Police stays busy on the Fourth of July

By Rich Flowers News Editor

July 07, 2009 11:32 pm

— While hundreds of Athens citizens enjoyed the city fireworks display Saturday, others kept police busy by illegally popping firecrackers.
Between 4 p.m. and 12:26 a.m. Sunday, the Athens Police Department received more than 20 calls from a north Athens neighborhood reporting fireworks and grassfires. APD dispatched officers to the area several times during the period. APD made no arrests on fireworks related charges Saturday but is looking into the evening of persistent pyrotechnics.
APD Chief Buddy Hill was not available for comment Tuesday.
Police reports stated the first call came at 4:17 p.m. from an unidentified citizen on Tillison Street. Corporal Billy Westover was sent to the location, but did not locate the origin of the fireworks.
After sundown the calls increased. Officer Shane Hagood responded to numerous complaints of fireworks in the vicinity of Jonathan Street, but was again unable to determine who was violating the ordinance.
At 10:13 p.m., Corporal Gregory Hill, who was on patrol on Stirman Street radioed that people were throwing fireworks at the officers. Four minutes later Hill again reported someone throwing fireworks at them. Hill and Hagood were not able to determine which individual was actually setting off the fireworks.
Shortly before 11 p.m., the Athens Fire Department responded to a report of a small grass fire in the 400 block of Jonathan Street. AFD sent two pumper trucks to extinguish the fire. They cleared the scene shortly after midnight.
At 12:02 a.m., AFD sent a brush truck and a pumper truck to a grass fire on 4th street. Within minutes the fire was also under control.
Minutes later another fire call came from Jonathan Street, again reporting a minor blaze.
No one was injured and no property was damaged in the fires.