CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson On the morning of December 18th, 26-year-old Anargyros “Cole” Mantas, was in the parking lot of Redeemer Presbyterian Church on Pulaski Street when something caused him to walk out into the intersection of West Broad Street to speak with occupants of a car that stopped for a red light. The flashes of gunshots from inside the car are seen on surveillance footage followed by the sight of Mantas falling mortally wounded to the ground, He died of multiple gunshot w

By T. W. Burger   At a campsite on the coast of Nova Scotia: So, today I’m working away at my genuine L.L. Bean roll-up camping table (I’ve used it as a traveling desk for at least 20 years,) while sitting on my genuine L.L. Bean folding “What-A-Chair.” I leaned over to get my briefcase off the rocky ground. Something went SNAP! Suddenly, I was lying on my side, looking out at the sea in the gathering dark. I waited a bit to see if anything would start hurting or even bleedin

The following was released today by the Gwinnett County Police Department (Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 9, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police Special Victim Unit detectives arrested a Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy during an investigation involving a minor. On January 5, SVU detectives received a report where a parent had found elicit messages from an adult to her teenage daughter under 16 years of age.  During the investigation, Rylee Willis (21, Stone Mountain) was identified as

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 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 police officer 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 towards him to intentionally hit the police car.

By Joe Johnson Dextrell Tramell Calloway, 55, of Mitchell Bridge Road, has been indicted for allegedly trafficking cocaine that he into crack. He was charged with both drug trafficking and manufacturing in the indictment that was filed on Tuesday in Superior Court. The indictment stems from his arrest last year when search warrants were executed at his home and another location by the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, which seized over two pounds of cocaine. Callow

((I By Joe Johnson An Athena man was recently arrested for assaulting his nephew with a machete during an altercation in their home on Spring Valley Road. The incident happened early in the morning of December 12th when 66-year-old Lorenzo Dillard yelled for his nephew to come out of his bedroom and into the living room where he was waiting with a machete, The men reportedly argued over rent money and the nephew was cut on his leg while trying to disarm Dillard. When police

From Athens-Clark County Leisure Services Transport yourself to a time of the past when sitting by a fire and listening to a story was the entertainment when storytellerJackie Elsner shares a couple of tales at Sandy Creek Nature Center. Before the story begins, visit the inside of a 1810 log house and enjoy a fire and a hot beverage. "Tales on the Porch" is set for Saturday, January 17 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m..  This program is for ages 16 and older.  The fee is $3 per person.

By Joe Johnson A man was seriously injured recently when he fell from a building in College Square across from the University of Georgia, The incident happened early in the morning of December 7th when 24-year-old Brandon Alexander-Raynor of Augusta fell into an alleyway outside the building at the corner of East Broad Street and College Avenue.. A witness told police that when he heard a noise he looked out the window of his apartment and saw Alexander-Raynor climb off a se

By Joe Johnson Local authorities recently found a 17-year-old girl who had been reported missing In Iowa in the bedroom of a 27-year-old Athens man. Police said that a family member had used the Life 360 GPS app to track the teen to a home on Bayberry Court . Officers found the girl there in the bedroom of the man who said that he’d been led to believe that she was 19 years old. He “seemed genuinely surprised and scared regarding finding out (the girl’s) real age,” an officer

By Joe Johnson A 15-year-old student was recently arrested on gang-related charges at Cedar Shoals High School. Police said they went to the school on December 10th to serve warrants on Jamarion Shemeir Gutierrez that charged him aggravated assault, false imprisonment, terroristic threats, and criminal street gang activity. According to the warrants, the charges stem an incident last month in which gang members forced an 18-year-old male victim to strip naked at gunpoint. Tho

By Joe Johnson The motorist who was killed at an eastside intersection Christmas morning when his car crashed and burst into flames has been identified by police as 36-year-old Edwin Webb of Athens. The incident happened shortly before 6 a.m. at the intersection of Barnett Shoals and Gaines School roads. According to police, the car had sped into the intersection and struck a tree in the parking lot of Synovus Bank, where the vehicle became engulfed in flames. Webb’s badly

Why Japanese Jujitsu? Japanese Jujitsu is a self-defense-centered martial art originating in Japan that goes back over 1000 years and predates Judo, Aikido, and Karate. Japanese Jujitsu is not a sport. It is a non-competitive martial art that emphasizes practical self-defense skills and techniques. In addition to learning self-defense, our classes help build discipline, control, self-esteem, confidence, and personal fitness. Our classes are accessible for all ages and ability

By Joe Johnson Eddie Dewaine Curry Jr,, 37, of West Broad Street, was arrested on December 22nd after he crashed a stolen pickup truck into a trailer at Hallmark Estates Mobile Home Park. According to reports, police went to Hallmark when a license plate reading camera located the truck there, and when Curry tried to flee from an attempted traffic stop he bailed from the still-moving vehicle and it crashed into the trailer, damaging its front porch. Officers arrested Curry af

By Joe Johnson Stacey Sheree Bond, 41, of Winder, was arrested late the night of December 6th after she reportedly picked fights with other patrons at Mell’s Place on Atlanta Highway. According to reports, Bond created a brouhaha by passing to another patron a note containing vulgarities. The bar owner told police that the note “caused an issue among patrons” and fighting broke out. Bond was ejected after she began “to swing and fight multiple people,”’according to police. Of

From UGA Today The newly constructed track and field complex on South Milledge Avenue, set to be officially dedicated and open on Feb. 18, will be a boon for both the campus and the community. The 34,700-square-foot venue replaces the former South Lumpkin Street location, offering an expanded track and modern upgrades while preserving its role as a shared gathering place and a valuable resource for athletes, neighbors and the Athens community. “We are excited about the oppor

file photo By Joe Johnson Athens police recently arrested several women after they were involved in a fight downtown, According to reports, the incident happened at about 1:30 a.m. on December 7th on College Avenue when police responded to a report of a large group of males and females who appeared to be about to fight. Officers were monitoring the crowd when a large brawl erupted in front of Insomnia Cookies. Officers tried to restore order and had to use tasers and pepper s

By Joe Johnson An Athens-Clarke County grand jury has indicted a man who badly neglected his 8-month-old dog. Sammy Lee Richardson, 63, of Noketchee Drive, was charged with one felony count of aggravated animal cruelty, according to the indictment filed December 2nd in Superior Court. The indictment stems from Richardson’s arrest in June after an investigation by the Police and Animal Services departments of a complaint that he was badly neglecting the puppy named Marnie, wh

By Joe Johnson A Madison County woman has been indicted for a shooting incident downtown last fall that left three teenagers wounded. Tatianna Ambria Wilbon, 24, of Comer, was charged with three counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the indictment filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. The shooting happened just before 4 a.m. on Septemb

By Joe Johnson Kasaun Janalle Love, 33, of East Clayton Street, was arrested early the morning of December 20th after he fired a gun during a gathering in a home on the eastside of Athens. A man who tends bar downtown had invited Love and several others to an “after party” at his home on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Some of those people reportedly had bought cocaine from Love previously. At some point Love began demanding to know what happened to a plastic grocery bag