On March 26, Port Wentworth police were called to investigate an attempted sexual assault on South Coastal Highway.
According to the victim, Mary Ann Steptoe, she was attacked by a man claiming to be a city employee and was forced inside her residence, said Port Wentworth police Sgt. Steven Holmes. Steptoe was able to contact 911 during the attack, and the attacker supposedly fled the scene as police arrived.
The Port Wentworth police department took the report very seriously and used all resources available to diligently investigate it, said Holmes, the department’s criminal investigations division commander.
A forensic sketch artist from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was brought in from Atlanta to complete a composite sketch of the suspect. The sketch was distributed in the media and posted at businesses in the area of the attack.
Several anonymous tips were phoned in to CrimeStoppers and were followed up by investigators.
When investigators received a copy of the audio from Steptoe’s 911 call, they noticed several discrepancies from what Steptoe had told them. This led to further review of the evidence gathered at the crime scene and a deeper investigation into Steptoe’s past.
When reviewing the evidence, 911 audio and past incidents involving Steptoe, it became apparent that the scene was staged, Holmes said.
All the evidence gathered by investigators was presented to the Chatham County Grand Jury on Aug. 7. The grand jury returned an indictment on Steptoe for false statements and writings and false report of a crime.
“There are many women out there who have to live with the scars of a sexual assault and have had their lives changed forever by the trauma. To have someone falsely report an incident that serious just for attention is just appalling to me,” said Matthew Libby, director of public safety for the city of Port Wentworth. “Countless man hours and resources were expended during this investigation. Those were hours and resources that could have been used to address the needs of the community that we are sworn to protect.”
Attempts made to locate Steptoe have been unsuccessful, and it is believed she could still be in the area or may have fled to Tennessee.
Anyone has information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Port Wentworth police department at 912-964-4360 or CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020.
Cyclist hospitalized after wreck with truck
A Savannah man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after he lost control of the bicycle he was riding and swerved into the path of a truck, police said.
At about 9 a.m., police found 50-year-old Leonard Williams suffering from injuries sustained when a Ford Ranger driven by 76-year-old Washington Brown Jr. struck his bike at Montgomery and 58th streets, said Eunicia Baker, Savannah-Chatham police spokeswoman.
Williams, of West 38th Street, was taken to Memorial University Medical Center, where he was hospitalized in serious condition. Brown, of West 44th Street, was unharmed.
Investigators believe Williams lost control of his bike while traveling northbound on Montgomery Street and swerved into the path of the pickup, which was also headed northbound on Montgomery, Baker said.
The police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the wreck.
Retired metro police major indicted on sexual exploitation charges
A retired Savannah-Chatham police major Wednesday was indicted by a Chatham County grand jury on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Douglas Burkhalter, 70, was arrested in early April on a felony charge of computer child exploitation as part of a statewide multiagency investigation.
Charges against Burkhalter stemmed from material he allegedly had at his home.
He was one of 98 suspects identified as part of the three-month-long “Operation Guarding Innocence,” conducted primarily by the GBI and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation.
Burkhalter retired from the Savannah-Chatham police department about six years ago.
Old Whitefield to be closed for work
Old Whitefield Avenue from Ga. 204 Spur/Whitefield Avenue to Bethesda Road will be closed for roadwork from 9 a.m. today to 5 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting.
The closure will be used for new roadway alignment and to remove the existing roadway, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Local traffic will have access to residences in the area.
The detour routes will be signed as follows:
• Ga. 204 Spur/Whitefield Avenue
• Ferguson Avenue
• Glade Street
• Old Whitefield Avenue
Compiled by Josh Rayburn, Dash Coleman and Jan Skutch
City gets $1.2M grant for hazards-response boat
The city of Savannah has been awarded a $1.2 million grant through the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Port Security Grant Program to acquire an “all hazards response boat.”
Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman Mark Keller said the all hazards boat will be used by firefighters in the event of a natural, technological or human-caused event involving chemicals, biological agents, explosives, radiological or nuclear devices.
The boat will also be used for maritime firefighting and for battling fires along Savannah’s riverfront, he said.
The city provides first responders and resources for the Port of Savannah, one of the busiest ports in the country.
Application for the grant was a joint effort between Savannah Fire and the Georgia Ports Authority, Keller said.
“This is another step in Savannah Fire’s continuing efforts to enhance the department’s maritime firefighting capabilities that will help ensure the continuity of operations for an important part of the local and state economies,” said Fire Chief Charles Middleton in a news release.
The fire department is finalizing specifications for the vessel, which Keller said will likely take 14-16 months to be built and delivered.
Once in Savannah, the boat will augment the fire department’s industrial firefighting equipment, which includes submersible pumps and high output cannons that allow firefighters to pull water from rivers and ponds, Keller said.