CLASSIC CITY NEWS

The following was released by the Athens-Clarke County government On Sunday, March 8, 2026, an Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) Animal Services Department officer responded to a call of a cat that was behaving aggressively in the area of Westwood Avenue in Bogart off Atlanta Highway near the Athens-Clarke County/Oconee County line. The officer captured a domestic shorthair breed community cat that was white with tabby spots. After further evaluation based on

The following was released by the United States Department of Justice ATHENS, Ga. – A Walton County man was sentenced to 11 years in prison after law enforcement discovered he was in possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse material, also known as CSAM, including 2,754 images of previously identified victims of child exploitation and abuse from across the world. Gerald Scott Collins, 56, of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 132 months in prison by U.S. Di

By Joe Johnson A 21-year-old man has died after shooting himself during a domestic violence incident at his home on Highland Park Drive The incident reportedly happened on the night of March 9th when Dylon Scott Dooley “snapped “ and threatened his girlfriend and their two young children with a knife, The woman managed to leave the home with her 2-year-old son but her 5-month-old daughter was still inside when Dooley shot himself in the head, When police entered the home they

Kilpatrick By Joe Johnson The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is investigating a shooting that left a man critically injured Sunday night. Police say officers responded to a reported shooting on Cone Drive at approximately 10:05 p.m. when they located a 36-year-old man from Athens who had been shot in the leg. Officers rendered aid until the arrival of National EMS paramedics who transported him to the local hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable conditio

By Joe Johnson Brittani Ann Clark was arrested on the night of March 3rd after she stole food from an apartment on West Hancock Avenue shared by University of Georgia students. The 34-year-old homeless woman told police that she had permission to take the food from what she believed was a kitchen owned by the church across the street. A 21-year-old UGA student had called 911 to report a burglary in progress because noises were coming from the kitchen when her roommates were

Released by Indivisible: Georgia District 10: Monroe, GA— The message from a bi-partisan rally that drew nearly 600 people to Monroe on a rainy Sunday afternoon was clear: A mega ICE detention center is not welcome in Walton County. “Our efforts to stop ICE from building this detention center are a long shot,” Gareth Finley, co-leader of Indivisible Boldly Blue of Walton County and one of the lead organizers of the gathering told the crowd. But she added, “We can slow this pr

The following was released today by the Jefferson Police Department FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JEFFERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT TERMINATES OFFICER FOLLOWING GBI ARREST Jefferson, Ga. — March 6, 2026 — The Jefferson Police Department has terminated the employment of Sgt. Jose Marrero, effective immediately, following his arrest by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on March 6, 2026. Marrero, a nine-year veteran of the department, was arrested on charges of Violation of Oath, Crim

Released today by the Jefferson Police Department: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JEFFERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT TERMINATES OFFICER FOLLOWING GBI ARREST Jefferson, Ga. — March 6, 2026 — The Jefferson Police Department has terminated the employment of Sgt. Jose Marrero, effective immediately, following his arrest by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on March 6, 2026. Marrero, a nine-year veteran of the department, was arrested on charges of Violation of Oath, Criminal Trespass, Te

From the Madison County Sheriff’s Office: Lt. Zac Brooks of the Madison County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office was severely injured on Tuesday in a flash burn incident in Elbert County. Brooks is currently at home after receiving care at the Augusta Burn Center. Message from Zac - Everyone who knows me knows I’ve spent all of my adult life in public safety EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement. I’ve always had a heart to help others and serve my community in their time of need. I never

From the Gwinnett County Police Department (Norcross, Ga., Mar. 05, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing person 26-year-old Narisare Williams. Williams was last seen walking away from her residence in Norcross following a verbal dispute. Family members have not been able to contact her since and are concerned for her wellbeing. Williams is described as an Asian female who is 5’ 2” inches tall and approximately 115 pounds. She

Released today by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation WALTON COUNTY, GA (March 5, 2026) The victim in a Wednesday night fatality in Walton County has been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab for assistance in identification. Georgia State Patrol Post 46 Assistant Post Commander Christoph Ayers said the fatality was the result of a single vehicle crash on H D Atha Road in Walton County on March 4, 2026. Ayers said GSP TFC2 Smith was dispatched to the scene

Released by the University of Georgia: DJ Shockley, highly awarded former University of Georgia and Atlanta Falcons quarterback, will deliver the spring undergraduate Commencement address at the University of Georgia on May 8 in Sanford Stadium. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Meg Amstutz, dean of the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, will deliver the address at the graduate ceremonies on May 7 in Stegeman Coliseum. The master’s and specialist ceremony begins at 10 a.m. w

The Gwinnett County Police Department has released the following: Snellville, Ga., Mar. 05, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating 27-year-old Donnie Josiah Lott III. Lott was last seen on March 1, 2026, when he walked away from his mother while they were at Lenora Park in Snellville. Lott is approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, black pants, and tan boots. If

By Joe Johnson Michael Blanton Oakes, 48, of Wood Lake Drive, was arrested the morning of February 28th after a family dispute in which he reportedly spit on his 78-year-old father-in law. Police said they responded at around 10 am to Oakes’ apartment where the victim and others were visiting. They learned while arguing with his relative Oakes spit on him, at which time another man intervened and was punched in the face by Oakes as he tried separating them. After interviewi

Appling By Joe Johnson An Athens woman has been indicted on aggravated assault charges for injuring victims when she intentionally crashed her car into the Kroger on Alps Road three months ago. Lonneshia Shafaye Appling, 40, of Dudley Drive, was high on a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine on the morning of December 16th when her car plowed into the supermarket, according to the 12-count indictment filed in Superior Court on Tuesday. The most seriously injured vic

By Joe Johnson Eulalio Diaz Cortes, 32, was arrested early in the morning of February 28th after shooting guns while intoxicated outside his home in the Stonehenge neighborhood of western Athens-Clarke County. Responding to reports of loud music and gunfire, officers arrived at the home on Stonehenge Way and saw Cortes emerging from a wooded area and walking toward a car from which loud music was blaring. As they aimed rifles at the man and yelled orders, Cortes ignored them

The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department today released the following: The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department proudly participated in the “Women in Science” Open House held Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. The event celebrated the remarkable contributions of women in science and highlighted achievements across fields including biology, ecology, astronomy, environmental science, and public safety. Learners of all ages attended the interactive pr

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

The following has been released by the Gwinnett County Police Department VICTIM (Lawrenceville, Ga., Mar. 02, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a homicide victim located in 1981. On August 11, 1981, a female was found deceased on McDaniel Road near Highway 120. Her death was ruled a homicide. To this day, the person responsible for the victim’s death has not been identified. The victim is described as a Black female betwe

If you asked most anyone if the right to vote is in the Constitution, they would most likely say “yes.” That would be half correct. The Constitution does not explicitly grant the right to vote. The Supreme Court unambiguously confirmed this in Bush v. Gore (2000). In that decision, the Court stated: The individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States unless and until the state legislature chooses a statewide e