that was practicing for the Bass Masters tournament to be held next week. The 21-foot
Glassport boat is on the bottom of the lake. The man advised that he forgot to put his plug in and when he
realized the boat was sinking, he grabbed 2 youth life jackets and held on. He stayed in the water approximately
10 minutes until the bass boat saw him.

DAWSON COUNTY
On February 7th, Rangers from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division as
well as volunteers from the Amicalola Longbeards Chapter of the NWTF hosted the fifteenth annual Dawson
Forest Youth Squirrel hunt. This year’s hunt included 36 children and their parents as well as 15 volunteers and
eight DNR Rangers. All participants were fed lunch by the NWTF and two guns were raffled as well. The
hunters received hands on instruction in both shotgun and .22 caliber rifle as well as firearms safety while
shooting both skeet and stationary targets. The hunters were then divided into groups and went on guided
squirrel hunts with dogs. Through this program, over five hundred and fifty children have been introduced to
both shooting sports and hunting, many of these for the first time.

Region VI- Metter (Southeast)

CANDLER
On February 23, 2015, Corporal Eddie Akins responded to an urgent call of a missing person in Candler
County. Cpl. Akins met with the spouse of the missing person, obtaining needed information for the search. Sgt.
Dasher attempted to get a helicopter to assist in the search but the weather would not permit the use of one.
Cpl. Kevin Joyce was contacted to bring the DNR canine unit to assist in the tracking of the missing person.
Other DNR officers arrived on the scene to assist with the search. Personnel from Candler S.O., Metter Fire &
Rescue, Officers from GSP, numerous DNR officers and other volunteers all searched for the missing person.
The missing person was located at approximately 3:00am on the morning of February 24th, 2015.

Region VII- Brunswick (Coastal)

WAYNE COUNTY
On February 21, Rangers is Wayne County assisted the Wayne County Tourism Board with the 4th annual Hog
Jam Tournament. Over 300 hogs were taken. The rangers also assisted 18 Wounded Warriors hunt for hogs.

Region III- Thomson (East Central)

JEFFERSON COUNTY
On February 16, RFC Matherly Responded to Atlanta to assist with Patrolling I-20 during Winter Storm
Octavia. RFC Matherly was tasked with searching for stranded motorist to aid in assistance with medical,
vehicular, or other problems that may have arose from the inclement weather, which had been predicted for the
area. RFC Matherly aided two motorists that had wrecked due to ice on the roadway, and one motorist whose
vehicle had begun to overheat. RFC Matherly also assisted Dekalb SO with a wreck, in which the driver was
found by RFC Matherly to be driving under the influence. The driver was intoxicated to the point that he
thought someone had side swiped his vehicle causing him to wreck; although he had just run off the roadway
and struck the dividing wall in the center of the interstate. The driver was turned over to the Dekalb County
Sheriff’s Deputy and transported to the Dekalb County Jail.

Region IV- Macon (West Central)

WILKINSON COUNTY
On February 21st, Ranger Matt Johnson, RFC Alan Mills, RFC Ronnie Beard, Cpl. Lynn Stanford and Sgt. Bo
Kelly assisted with the annual Quail Hunt For Kids held in southern Wilkinson County. Over a dozen kids who
had completed hunter education participated in the event where they hunted quail as well as had a skeet
shooting competition. Thanks to the volunteers, those that donated prizes and landowners for allowing this
event to continue.

Region I- Calhoun (Northwest)

CHEROKEE COUNTY
On February 7th, Cpl. Lee Burns, Cpl. Byron Young, RFC Barton Hendrix, DNR Intern Aja Sweet, and Corp of
Engineers Rangers conducted a special detail on Allatoona Wildlife Management Area (WMA) focusing on the
illegal use of ATVs on a WMA. The rangers wrote eight citations and two warnings for illegally riding various
types of all-terrain vehicles on the management area. It is illegal to operate on or cause damage to any WMA
road which has a gate, barricade or berm preventing such vehicular access.