Troup County sheriff’s deputies used an accused burglar’s cell phone to contact his mother and find him in her residence.

Deputies gave this account:

A resident of the 700 block of Hammett Road saw a man in the rear pavilion of his residence stealing items about 2 p.m. Sunday. The man confronted the suspect with a handgun. The suspect attempted to charge the resident before the man fired a warning shot. The suspect then fled down the road on foot, dropping his cell phone on the ground.

Deputies found the phone, searched its contact listings and found a contact titled “Mama.” Deputies reached the woman and were told the suspected thief was at her residence, also in the 700 block of Hammett Road. Jonathan Nelson, 17, was found in his bedroom and was charged with burglary.

Man accused in knife threats

LaGrange police accused a man of choking a woman, threatening her with a knife and trying to pour gasoline on her in her residence in the 700 block of South Greenwood Street on Monday afternoon.

Alvin Ellison, 40, of South Greenwood Street was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery with a weapon, criminal trespass and false imprisonment.

Police gave this account: Ellison was upset with the woman because she wanted to attend a neighbor’s Memorial Day cookout. After choking her and threatening her with a knife, he poured gasoline on himself, then tried to do the same to her before she knocked the can of gas out of his hands. He told the woman he was going to jail in about a month for an unrelated incident and was going to do something about it and take her with him. The victim ran outside and called 911 on her cell phone, prompting him to flee.

Police soon found him nearby.

Burglaries, thefts

— A resident of the 200 block of Fannin Street said a a thief damaged the rear window of her residence Saturday night and stole $400 worth of jewelry, a $300 digital camera, video games valued at $700 and meat from her refrigerator.

— A thief stole a power saw valued at $350 and some other equipment from a shed in the 200 block of Jackson Road on Sunday night.

— A resident of the 100 block of Mallory Drive said a thief obtained his credit card information and charged $1,500 on it at various locations from December through the middle of May.

— A thief stole a washer and dryer, a refrigerator, a computer and a toilet from a residence in the first block of Valley Road over the weekend.

— A resident of the 300 block of East Depot Street said a thief stole speakers, a DVD player and a stereo system from his residence.

— A LaGrange woman said a thief broke into her car and stole $300 and a handbag containing two rings valued at $400 while she was inside Zaxby’s at 127 Commerce Ave.

— A LaGrange man said a thief broke into his truck behind Basil Leaf at 109 Main St. and stole a touch-screen DVD player and radio valued at $500. The thief used a drill to make a hole under the handle of the driver’s side door of the truck.

Accident

A LaGrange woman was hospitalized after her car hydroplaned in a puddle of water on Davis Road and struck a tree Monday afternoon.

Tabatha Escobar-Matias, 23, of Gray Hill Road was southbound on Davis Road between Hogansville Road and Lafayette Parkway and drove into a large pocket of water on the side of the road, police said. She was treated at West Georgia Medical Center and re-leased.

Escobar-Matias was cited for failure to maintain lane.

Fire

A fire Monday afternoon caused an estimated $5,000 damage to an unoccupied home scheduled for demolition at 904 Houston St.

LaGrange firefighters said owner Robert Parsley was using a portable light fixture to retrieve metals and wood inside the house for recycling. The light fixture tipped over, igniting wood debris, and the flames traveled up the wall and into the attic.

- It is the policy of LaGrange Daily News to print the names of people charged with felonies.