CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson An Athens Superior Court grand jury has indicted a man who wore a Nazi uniform when he assaulted a woman last year outside of a downtown bar. Kenneth Leland Morgan, 33, of Appleby Drive in Athens, was charged in the Tuesday indictment with aggravated assault for striking a University of Georgia student in the face with a glass beer mug during an altercation at the entrance of an East Clayton Street bar in October 2025. Dressed in the black Gestapo uniform, he a

By Joe Johnson Sandy Nashalle Franklin, 35, of Broadacres Court, has been charged with stabbing another inmate at the county jail in Athens. Franklin had been in jail since May when she was arrested for setting a trash can fire in Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center that caused extensive damage. The assault occurred three weeks later when she stabbed the other inmate with a pen in the cheek and forehead, In addition to first-degree arson, Franklin is now charged with aggr

By Joe Johnson Cody Blaine Henderson, 35, of Louise Lane in Winterville, was arrested over the weekend after he told a police officer that he was guilty for a drunk-driving incident in which his truck hit a tree, The incident happened shortly before 11 p.m. on August 1st when Henderson drove his pickup truck into a ditch and tree on a side of Old Jefferson Road. He reportedly admitted to having drank four cans of Loko flavored malt beverage while he was driving. When a poli

Released by the Gwinnett County Police Department Hoschton, Ga., Aug. 5, 2026) – The Gwinnett County Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying four individuals wanted in connection with a burglary at Crazy Cloudz 2 Vape Shop, located 4610 Braselton Highway in Hoschton. Crazy Cloudz 2 Vape Shop was burglarized twice within two days. The first burglary occurred on Sunday, August 2, at approximately 2:30 a.m. During that incident, a single suspect fo

By Joe Johnson Chenetta Alfreda Wise, 65, of Marlborough Downs Road, was arrested on the evening of August 1st after she assaulted her boyfriend during a domestic violence incident at their home. When police officers arrived they found the victim in the driveway, with his shirt ripped and blood stained, and he told them that Wise had “gone off the deep end and attacked him, throwing things around the house and hitting him in the head with a large candlestick holder. Wise was

I’m writing because last week they killed 10 dogs at the shelter and the new director is not allowing transports to the north rescues-and you can’t even apply for dogs anymore. You have to go in and adopt them and they’re only open from 11 to 4 and they don’t answer the phone. I tried to get a dog and at that time there was an app process last week. They never contacted me and then they sent the dog to rescue. So at least they didn’t kill him. But everybody’s upset, especial

By Joe Johnson A 35-year-old woman who was reported missing four months ago in Richmond County was arrested in Athens over the weekend. Ashley Nichole Rhea was arrested Sunday afternoon for public indecency and booked into the local jail with her address listed as the Advantage Homeless Day Center on North Avenue. Classic City News informed Richmond authorities of Ashley’s whereabouts on Monday night.

Joe Johnson Timothy Bruce, 20, of Dawsonville, was arrested last week after his assault rifle shot a round into an occupied apartment. The incident happened on July 30th at around 10:20 p.m., when a woman was in her home at University Oaks apartments and a bullet came through the floor and the couch on which she was sitting. Police determined that the bullet had been fired from the apartment directly below, where Bruce apparently was visiting. He gave no explanation for why

By Joe Johnson A 58-year-old homeless woman was arrested on the evening of July 28th after she made a fire on a sidewalk outside of City Hall. The police were called to the scene just after 7 p.m. by a county worker who reported that Geraldine Brewer “had set the fire and would not extinguish it” and “kept adding more and more fuel to the fire to make it grow larger.” Brewer reportedly was disorderly and would not get out of the way of efforts to extinguish the fire, causi

Joe Johnson Eldrosis Demarkis Barnett, 40, of Sena Drive, was arrested on the morning of July 18th by police who responded to a report of a completely naked man wandering around the area of Timothy Park Lane. Officers located the man, identified as Barnett, as he was walking along the roadway. He was confused about where he was and could not explain why he was naked, except that he woke up like that. When asked if he needed medical, Barnett only replied that he was thirsty, a

By Joe Johnson Charles Andre McMillon, 29, of Segrest Circle, was arrested last week while in possession of various drugs and guns. The arrest culminated an investigation during which police monitored his Instagram account with the handle of Taco Charles. He was taken into custody on the afternoon of July 28th when police conducted a traffic stop after he made an illegal turn at Hull and Voyle roads then ran a red light, according to police. His car was searched when a police

By Erik Hogan Subtly, the smell of rain infused darkness infiltrates with a whisper that something has happened. An excitement over storms unremembered in the night, now gone, perhaps never were, but for the evidence of a wet world lingering out there in obscurity before the dawn. The smell of rain. Memory of a dream materialized in wakefulness. Clouds hang low, gracing treetops as the flat light of day advances. The endless succession of torrid summer days is now broken by t

Released by the University of Georgia: University of Georgia Professor Margaret Morrison was the first artist featured in the UGA Performing Arts Center's Lobby Gallery in 2024. She returns Aug. 6 with Antiques, a selection of four colorful, outsized canvases depicting displays from Italian antique markets. The exhibition runs through early January with an opening reception at 5 p.m. Aug. 27. Morrison, who has since retired as a professor emerita from the Lamar Dodd School of

Released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation: UPDATE - July 28, 2026: Levi Long was pronounced deceased at the hospital on Sunday, July 26, 2026. Long’s body will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted. UPDATE - July 20, 2026: The man shot in this incident has been identified as Levi Long, age 22, of Commerce, GA. He is currently in critical condition. ORIGINAL RELEASE: Commerce, Banks County, GA (July 17, 2026) - At the request o

Released by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office CLARKESVILLE, Ga. – July 31, 2026 – The Habersham County Sheriff's Office announced today the termination and arrest of a deputy following an internal audit of access to license plate data. An internal audit revealed that former Deputy Christian Brewer accessed the Flock camera system and utilized retained license plate data for personal, non-law enforcement purposes. The investigation revealed that this was an isolated incid

By Joe Johnson A months-long investigation into a local fentanyl distribution ring culminated Wednesday in the arrest of a 56-year-old Athens man now facing multiple drug trafficking and weapons charges. Darren Turner was taken into custody on July 29 following a coordinated operation led by the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force. Authorities executed search warrants across three locations tied to Turner—including a residence on Freeman Drive, a local hotel room, and

By Joe Johnson Eddrick O’Neal Battle, 49, of Magnolia Terrace, was arrested early in the morning of July 20th after he allegedly stole a scooter belonging to a University of Georgia student. The 18-year-old victim reported that his Segway electric scooter had been stolen from a North Chase Street location at around 1 a.m. and that he pinged its GPS tracker at an address on Magnolia Terrace, where police found it on the side of the house where Battle was staying. He claimed t

By Joy Pope/UGA Today Director Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey" has introduced one of the world's oldest stories to a new audience, prompting renewed discussion around why Homer's epic continues to resonate nearly 2,700 years after it was composed. Charles Platter, professor of classics in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, joined WABE's In These Times  with Bill Nigut to discuss the film and the enduring appeal of The Odyssey. After

By Caroline Paczkowski/UGA Today For decades, court-ordered community service has been used as an alternative to incarceration. The intention is to reduce costs, provide restitution to the community and support individual rehabilitation. But does it actually work? A new study from the University of Georgia suggests it doesn’t. “These goals aren’t really being met. It’s mixed,” said Rebecca Nesbit, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Public and Internat

Issued by the Gwinnett County Police Department Lawrenceville, Ga., July 30, 2026) – The Gwinnett County Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating missing person Makyra Edwards. On July 29, at approximately 11:30 a.m., 23-year-old Makyra Edwards left her residence in the 1600 block of Margate Court in Lawrenceville on foot. Her current whereabouts are unknown, and detectives are asking for the public's help in locating her. Edwards is a Black female, 5 fee