A Peachtree City man is in custody on number felony charges resulting from a joy ride on a stolen golf cart and a subsequent scuffle with police.
Chad Wallace, 49, is in Fayette County Jail facing two counts of obstruction of an officer and one count each of theft by taking and criminal damage to property in the second degree, as well as lesser counts of simple battery against police and simple battery. He was arrested Aug. 25 but the incident in question took place in January of 2022.
According to a Peachtree City Police Department spokesman, officers were called by employees of Balmoral Village apartment complex, who reported that Wallace was riding on a maintenance golf cart while screaming and causing damage to the vehicle. It was not the first time he had taken the cart, the spokesman added.
The employee said that when initially confronted, Wallace used his shoulders to knock him away, which led to the battery charge. But things got more interesting when police arrived.
After trying to flee, Wallace reportedly yelled gibberish and resisted officers’ commands, putting his hands against his chest to prevent being handcuffed behind his back. An officer got one hand behind his back and cuffed, at which time the suspect raised both elbows to the sky and caused the officer to lose his grip on the handcuffs.
Eventually he was detained, by which time the golf cart had sustained severe physical damage to the point that it could not be steered, according to the police spokesman.
An unrelated case involving the arrest of a suspect from a not-so-recent incident involved three counts of financial transaction card fraud and one count of financial identity fraud. Kyle Jones, 26, of Atlanta is in jail on those felony charges that stem from his alleged actions in July of this year.
Peachtree City police were contacted by the Henry County Police Department, who had a victim whose bank card information had been used at the Michael’s store in Peachtree City. It was later confirmed that the information was used to purchase three separate gift cards. It was also believed he had done the same thing in Fayetteville.
Elsewhere in Peachtree City, an officer received a call Aug. 29 shortly before 2 p.m. to a residence off Georgian Park regarding an individual who did not live there but was unwilling to vacate the house. Despite repeated requests by law enforcement, the suspect remained defiant. Donald Adkins Jr., 31, of Atlanta was ultimately arrested on a charge of criminal trespass and taken to Fayette County Jail.
A theft was reported Aug. 29 after 6 p.m. at El Ranchero on Commerce Drive, and an officer met with the manager who said a white male was seen on security footage taking money out of the tip jar at the register before leaving. The officer later saw the man on the video while patrolling as he walked west on Hwy. 54 toward Marketplace Connector. He fled on foot but was apprehended. Taylor Bryan, 30, of Acworth was charged with theft by taking and transported to jail.
Before dawn Aug. 31 an officer made contact with the occupants of a vehicle in the area of W. Hwy. 54 who was in a park after hours. One of the occupants was found to be wanted out of Coweta County for failure to appear in court. Samuel Johnson, 18, was arrested and turned over to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
A traffic stop for a seat belt violation was conducted Aug. 31 just before 10 a.m. in the area of Crosstown Drive and Crosstown Court. The officer detected the odor of marijuana and the vehicle was subsequently searched. Keydrick Toles, 27, of Jonesboro was charged with a felony county of drug possession/sale/manufacture as well as marijuana possession, driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance and the seat belt violation.
A blue Ford Explorer was pulled over Sept. 1 at about 5 a.m. on Hwy. 54 near Hwy. 74 for driving on the wrong side of the road and driving over a median. Michelle Buckle, 64, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and transported to Fayette County Jail.
