By Kelly Young
news@jacksonvilleprogress.com
As of Aug. 3, 2007, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department has a potent new tool in its efforts to investigate missing persons cases. Thanks to an agreement with the A Child Is Missing (ACIM) alert program, CCSD will now be able to bring a hi-tech, nation-wide search system to bear when Cherokee County residents go missing.
“We will be able to use this to help find missing children, but it will also help us search for mentally impaired persons and Alzheimer's patients, as well,” said Chief Deputy Keith Radcliff.
Now that the program is in place, whenever CCSD receives a missing person call that fits ACIM’s criteria, they will immediately notify the system’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Sheriff’s Department will give ACIM any pertinent information regarding the missing person, like a description, home address or any last known whereabouts.
ACIM will then call residences and businesses in the immediate area informing them of the disappearance, allowing locals to keep an eye out for the missing person. If a person matching the description from the ACIM alert is spotted, citizens are encouraged to call CCSD immediately at 903-683-2271.
“When we contact them with information about a missing person they are able to get a map of the area, pull up the phone numbers for the area and call the first 1,000 phone numbers they have in their system,” Radcliff said. “This will hopefully help us in that small window of opportunity that we have when someone goes missing. We like to have any and every tool we can get.”
The ACIM program’s telephone database does not include cell phones or unlisted numbers. Individuals who would like to be included in the program’s call list can sign up for the service at www.achildismissing.org.
To date, ACIM has led to 280 safe recoveries of missing persons. The program is free to all participating law enforcement agencies.
In other county news, the following arrests were made by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Safety for the period of July 31 through Aug. 6.
• Gwyneth M. Caffney, public intoxication. A fine was set at $125.
• Javier Cruz, failure to yield right of way, no insurance and no driver’s license. Fines were set at $145, $316 and $135.
• Joshua B. Ellis, driving while intoxicated. Bond was set at $750.
• Jose L. Esparza, no driver’s license, no insurance and speeding. Fines were set at $135, $316 and $150.
• Jason L. Garrett, driving while intoxicated, driving with an invalid license and speeding. Bonds were set at $750, $750 and $165.
• Hilarion J. Gonzales, driving while intoxicated. No bond was offered.
• Michael K. Gregory, driving while intoxicated. Bond was set at $2,000.
• Amber M. Herring, failure to appear, speeding, no insurance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Fines were set at $380, $335, $453 and $393.
• Michael D. Jenkins, burglary of a habitation. No bond was offered.
• Corry D. Lofton, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and assault with a deadly weapon. No bond was offered.
• Adam L. Rocha, failure to appear. Bond was set at $5,000.
• Tolbert L. Sipes II, aggravated sexual assault and indecency with a child. No bond was offered.
• Jim F. Tobola III, driving while intoxicated (third or more offense). Bond was set at $20,000.
• Jodie E. Whisenant, theft by check. No bond was offered.
• Joseph P. Wooddell, possession of drug paraphernalia. A fine was set at $150.
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