A 26-year-old Savannah man who police say climbed into the wolf pen at Oatland Island Wildlife Center was charged with trespassing after leading police on a foot chase through the woods.
Savannah-Chatham police were called to the center about noon Friday after witnesses reported seeing a man inside the pen that houses the wolves, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
Patrol officers had to chase down John Floyd, of an East Park Avenue address, with a borrowed utility vehicle after he fled the pen and ran through several other enclosures before running down a trail, Miller said.
Once police apprehended him, they discovered a container of sugar cubes, an unidentified brown crystallized powder, an unidentified liquid, a nearly empty bottle of Kahlua and an almost empty half-gallon carton of soy milk.
Miller said police are continuing to investigate the incident.
Police, FBI seek robber
Savannah-Chatham police and the FBI are searching for a gunman who robbed a credit union Friday morning.
The suspect walked into the Chatham Federal Credit Union, in the 600 block of East 67th Street, just before 10:30 a.m. with a handgun and robbed tellers of an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the scene.
Police spokesman Julian Miller said the suspect is a black male between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall weighing about 145 pounds, with a medium build and medium complexion.
He was wearing a gray hooded shirt with dark clothing, orange gloves and a dark mask, Miller said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637).
Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
CNT seizes 20 pounds of pot
One person is in custody following an operation conducted by the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.
Charles Ashley Hall, 30, was arrested without incident following the seizure of more than 20 pounds of marijuana.
Hall was charged with trafficking marijuana, a felony in Georgia with a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years to serve.
Early Tuesday morning, CNT agents, working in partnership with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Chatham County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit, received information on a large amount of marijuana in the Savannah-Chatham area.
Through the use of various investigative avenues, CNT said a search warrant was obtained for a residence on Cutler Court in Savannah.
Hall remains in the Chatham County jail following his arraignment in Chatham County Recorders Court.
The seized marijuana has an estimated street value of up to $40,000, CNT said.
Pooler railroad crossing to close
The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Central Railway will close a Pooler railroad crossing next weekend for repairs.
The crossing on Dean Forest Road between U.S. 80 and Interstate 16 will close at 8 a.m. April 13 and remain closed to traffic through 5 p.m. April 15, weather permitting.
The work was originally scheduled to take place April 6-8, but it conflicted with a Chatham County project.
Motorists will be able to access businesses, schools and residences right up to the work zone. Detour routes will be signed as followed:
• Northbound traffic on Dean Forest will detour 2.37 miles west on I-16, then proceed to Interstate 95 northbound. From there, motorists will travel 2.23 miles north and exit at U.S. 80 eastbound. Traffic will then travel east 2.82 miles before reuniting with Dean Forest.
• Southbound traffic will detour 2.82 miles west on U.S. 80, then turn onto I-95 southbound. From there, motorists will travel 2.57 miles south and exit onto I-16 eastbound, where they will exit onto Dean Forest after about 2.5 miles.
Dean Forest closed to through traffic
Dean Forest Road will be closed to through traffic between U.S. 17 and Interstate 16 through April 8 for construction.
Access will be provided to all residences and businesses, said Peter Nichols, Chatham County Commission spokesman. Traffic will be detoured to Chatham Parkway.
Benton Boulevard to be closed next week
A section of Benton Boulevard just south of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway will be closed starting Monday for resurfacing of the road.
The work is expected to be complete by April 6, barring rain or other delays, said Peter Nichols, Chatham County Commission spokesman. Through traffic will be detoured to Crossroads Parkway.
Compiled by Corey Dickstein and Marcus E. Howard