Man Looking for ‘Lost’ Vehicle Claims Gas Station Is His Home

A LaGrange, Ga. man who lost his car ended up finding a Gwinnett County Police officer and a ride to jail.

The officer noticed the man as he arrived at the Winder Highway Quiktrip just before 5 a.m. on Jan. 26. The man, later identified as Braden Duke, age 20, began walking towards the officer.

“As he got closer, he yelled at another car that was leaving. He also waved his hands in the air and lunged toward the front of the vehicle,” the officer wrote in the report. The vehicle drove around Duke and left the scene.

Duke then walked up to the officer and asked how he was doing. The officer replied that he was fine and inquired if Duke was okay.

According to the officer’s report, “The suspect stated he was looking for his vehicle, which he said he ‘lost.’ I asked the suspect where he was coming from and he said, ‘Well, [expletive deleted] home of course.’ I asked the suspect where his home was and he stated, ‘Right [expletive deleted] here man.’ As he said that, he opened his arms and waved them side to side as if he were talking about the Quiktrip being his home.”

The officer noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverage and also noted Duke appeared to be on the verge of falling over as he swayed and stumbled in the parking lot.

The officer attempted to find out where Duke was coming from, but Duke reportedly “continued to mumble and ramble about various things.”

The officer determined Duke was likely under the influence of alcohol and was under the legal drinking age. Duke was taken into custody on a charge of disorderly conduct. The only property he had with him at the time of his arrest was a cell phone and a set of car keys.

On the way to the jail, Duke allegedly confessed that he was “[expletive deleted] up” and “had too much to drink.” He also reportedly said several times that he thought he was in the city of Athens and just wanted to go home.

Duke was booked into the jail on a charge of disorderly conduct. He was released later that day on a $125 bond. At the time of the report, his vehicle had not been located.

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Other recent incidents investigated by the Gwinnett County Police Department include: 

Jan. 28

• Simple assault in the 300 block of Carlton Chase Court.

Jan. 27

• Drug offense near the intersection of Circle Road and Fence Road.
• Second-degree forgery in the 1700 block of Winder Highway.
• Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in the 1700 block of Winder Highway.

Jan. 26

• Battery in the 1400 block of Great River Parkway.
• Disorderly conduct in the 1700 block of Winder Highway.
• Two cases of entering auto in the 2100 block of Hamilton Creek Parkway.

Jan. 24

• Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in the 500 block of Eastside Drive.
• Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana near the intersection of Dacula Road and Liam Avenue.
• Entering auto in the 2100 block of Stancil Point Drive.
• Entering auto in the 2600 block of Grove Valley Lane.

Jan. 23

• Shoplifting in the 2500 block of Winder Highway.
• Theft in the 1600 block of Brooks Road.

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