A Dodge County Sheriff’s deputy quickly apprehended an armed robber on the evening of March 6.
Around 5:30 Saturday afternoon, a man brandished a switch blade knife to the clerk of the Wahl-to-Wahl Grocery Store in Chauncey and demanded money from the cash register. The man was unable to get money from the register and fled the store taking beer and cigarettes. Customers at the store were able to obtain the tag number of the vehicle that the man got into as he fled.
Deputy Tony Riddle, responding to the call, spotted the suspect’s vehicle on the Golden Isles Parkway and turned around on the vehicle in the median. The vehicle pulled into Cofield’s Trailer Park and the suspect entered a residence. Deputy Riddle, in pursuit, followed the suspect and arrested him. The suspect was later positively identified as the armed robber. The sheriff’s office has charged the suspect, Wendell Lee Newman (age 50) of Hawkinsville, with armed robbery, possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony and a host of traffic charges.
Sheriff Jeff Hinson praised the work of all the parties involved. Hinson stated that good timely descriptions from the victim and witnesses played a vital role in the apprehension. Hinson stated that the 911 operators were able to obtain and relay the information quickly to responding deputies. Hinson also praised the resilience and bravery of deputy Riddle to pursue a known armed suspect into the residence.
Dodge County deputies responded to an emergency call for assistance from parole officers at a residence on Peacock Avenue in the Cottondale area of Eastman. Three parole officers went to the residence to arrest a wanted parolee. The parolee fled on foot from the officers and entered the residence with parole officers in pursuit. The parolee grabbed a large butcher knife and began threatening the parole officers. A standoff ensued for a few minutes before the parolee surrendered to the officers. The parolee, Juan Duron (age 41) of Eastman, is charged with three (3) counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer along with the parole violation.
Sheriff’s investigators have arrested two (2) individuals in connection with the theft of scrap metal from a property off Fish Road. Investigators have charged Lewis Lee Sapp (age 31) of Eastman, and Lawton Joseph Smith (age 17) of Eastman, each with felony theft by taking.
Sheriff’s investigators have recovered an all terrain vehicle (ATV 4-wheeler) from Johnson County. The ATV was reported stolen here in April from a residence on Middle Ground Church Road.
