A Bainbridge man was arrested on Sunday, April 5, when police began to suspect he had falsely reported his vehicle stolen.

Shortly before 1 a.m., Bainbridge Public Safety Officer Ryan Deen responded to an E-911 report of a car being stolen from a residence on Broughton Street.

According to incident reports, Micheal Thomas Lyn Cox, 23, of 1011 E. Broughton St. in Bainbridge, told the officer three males had stolen his Toyota pickup truck. He said he witnessed the men driving away in the vehicle at a high rate of speed.

A few moments later, BPS Officer Taylor Mills reported locating the vehicle at the Grocery Outlet on Scott Street. A suspect was seen near the truck and fled when Mills arrived, according to the report.

Other officers and investigators arrived on the scene. One officer noted that the truck had been located in the parking lot for nearly two hours and the muffler and engine were cool to the touch. Cox’s cell phone was found nearby in the parking lot and it was also noted that a dent in the door of the vehicle matched the type of shoe Cox had been wearing.

When Cox was asked if he wished to revise his account of the events, he told police he had located the vehicle earlier and had kicked the door because he was angry. He said he then called E-911 on his cell phone.

In the report, Deen noted that in Cox’s initial statement he said his cell phone had been in the car when it was stolen. Cox was arrested and charged with false report of theft or conversion.

The officer noted Cox changed his story regarding the incident many times during his arrest and booking.

GSP update

Georgia State Patrol troops from the Colquitt Post investigated nine traffic crashes during the month of March in Decatur County.

Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Strickland said the traffic crashes resulted in two injuries and no traffic deaths.

Troopers from the post issued 211 traffic citations in the county during the month, which includes 13 arrests for DUI, 50 citations for speeding, 50 seat belt violations and 17 child restraint violations. Troopers also issued 207 warnings.