Local law enforcement officers had little time to rest over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In addition to the usual DUI cases, minor traffic accidents, and domestic incidents, there were these more serious things:
*A Rabun County man was arrested during a Friday night traffic stop on I-985 just north of the Oakwood area after a Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputy observed that It his vehicle had a fraudulent tag. Mahe Guzman, 46, is charged with: Forgery 2nd degree (felony) – 2 counts; Counterfeit proof of insurance; No proof of minimum insurance; Driving while unlicensed; Invalid registration for vehicle (no bill of sale, title not dated, purchaser’s information not on title); and Removing/affixing license plate with intent to conceal/misrepresent vehicle identity.
*Investigators with the sheriff’s office have charged two Hall County men in connection with a recent smash-and-grab burglary at a convenience store on Lula Road. Braxton Eli Hallman, 20, of Gainesville, and Hayden Stephen Mutter, 21, of Lula, were taken into custody Wednesday, shortly after the break-in at the Lula Food Mart. Hallman reportedly used a baseball bat to smash the front door and enter the business. He stole vapes and Kratom pills while Mutter stayed outside to act as a lookout.
*Oakwood Police have charged a 22-year-old Oakwood man, Hunter Mathis, following what they say was a violent domestic incident in which the victim said she was held against her will when she tried to leave her Cresthill Drive home. She told police she had packed a bag after Mathis threatened to kill her several times by choking her or “crushing her skull” or “cutting her heart out,” all the while demanding to know “where the $750 she stole was.” This all occurred in front of their 1-year-old daughter, according to the police report.
*There were also several minor hit-and-run accidents, most involving drivers who fled on foot after their wreck.