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Man accused of killing his roommate arraigned Thursday
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Abel Torres, 28, accused of killing his roommate in the Trelawney subdivision and arrested while on the run in Birmingham, Ala., was arraigned in Newton County Superior Court Thursday.

Torres is charged with two counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of false imprisonment and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and is currently in custody at the Newton County Detention Center.

The 28-year-old California native was arrested while on board a Greyhound bus headed to California hours after allegedly murdering Fernando Gonzalez, 29, early morning April 26. Two other visiting men who were in the house at the time escaped and flagged down a passing state trooper, reporting their friend had been killed.

Don't drink and drive into 911

When breaking the law, it's probably a good idea not to do it in front of law enforcement personnel.

A drunk driver reportedly tried to enter the gated parking lot of the Covington-Newton County 911 Dispatch Center shortly before 8 p.m. June 30, according to a CPD report.

A Covington police officer who was working off-duty at the center came out and observed Jeremy Gilbert trying to push the car back out of the gate after he had entered the lot following an employee.

Gilbert claimed he was on his way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and thought he was at the right location from the directions he had been given.

The officer smelled a heavy odor of alcohol from Gilbert, who reportedly acted drowsy. A half empty 40-ounce can of Ice House beer, still cold with condensation, was later found by officers on the rear passenger-side floor board of Gilbert's car.

Another on-duty CPD officer performed field sobriety tests and determined Gilbert was "less safe" and put him into handcuffs. Gilbert then refused a breathalyzer test.

A search of the car also turned up six pills of Xanax, a prescription anti-anxiety medication, on a keychain holder with a prescription bottle nearby that had expired in April.

Gilbert was arrested and charged with DUI less safe, having an open container of alcohol in his car while driving, possession of Xanax and having drugs not in their original container.

The car was towed by Sellar's Motors.

Funny money

A Covington resident received a counterfeit $50 bill from two men who were described as driving a Lincoln Town Car with "nice rims," according to a CPD report.

The resident said the two men had given her and a friend a ride to Wal-Mart and asked if she had change for a $50 bill. She said she did and asked them if the bill was a fake.

According to the report, one of the men replied "We don't deal in bills that large."

The bill was discovered to be a fake and reported Thursday.

Eat and run

Three white males ran without paying for their Waffle House meals on Alcovy Road early Thursday morning, according to Covington Police Department public information log.

The men came into the restaurant around 2:10 a.m. and ordered $23.91 worth of food, an employee told the officer. When they finished, they ordered another to-go entrée of $5.89 and went outside "as if to take a smoke break," wrote Officer Anthony Folden in the report. But while the food was cooking, they suddenly started running and jumped into a blue Ford F-150 truck, driving south on Alcovy Road.

The males were described as all wearing white T-shirts, one with blue jeans and a hat and another male reportedly wore plaid shorts. Video surveillance cameras reportedly should have captured the tag number of the vehicle, according to the report.