Busy Weekend for Local Law Enforcement But No Fatalities

The holiday weekend is behind us and according to local law enforcement and the Georgia State Patrol, it was a busy one in terms of traffic accidents and arrests.

The 78-hour holiday period this year began at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 2, and ended at midnight on Sunday.

During that time, the Georgia State Patrol reported six traffic fatalities on Georgia roadways but none in the Troop B region, which includes Hart, Franklin, Stephens, Elbert, and Habersham Counties.

Three of those fatalities were in Dekalb County.  The other three were handled by the Villa Rica, Statesboro and Douglas GSP Posts.

Hartwell GSP Post Commander Corporal Al Whitworth said it was busy in the three-county territory for his troopers.  Whitworth tells WLHR News his troopers worked 15 accidents with no serious injuries or fatalities and made 18 DUI arrests.

Locally, Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas reports it was also a busy weekend for his deputies.  Thomas said officers made 12 arrests Saturday night alone, eight of those were for DUI.

Out on the waters of Lake Hartwell on the Georgia side, DNR Law Enforcement officer Craig Fulghum said it was a quiet weekend with only one citation for boating under the influence.