SCSO Charges Man With Damaging Property

A Franklin County man faces charges in Stephens County after allegedly damaging a commercial property.

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley said that deputies responded to a local business on June 14 in reference to a report that someone had damaged new landscaping that had been completed.

“Approximately $3,000 worth of damage had been done to the landscaping,” said Shirley. “During the course of the investigation, it was learned witnesses had observed a vehicle and described the vehicle, as well as a partial tag number.”

Shirley said that two days later, on June 16, deputies came into contact with a vehicle fitting the description given by witnesses and performed a traffic stop.

According to the sheriff, the deputies smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver of the vehicle.

However, he said that is not all deputies noticed.

“They also noticed that the vehicle had a lot of mulch under the grill and undercarriage, a lot of dirt and so forth,” said Shirley.

Shirley said at that point, deputies conducted a Standard Field Sobriety Examination and determined that the driver, 27-year-old Steven Everette Ellis of Clark Creek Road in Martin, was impaired.

Ellis was charged with Driving Under the Influence as a habitual violator.

The sheriff went on to say that authorities then proceeded to ask Ellis about the property damage report.

“The next day, investigators went out to the jail and talked to the individual and he confessed to driving out on the property of this business and doing the damage to all of the landscaping that had just been done,” said Shirley.

Ellis was then charged with Felony Second Degree Criminal Damage to Property.

The sheriff said Ellis posted a $12,500 bond and was released.