Every so often, we like to take a look over the fence here in Athens at neighboring Madison County. It helps readers keep up with the legal problems folks there are experiencing.

In the most recent installation of the Madison Blotter in the Athens Banner-Herald, there were reports of arrests for marijuana possession, DUI and other legal complications.

In one case, a law enforcement official was told that a group of teenagers were smoking marijuana in a pick-up truck parked at a fast food restaurant.

When the officer approached the teens, he said he saw one of them pull an object out of a pocket and hold it beside his leg. When the officer seized the object, he found it was a plastic bag containing marijuana.

The teen, 16, was taken into custody and charged with marijuana possession as a juvenile.

In an unrelated case, a sheriff's sergeant was sent to a Madison County high school. When a student there was searched for tobacco, the officer found marijuana.

The student was later released to a guardian.

In a separate incident, a deputy was on patrol on Georgia Highway 72 when his radar indicated a vehicle going 21 mph over the posted 55 mph speed limit.

When he pulled the vehicle over, the officer said he detected the odor of alcohol on the driver, who admitted she'd had a drink earlier that night.

The 47-year-old was charged with speeding and DUI.

A day later, the same deputy was patrolling on Georgia Highway 106 when a pick-up caused a near-accident with the patrol car.

The deputy pulled the 51-year-old driver over. The Colbert man apparently admitted he'd been drinking. He was charged with DUI and issued several traffic citations as well.

Source: Online Athens: "Madison Blotter," Dec. 8, 2011