Watkinsville Man Arrested After Police Stop Him Twice in Same Hour for Same Traffic Violation

Police stopped a 2004 Jeep Cherokee on Main Street around 2 p.m. on Jan. 8 after noticing that the license plate had expired in May of 2012, according to Police Chief Lee O'Dillon.  A computer check then revealed that the tag had been suspended by the state, and the officer also learned the license of the driver was suspended, he said in a news release.

The driver was issued a citation for the suspended tag and advised that the SUV could not be driven.  He was also served with a written notice that his driver's license was suspended, advising him that he could not drive until the license status was resolved with the state, O'Dillon said.

The driver parked and locked the Jeep and told officers that he would wait at a nearby convenience store while he made arrangements for someone to come get him and his car, according to O'Dillon, but twenty minutes later the same police officer observed the same Jeep, and driver, traveling on Ga. Highway 15. 

Daniel Lee Minish, 19, of Watkinsville, was arrested and charged with driving on a suspended license and driving with a suspended tag, O'Dillon said. The vehicle was impounded.  Minish was booked and later released after posting bond.

O'Dillon also noted the following incidents in the news release:

• A 2000 Jeep Cherokee slammed into the back of a 2003 Honda Civic on Experiment Station Road near the Watkinsville Post Office.  The 57-year-old driver of the Honda was taken by National E.M.S. to Athens Regional Medical Center.  Both vehicles were heavily damaged. An 18-year-old Watkinsville resident was charged with following too closely.

• At 10:30 Saturday morning, the owner of a 2000 BMW reported that someone sideswiped his car while it was parked at the Watkinsville Post Office.  The offending white vehicle drove away without reporting the incident.

Watkinsville police responded to a total of 33 calls within city limits between Jan. 7-13, 2013.

Find Oconee Patch's crime reporting policies here.

Don’t miss any Oconee news. Subscribe to Oconee Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.