A shooting Friday afternoon on Lookout Mountain left one Walker County deputy injured and the Sheriff’s Department K9 dead.

Steven Lee Waldemer of Idaho, on probation from a kidnapping sentence and out of touch with authorities, is suspected of sexually assaulting a local woman in front of her children and assaulting one of the kids inside a camper trailer on Moon Lake Rd.

Walker County deputies attempting to apprehend the man Friday were fired at; a shotgun blast hit deputy Donnie Brown in the face and neck and killed the county’s new police dog, Tanja. (Per WQCH, this was the first crime scene deployment for Tanja, who joined the department only a few weeks ago.)

Officers from Chattooga and Dade arrived after the shooting, but the suspect managed to slip by at least 12 deputies when their view of his camper was obscured by the gas and smoke they filled it with while trying to drive him out.

After escaping, Waldemer headed towards Alabama on foot and was arrested in the woods without further incident. He now faces pretty much every charge you can think of.

Deputy Brown was released from the hospital and is expected to be OK. A memorial service for Tanja will be held in the near future.         

City hearing regarding Chattanooga Street Tavern beer and wine license will be held at 9 AM.

This hearing isn’t about the morality of selling beer, it’s about violating city rules about how and where alcohol can be sold. The city’s initial investigation of hard liquor served during a Valentine’s Day party led to discovery of three possible law violations: hard liquor stored at the Tavern, alcohol being served to Tavern employees, and serving employees who were also minors. Other issues may also surface during the hearing.

LaFayette council can hand down a fine, temporarily suspend the Tavern’s pouring license, permanently suspend their pouring license, or turn a blind eye to flagrant violations of the law in favor of what Tavern owner Mike Lovelady refers to as “progress.”

Lovelady is fully aware of everything he’s accused of doing wrong, but so far he’s refused to directly address any of that. Instead he’s used a multitude of profiles and pages on Facebook to attack the city (and LU often as not) for trying to enforce the law.

He and his supporters have spoken of vast conspiracies against him, of people who hate alcohol, people who hate businesses, personal vendettas, etc. but nothing at all about the core accusations of serving the wrong kind of alcohol to the wrong people at the wrong place at the wrong time in blatant, intentional violation of the law.

The hearing will likely draw a sizable crowd, probably a majority pro-Tavern considering it’s scheduled during hours when most people are at work.   

Also starting 9 AM at city hall: David Hamilton’s new career as LaFayette City Manager.

Hamilton replaces former City Council member and business owner Max Morrison, who’s been holding down the Manager’s office as an unpaid interim for well over a year.   

As mentioned previously, the city pool concession stand was broken into over the weekend. City policy requires cash to be kept in a safe, but for some reason nearly $800 was left basically unsecured inside the building – and now that money is gone.

Cash left where it shouldn’t have been suggests either an inside job or possibly just sloppiness on the part of pool employees. LPD continues to investigate the burglary.   

Another day, another missing person / wanted person post from the Sheriff’s Office.

29-year-old Jessica Marie Packard has been missing since last Wednesday, June 4th.

She was last seen getting on a bus in Chattanooga with stated plans to visit family in Macon.

If you’ve seen her since Wednesday please contact the Sheriff’s Office.   

WQCH Radio, 06/12/14: “DOMESTIC CASES SEEM TO ‘HEAT UP’ DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, AND LAFAYETTE POLICE REPORT A COUPLE OF ARRESTS OVER THE WEEKEND.

“42 YEAR OLD JAMES MICHAEL COOPER WAS CHARGED WITH BATTERY, FALSE IMPRISONMENT, HENDERING A 9-1-1 CALL AND 3rd DEGREE CHILD CRUELTY IN A CASE THAT INVOLVED HIS WIFE. POLICE SAY SHE GOT A BADLY BRUISED EYE AFTER BEING STRUCK AND PUSHED INTO A DOOR IN THE COUPLE’S DAUGHERTY STREET HOME. EMT’S CHECKED HER OUT AT THE SCENE. THE COUPLE’S DAUGHTER WAS A WITNESS AND CALLED POLICE. IT HAPPENED AROUND 10 PM FRIDAY.

“AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORS OVER A ‘BOYFRIEND’ LANDED AN AMBERWOOD APARTMENTS RESIDENT IN JAIL. 49 YEAR OLD BONITA NORTH WAS CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND CRIMINAL TRESPASS.

“SHE IS ACCUSED OF STRIKING HER FEMALE NEIGHBOR WITH A LARGE RUBBER MALLET, AFTER UNLAWFULLY ENTERING HER APARTMENT. THE WEAPON WAS LATER LOCATED BEHIND THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ON WEST-NORTH MAIN. POLICE GOT THAT CALL AROUND 7:45 FRIDAY NIGHT.”

At least neither of these happened at a Pit-Stop station..   

As LU announced a month ago, LaFayette’s new City Manager will be David Hamilton, a native currently working in Alabama.

Hamilton, only 33, has no previous experience running any kind of government entity but has a number of business management positions on his resumé. His most recent job was running an industrial plant in Alabama, and he spent some time before that working in management at Roper parent General Electric.

Hamilton will take over the City Manager’s office (currently occupied by interim Max Morrison) next Monday, on June 16th.     

Man spotted using a stolen credit card last week has been identified (by LU readers and others) as 27-year-old Dustin Keith Williams of LaFayette.

Per the original requests, Williams is suspected of stealing a card from a vehicle in the Rock Spring area and then using it the same day inside what appears to be a Walmart (not the LaFayette store.)

He most recently lived on Summerfield Rd. in Noble but has yet to be found by law enforcement. If you know where Mr. Williams is, call the Sheriff’s Office at 706-638-1909 extension 238.   

During Monday night’s LaFayette council meeting, city leaders introduced the new City Manager, approved a list of roads to pave with state funds, raised codes department fees, and floated an idea to let departments spend up to $25,000 without approval from the Council.

“Max [Morrison] also said that the minimum of approval of any purchase over $3000 by council be raised to a more modern price. $3000 was set during the 1970’s. Max recommended $25,000 without council approval. Mot-Swanson, 2nd-Bradford. Councilman Bradford amended the motion by tabling it until the July council meeting.”

That idea is somewhat troubling. Maybe $10k but $25k seems like a lot of potential for abuse. Hopefully the council will consider a lower amount before their July session. (That meeting will be held on July 24 due to conflicting activities.)     

Apparently June is Crime Month in Walker County.

The video above shows a robbery last Tuesday at the Kangaroo gas station in Flintstone. Authorities say the event happened around 7:50 PM on June 3rd. The man fled in a black Dodge Durango SUV.

Another video of the suspect.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to use the Walker Sheriff’s Office “anonymous tipline” or contact Detective Jeff Herpst at 706-638-1909 extension 263.     

Yesterday LaFayette’s city pool opened late after employees found the pool concession stand had been broken into overnight. Insiders say thieves may have swiped about $1,000 left (for some reason) inside the glorified lawnmower shed.

LPD is investigating…   

WQCH Radio, 06/06/14: “THE WALKER AND CATOOSA SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENTS ARE WARNING OWNERS OF UTILITY AND ENCLOSED TRAILERS THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RASH OF THEFTS.

“A RELEASE STATES THAT INTELLIGENCE HAS BEEN RECEIVED INDICATING THAT THE STOLEN TRAILERS ARE BEING CUT UP AND SOLD AS SCRAP, OR ARE BEING TRADED IN THE ATLANTA AREA FOR METHAMPHETAMINE.

“THEY SAY THE BEST DEFENSE IS TO KEEP TRAILERS INSIDE A LOCKED BUILDING. BUT IF THAT IS NOT AN OPTION, STORE TRAILERS OUT OF PUBLIC VIEW. YOU CAN ALSO CHAIN AND LOCK A TRAILER, OR PARK IT BETWEEN A WALL AND ANOTHER VEHICLE, TO PREVENT EASY ACCESS.”

(Photo is of a trailer stolen recently in Catoosa County.)   

Public Defender David Dunn appeared before the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday to argue that the murder case against ex-LPD officer Sam Parker was based on illegally-obtained evidence, and also claimed the jury that convicted Parker of murdering his wife was pressured to find him guilty.

Parker’s lawyer primarily argued that a deputy looking inside a garage was an unlawful search and their observations shouldn’t have been admitted into the trial. He also argued that Sam being an awful, lying, abusive piece of shit (the majority of what was presented against him in the trial) doesn’t necessarily mean the man is a murderer.

Prosecutors responded that the deputy was right to check the garage and the home, to ensure Theresa Parker was OK, as part of a “well-being” check.

Judges will have up to six months to issue a ruling in the case. In the meanwhile, here’s a reminder of the role local law enforcement leaders had in allowing her be killed by a fellow officer.               

LU has received multiple reports of mailbox theft in the Center Grove Rd. and Hankins Rd. area. There have also been incidents shared of similar thefts on Marbletop Rd. in Chickamauga. Thieves have swiped Netflix discs and possibly other items. People living in those areas should be careful what’s put in the mail and be sure to check their box promptly after delivery.

And if you’re the one doing it, be aware that mail theft is a felony. Even if you take one Netflix DVD you’re potentially looking at big boy jail.   

Last Wednesday deputies in Habersham County seriously injured a 19-month-old during a no-knock raid on a suspected drug dealer’s home. The suspect wasn’t home, but relatives from Wisconsin (including four children) who lost their home in a fire were.

The baby was accidentally hurt by a flash-bang grenade tossed through a window, intended to disorient anyone inside the home. The raid produced no drugs and no suspect; the homeowner was later arrested elsewhere.

Law enforcement leaders blame the suspect for having children in his house and say they would follow the same procedure again in an identical situation.

Parents of the child have asked for a federal investigation. They say local prosecutor has taken no evidence from the home and feel nothing will be done about the potential police abuse.