On Tuesday November 30, 2010 Sandra D. Simmons (38) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charge:  Burglary.  She was transported to the Bleckley County Law Enforcement Center to be housed. 

On Tuesday November 30, 2010 Paul Farrow J. (32) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charges:  Possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute near a housing project; possession of a drug related object; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.  He was transported to the Bleckley Law Enforcement Center to be housed. 

On Saturday December 4, 2010 Jesus F. Moreno (27) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charge:  Reckless Driving.  He was released on citation after posting bond.

On Sunday December 5, 2010 Steven C. Smith (27) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charge:  Driving on suspended license (2^nd offense).  He was released on citation after posting bond.

On Sunday December 5, 2010 Stephanie J. Malcom (34) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charges:  DUI (drugs), speeding and driving on suspended license. She was released after posting bond. 

On Wednesday December 8, 2010 Micheal R. Floyd (40) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charge: Failure to appear.  He was released on citation.

On Wednesday December 8, 2010 Todd C. Sage (29) of Cochran GA was arrested and processed on the following charges:  Burglary (Felony 2 counts), Misdemeanor possession marijuana and possession schedule IV controlled substance. He was transported to the Bleckley County Law Enforcement Center to be housed.

The total wrecks, citations issued, warnings issued and unlocked car calls for the week of November 29- December 5.  

Wrecks:                                     7                                                                                 

Citations Issued:                        25

Warnings Issued:                       20                                            

Unlocks:                                    13     

 Total Calls for the Department during this period:    213

HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIPS

This holiday season the Cochran Police Department is reminding people that cyber criminals continue to aggressively create new ways to steal money and personal information. Scammers use many techniques to fool potential victims including fraudulent auction sales, reshipping merchandise purchased with a stolen credit card, and selling fraudulent or stolen gift cards through auction sites at a discounted price.

Fraudulent Classified Ads or Auction Sales

Internet criminals post classified ads or auctions for products they do not have. If you receive an auction product from a merchant or retail store, rather than directly from the auction seller, the item may have been purchased with someone else's stolen credit card number. Contact the merchant to verify the account used to pay for the item actually belongs to you.

Shoppers should be cautious and not provide financial information directly to the seller, as fraudulent sellers will use this information to purchase items for their scheme from the provided financial account. Always use a legitimate payment service to protect purchases.

As for product delivery, unfamiliar Web sites or individuals selling reduced or free shipping to customers through auction sites many times are deemed to be fraudulent. In many instances, these websites or sellers provide shipping labels to their customers as a service. However, the delivery service providers are ultimately not being paid to deliver the package; therefore, packages shipped by the victims using these labels are intercepted by delivery service providers because they are identified as fraudulent.

Diligently check each seller's rating and feedback along with their number of sales and the dates on which feedback was posted. Be wary of a seller with 100 percent positive feedback, if they have a low total number of feedback postings and all feedback was posted around the same date and time.

Gift Card Scam

Be careful about purchasing gift cards from auction sites or through classified ads. If you need a gift card, it is safest to purchase it directly from the merchant or another authorized retail store. If the gift card merchant discovers the card you received from another source or auction was initially obtained fraudulently, the merchant will deactivate the gift card number and it will not be honored for purchases.

Chief Sanders request that all citizens continue to help the Cochran Police Department by watching out for suspicious activities in their neighborhoods. The citizens of our community are the eyes and ears of the police department.  During the holidays we want to be especially observant because crime seems to increase.  Please feel free to call if you suspect any criminal activity in your neighborhood.  Have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

The Chief would also like to remind the community to PLEASE have their dogs and cats spade or neutered.  If anyone is interested in adopting pets as they make great gifts for family and friends, they can contact our pound at 478-934-1306.  We do request that after they adopt an animal to have them spade or neutered as this is a requirement of an adoption and proof is required.