CLASSIC CITY NEWS

Antonio Jewell By Joe Johnson The police department on Wednesday announced that three more arrests have been made for the November 6th murder of Antonio Jewell, bringing to six the number of gangsters charged for the death of the 22-year-old Clarke Central High School graduate. Police say that Jewell was killed during an armed robbery by members of the Sex Money Murder street gang at The View at NoDa apartment complex. On Wednesday police announced the arrests of Dermetris A

By Joe Johnson Laceddrick Anttavious Roach, 17, of Westchester Circle has been sentenced to probation for a gun incident that had the victim fearing in for his life. The incident happened on Westchester Circle in October, when police say Roach was among a group of youths that chased 20-year old John Carruth while pointing handguns at him. The victim told police that Roach had sent messages about money he supposedly owed. “Roach pointed a black in color handgun at Carruth whi

By Joe Johnson A 42-year-old Athens man was stabbed at the Sundown Saloon on Gaines School Road early in the morning of November 15th. Sweetgum Way resident Demarius Smith said that the incident happened at around 1:20 a.m. when his friend was involved in an altercation with another man. He told police that when he tried breaking it up a ethird person stabbed him in both sides of his body. His cousin told police that he lost sight of the suspect as he was running towards Le

I posed the question to Google AI and this is what it had to say While "unlawful" and "illegal" are often used interchangeably, illegal specifically means a violation of a written law, while unlawful is a broader term for anything that is not authorized by law, which could be a violation of a specific statute or simply against public policy. Essentially, all illegal acts are unlawful, but not all unlawful acts are necessarily illegal in the criminal sense.  Illegal Definiti

The following was released this morning by the Gwinnett County Police Department (Norcross, Ga., Nov. 25, 2025) – The Gwinnett County Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing 11-year-old in Norcross. Chanel Soto-Portillo was last seen around 1:00 a.m. near the 5300 block of Century Trace in Norcross.  She is approximately four-foot eleven inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.  She was last seen wearing a black shirt and Christmas themed pajam

By James Hataway/UGA Today Hairy Dawg was born in a basement, and he was delivered in a hurry. Three weeks before Georgia’s showdown against Notre Dame in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, Tom Sapp  BFA ’69 showed coach Vince Dooley some sketches for an idea he had.  They depicted a broad-shouldered, tough-looking figure with a bulldog’s head, oversized paws, and a football player’s body. Dooley liked the idea and said Sapp could build the costume—but only if he could have it ready in ti

By Joe Johnson Christopher Jerrell McKibben was arrested in downtown Athens on the afternoon of November 19th after he reportedly frightened a couple of teenage girls. The girls, aged 16 and 17, were walking on the sidewalk along North Thomas Street at about 2:25 p.m. when McKibben came at them with his arms outstretched and saying, “I have to do this.” When one of the girls tried running into the street the 33-year-old homeless man allegedly grabbed her by the hip but she sl

The following was released by the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department Last Saturday (11/15/25) at approximately 5:00 pm, units responded to a motor vehicle accident with possible entrapment in the area of Prince Ave. and Talmadge Dr. Engine 24, Rescue 4, Ladder 1 and Hazmat 1 responded to a vehicle on its side in front of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. Units on scene confirmed one individual was trapped. Members stabilized the vehicle and extricated the victim, who

From various reports University of Georgia football offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was arrested Sunday in Jackson County after a police chase in which his mother blocked officers, officials said. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Daniels was booked into jail Sunday morning for increckless driving, two counts of stop signs and yield signs, fleeing from a police officer, and two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree. His mother faces several charges, includ

This was released today by the Barrow County government The Barrow County Airport, a central aviation hub for northeast Georgia, saw a record number of aircraft during the weekend of the nationally televised college football game between the University of Georgia and the University of Texas. Barrow County saw 73 aircraft, including 53 jets, 14 turboprops and six piston engine planes, come through the airport between Friday and Sunday, with officials opting to close the airpor

Tara Louise Baker By Joe Johnson A Superior Court judge last month ordered the unsealing of search warrants in the Tara Baker murder case as the trial date nears for her accused killer. The 23-year-old University of Georgia law student was murdered in her east Athens apartment in January 2001 and the crime went unsolved for two decades, when in February of last year Athens resident Edrick Faust was identified as the suspect by matching his DNA to genetic evidence collected f

By Joe Johnson Athens police recently learned that an 18-year-old was living in fear of a local street gang because his father confiscated drugs that he was supposed to sell for them. Officers responded to the teen’s home to investigate a domestic disturbance when they learned what was making him so angry and upset. “He stated that he didn’t know what to do as he had become involved in drug usage and the selling of drugs,” the police report says. “He stated he was involved

By Joe Johnson Police recently went to Howard Johnson on West Broad Street looking for a Watkinsville man who was wanted on drug charges in Oconee County. Management gave them a key card for the room being rented by Joseph Materne, but before going in they knocked and the room suddenly went quiet and officers could hear sounds of people inside trying to hide evidence of drug possession and use. Upon entering the room the officers noticed that it “was shrouded in a cloud of sm

The Barrow County School System announced at its work session that it’ll be implementing a policy prohibiting students in kindergarten through eighth grade from accessing their personal electronic devices during the entire school day for the 2026–2027 school year. Governor Brian Kemp in May signed the Distraction Free Education Act. to promote a learning environment free from distractions. Dr. James Bowen, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services, highlighted that if stu

From the Facebook page of the Barrow County Fire Department The 600 block of Gainesville Hwy between Sims Rd. & Cedar Valley Trail, is currently closed to all traffic due to a large fire. Crews on scene have the fire contained, and no injuries have been reported. Please avoid the area and use alternate routes. Our firefighters and law enforcement are working to clear the scene as quickly and safely as possible. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. ***UPDATE 3:38PM***

I wrote this for the Athens Banner-Herald in May 2007 Contract hits aren't just the stuff of movies, plot lines for The Sopranos or big-city tabloids. Some people in Athens will pay to have others killed, an allegation local police have made in two cases just within the past six months. Some hire hit men because they don't have the audacity to do the deed themselves, and others try protecting themselves by farming out their dirty work, law enforcement experts said. "It's no

By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia law professor is being investigated for allegedly not disclosing his HIV-positive status before having sex with an Athens man. According to police, the 23-year-old man reported that he met the professor through the Grindr social networking app in November 2024 and they had sex at the professor’s home. Police said the professor is being investigated under the state law that makes it a felony “for a person living with HIV to knowingly en

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released the following: Braselton, Jackson County, GA (November 19, 2025) – The GBI has arrested and charged Braselton Police Department Chief Michael Steffman, age 49, of Braselton, GA, with Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Stalking, Harassing Communications, and multiple counts of Misuse of Automated License Plate Recognition Systems following a multi-month investigation. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to in

By Joe Johnson When The View at NoDa apartment complex opened north of downtown in May it took the place of a crime-ridden complex known as Bethel Midtown Village. The main reason for the high crime was because of gang activity in the complex that the Bloods street gang claimed as their territory. When 22-year-old Antino Jewell was killed at the new apartment complex on November 6th police said that he was fatally shot during a gang-related armed robbery. On Thursday the poli

~ By Joe Johnson Jerry Lee Ray, 59, formerly of Jennings Mill Parkway, has received a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to molesting a young girl in 2024. Court records indicate the victim was under 16 years old and that Ray touched her in a sexual manner on multiple occasions at Rocksprings Homes apartments. A grand jury in January indicted him on three counts of child molestation. Ray subsequently made plea bargain with the district attorney’s office in which he plead