What to Fear in Holly Springs and Hickory Flat

Nighttime can be frightening for some. 

Shadows and darkness can lure the mind into eerie thoughts of criminals and demons lurking around corners waiting to pounce.

These fantasies might be well-founded if we lived in the city of Atlanta, labeled “one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the USA,” according to Neighborhoodscout.com.

But here in our area, “violent crime is rare,” said Tanya Smith, spokeswoman for Holly Springs. 

Consequently, analysts who labeled Atlanta to be a wicked city, found our community to be “more family-friendly than 97.9 percent of neighborhoods in the entire state of Georgia,” comparing our area to a “Leave it to Beaver” episode.

But this doesn’t mean we have no worries and suffer no injuries. They just might be somewhat self-inflicted.

A look at last year's NWP report of calls from the Hickory Flat area reveals that we do have problems, the largest in our area being traffic violations, including DUI’s and reckless driving.

And of course, domestic disputes occur as well.

“People fight no matter where they live,” said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for Cherokee County.

“But there’s almost no stranger-on-stranger crime,” he said.

It’s a similar story in the Holly Springs area.

“We run calls every day on domestic issues, but stranger on stranger crimes, not so much, not in the three years since I’ve been here,” Smith said.

As long as we get along with our families and neighbors, it seems our worries are relatively minor.

“The last violent crime we had was two years ago, the murder-suicide of an elderly couple, both very sick who likely just got tired of the pain,” Smith said. 

Since the couple did not leave a note, no one really knows what ultimately happened, but even this was not a stranger on stranger crime.

“It’s very, very safe here,” said Lt. Baker. 

Most of the people that live in the area own their homes and have for decades.

“Even my own parents live in Hickory Flats,” Baker said.

Now with temperatures hinting at cooling, it’s prime time for enjoying our community serenity with porch sitting, observing the abundant nature in our own neighborhoods, especially at night. 

So what does go bump in the night around here?

Bats swooping after insects, frogs flying through the lawn, coyotes craving treasures at the landfill, deer darting across the highway, rabbits raiding gardens, raccoons rummaging through trash cans, feral cats fighting over turf, and the occasional stray dog seeking a companion, might hit our streets at night, interrupting the quiet.

These creatures are nothing to outright fear, but there is cause for concern. 

One of the largest probelms we've had in Cherokee County recently has been the seven cases of rabies, including five raccoons, one dog, and one fox infected with the virus, said Sue Garcia, Director of the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. 

"People really need to keep their animals vaccinated for their own safety." Garcia said, "And it's a state law." 

As a precaution, she also recommends not leaving food outside for outdoor pets at night since it attracts racoons and possum that will even climb onto decks and break into screened porches to get at it.

"You don't want to surprise one," Garcia said.  

Since these creatures eat with their claws, just a scratch from one can cause an infection of rabies because the virus is transmitted through saliva, she said, and treatment for rabies is very expensive.

These night dwellers are also a real danger to domestic pets, said Bob Murphy, Branch Manager of Adcock Pest Service.  

"In addition to the high rate of rabies, coyotes hunt in packs at night," he said. 

This causes a threat particularly to smaller domestic animals outside alone, said Murphy.

"As we invade the coyote's space, cats and small dogs are susceptible to attack and they tend to hunt at night," Garcia said.

And while it's very rare, it's no rumor: last year, there was a bear trying to eat the food in a deer feeder. 

“The bear was seen on a Trail camera near the ” said Lt. Baker. 

Just keep in mind that while we do live in a “very, very safe area,” bears and racoons are not the only varmints taking things that do not belong to them for survival.

Smith said that in her area, the most common problem called in is theft of personal chattel from cars.

“If people would just lock their car doors," Smith said, "It would cut crime at least in half in this area.”  

According to Smith, the reason for this is simply that people park their cars in their driveway and leave the car unlocked usually with belongings in clear site. 

Smith said there are not many actual auto break-ins or auto thefts, just people taking what they can to sell from unlocked cars.

Just as the night creatures forage for food for survival, in today's downtrodden economy, some people find resources where they can.  

So don't leave your valuables, pets included, unprotected outside at night, and lock your doors.

“It doesn’t matter how safe of a community you live in," Smith said, "Desperate people will gather what they can to sell in desperate times.”