Local woman busted at police station
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore police didn’t have to look far for a local woman who was jailed October 17 on several charges. The woman was arrested after she came to police headquarters to file a complaint against another person.
According to Atmore Police Department reports, 42-year-old Connie Denise Ethridge came to the police department to file a harassment complaint.
While taking the complaint, an officer discovered that Etheridge was the subject of an outstanding warrant for public intoxication. While being escorted to a jail cell, she attempted to conceal a glass pipe like those commonly used to ingest narcotics. In the pipe was a white residue that field-tested positive for crack cocaine.
The officer escorting her was momentarily distracted by a separate matter, and Etheridge was able to escape from the building. After a brief foot pursuit, she was taken back into custody.
APD Sgt. Darrell McMann reported that Etheridge is charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance (a Class D felony), possession of drug paraphernalia, promoting prison contraband and second-degree escape (a Class C felony).
Ethridge was released on bond October 20.
Other felony arrests of local residents reported during the period October 17-20 include:
*City police arrested Elbert Simmons, 48, on October 16 and charged him with possession of a pistol by a violent felon.
The charge is a Class D felony, punishable upon conviction by up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Simmons was released on bond October 20.
*Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested an Atmore woman October 16 on felony drug possession charges.
Details were not available, but the ECDC website shows Brittany Nicole Sharpless, 32, was found to be in possession of an undisclosed quantity of an unspecified controlled substance.
She was released from jail October 17 on bond.