Two Savannah teenagers who were in a stolen truck were arrested Saturday morning after being stopped by officers conducting an enforcement operation.
The teens, ages 13 and 14, ran from officers after the pickup was stopped at Ash and East 35th streets, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman. One was caught and arrested on East Duffy Street and the other on 34th Street.
Miller said the truck was stolen after it was left running.
About midnight, two boys riding a bicycle and another accompanying them approached a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado pickup on Alabama Avenue, Miller said. Two of the boys got in the truck and drove off, leaving the bicycle in the street.
The truck was later driven into an area where the police department’s “Total Focus” operation was being conducted.
The 13-year-old was charged with theft by taking auto and obstruction by fleeing and was taken to the youth detention center, Miller said. The 14-year-old was charged with obstruction by fleeing and released to his parents.
“Total Focus” is a county-wide operation of dozens of officers from various units of the police department and sometimes other local law enforcement agencies assigned to intensely patrol areas where criminal activity has been reported, Miller said. Officers seek out known offenders to verify compliance with court orders, perform traffic stops and heavily patrol neighborhoods in addition to regular patrols in those areas, he said.
The latest “Total Focus” operation was carried out Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings. Neighborhoods were saturated, patrols strengthened downtown and Central Precinct held a roll call in the street in Tatemville.
The operation executed four felony arrests and six misdemeanor charges Friday and another felony and four misdemeanor arrests Saturday, Miller said. For the two nights, 27 citations and 51 traffic citations were issued, along with a city ordinance violation charge and a parking ticket, he said.
Coast Guard, CEMA still monitoring Savannah River levels
Local emergency officials do not expect any major flooding to result from high water levels in the Savannah River, but the situation is still being monitored.
There is still a possibility for flooding tonight, but the river level has gone down slightly, said Anson Calmes, an emergency management specialist with the Chatham Emergency Management Agency.
On Sunday night, the Savannah River at Clyo was at 18.1 feet, which is down about a half foot from Thursday night. Flood stage is 11 feet.
As of Sunday evening, CEMA had not seen any evidence for water rising to River Street’s plaza and parking lots or on U.S. 80 between the Bull River and Tybee Island.
National Weather Service meteorologists in Charleston, S.C., predicted Sunday night that the river would continue to fall.
“That’s a good sign,” Calmes said, “but that doesn’t tell us what the astronomical high tides are going to do.”
Calmes said that CEMA would be checking the river from a helicopter overnight Sunday.
The Coast Guard, too, is monitoring the situation.
“We’re expecting it to be managed effectively and really expecting minimal impact,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mark Sawyer with the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Savannah.
He said the peak of the river will likely be tonight at high tide, which is about 9 p.m. Right now, he said, it’s important for those operating boats to be aware of their surroundings.
“We want boaters to be aware of floating debris possibly coming downstream and to watch mooring lines to prevent vessel breakaways that could cause additional hazards in the river,” Sawyer said.
In the event that water levels do rise atop roadways, police are prepared to close streets where necessary.
Compiled by Dash Coleman