CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson A grand jury has indicted an Athens man on charges he killed a man when he crashed his car into the victim’s electric bicycle two months ago. Terrence Terrell White, 46, of Pittard Road, is charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the indictment filed in Superior Court on Tuesday. Police said that on the night of February 21st White was driving on Olympic Drive when his car struck from behind the e-

By Joe Johnson Jessica Vencherra Johnson, 40, of Stonybrook Circle, was arrested early the morning of April 20th when she was found passed out on the side of the road with a young child in the back seat of her car. According to police, the front of the car was in the grass and the back was on the road, with the engine still running. When officers looked inside the vehicle they found an empty vodka bottle in the driver’s side door pocket and Johnson’s 9-year-old son in the bac

By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student has been sentenced to probation for an alleged drunk-driving incident in which his car struck and killed a man three years ago. Benhur G. Tedfai, a 23-year-old management information systems major, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge for the 2023 incident on West Broad Street that claimed the life of 34-year-old Michael Jerrell Kitchen. He entered the plea in an agreement with prosecutors after a Superior Cour

By Joe Johnson Sharon Dashun Warren was arrested for DUI last week after her car crashed into a light pole in the city’s Normaltown neighborhood, The 50-year-old Atlanta resident told police that she had just left McDonald’s after having finished her weekly performance at Boar’s Head Lounge, She admitted to having two martinis while at the downtown nightclub. The crash happened at around 3 am Thursday at the corner of Prince and Nacoochee avenues, where her 2017 Mercedes-Benz

By Joe Johnson Terrance Terrell White last year pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of oxycodone and was sentenced to 12 months on probation. The 46-year-old Pittard Road resident now is again suspected of being intoxicated on drugs when he struck and killed a man on an electric bicycle last Saturday night. According to police reports, White was driving a BMW sedan west on Olympic Drive when he struck the e-bike operated by 37-year-old Kul Chokhal of Barnett Shoals

By Joe Johnson Angus Stewart Moller, 61, of Double Bridges Crossing in Winterville, was arrested on the afternoon of February 16th after crashing his pickup truck into the BP gas station on Lexington Road, Police said that he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and that he failed drug impairment testing at the scene. In addition to his truck crashing into another vehicle at the gas station it struck the building, according to the police report. An officer stated in th

By Joe Johnson Zarius Jadaun Burch, 21, of Gainesville, was arrested early in the morning of December 20th after he was found passed out in his car at Thomas and Broad streets. Police said they responded to the area at 2:13 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from a witness who reported that “a male was asleep at the wheel and the vehicle was rolling down Thomas Street.” According to police there were passengers in the car who fled prior to the arrival of officers. They said that

By Joe Johnson An Oconee County teenager was recently arrested after he led police on a chase that began in downtown Athens and ended on the front lawn of a University of Georgia sorority house. The incident began at around 2:30 a.m. on December 13th when a bicycle cop was flagged down about a possible fight in the area of Jackson and South streets. When the officer arrived in the area he saw a car that appeared to be driving straight towards him. “Even as the proximity be

By Joe Johnson John Fitzhugh Orchard, 31, of Kennington Drive, has been indicted for vehicular homicide in connection with a drunk-driving crash last year that killed his passenger. He was charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, DUI, and following another vehicle too closely, according to the indictment filed November 4th in Superior Court. The deadly crash happened on the evening of December 17, when Orchard was driving a Toyota MR2 on Macon Highway and struck a Jee

By Joe Johnson Abdullah Thomas, 27, of West Broad Street, was arrested for DUI on the night of October 17th after he was seen dragging kudzu with his car through downtown Athens. Police stopped his car at about 11:15 pm on North Jackson Street, but it was unknown where he had driven off the road and into a kudzu patch and got vegetation caught up on the vehicle. The Hyundai Elantra had also left a trail of fluids as it drove through the downtown area, according to police. Th

By Joe Johnson Tommy Moore, 78, of Hickory Drive, was arrested for DUI Monday afternoon after driving his Chevy Trailblazer off of Moss Road in Winterville and plowing through some 60 feet of woods. Police said they found a bottle of homemade moonshine in the SUV, along with open and empty cans of beer, and that Moore reeked of marijuana and alcohol. He told police that marijuana would be found in his blood if tested because he smokes weed daily. He declined treatment by EMTs

The following was released this morning by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department: The victim in this case has been identified as Elmer Gualna-Mez, 22 of Athens, Georgia. On October 26th, at approximately 11:39 p.m., the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian at the intersection of Highway 29 N and Highway 72. The initial investigation determined that the driver of a 2017 Nissan Versa, a 33-year-old male of Hull, GA, was

Released this afternoon by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department On October 26th, at approximately 11:39 p.m., the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian at the intersection of Highway 29 N and Highway 72. The initial investigation determined that the driver of a 2017 Nissan Versa, a 33-year-old male of Hull, GA, was driving north on US Highway 29 when he struck a pedestrian crossing Highway 29. The pedestrian succumbed

By Joe Johnson A pedestrian was late killed Sunday night when struck by a vehicle driven by an alleged drunk driver. A spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department confirmed that a person was killed on U.S. Highway 29 at Georgia Highway 72 and that the driver, Sadiq Huda from Madison County, was arrested for DUI and first-degree homicide by vehicle. The victim’s identity and other details were unavailable on Monday. Sadiq Huda

By Joe Johnson Dana Leighann Burns, 41, of Toccoa, was arrested on September 23rd for allegedly driving under the influence of fentanyl and methamphetamine. A police officer reported that he pulled over the woman’s car on Old West Broad Street after seeing it without taillights and being driven erratically. He further noted that Burns had failed to immediately stop after activating his lights and siren. Burns reportedly told the officer that she realized that she had swerved

By Joe Johnson Amy Melissa Staud, 50, of Danielsville, was arrested on October 7th after she drove an SUV into a light pole in downtown Athens and fled from the scene. She struck and knocked down the pole at North Thomas and East Clayton streets at about 1 in the afternoon and after she drove away police tracked her down to the Marriott hotel on East Washington Street. Officers noted alcohol on Staud’s breath when speaking with her and police said she refused submission to a

By Joe Johnson Jonathan Mandell Mapp, 40, of Jennings Mill Parkway, was arrested after he overdosed on fentanyl while driving. He was...

By Joe Johnson An immigration hold was recently placed by ICE on a prisoner at the county jail following his arrest for driving under the...

Benhur G. Tesfai By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student who is facing a vehicular homicide charge for killing a pedestrian while...