New & Alerts

Message from Sheriff Joey Terrell: 

As Sheriff of Habersham County, for the past year and a half, I am pleased that I have been able to innovate many new services for the citizen of Habersham County, which have resulted in increased safety for all of us.   

As a reflection of those innovations, I am very pleased to announce that your Sheriff’s office has won the prestigious first place in the IACP National Law Enforcement Challenge for offices of our size.  This was the first year Habersham County has ever entered this competition. We also won rookie of the year for the whole country. All residents should take pride in this achievement. The award recognizes our dedication to Highway Safety and makes all of us very proud. I am very proud of our Patrol Unit.

Further, I have created the Habersham County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit at no additional expense to the county, which is comprised of three deputy sheriffs/K-9 teams.  Lieutenant  J. Sosebee is partnered with Rex, a German Sheppard trained in the detection of several types of drugs and narcotics.  In addition, Rex is trained in suspect apprehension and crowd control. Corporal Anthony Giaquinta is partnered with K-9 Mike a dual purpose Malinois and Deputy Jeremy Eller is partnered with K-9 Nikos a dual purpose Malinois. I am very proud of our K-9 team.  The unit is available for demonstrations to civic groups and special events upon request.

In reviewing past case loads, which evidenced a need for more attention to be applied to the area of domestic violence, we applied and were granted a state funded grant for our own Domestic Violence Unit. Domestic violence is a serious and prevalent social problem affecting the quality of life in Habersham County. Commander Richard Stein oversees the domestic violence unit. The unit is well educated in intimate relationship violence and provides officer training, along with serving as a liaison to the community. They conduct follow-up interviews, obtain additional evidence (medical reports, photos, etc.), prepare arrest warrants, and insure complete case files are forwarded to the district attorney's office for prosecution. The unit also works closely with The Circle of Hope a victim advocacy center.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents on our roadways have always been one of the most dangerous problems facing the citizens of Habersham County.  To combat this increasing problem, I have created the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P.) The Selective Traffic Enforcement Program combines key innovative strategies and additional law enforcement services to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions. Deputies assigned to the program's Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to accidents, focused on traffic concerns at hazardous intersections, and participated in traffic awareness presentations to local groups.  The Traffic Enforcement Unit saturates locations plagued by unsafe traffic conditions and impaired or unlawful drivers. We have applied and are hoping to obtain a state funded grant for HEAT UNITS that would help create more positions in this area and keep our roadways safer.

The (SPOT) Sexual Predator / Offender Tracking Unit was established to deal with the growing population of Sexual Predators and Offenders within Habersham County. The SPOT unit works closely with state and local law enforcement agencies in monitoring high risk sex offenders and predators. Since its inception, the SPOT unit has been very successful in tracking offenders that attempt to abscond from probation or their registration requirements. The unit is responsible for insuring that the community is notified of known sexual predators that move into their neighborhoods. Many hours of surveillance are conducted on high risk offenders. The SPOT unit will conduct quarterly sweeps in Habersham County to insure offenders are complying with their conditions of probation and registration requirements. The SPOT unit Deputy Wesley Welborn is available for community meetings and to assist the community in the area of sexual offender and predator issues.

Today’s students face dangers older generations could not have imagined. That is why I assigned a full-time School Resource Deputy, J. Carver, who started The C.H.A.M.P.S. UNIT which means Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety.  C.H.A.M.P.S. was founded in 2003 by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association to address these urgent challenges. The flexible, twelve-week program includes a weekly hour-long lesson from a C.H.A.M.P.S.-certified deputy sheriff.  Subject matter includes: Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Abuse, Prevention, Boating/Swimming Safety, Hunting/Gun Safety, Gangs and Violence, Peer Pressure, And Much More!  The target audience is fifth graders, and the program is tailored to meet the unique needs of students in each county so they resist self-destructive behavior. Good behavior is positively reinforced through fun, rewarding activities.

Each of our sworn and non-sworn members of the Sheriff’s office work tirelessly to bring you the services that you expect and deserve.  I am very honored to lead these dedicated men and women. I am extremely proud of the wonderful liaisons that we have formed with local police departments throughout the county and with various task forces from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the State Patrol and the FBI.  We will continue to examine ways in which these partnerships can be enhanced and increased.

If you have any questions, I or a member of our office is always available 24/7.  Please do not hesitate to call, write, E-mail or visit. 

Kindly visit our website often for new information on how we can help you.

Possible Burglars Posing as Cleaning Salesmen

This is a scam that affected our community last year. On 04-02-2010 there was a report in Habersham County that a white female came to the door trying to sell or give away cleaning products. The reporter stated that she was driving a maroon  colored mini-van. The reporter observed three males inside the vehicle. There have been several sightings of this vehicle in the Hollywood and Cornelia area.

This is how the scam basically works it requires four subjects. A distracter usually a female, diverts the victims attention, two subjects show how to use the product and the fourth subject's presence is unknown to the victim.

Once inside the house; the distracter keeps the victim busy while the fourth subject is able to survey rooms for money or other small valuables.  

There are obviously many different and possible variations and even some legitimate companies out there. If you have any questions please feel free to call The Criminal Investigation Division at 706-839-1724.  

*ALERT* EMAIL SCAMS *ALERT*

Some residents of Habersham County have been  reporting that they are receiving spam e-mail messages that claim to be sent by top FBI officials . As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) in an attempt to defraud consumers.

These e-mails are hoaxes and recipients are urged not to respond.

Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to: be from an “official order” from the FBI's non-existent Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division or from an alleged FBI unit in Nigeria ; confirm an inheritance; or contain a lottery notification. The e-mails inform recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars. To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient's name, banking information, telephone number, and a copy of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution.

The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI executives are briefed on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, the IC3 does not send threatening letters to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware. It is imperative consumers guard their PII. Providing your PII will compromise your identity.

“Unfortunately these types of scams do not seem to be going away any time soon. They continue to cycle through the Internet using names of different government officials and agencies. Scammers will continue to seek new ways to gain an advantage so they can steal your money or personal information. Just don't respond,” said Special Agent Richard Kolko, Chief, National Press Office, Washington , D.C.

To receive the latest information about cyber scams, please go to the FBI website and sign up for e-mail alerts by clicking on one of the red envelopes. If you have received a scam e-mail, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov . For more information on e-scams, please visit the FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings webpage or www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com .

Related e-mail scams:

• Fraudulent E-Mail Purportedly from FBI Deputy Director
• Fraudulent Notification Purportedly from IC3
• Increase in Internet Schemes Claiming to be from the FBI
• Threat/Extortion E-Mails Falsely Claim FBI Involvement

*ALERT* ENTERING AUTO THEFTS *ALERT*
Pea Ridge Rd Cornelia

The Criminal Investigation Division is investigating a series of entering auto thefts that have occurred in the past week. This problem is also affecting the cities and the local Police Departments are investigating similar matters.

Investigators note that a commonality for the majority of these entering autos thefts is that the victim's vehicle was left unlocked. They offer this advice to lessen the odds of being victimized: lock your vehicle doors at all times, leave outside lights on overnight, remove any items of value from the vehicle, and remove or secrete loose change or other money. Investigators remind all residents to remain alert and contact the Sheriffs Office if they observe any suspicious activity. 706-778-3911.

 *ALERT* Increase in Burglaries *ALERT*

1. Create the appearance that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and televisions.

2. Keep the perimeter of your home well lit. Motion sensor lighting or thermal sensor lighting should be used illuminating all possible points of entry.

3. Keep doors and windows locked. Over thirty per cent of burglaries are through an open door or window. Doors should have dead-bolt locks with at least a one inch throw and a reinforced strike plate with three inch screws. All windows should have locks.

4. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and windows.

5. Secure sliding glass doors with a metal bar, known as a "charlie bar", in the track. This prevents the door from being forced open or lifted from the track.

6. Lock the garage door. Do not rely on the garage door opener.

7. Know your neighborhood. Get to know your neighbors that surround your house. Neighbors who communicate regularly are more likely to report suspicious activity to the police. Let a neighbor know if you are going away.

8. Do not leave clues that you are away. Burglars look for uncollected trash, newspapers, mail and deliveries. Stop your paper and mail delivery. Ask a neighbor to take in any unexpected deliveries or flyers. Do not leave a message on your answering machine that says you are away.

9. Do not hide keys under mats, above ledges or in planter boxes. Experienced burglars will check these places.

10. If you see something that may be suspicious call the sheriff's office. Many times after a burglary a neighbor will say that they saw or heard something and wished they called the sheriff's office. We are never too busy to check out suspicious activity. Concerned neighbors are our best source for crime prevention.

*ALERT* Lottery Scams *ALERT*

  Habersham County Sheriff's Office wants everyone to be aware of an increase in a crime that has become known as a "Lottery Scam." 

A typical lottery scam begins with an unexpected email notification that "You have won!" a large sum of money in a lottery. The recipient of the message — the target of the scam — is usually told to keep the notice secret, "due to a mix-up in some of the names and numbers," and to contact a "claims agent." After contacting the agent, the target of the scam will be asked to pay "processing fees" or "transfer charges" so that the winnings can be distributed, but will never receive any lottery payment. Many email lottery scams use the names of legitimate lottery organizations, but this does not mean the legitimate organizations are in any way involved with the scams.

There are several ways to recognize a fake lottery email:

• Unless a person have bought a ticket, one cannot have won a prize. There are no such things as "email" draws or any other lottery where "no tickets were sold". This is simply another invention by the scammer to make you believe you've won.

• The scammer will ask you to pay a fee before you can receive your prize. It is illegal for a real lottery to charge any sort of fee. It doesn't matter what they say this fee is for (courier charges, bank charges, various imaginary certificates — these are all made up by the scammer to get money out of you). All real lotteries subtracts any fee and tax from the prize. They never ask you to pay it in advance.

• Scam lottery emails will nearly always come from free email accounts such as Yahoo!, Hotmail, MSN, etc, and no real business will use a free email account.

Email lottery scams are a type of advance fee fraud. A typical scam email will read like this:

PRIME LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL
Customer Service
Ref:ABC/34085746305872/34
Batch: 293/34/3473

                WINNING NOTIFICATION:

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