CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson Charles Andre McMillon, 29, of Segrest Circle, was arrested last week while in possession of various drugs and guns. The arrest culminated an investigation during which police monitored his Instagram account with the handle of Taco Charles. He was taken into custody on the afternoon of July 28th when police conducted a traffic stop after he made an illegal turn at Hull and Voyle roads then ran a red light, according to police. His car was searched when a police

By Joe Johnson A months-long investigation into a local fentanyl distribution ring culminated Wednesday in the arrest of a 56-year-old Athens man now facing multiple drug trafficking and weapons charges. Darren Turner was taken into custody on July 29 following a coordinated operation led by the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force. Authorities executed search warrants across three locations tied to Turner—including a residence on Freeman Drive, a local hotel room, and

By Joe Johnson Eddrick O’Neal Battle, 49, of Magnolia Terrace, was arrested early in the morning of July 20th after he allegedly stole a scooter belonging to a University of Georgia student. The 18-year-old victim reported that his Segway electric scooter had been stolen from a North Chase Street location at around 1 a.m. and that he pinged its GPS tracker at an address on Magnolia Terrace, where police found it on the side of the house where Battle was staying. He claimed t

Released by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department On the morning of July 24, 2026, the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, with the assistance of the ACCPD Gang and K-9 Units, and FBI Safe Streets Task Force, executed multiple search warrants across Athens-Clarke County (Sayemore Drive, Massey Lane and Big Oak Circle). As a result, officers seized 12 grams of fentanyl, 24 grams of cocaine, 18 pounds of marijuana, four firearms, and $8,800 in U.S. currency. Brian

Robinson The United States Department of Justice has released the following: ATHENS, Ga. – A federal jury convicted two Georgia residents for their roles in an armed drug trafficking network linked to a cartel that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances throughout the Athens community, with the Homeland Security Task Force investigation led by FBI resulting in the seizure of more than two dozen firearms. Serda “This verdict holds these defenda

The United States Department of Justice today released the following: Two Georgians Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl from China Prison-Directed Organization Moved 2,610 Fentanyl Pills and 5,502 Grams of Synthetic Cannabinoid ATHENS, Ga. – A Georgia inmate and a co-conspirator were sentenced to federal prison today for trafficking fentanyl and a synthetic designer drug from China into the state resulting from a Homeland Security Task Force investigation led by FBI and the

The following has been released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation The GBI has arrested and charged four people in Gainesville, GA, and Commerce, GA, with Trafficking and Conspiracy to Traffic Methamphetamine following a multi-agency operation in Jackson County and Hall County, GA. The operation targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine throughout North Georgia. The following subjects wer

By Joe Johnson A police officer this week saved the life of a 75-year-old man who overdosed on drugs in a westside Athens hotel room. It happened on the morning of June 15th at Microtel Inn on Ultimate Drive, where Officer Tyler Vaughn found the victim lying on the bed, unresponsive and not breathing. After carefully moving the man to the floor the officer administered the Narcan opioid overdose reversal agent then saw that his chest began to rise. “I performed a few sternum

By Joe Johnson A 34-year-old woman died last weekend from apparently using the drug fentanyl. She was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her Highland Park Drive home Saturday morning and attempts by roommates to revive her with the opioid overdose reversal agent Narcan failed. The woman had reportedly been trying to overcome addiction and had relapsed in recent weeks. The roommates told police that she likely overdosed on fentanyl. At least 14 people are known to have die

By Joe Johnson George Anderson, 58, of Norwood Court, was arrested early in the morning of June 3rd because a woman who was driving hiim failed to dim her car’s bright lights for oncoming traffic. During a traffic stop on Barnett Shoals Road police searched the car because of a glass pipe with residue that was observed in the center console and Anderson having an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court. A bag allegedly belonging to Anderson was found to contain 174 gram

By Joe Johnson A 54-year-old Athens auto shop worker will spend the rest of his life in federal prison after using his employment as a front to distribute hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine across northeast Georgia, federal officials announced on Friday. James Len Ramey of Comer received two concurrent life sentences in federal prison Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. U.S. District Judge Tilman E. "Tripp" Self III presi

Released by the United States Department of Justice MACON, Ga. – The man who distributed hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine from the Rapid Lube in Athens where he worked, covertly stashing boxes in the shop, was sentenced to life in prison today as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation into a cross-border drug ring moving thousands of kilograms of drugs from Mexico in boxes of jalapeños to a conversion lab in Monroe, Georgia. James Len Ramey, 54, of Comer

By Joe Johnson Izalee Tasha Cooper, 32, of Vine Street, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a car crash last year in which her teenage niece was seriously injured. She pleaded guilty in Superior Court last week to driving under the influence of a controlled substance and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle . Judge H. Patrick Haggard gave Cooper a total sentence of 15 years, with the first five to be served in prison and the balance on probation, The crash o

By Joe Johnson Will Crawford Dean, 68, of Westchester Drive, was sentenced to prison this week after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine. He had been arrested in April 2025 during an investigation by the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force In which a search of his home yielded in excess of 227 grams of prepackaged powder and crack cocaine, oxycodone, and 74 grams of marijuana in designer packaging, according to court records. Dean was subsequently indicted by a gra

By Joe Johnson A former nurse has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from her alleged theft of drugs from the infirmary at the county jail in Athens. Jasmine Turquoise Wheeler was arrested last year on multiple theft and drug possession charges that resulted from an investigation into several fentanyl related deaths of jailed inmates. At her arraignment in Superior Court this month Wheeler pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance and seven c

By Joe Johnson David was arrested last month after he stole hundreds of dollars worth of an herbal supplement on two different occasions from an tlanta Highway convenience store. Police charged the 55-year-old Athens man with theft by shoplifting for one of the incidents and robbery for the other because he physically pushed past the clerk to get to the supplement that was kept behind the counter. David was desperate to obtain the supplement that contains 7-hydroxymitragynine

By Joe Johnson Karla Attaway Allison, 44, of Boulevard, was arrested on the afternoon of April 26th when she was found to have drugs by police investigating a shoplifting complaint, Officers were responding to Half-Moon Outfitters on Prince Avenue on a report that Allison had stolen merchandise from the store. When the officers detained Allison on the sidewalk outside the store, they searched a her bag and found she had and a pair of sandals valued at $55, along with some met

By Joe Johnson Athens police recently saved the life of a teenager who tried to kill himself by intentionally overdosing on fentanyl. The 19-year-old male from Winder had checked into Howard Johnson on West Broad Street after expressing suicidal ideations on social media. Police were called at around 2:30 am on April 22nd after unsuccessful attempts by others to reach him by phone. When officers entered his room the teen was lying unconscious on the bed, with fentanyl and bu

Ask By Joe Johnson Tia Benson-Brown, 34, of East Broad Street, was arrested on April 20th following an argument with employees at Chipotle Mexican Grilll in downtown Athens. Police responded to the restaurant after an employee reported that Benson-Brown was making a scene by complaining about having been served the wrong order the day before. Management wanted to have her barred from the restaurant. Benson-Brown had already left the scene but was quickly located when police

By Joe Johnson Charley Onofre Valdes-Torres, 25, of Herbert Road, was arrested on the night of April 8th by police who were following up on complaints of drug activity at Hallmark Estates. An officer stopped the suspect’s car upon seeing it being driven without headlights in the trailer park off Spring Valley Road and during a search he found oxycodone and various other pills, along with multiple scales. Valdes-Torres was arrested on charges of possession with intent to dist