Two Peachtree City college

students have been convicted of damaging two mailboxes in a late-night

incident at the Planterra Ridge subdivision in September.

David G. Mitchell and Justin

T. Belill, both 22, were found guilty of two counts of criminal trespassing

nine counts of criminal trespassing which alleged they damaged nine other

mailboxes on the same night.

State Court Judge Fletcher

Sams delayed sentencing in the case until next week.

Two witnesses testified that

they saw a white truck strike one of the mailboxes before it pulled into

a driveway at a cul-de-sac in the subdivision.

Neither witness could positively

identify who was in the truck. Police later determined that Belill and

Mitchell were the two occupants of the vehicle, said State Court Solicitor

Steve Harris.

Belill testified and denied

damaging any of the mailboxes. Mitchell testified that he was passed out

after drinking heavily that night and couldn't remember what occurred.

One of the witnesses, David

Werner, said he and his sister Claire had just come home from a concert

in Atlanta when they heard a loud "celebratory" noise that alerted

them to a white truck driving down the street. They looked up and saw

someone in the passenger side of the truck strike a mailbox with a foreign

object, the Werners testified.

David Werner said he didn't

pay attention to who was driving the vehicle because he was more focused

on trying to get the truck's tag number. He said he thought the driver

was lost because the truck turned onto a street that ended with a cul-de-sac.

Werner said he was surprised

when the truck entered the driveway and never returned to the street.

Werner said he couldn't get

the truck's tag number because he slipped and fell on the lawn while running

to the street and dialing 911 on his cell phone at the same time.

Mitchell and Belill were represented

couldn't have seen where the truck was parked in the Belill's driveway

since that location could not be viewed from the street.

Ballard also pointed out that

on the 911 tape played in court, David Werner said the occupants of the

truck damaged two mailboxes. Werner testified Monday that he saw only

one of the mailboxes damaged by someone in the truck. David Werner admitted

that he may have "assumed" the second mailbox was damaged by

someone from the truck after he heard a banging sound moments before he

saw the original mailbox damaged.

"A brown wooden object

came out of the window in someone's hand," David Werner said as he

described how one of the mailboxes was damaged.

When first questioned by police,

Belill indicated he was alone that evening and had been home an hour and

a half before police came to his door, Harris said. Belill later admitted

that he had driven Mitchell home after they went to two local bars, Harris

said.

Ballard said Belill was trying

to protect his friend from being hassled because Mitchell was very upset

that evening.

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