Story Archive

DARE — Not to Laugh

The late-night 911 call was calm: Brian Austin, 25, told the dispatcher that there were about five men in his Bloomingdale, Ga., yard, and one had broken into his car. The second call was a bit more frantic: the men were in his house, now, and Austin and his friend were terrified. “When the deputies arrived, the two came running to the door and reported they could hear people in the back bedroom who had broken into the home,” said a spokesman for the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office. “They pointed out to the deputies outside where the suspects were, climbing into a boat and getting away.” Wait wait wait: a boat? Inside the house? Deputies went in and searched, but found no intruders. They did find a meth lab, however. “They were so high they called 911 on themselves,” the spokesman said. Austin and Brian Johnson, 28, were arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and conspiracy. (RC/Savannah Morning News) ...The “intruders” can be explained by the mirror in the hall. But what about the boat?