CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson Barely 24 horns after a motorists was killed in a fiery Christmas morning crash in east Athens a woman died today in another single-car wreck on the east side of town. According to police, it happened at about 10 a.m. at the intersection of North and Strickland avenues, where 53-year-old Dejon Ellis of Athens failed to negotiate a curve and crashed her car into a utility pole. She reportedly died at the scene. The other deadly crash happened at about 6 a.m.

(Jonathan Burden) By Joe Johnson A 36-year-old Athens man was killed Christmas morning when his car crashed and burst into flames at an eastside intersection. Police are withholding the victim’s name pending positive identification by his next of kin. 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, wher

By Joe Johnson The scourge of fentanyl continued to claim lives throughout 2025 in Athens, with a 32-year-old man dying from using the drug in his home on the eastside last week. The deadly drug has been very much in the news locally, with several prisoners dying at the county jail from using fentanyl smuggled in by a woman who had been employed there as a nurse. The most recent victim was found dead by his housemate who went into his bedroom after not having seen him all mor

Released This evening by the Gwinnett County Police Department (Lawrenceville, Ga., Dec. 25, 2025) – The Gwinnett County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Otis Wright (82), who was reported missing from his residence in the 1400 block of Silver Charm Lane SW. Mr. Wright was last seen inside the residence at approximately 9:00 a.m. He is described as a black male with gray hair and a clean-shaven face, standing approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall

By Joe Johnson A 36-year-old Athens man was killed Christmas morning when his car crashed and burst into flames at an eastside intersection. Police are withholding the victim’s name pending positive identification by his next of kin. 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 beca

By Joe Johnson The woman whose car injured several people last week when it crashed into Kroger on Alps Road has been arrested on felony charges, Lonneshia Shafaye Appling, 40, of Ashley Circle, was booked into the county jail Tuesday afternoon on charges of driving under the influence of drugs, reckless driving, possession of drug-related objects, and causing serious injury with a vehicle. Classic City News  has reached out to the police department for details about the ch

Lexi and Soonhoon By Joe Johnson Sara Alexis Waldroup this morning passed away from the injuries she suffered in the vehicle collision in which her husband was killed three days earlier. Her father broke the news in a Facebook post that that “Lexi” and her unborn child had lost their struggle to survive. Newlyweds Lexi and Soonhoon Choi had been driving on the Athens Perimeter early in the morning of December 21st when their car was struck head-.on by a car that was speeding

From Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Get the year off on the right foot! Join staff for a New Years Day hike at Ben Burton Park. Make sure you have clothing for the weather, comfortable shoes, and water. Participants must wear closed toed shoes for hiking. This program is for ages 8 years and older.  Children must be accompanied by an adultt. "First Day Hike" is scheduled for Thursday, January 1 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. and is free of charge. Online registration is underw

By Joe Johnson The woman whose car injured several people last week when it crashed into Kroger on Alps Road has been arrested on felony charges, Lonneshia Shafaye Appling, 40, of Ashley Circle, was booked into the county jail Tuesday afternoon on charges of driving under the influence of drugs, reckless driving, possession of drug-related objects, and causing serious injury with a vehicle. Classic City News has reached out to the police department for details about the ch

By Joe Johnson A 20-year-old University of Georgia student was hospitalized earlier this month after attempting suicide by overdosing on pills. When emergency responders arrived at her off-campus apartment the student admitted to taking multiple muscle relaxers “because she was sad and feeling down,”‘according to a police report. Prior to being transported by ambulance to the hospital the student began to vomit and became too sluggish to speak anymore. Allso this month a 19-

Released today by the Gwinnett County Police Department (Snellville, Ga., Dec. 23, 2025) – On September 17, 2025, Gwinnett County Animal Control requested assistance from the Gwinnett County Police Department 1914 Britt Drive,regarding allegations of animal cruelty. Due to the severity and circumstances of the case, detectives were also requested to respond and assist with the investigation. As a result of the investigation, a search warrant was obtained for the residence. Du

By Joe Johnson An employee at McDonald’s on Atlanta Highway was arrested over the weekend for allegedly threatening the manager with a gun. Anthony Valdes Torres, 22, of Herbert Road, reportedly had taken the weapon from the manager’s purse and pulled it when she confronted him. The incident happened soon after midnight on December 20th when the manager told Torres to go home because she suspected him to be under the influence. Upon realizing that the gun was missing from he

By Joe Johnson Soonhoon Choi and his wife, Lexi, were driving on the Athens Perimeter Sunday morning when a car speeding in the opposite direction slammed into their car. Soonhoon, 25, was killed and Lexi remains hospitalized in critical condition. She is pregnant with the newlywed couple’s child. Lexi’s family has established a gofundme to help pay for medical expenses, including rehab and further medical care for Lexi, funeral expenses, and living expenses for mother and ch

From Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Athenians are invited to honor Dr. King's legacy at the annual Athens-Clarke County Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. In 1994, Congress made the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday an official day of service. Athens-Clarke County is one of the thousands of cities across the United States that decides to make the holiday "A Day On and Not a Day Off.” This year’s kick-off celebration will take place

By Joe Johnson Sandy Nashalle Franklin, 40, of Monroe, was arrested on the afternoon of December 4th after she pepper sprayed a Georgia Power employee who was trying to get back work gloves that she had taken. The incident happened at a worksite on West Broad Street where Georgia Power had been dealing with a power line problem for about a week. Utility employees told police that Franklin had been harassing them by messing with their orange safety cones and walking directly

By Joe Johnson The glass display window of a downtown Athens clothing store was recently broken by two homeless men who were fighting. Ryan Kee Frank, 32, and Kyle Ian Fraser-Keeto, 37, were arguing about a phone charger on East Clayton Street at about 9 p.m. on December 3rd when things escalated into a physical altercation. During the fight one of the men pushed the other into the display window of Cillies, causing it to shatter. The store owner responded to the scene and

By Joe Johnson Athens police are investigating a serious traffic accident that occurred Monday morning on Commerce Road. According to a police spokesperson, the incident involved three vehicles, and when one of the drivers got out of his vehicle he was struck by a fourth vehicle and critically injured. The incident caused all lanes of Commerce Road to be shut down in the area of Old Commerce Road for over an hour.

By Joe Johnson Soonhoon Choi and his wife, Lexi, were driving on the Athens Perimeter Sunday morning when a car speeding in the opposite direction slammed into their car. Soonhoon, 25, was killed and Lexi remains hospitalized in critical condition. She is pregnant with the newlywed couple’s child. Her family has established a gofundme to help pay for medical expenses, including rehab and further medical care for Lexi, funeral expenses, and living expenses for mother and child

The following was released by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department On December 21, 2025, at approximately 12:08 AM, ACCPD responded to reports of a wrong- way driver on the GA 10 Inner Loop at Chase Street. Moments later, a report of a crash was received on the Inner Loop at Oglethorpe Ave. The initial investigation determined that the driver of a 2021 Kia Seltos, Desiree Browning, a 26- year-old female of Lawrenceville, GA, was traveling the wrong way on Inner Loop 10

By Joe Johnson Two people were killed and two others were critically injured early Sunday in a collision on the Athens Perimeter that was caused by someone driving on the wrong side of the divided highway. The incident happened at around 12:30 a.m. near Tallassee Road, where the errant driver reportedly had been driving at a very high rate of speed and struck another car head-on. The drivers of both vehicles were killed. Firefighters extracted the victims from their vehicles