CLASSIC CITY NEWS

Released by the Clarke County School District The Clarke County School District congratulates Angela Gay, school social worker for Howard B. Stroud Elementary and Cedar Shoals High schools, on being named State School Social Worker of the Year by the School Social Workers Association of Georgia this week. Please see the attached release for more information and photos for your use. Photo 2673: Angela Gay speaks at the School Social Workers Association of Georgia's annual Spri

The following was released Thursday night by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department On March 26, 2026, at approximately 2:21 PM, ACCPD officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in the 400 block of Minor Street. Officers located the suspects at 700 US-29, Athens, GA. Stolen property was recovered following the initial investigation. Emory Simmons, a 22-year-old male of Athens, GA; Zachariah Roberts, an 18-year-old male of Colbert, GA; Sherod Porter, a 22-year-old

Jewell By Joe Johnson On the night he fell to his death from an apartment building last year Antonio Jewelll had been attending a gambling party where members of an Athens street gang tried to rob him and other attendees. After the gangsters pistol-whipped him, the 22-year-old victim either fell or jumped to his death from a balcony trying to escape his attackers. Details of that tragic night are found in recently filled search warrants for gang member social media accounts

By Joe Johnson Madelynn Jean Peacock, 23, of Eatonton, has been indicted for a domestic violence incident last year iin Athens. She was charged with aggravated assault for attacking the victim with a concrete flower pot, according to the indictment filed Tuesday in Superior Court. The incident occurred in May 2025 at the apartment on Little Oconee Street that Peacock shared with the victim, a University of Georgia student. Peacock remains free on bond and is scheduled to be a

The Gwinnett County Police Department has released the following: Lawrenceville, Ga. Mar 24, 2026) – Gwinnett County Police Homicide Detectives have charged Glenn Fitzpatrick (18, Winder) and Michael Coker (18, Loganville) each with Felony Murder, Malice Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Fitzpatrick and Coker have been arrested and are in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond. Detectives are still investigating the mo

Desousa By Joe Johnson The Jackson County man who shot three people in downtown Athens has been charged with a second count of murder following the death of another of his victims. Mark Anthony DeSousa committed the murders In the early morning hours of March 14th, when he shot a friend and two other young men in a parking lot off North Jackson Street. Clayton Adams, 22, of Hull, died at the scene and when Desousa was arrested later that day in Jackson County he was charged w

Released by ACCPD: On March 7, 2026, at approximately 1:03 PM, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to a single-vehicle crash in the intersection of North Avenue and MLK Parkway. The initial investigation indicated that a 2000 Dodge Caravan was traveling southbound on North Avenue when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a curb and trestle pillar before striking an embankment and rolling onto its side. The driver was partially ejected. The driver and sole

Thomas By Joe Johnson A member of an Athens street gang has been arrested for an armed robbery last year at University Oaks apartments. Kasten Jamaal Thomas, 24, of Freeman Drive, had been indicted for the robbery in December along with his alleged accomplice, 21-year-old Jordan Xavier Gresham, who was already in custody. Thomas eluded capture until he was arrested io on March 13th. Gresham Although the armed robbery was not indicted as a gang-related crime, both defendants

By Joe Johnson The police department is investigating an incident late Sunday afternoon involving a vehicle striking a pedestrian . It happened at about 5:45 pm and led to the closure of all lanes of Lexington Road at Atlas Way. Emergency responders had yet to clear the scene an hour later, when police began diverting eastbound traffic onto Titan Drive. From the Athens-Clarke County News Facebook page Classic City News has confirmed that a pedestrian was struck and has reache

By Erik Hogan sat down at my desk to write. In between adventures, I didn’t have a ready story to tell. This was to be a writing exercise, free form and almost stream of conscious, scratching onto the page with a pen to see what ideas would surface. It’s practice. But then a notification flashed across my phone screen. The urge to check it was too great, so I did. And just like that, my attention was snatched away. On a thru hike of the Foothills Trail in the wilds of South C

The following was released by Morgan Theatre The inaugural Athens African American Film Festival (AAAFF), presented by the Morton Theatre Corporation, will take place April 3-4, 2026, at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. The two-day festival celebrates Black storytelling through film, music, and conversation, bringing together local artists, scholars, and the broader community. The festival opens Friday evening with Frames & Flows: Athens Hip-Hop Video Showcase

Fifteen years ago today Athens was enjoying a mild and sunny early spring day that by afternoon would become one of the darker days in the community's recent history. It was on March 22, 2011, that Athens-Clarke County Senior Police Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian III was shot and killed in the line of duty. SPO Tony Howard was seriously wounded by the same gunman. The death of Christian, a 34-year-old father of two young children, marked the first time an Athens police offic

By T. W. Burger After many years as a reporter covering police, fire and courts, I have decided that our school systems must be required Right NOW to teach our budding inhabitants to always ask themselves this simple question before taking any action whatsoever: “What happens next?” I can't tell you how often I have stood in some district magistrate's office listening to a police officer or state trooper read off the facts on which the charges against the defendant were based

By Eddie Whitlock Hobby ​Remember Jon Lovitz as “the Master Thespian” on Saturday Night Live? He was a fellow who was all ham. His catchphrase was to stop whatever nonsense he had devolved into doing and shout, “Acting!” ​I am no actor. I respect actors. When I was a kid, I thought the people on television were just making things up as they went along. Memorize a script? Are you kidding me? ​In fifth grade, we did a class play. I was cast as the King’s advisor. I had a few li

Released by the Clarke County School District: Renamed in Honor of Late James Holston; Dedication Set for April 1 Rev. Lamar Sandoval remembers the summer day nearly half a century ago well. He and his friend and teammate, Anthony Pittman, were in between their junior and senior years at Cedar Shoals High School and were doing work for their baseball coach, James Holston. While driving, they were hit by another car in a horrific accident that injured them and killed the drive

Grant By Joe Johnson Jaiden Danarion Grant, 20, of Hull, was arrested this week for allegedly strangling his former girlfriend in her home on Macon Highway. The 20-year-old victim told police that she had ended her relationship with Grant in January and that on the night of March 18th he showed up at her apartment telling her that he missed her and professing his love. The woman told Grant that she wasn’t interested in getting back together and asked him to leave. Grant did

ShotSpotter/file photo By Joe Johnson Brandon Dominique Tremble, 29, of University Oaks apartments, was arrested on the afternoon of March 7th after he fired a gun on University of Georgia property. When he shot his gun in an area between River Road and the North Oconee River, police said they were alerted to it by the UGA ShotSpotter system. The campus video surveillance system helped to identify the car that Tremble was in and county police subsequently located the vehicle

The Leisure Services Department is now hiring for more than 100 summer positions. Applications are currently being accepted for camp counselors, counselors in training, Grand Slam, lifeguards, and pool clerks The pay range is $15.60 - $17.94 an hour. Applicants may apply online at www.accgov.com/jobs For more information, please call 706-613-3090.

James “Jimmy” Bryant is owner of the Rock Nobster record store on Main Street in Watkinsville From The Augusta Press Date: March 20, 2026 BY GREG RICKABAUGH Authorities in Richmond County have arrested a 58-year-old man accused of paying a teenage girl for sex at a local hotel, in a case that highlights ongoing concerns about child exploitation and sex trafficking in the region. James Raleigh Bryant, of Athens, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with trafficking of p

From The Augusta Press Date: March 20, 2026 BY GREG RICKABAUGH Authorities in Richmond County have arrested a 58-year-old man accused of paying a teenage girl for sex at a local hotel, in a case that highlights ongoing concerns about child exploitation and sex trafficking in the region. James Raleigh Bryant, of Athens, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purpo