Putnam County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating several incidents of vehicles damaged by rocks thrown and a log left in the lane of traffic.
Five different vehicles were damaged while traveling on Monticello Road between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, according to PCSO Chief of Staff Russell Blenk.
Four of the incidents involved rocks being thrown from the side of the road in the dark. Blenk said the person was throwing stones from both sides of the road at vehicles heading eastbound and westbound, striking and shattering the windshields of some and damaging the sides of others.
“That could’ve killed somebody,” Blenk said as he watched one of the vehicle’s dashcam videos revealing a person throwing the rock and shattering the windshield on the driver’s side.
“It’s a terroristic act to do this,” he added and read aloud O.C.G.A. 16-11-37, “A person commits the offense of a terroristic act when …he or she shoots at or throws an object at a conveyance which is being operated or which is occupied by passengers.”
Instead of being hit by rocks, the fifth vehicle ran into a log lying on the road.
“We think it was intentionally placed there because the tree had already been fallen, and it was out in the road blocking both lanes,” Blenk explained. “A good Samaritan moved the logs from the roadway before we got there.”
All of the incidents took place in an approximate 30-minute window on the 1200 block of Monticello Road, Blenk noted.
“The rocks and logs were all in the same area,” he added. “The deputy could see bark from the tree smushed into the pavement, and also saw rocks and gravel on the road.”
Several of the incidents were captured on video by the damaged vehicles’ dashcams.
“We are taking this serious, of course,” Blenk said. “If anybody knows anything, please call the sheriff’s office, 706-485-8557. “