Two Bainbridge men were arrested last Friday after investigators confronted them at their residence on Potter Street and found suspected marijuana, according to a Bainbridge Public Safety incident report.

Shortly before noon Friday, BPS investigators Chip Nix, Anthony Stubbs and Captain Mark Esquivel responded to a complaint of possible drug activity on Potter Street, where they spoke with two men.

One of the suspects, later identified 25-year-old Jessie James Barthel, of 2206 Fowlstown Road, Lot 47, had marijuana which appeared to be packaged for sale in his pants pocket.

The second suspect, Hugh Hutchinson Jr., 24, of 1409 Potter Street, ran from officers but was caught shortly afterwards. Hutchinson also had suspected marijuana in his pants pocket.

Both Barthel and Hutchinson were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Barthel was also charged with misdemeanor obstruction of officers because he initially refused to tell officers his name.

 

Suspicious vehicle reported

Last Wednesday at approximately 1:30 p.m., Decatur County sheriff’s deputy Kenneth Davidson received a phone call from a woman who stated she was pulled over by a man who may have been impersonating a police officer.

According to a Decatur County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the woman stated she was driving west on Dothan Road when a man in a white Ford Crown Victoria pulled up behind her and then began to flash its lights. The woman said the car had tinted windows and a set of orange lights located inside the vehicle’s grill. She pulled over to the side of the highway, near its intersection with Cyrene Road.

The driver of the Crown Victoria told her that her husband was having an affair, then stated that she was not the person he was looking for after all. He then returned to his car and left.

Undersheriff Wendell Cofer said if motorists feel uncomfortable when they see a police car with flashing lights behind them, they should slow down, activate their car’s emergency flashers and drive to a safe place while observing traffic laws.

Also, motorists can call 911 if they have a cell phone to ask for the identity of the officer making the traffic stop or to make police aware they are driving to a safe location to stop. Cofer said motorists won’t be in trouble for calling 911 if they are unsure about whether a car with flashing lights is really a police car.

Motorists can also ask to hold an officer’s identification card in their hands to read it in order to verify the officer’s identity, Cofer said. Decatur County deputies have been trained to state their name when they make a traffic stop, he said.

Under Georgia law, anyone convicted of impersonating a police officer or peace officer can face up to a $1,000 fine or one to five years in prison.