From STAFF REPORTS

CORDELE — An elderly local motel guest died of apparent natural causes Sunday night.

Cordele Police Department Sgt. Charles Dennard said Donald Allen, 85, was found lying on the floor of his motel room about 8:30 a.m. Monday by his wife, Norma Rodriguez, who kept her maiden name upon their marriage 24 years ago.

Rodriguez told the officer she initially thought her husband was playing a joke as from time to time he would pretend to be dead in order to get her reaction. When she tried to shake him, she realized something was wrong and called 911.

Rodriguez told police officers and Crisp County coroner Jimmy Rainey that she and her husband had been to Atlanta to visit their grandchildren and were on their way back home when they stopped here to spend the night.

In other Monday activity, officers:

— Arrested a 22-year-old Cordele man, Keefus Bernard Smith Jr., of 811-B Broad St., on charges of stalking, obstructing a person from making an emergency telephone call and criminal trespass.

Pvt. Erica Cromer was dispatched at 1:42 a.m. Tuesday to an address in the 900 block of 10th St. S. to investigate a forced entry.

A female occupant told the officer she was in bed asleep when Smith broke her bedroom window, entered the residence and got into a physical altercation with a male subject there. When the woman tried to call 911, she said Smith took her phone and broke it.

After having the alleged offender’s car towed from where it was parked in the roadway, the officer took Smith to the Crisp County Law Enforcement center for booking.

— Investigated a vandalism complaint filed by members of the Cordele Church of God located at 217 17th Ave. E.

Lt. Frank Wise said he was told men of the church were painting the building when they found several windows had been shot with what appeared to be BBs. Damage was estimated at $200.

— Received two theft complaints involving cell phones.

A resident of the 400 block of Ninth Ave. W. told Sgt. Robert Montgomery just before 2:30 p.m. that someone had taken her Samsung slide model.