Man jailed after breaking into home, attacking woman, stealing her car
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The following felony arrests were reported by Atmore Police Department (APD) officers during the period August 20-23:
Juan Garcia-Galvin
An Atmore man was arrested August 23 on several charges after he allegedly broke into the home of the mother of his children, attacked the woman, then took her phone and her car when he left.
APD reports show that officers were sent to Atmore Community Hospital around 12:25 p.m. after a staff member reported that a woman was being treated for injuries received during a domestic violence incident.
During the investigation, officers discovered that Juan Garcia-Galvin, 41, had broken into the victim’s residence around 2:30 that morning, armed with a knife. Garcia-Galvin reportedly hit the woman several times, causing noticeable injuries.
He “used force to prevent the victim from leaving the residence,” then took her cell phone and left in her vehicle.
Police began searching for the suspect and pulled over the victim’s vehicle, with Garcia-Galvin behind the wheel, around 6:50 p.m.
He is charged with one count each of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree domestic violence, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, third-degree domestic assault and third-degree domestic criminal mischief.
Garcia-Galvin remained in the Escambia County Detention Center on Monday, August 26.
Chad Smith
A Walnut Hill, Fla. man was arrested August 22 on charges of possessing a fentanyl-methamphetamine mixture after he apparently fell asleep across the horn of his car, which was parked just outside the lobby of a local hotel.
According to police reports, officers were sent around 5:40 a.m. to Fairfield Inn & Suites, where hotel employees reported “a suspicious vehicle near the entrance to the lobby.” They said the driver, later identified as 46-year-old Chad Smith, “had been there for an extended period of time, honking his horn.”
An officer arrived to find Smith asleep on the driver’s side of the vehicle. After several attempts by the officer to wake him, Smith finally woke up and “began speaking incoherently and indicated he thought he was in another state.”
When the city lawman opened the door, he detected “a strong odor of marijuana” inside, so a probable cause search was conducted.
The search turned up approximately three grams of a mixture of fentanyl and methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, and two syringes with an unknown type of residue in them.
Smith, who was released on bond, is charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance, second-degree possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Kiauna Grice
Tashawna Perkins
Hannah Reed
Three women from out of town were arrested August 23 after police pulled over a reported “suspicious vehicle” that was headed toward Atmore.
The incident took place around 2:20 p.m., when officers were sent to the Canoe area to check out the report.
The vehicle was spotted on U.S. 31, near its junction with Medical Park Drive, headed back toward Canoe. When the officer ran the number of the license plate displayed on the vehicle, he discovered it was registered to a different vehicle.
He conducted a traffic stop and the driver, 33-year-old Kiauna Grice of Century, Fla. gave consent to search the vehicle. Two passengers — Tashawna Perkins, 31, of Century and Hannah Reed, 20, of Foley — were also in the vehicle.
The search yielded approximately a gram of methamphetamine, approximately a gram of synthetic cannabis (Spice), and an undisclosed quantity of Lortab and Tramadol pills. All three women were arrested.
Grice and Perkins were each charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Police learned that Reed, who was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance, also had an outstanding warrant for her arrest with the county sheriff’s office.
All three women remained in the ECDC on Monday, August 26.
Cecelia Andrews
A 61-year-old Atmore woman was arrested August 20 after city police, responding to a domestic disturbance report, discovered she was the subject of an outstanding Florida felony warrant.
According to police reports, officers were sent to a residence in the 200 block of Oak Street to check out the disturbance complaint.
During their preliminary investigation, police discovered that Cecelia Andrews was wanted by the Escambia County, Fla. Sheriff’s Office on an outstanding arrest warrant charging her with the theft of a motor vehicle.
Once Florida authorities confirmed they would extradite her, Andrews was taken to the ECDC to await transfer of custody.