Picnic tables stolen from near West Side Elementary in Rossville

♦ Anyone with information about the school’s missing tables — valued at $4,800 — is asked to call the sheriff’s office.

Nearly $5,000 worth of picnic tables were recently stolen from a business next door to West Side Elementary School in Rossville, police say.

According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the theft occurred sometime between midnight and noon on Sept. 12 in the 3000 block of Lakeview Drive adjacent to West Side Elementary School.

The victim told police he placed eight metal picnic tables outside the bay door of his shop the night before because he was painting them for West Side Elementary School.

The man said when he arrived at work around noon the next day, the tables were missing.

The elementary school’s principal told police the tables were valued at $600 each, or $4,800 in total.

Anyone with information regarding the theft or the missing tables is encouraged to contact the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at 706-935-2424.

Victim identifies Fort Oglethorpe hit-and-run driver through Facebook

A Ringgold man was recently arrested on a hit-and-run charge after he allegedly crashed into a former schoolmate and fled the scene, police say.

According to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department:

Keiser Allen Ruehl, 25, of Lori Lane, was arrested Sept. 10 on one count of leaving the scene of an accident/ hit-and-run.

Ruehl has since been released from jail on bond.

Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Dietz Road just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 after a woman claimed a man rear-ended her vehicle and then took off.

The victim told police that after the collision, the man got out of his truck, went to her window and asked if she was OK, and then hopped back in his truck and left the scene.

The woman informed police that she recognized the man from school and thought his name was Keiser, reports show.

“She was able to speak to a friend who was also familiar with the offender and they were able to find him on Facebook,” Officer Floyd Dylon said. “She looked at his pictures on Facebook and again said that it was him.”

Officers were able to locate Ruehl’s residence, where they found him and his damaged truck.

“The vehicle had front end damage that matched up with the damage on the victim’s car,” Officer Dylon said.

Both Ruehl and his parents claimed he could not have been involved in the crash because he’d been at home for the past hour, reports show.

“Mr. Ruehl said that he did not hit anyone and that he did not know if the damage was there prior to today (Sept. 10) or not,” Dylon said.

Given the evidence and witness’ statement, Ruehl was placed under arrest.