CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson Members of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team last week responded to a mutual aid request from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office involving a standoff with an armed man, Identified as 30-year-old Lavonia resident Alan Joseph Chandler. “Negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful and Chandler was involved in a law enforcement involved shooting and died as a result,” according to a report by the negotiating team. The Georgia Bur

By Joe Johnson Police are investigating a man’s complaint that another driver pointed a gun at him in a road rage incident on Atlanta Highway last week The 47-year-old Winder resident said it happened at around 6 pm in the area of the Georgia Square mall and the suspect was driving a box truck which, according to police, was registered to Bad Wolf Trucking in McDonough. The victim managed to take a photo of the driver, which police sent to the trucking company for their inves

By Joe Johnson Athens police are searching for the driver of a car that fled the scene of a crash last week in the roundabout at Whitehead and Tallassee roads. The dark gray Nissan Versa collided a car occupied by an Athens couple at about 6 pm on April 8th and was last seen turning onto Mitchell Bridge Road and possibly into The Preserve apartment complex, The man and his wife were not injured. They gave police the Nissan’s tag number, which returned to a different vehicle,

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

Released by ACC Leisure Services Enjoy National Kite Month at Sandy Creek Park with kite-flying and other kite-themed activities. . Be part of "Kite Day" and take part in the high-flying whimsical fun of kites while enjoying the spring weather. There will be kite-making stations, kite-flying demonstrations, and other fun activities for all ages. Staff will be available to assist with program activities for the duration of the event. Bring your own kite or borrow one of our

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office this morning released the following: MULTIPLE SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY FOLLOWING MURDER OF GREENE COUNTY MAN (Winder) – Barrow County deputies responded to 1419 Red Oak Way in Winder on Monday, April 13th at approximately 2:10 pm to a report of robbery and assault. Upon their arrival, deputies located the unconscious victim, Casey Lotrail Watts, 40, of White Plains, Georgia. Deputies immediately began performing CPR, and the victim was transporte

By Joe Johnson Jax came home in Ila last weekend with a serious injury after having been shot in his throat. Now his family is facing enormous financial difficulties as the 6-year-old German Shorthair Pointer recovers from lifesaving surgery he underwent at the University of Georgia’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “Jax is currently stable at UGA but he is not doing good,” said his human companion and caretaker, Reagan Bosquet. “He’s got severe trachea damage, and his trachea

By Joe Johnson Morton McLaughlin Wiggins, 40, of Comer, was arrested on the afternoon of April 6th for an armed robbery that occurred that morning in Athens. The incident happened at around 11:30 am at The Joint Vape Shop on Hull Road, where police said that Wiggins left without paying for a $30 canister of nitrous oxide. When the clerk followed him into the parking lot, Wiggins pulled the shotgun from his pants and pointed it at her, according to police.. Wiggins drove off i

By Joe Johnson The man who died last weekend while incarcerated at the county jail in Athens has been identified as 45-year-old Joshua Lee Silvers. He was a convicted child molester who had been jailed for failing to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. He had been convicted of sexual battery against a 6-year-old girl in Oconee County. Jail personnel found Silvers unresponsive in his cell Sunday night and he died after unsuccessful lifesaving attempts. Pe

By Joe Johnson A Superior Court judge has ordered a mental health evaluation for the woman who injured several people in December when she intentionally crashed her car into Kroger on Alps Road. Lonneshia Shafaye Appling is facing multiple counts of aggravated assault for her actions that day, Prosecutors say that the 40-year-old Dudley Drive resident had been under the influence of a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine when her car plowed into the supermarket. Accor

Released today by the Gwinnett County Police Department: (Lawrenceville, Ga., Apr. 10, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police Department is warning residents to be aware of seasonal lawn care service scams. As the weather warms up and people start landscaping their properties, individuals or small groups of people will offer property owners their lawn care services and end up taking advantage of the situation. These scams often involve someone going door to door offering services suc

By Joe Johnson The recent death of an elderly resident of an Athens assisted living facility was not due to negligence, a police investigation has concluded, The investigation was conducted after police received allegations that an 86-year-old resident of Manor Lake died last Sunday because of neglect by one of the employees. That employee allegedly had numerous disciplinary problems in the three short weeks of her employment, including sleeping on the job and falling to mak

This was released today by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office: On the night of April 5, 2026, at approximately 7:03 PM, the staff at the Athens-Clarke County Jail were bringing a change of uniform to a male jail resident. A deputy entered the cell and noticed the male seated, slumped over, and unresponsive to verbal or physical stimulation. Lifesaving procedures were initiated, and on-site medical assistance was called. EMS and CCFD were also requested to come to the jail. EM

This was released today by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office On the night of April 5, 2026, at approximately 7:03 PM, the staff at the Athens-Clarke County Jail were bringing a change of uniform to a male jail resident. A deputy entered the cell and noticed the male seated, slumped over, and unresponsive to verbal or physical stimulation. Lifesaving procedures were initiated, and on-site medical assistance was called. EMS and CCFD were also requested to come to the jail. EMS

By Joe Johnson Crystal Jean Bloodworth, 38, of Jackson, Mississippi, was arrested last month after a high-speed police chase with a child in her car. The child was unrestrained while lying on a pile of clothing and Bloodworth was under the influence of drugs at the time, according to arrest warrants on file at Superior Court. Athens-Clarke County police said they are prevented by law from releasing the incident report because it involves a charge of first-degree cruelty to a

Lawrence By Joe Johnson An inmate has been harassing a University of Georgia student in phone calls from Macon State Prison. According to police , 32-year-old Reuben Scott Lawrence made over 50 unwanted calls to the student using numerous different phone numbers without caller ID. He also sent vulgar and threatening text messages to her. He knew about the student because he had been romantically involved with her sister during his incarceration, UGA police are investigatio

By Joe Johnson The man who shot his former girlfriend inside a Baxter Street dentist office last year has pleaded not guilty to an attempted murder charge. Carl Eugene Clark, 74, of Winterville Road, tried to kill 47–year-old Sheila Mobley in December when he went to her job at McRae Family Dental and shot her multiple times in the chest and face. She survived and Clark later shot himself in the face in a failed suicide attempt, Huwas arrested and subsequently charged in a

The 1947 "Athens, Georgia Town Film" is a 16mm color amateur film, likely shot by Chamber of Commerce director Joel A. Weir, showcasing post-WWII life in Athens . The footage, often cited by the Walter J. Brown Media Archives , features downtown scenes, UGA campus life, local businesses, and contrasting residential areas like Milledge Avenue and Linnentown.

This news release was issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation:: At the request of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI is investigating an officer involved shooting in Hull, Madison County, GA, involving an off-duty GBI agent. The GBI is also investigating an aggravated assault that occurred before the officer involved shooting. Earnest Howard, age 47, of Athens, GA, was shot and injured during the incident. No agents were injured. Howard has been arrested and c

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released the following: Hull, Madison County, GA (April 5, 2026) - At the request of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI is investigating an officer involved shooting in Hull, Madison County, GA, involving an off-duty GBI agent. The GBI is also investigating an aggravated assault that occurred before the officer involved shooting. Earnest Howard, age 47, of Athens, GA, was shot and injured during the incident. No agents were in