CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson An Athens-Clarke County grand jury has indicted four codefendants in a downtown.shooting incident last summer in which an assailant rifle was used, Among other weapons an AR-15 automatic assault rifle was used in an exchange of gunfire on East Clayton Street. No one was injured during the July 5th incident but several businesses were riddled by bullets, The indictment filed last Tuesday in Superior Court charges the defendants with multiple counts of aggravated

By Joe Johnson An Athens-Clarke County grand jury has indicted four codefendants in a downtown.shooting incident last summer in which an assailant rifle was used, Among other weapons an AR-15 automatic assault rifle was used in an exchange of gunfire on East Clayton Street. No one was injured, but several businesses were riddled by bullets, The indictment filed last Tuesday in Superior Court charges the defendants with multiple counts of aggravated assault, possession of a fi

By Joe Johnson A Superior Court Justice has granted bail to an Athens man who was arrested and indicted for a triple shooting in which a teenage boy was killed and two other victims were wounded. Jakel Javaunte Arnold, 23, of Mandy Drive, was charged with malice and felony murder, and four counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to the indictment. The shooting happened on May 8th outside the Pilgrims Pride poultry

The following was released by the Gwinnett County Police Department (Hoschton, Ga., Sept. 14, 2026) Gwinnett County Police have obtained arrest warrants for 23-year-old Sierra Iman Little in connection with a road rage incident where multiple shots were fired at another driver. On Sept. 7, officers responded to the area of Hog Mountain Road and Braselton Highway regarding a hit-and-run. The incident began after Little pulled out of a parking lot and turned in front of the vic

By Joe Johnson Seandra Leneette Nelms was arrested on the morning of September 2nd after she allegedly shot her husband in the bedroom of their Fourth Street apartment. When officers responded to the Nelms residence the 35-year-old woman told them that she had woken up and found Michael Lee Nelms bleeding from a gunshot wound, but didn’t know how it happened. The officers were unable to interview the 41-year/old victim because he had already been transported to the hospital.

By Joe Johnson Jennifer Ashley Lueke, 39, of Glendale Heights in Winterville, was arrested for aggravated assault after she allegedly threatened neighbors with a gun According to police, the incident occurred on the afternoon of August 20th when Lueke reportedly waved a handgun while yelling at Hispanic neighbors across the street. One woman told police that she left with her children because she claimed Lueke pointed the gun and was afraid she was going to shoot them. The w

By Joe Johnson Terry Bernard Ball Jr., 38, of Simmons Street, has been indicted for shooting a man last month on The Block, a popular hangout in east Athens. On July 17th he committed assault with a deadly weapon “by shooting Mario Orlando Baker in the butt,” states the indictment filed in Superior Court last week. The incident happened at around 12:30 a.m. when Ball shot Baker at the corner of Vine and Gressom streets, according to the police report. Baker, a 38-year-old

By Joe Johnson Andera Lashandra Howard, 41, of Vine Street, was arrested last week for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend with a car and gun. The incident happened on the afternoon of July 12th in the parking lot of Triangle Plaza on Nellie B Avenue, where the 47-year-old victim went to go shopping. The victim had no sooner parked his truck when Howard drove up and purposely sideswiped the vehicle with her car and then tried getting into the truck while holding a pistol. She

By Joe Johnson A Superior Court judge has dismissed charges against a 39-year-old Athens man who had been arrested for allegedly shooting another man four years ago. Antwon Maurice Dixon was arrested in 2024 for the shooting that occurred two years earlier in which police said he used a .380-caliber pistol to shoot Michael Sims three times in the lower abdomen during an incident on Lombardy Circle. He was charged and subsequently indicted for aggravated assault, possession of

By Joe Johnson An Athens man has been indicted for murder in connection with a triple shooting in which a teenage boy was killed and two other victims were wounded. Jakel Javaunte Arnold, 23, of Mandy Drive, was charged with malice and felony murder, and four counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to the indictment filed in Superior Court last month. The shooting happened on May 8th outside the Pilgrims Pride po

file photo of 300 Blackout By Joe Johnson Police have identified one of the weapons used in a recent shooting in downtown Athens as an AR-15 automatic assault rifle. A just-released police report of the July 5th incident documents witnesses describing an automatic rifle being fired on East Clayton Street. Nobody was struck by gunfire but several businesses were damaged by bullets. One suspect, 19-year-old Damian Swint was arrested later in the day and charged with aggravated

By Joe Johnson A 33-year-old woman was cleaning her home this weekend when struck by a bullet that punched through the door. The incident happened at about 2 a.m. July 19th at Rolling Ridge Apartments off Kathwood Drive and witnesses identified the shooter as a man from Oglethorpe County whose intended target was another man with whom he had an ongoing feud. The victim was injured when one of the bullets ricocheted and struck her in the leg near the ankle, according to polic

Ball By Joe Johnson Terry Bernard Ball, 38, of Simmons Street, was arrested early in the morning of July17th after he shot a man on The Block, a popular hangout in east Athens. The victim, 38-year-old Mario Orlando Baker of Ramble Hills Circle, was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to his buttocks and leg. The incident reportedly happened at around 12:30 a.m. when Ball shot Baker at the corner of Vine and Gressom streets, according to police. Alth

Gresham By Joe Johnson The Athens police department has made another arrest in connection with young men shooting at each other early in the morning of July 5th on a crowded downtown street. Fortunately no one was injured although several businesses on East Clayton Street were damaged by gunfire. One eyewitness was working at one the bars where he claimed to have seen some of the suspects firing automatic weapons, including an AR-15. Swint The first suspect was arrested later

By Joe Johnson The police department has made a second arrest for a gunfight that occurred in downtown Athens early in the morning ofJuly 5th. No one was injured when the two young men shot at other males on East Clayton Street, but several businesses were damaged by the gunfire. The first suspect was arrested later in the day of the incident and was identified by police as 19-year-old Damian Swint, and on Monday police announced they had arrested 22-year-old Markavion Gresha

By Joe Johnson A 46-year-old man reported that he was walking on Barber Street early in the morning of June 30th when someone fired a gun at him. He told police that he was passing by Kwik Kar Wash at around 4 a.m. when a shot rang out and he heard the bullet whiz past. He ran through the car wash and hid in a nearby building where he called 911. The man told police that just prior to being shot at he saw someone ducking into some bushes near the car wash. Police located witn

Damian Swint By Joe Johnson One person was arrested Sunday morning following a reported gunfight outside a popular downtown Athens nightspot. No injuries were reported and it appears that several businesses were struck by gunfire, including Bad Moon Bar on East Clayton Street. “Officers did respond to reports of a shooting in the area of Bad Moon on E. Clayton St.,” a police spokesperson confirmed in a Sunday night email. “There were no reports of anyone being struck by gunfi

By Joe Johnson At least one arrest has been made in connection with a purported early morning gunfight in downtown Athens. No injuries have been reported and it appears that businesses were struck by gunfire, including Bad Moon Bar on East Clayton Street. “Officers did respond to reports of a shooting in the area of Bad Moon on E. Clayton St.,” a police spokesperson said in a Sunday night email. “There were no reports of anyone being struck by gunfire however, several busines

By Joe Johnson Three teenagers were indicted this week for an armed robbery earlier this month in the Athens Gardens apartment complex. They robbed a 23-year-.old man of an iPhone 17 valued at $1,200 early in the morning of June 2nd and tried running from police officers when they arrived to investigate, Quintez Damenterll Dunn,15, Jaden Coderious Howard, 17, and Jykece Jamarion Pressley, 18, were each charged with armed robbery an obstruction of law enforcement, according to

By Joe Johnson A large block party in the westside Stonehenge neighborhood this weekend came to a tumultuous conclusion with people fighting and ducking for cover from gunfire. The police department reports that officers initially responded to the neighborhood soon after midnight on June 28th to investigate a loud noise complaint on Altarstone Drive. As officers were trying to determine if a man lying on the ground needed medical attention pandemonium suddenly broke out. “Whi