On Sunday, October 9th, Tybee Island Code Enforcement personnel advised one of our officers that a concerned citizen had approached them with a bone which they found somewhere near the south jetties. Upon closer inspection, the officer noted that the bone was approximately a foot long and broken on one end. After taking the bone into his custody, the officer placed it into our property room for further investigation. The following day, detectives sent photographs of the bone to the medical examiner, who identified it as belonging to an animal. At that time the bone was disposed of properly and the case was closed.

That same day, officers responded to the area of the 14th Street parking lot in reference to a report of suspicious activity. While speaking with our team, a witness stated that he watched a group of 8 or 9 people, wearing hoodies and masks, exit a Sports Utility Vehicle in the parking lot. As the witness continued to watch, the group began to sift through the bed of a nearby truck before walking away from the area. During the course of the subsequent investigation, officers learned that the SUV which the group had been seen exiting, was reported stolen. After making contact with the rightful owner, officers received permission to search the vehicle in an effort to locate and remove anything that didn’t belong. During the course of this search, officers found a clear plastic bag of white powder, car keys, electronic devices, clothing items and a loaded rifle. This remains an active investigation at this time.

On Monday, October 10th, one of our officers watched a vehicle fail to stop for the stop sign at 17th Street and Butler Avenue. After stopping the vehicle, the officer learned that the driver did not have a license. He was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with Failure to Stop for a Stop Sign and Driving While Unlicensed.

On Tuesday, October 11th, officers responded to the traffic circle in reference to a report of a drunk man lying on the ground. While subsequently speaking with the man, officers noticed that he had a lot of trouble maintaining his balance and that there was a strong smell similar to that of an alcoholic drink coming from his body. During the course of the conversation, officers were able to determine where the man was staying and provided him with a courtesy ride to his “Air BnB”. Once there, the man informed officers that his wallet had been stolen by “two strippers” and a male companion. He was then provided with a case number and was advised to follow-up with the police department when he was sober.

On Friday, October 14th, the Tybee Island Police Department received a call from detectives with an agency in New York. During the course of the conversation, the detectives advised that they had reason to believe a group of missing teenagers from their area were on Tybee Island. Armed with a vehicle description and pictures of the juveniles, our team began to canvass the island in an attempt to locate them. After spotting the car parked near Butler Avenue and 3rd street, officers found the missing girls on the beach. During the course of the subsequent investigation, it was learned that two of the girls were over the age of 17, technically making them “adults” in the State of Georgia. Given this, our team would not be able to detain them any longer than necessary without criminal charges. After conferring with our counterparts in New York about how they wished to proceed, the decision was made to release the two 17 year old girls and allow them to continue on their way. The third girl, a 14 year old, was transported to the Tybee Island Police Department and taken into protective custody. Once there, officers activated our award winning “Operation Starlight” program, and volunteers cared for the girl for almost 20 hours while waiting for her parents to arrive from New York.

Want to know more about “Operation Starlight”? Click here: Operation Starlight — Tybee Island Police Department