Forsyth County Blotter: Drugs, aggravated battery among reported arrests
(Forsyth County, GA) Here’s a look at recently released arrest reports from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office:
Methamphetamine arrests
On December 10, a deputy was patrolling the area of Market Place Boulevard and Buford Highway and noticed a red pickup truck parked at the back of Home Depot.
“I ran the tag of the vehicle and the registered owner, Cheryl Smith, returned with an active warrant from Whitfield County. The warrant stated limited extradition, so I called the county to confirm if they would take the subject if we approached and made contact with her. The county stated they would not extradite due to distance,” the deputy wrote.
The officer was still suspicious of the vehicle and noted that the individual was wanted for shoplifting.
“Home Depot has been a victim of such activity numerous times and I was concerned there may be criminal activity afoot. I approached the vehicle on foot to make contact with the occupants to ascertain the reason for being in the area and why they were parked in the back of the lot,” the officer wrote.
The officer saw the driver slumped over with a straw in his mouth and a tin foil strip with burned narcotics visible in the driver's lap.
“The passenger, Cheryl Smith, was also passed out with a straw and tin foil visible. The driver was making strange breathing sounds and movements, so I immediately called for an ambulance, fearing he was overdosing. I opened the driver's door to render aid, and the driver began to wake and push the narcotic equipment to the side. I was able to remove the driver from the vehicle and place him in handcuffs. I sat the driver - later identified as Joseph Stevens - on the tailgate of the truck while another deputy removed Smith from the vehicle and placed her in handcuffs,” the deputy wrote.
EMS arrived, and the subjects were checked by medical personnel.
“Stevens removed two small containers in his front right pants pocket containing numerous small blue pills that Stevens said were Fentanyl. The subjects were placed in patrol vehicles, and the red pickup was searched for additional contraband,” the officer wrote.
The deputy searched the car and found multiple foil strips in plain view, as well as additional pills and a small bag of methamphetamine in the driver's side cab area.
The occupants were arrested and transported to the Forsyth County Jail. Stevens, 38, of Rossville, was charged with possessing a Schedule II substance with intent to distribute and possessing methamphetamine. Smith, 46, of Ringgold, was charged with possessing a Schedule II substance and methamphetamine.
Aggravated Battery
On Saturday, December 10, deputies were dispatched to the Northside Hospital Forsyth Emergency Room regarding a domestic incident.
“We arrived at the hospital and met with EMS personnel who spoke with Joshua Cato. Cato reported to EMS personnel his father, Thomas Cato, had broken the [female] victim’s arm, and threatened to shoot police, and blow up the house,” the officer wrote.
The deputy met with the victim in the emergency room.
“Upon further investigation, I observed swelling in the wrist area of her left hand. Joshua Cato was sitting in the room with her. He began to explain the incident. Joshua described his father as being bipolar and was having an episode of extreme violence. He claimed Thomas had grabbed the victim and shoved her against the wall. Thomas continued by grabbing her again and pushed her out in the hallway of the residence. This caused the victim to fall,” the officer wrote.
According to the police report, the victim said she was Thomas’ roommate and paid him $800 a month to live there. At the time of the incident, the victim told the deputy that Thomas had been singing with his new karaoke machine and became upset and angry, yelling that she needed to get out of the house. “After a brief time of yelling, Thomas had entered her room and grabbed her by her clothing. Thomas picked her up from the bed and slammed her against her dresser. He grabbed her a second time, pushing her out into the hallway. He shoved her to the point where she fell to the ground, which caused the injury to her wrist,” the officer wrote.
Deputies went to 5107 Wright Bridge Road to speak with Thomas Cato and saw him inside the residence. According to the report, when Thomas saw the police he immediately turned off the lights and retreated further inside.
An arrest warrant was obtained for the charges of Aggravated Battery, and police found him in the basement.
Cato, 61, of Cumming, was arrested and taken to the Forsyth County Jail without further incident.
Marijuana possession
On December 8, an officer finished a traffic stop on GA 400 Southbound and noticed a Toyota Camry approaching on the highway did not slow or change lanes for the patrol car with flashing emergency lights.
“I caught up to the Toyota Camry at the top of the Buford Highway exit ramp. I followed it for a short distance so I could perform a traffic stop for the failure to move over violation in a safe location. The final stop was at the intersection of Sanders Road and Buford Highway. I made a driver's side approach and made contact with the driver, Luis Bigles,” the officer wrote.
“I was immediately overwhelmed with the strong odor of marijuana emanating from the open driver's side window. I requested Mr. Bigles exit the vehicle and I asked him if he had anything illegal inside his car. He responded ‘no’ but [said] that he did smoke Marijuana in his vehicle earlier and that is what I was smelling. I asked him if he had anything illegal on his person, to which he replied ‘yes’. I asked if he would remove the illegal item, and he removed a glass vial with four pre-rolled Marijuana cigarettes inside,” the officer wrote.
Other packages of THC were located in the vehicle. The deputy arrested Bigles for possessing THC, marijuana less than one ounce, and failing to move over.
If you have a news tip in Forsyth County, contact John Thompson at johntct@aol.com
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