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4 members of alleged Gainesville drug ‘cartel’ plead guilty

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By: Gainesville Times
GAINESVILLE -- Four of 12 co-defendants in a group suspected by Hall County authorities of trafficking some 8,800 pounds of methamphetamine have pleaded guilty in federal court. Members of the “Lenox Park Cartel,” as it’s informally known by law enforcement, were arrested in September 2015, and authorities seized roughly $1 million in meth, cocaine and marijuana. Four of them — Christel Ivester, of Toccoa, and Alejandro Avila, William Suarez and Carlos Alfredo Cantero-Cruz, all of Gainesville — have entered guilty pleas, according to court documents. Ivester entered a guilty plea Dec. 21 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. She received an 11-year prison sentence.“Ms. Ivester truly regrets her involvement in the conspiracy, has fully accepted responsibility for her conduct and looks forward to making a better life for herself and her family,” Ivester’s attorney Regina Cannon said Wednesday. Suarez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and he was sentenced to 78 months in prison to be served concurrently with a state sentence he is currently serving. Suarez’s attorney Michael Trost did not return a call for comment. Avila entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Cantero-Cruz pleaded guilty to “knowingly and intentionally” distributing meth, according to court documents. Sentencing has not been set for Avila or Cantero-Cruz, and attorneys Adam Hames and Michael Saul did not return a request for comment. Attorney Steven Berne filed a motion for dismissal on Carrera’s charges claiming “outrageous government conduct” pertaining to a confidential informant in the case. The motion filed on March 1 claims the confidential informant moved in with Carrera and “told Ms. Carrera that he wanted to make money by dealing drugs.” The motion also claims Carrera was beaten and verbally assaulted.“A hearing was scheduled on her motion to dismiss on June 8, but she did not appear at the hearing, and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest,” according to a report filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. “She remains a fugitive.” Berne did not return a request for comment Wednesday. According to an order filed Tuesday, the case was certified ready for trial for co-defendants Ruben Ruiz, Diego Armando Cantero, Marco Antonio Cantero, Edwin Barrera, Jose Ramon Cardenas and Raul Mendoza Garcia.

Gillsville man free after plea deal in fatal April shooting in Gainesville

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By: Gainesville Times
GAINESVILLE -- One of three men accused in an April shooting in Gainesville has pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and he will not be prosecuted for felony murder. Kevin Michael Turner, 28, of Gillsville, pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to reckless conduct, violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The District Attorney’s Office did not prosecute Turner on the felony murder count of the indictment and amended the aggravated assault charge. Turner received an 11-year sentence, with the first 12 months to be served in confinement and the rest on probation. Turner was charged with Brandon Scott King, 27, and Cheslen Dequan Bell, 20, both of Gainesville, in an August indictment. The three were accused in the death of Jaquerian Harrison, 21, who was shot multiple times April 11 at the Orchard Brook Apartments off of McEver Road. Turner’s attorney Dawn Seibert did not return a call for comment. Seibert previously filed a motion stating discovery showed “the bullet that killed the victim was not fired from the guns found in the possession of any of the co-defendants.” Superior Court Judge Bonnie Oliver then granted more time to file motions. According to the sentencing arrangement, Turner is agreeing to “testify in a manner consistent with the statement” given earlier to authorities. He is also ordered to no longer associate with Crips gang members.

Six arrested, one at large after firearms stolen from Forsyth County Pawn in Cumming

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By: Kelly Whitmire
CUMMING-- Six suspects are in custody and have been charged with armed robbery and one remains at-large after stealing several firearms from a Cumming pawn store early Saturday morning. Per a news release from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, around 5:25 a.m. on Saturday “seven male suspects entered the store by backing a truck into the front of" Forsyth County Pawn Inc. at 211 Atlanta Road, where multiple firearms were stolen. Once inside, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Peter Sabella said the suspects encountered an employee and one round was fired. No one was hit or hurt. Authorities are searching for Altavious Jackson, 32 of Atlanta, as a "possible suspect" of this morning's robbery. Jackson is described as a black male who is 5-foot-8-inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. Anyone who sees Jackson or has any information is asked to immediately call 911. All suspects left the scene in a pickup truck, which officers spotted on Ga. 400 southbound near McFarland Parkway. A chase ensued after an attempted traffic stop. During the chase, a wheel fell off the truck on Morris Road at Deerfield Parkway in the city of Alpharetta, and all seven suspects fled in different directions. Two suspects were arrested “very quickly” after the crash, and the other four were arrested later. Five of the arrested are adults males and one is a 16-year-old male. The search was part of a coordinated effort with the sheriff's office, Cumming Police Department, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, Milton Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol's aviation program, which used a helicopter to help look for the suspects. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms will assist the investigation, which is active and ongoing. The robbery was the second in Forsyth County this month to use a vehicle to gain entry to a business and take guns. Around 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, 12-15 pistols and semi-automatic rifles were stolen from Bulls Eye Marksman Gun Club in south Forsyth. A blue 2002 Dodge Durango was found backed into the wall and window of the building, with a rifle laying on the ground in front of it “that looked to have been dropped,” according to sheriff’s office incident report. Sabella said it is too early in the investigation for any connection to be drawn between the two thefts. Anyone with information on Saturday's robbery is encouraged to contact Detective Norton with the sheriff's office's criminal investigations section at (770) 781-3087. Check back to ForsythNews.com for more information as it develops.

Series: A look inside the law enforcement response to suicide

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By: Isabel Hughes
The call came into the 911 center at 9:52 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 16. It was in reference a domestic disturbance on Wooten Road in Roswell, though the two responding officers had little other information. As the officers rushed to the scene, more information came through from dispatch: they were responding to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victim: 15-year-old Samuel Barrow Jr. At the home, the responding officers followed procedure, clearing the scene to make sure the area was safe and attempting to resuscitate the boy. But even with EMS taking over lifesaving efforts, the teen had already died – just three weeks before his 16th birthday.“Our lives will never be the same,” said Barrow Jr.’s grandmother, Christy Vaughan. “Death by suicide is such a horrible end to so many beautiful lives. It changes not only the suicide victim, but everyone else.”“Get deputies out to the scene” Though the Roswell Police Department is in Fulton County, most law enforcement agencies have similar protocol when responding to suicide or other incident calls, said Cpl. Pete Sabella, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. As public servants, their role is an intervening one: they respond mid-crisis or shortly thereafter with a short-term goal in mind: saving lives.“Our primary goal is to help the person get the help that they need,” Sabella said. “When we respond to the scene, the first thing we want to do is make sure the person is safe and the scene is safe for everybody involved. Once we get on scene and we can make sure it’s safe, then we have EMS respond in with us.“Typically what happens is we’re dispatched together, but we do what’s called staging the area – [EMS] will get close but won’t actually go into the scene until we make it safe.” Deputies are almost always the first responders to suicide or attempts, and unlike other public institutions, their focus is less on prevention or postvention, but on intervention. That’s just the nature of the job, Sabella said; while 911 centers do get calls from people who say they just need someone to talk to, the overwhelming majority of calls are for an act or threat.“On the way to the scene, dispatch is helping us get information from whoever the caller is,” Sabella said. “The things we’re looking for are, is it a threat or was there a committed act? If it was an act or is in progress, what we want to know is, was it by way of a weapon, is it pills or is it some sort of toxic fluid?“Our ultimate goal is to point [the victim] in the right direction – we want to make sure they get the help that they need. Typically, that help is them going to the hospital and getting them evaluated there, and that’s usually where our involvement ends.” In part, it is difficult for the sheriff’s office to play any other role when it comes to suicide. While deputies do try to make relationships with county citizens, their job is different than that of teachers, religious leaders or other professionals who may interact daily with the same person and notice suicide warning signs.“The way we typically get notified is a 911 call,” Sabella said. “Either the person themselves will call or it’s a family member and our immediate response is to get out and get deputies out to the location of the incident, make the environment safe, figure out what’s taken place and then get them the help – medical and psychological.” But the help deputies give is often short-term and ends at the hospital, and it can be too time-consuming to follow up with a family or an attempter. National data from the American Association of Suicidology shows an average of one person dies by suicide every 12.3 minutes and attempts are estimated at one every 29 seconds. The frequency of suicide and 911 calls adds pressure to law enforcement officers, and aside from responding to those calls, deputies also answer a myriad of other requests and alerts daily. FCSO Deputy Chief Grady Sanford said deputies are not healthcare providers and not trained the way those professionals are. However, given a law enforcement officer’s role is to serve the people, Sanford said, officers can be trained to help in preventative ways. “An obligation to look after each other” Though fewer suicide prevention programs stem from law enforcement agencies than other institutions, Sanford said state agencies offer programs that teach deputies how to play a role before a suicide or attempt occurs.“As a community, we have an obligation to look after each other,” he said. “If you see someone having trouble or problems like this, you try to help them as much as you can. On state patrol, we [teach] officers how to deal with mental health issues in people. In other words, you’ve got to recognize when someone’s having an issue and got to talk to them.“[Officers] have to recognize it and get [a person] help if they need help. And it’s not necessarily about locking them up or making an arrest on somebody who’s hurting. Maybe you need to talk to them and get them to calm down and have a conversation with them – it could be something we could help them with right then or get them help if they need it.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Crisis Intervention Team, or CIT, teaches law enforcement agents how to do just that. In partnership with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI,) the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, Inc. and other agencies, CIT teaches officers to “effectively assist individuals with mental illness and other brain disorders who are in crisis, therefore advancing public safety and reducing the stigma commonly associated with mental illness.” Sheri McGuinness, president and CEO of Suicide Prevention Action Network, Georgia, or SPAN-GA, said her organization, too, works to create these kinds of programs.“We work with NAMI-GA on CIT training to train law enforcement to deal with a suicidal crisis and [have] created many strategies to permeate the state with action around suicide prevention, intervention and aftercare,” she said. “We need them to organize suicide prevention coalitions that would be able to bring prevention, intervention and aftercare strategies to their own community.” But she said the establishment of coalitions and help groups needs to come from all areas of the community. “It does take a village”“We’ve had troopers who have [stopped] people who are suicidal,” Sanford said. “They stop them [on the road], but you look beyond the stop. You talk to the person and see what’s going on with them and if they have an issue, you give help – even if you’ve stopped them for speeding. You get them help.” McGuinness said all community institutions need to have this kind of response.“We need gatekeeper training throughout our communities so that everyone can identify and get those in need to help,” she said. “It does take a village. Sadly, people don’t jump onboard until there have been a noticeable number of losses in their community. But, when there is, we take action and support their needs.”“We serve the citizens of Forsyth County,” Sanford said. “They elected Freeman to be their sheriff and we’re public servants – that’s what we’re there for. I know in my 33 years of law enforcement, I did this to help people and to make a difference.“We have to do our jobs and be compassionate to the community and let them know if something happens out there, we’re there to help them and offer programs to help prevent suicide.”

Guns stolen from vehicles at south Forsyth fire station Monday morning

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By: Kelly Whitmire
SOUTH FORSYTH-- Several firearms were stolen on Monday from the personal vehicles of Forsyth County firefighters and EMTs working out of a south Forsyth fire station. Early Monday morning, five vehicles were broken into and three guns were stolen at Forsyth County Fire Station 10 at 3860 Old Atlanta Road, near Lambert High School.“Five different vehicles belonging to the fire staff at Station 10 were broken into, forced windows and broken windows,” said Dep. Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.“Of the five vehicles, three of them parked overnight had guns in them, and of course they all belong to firefighters working that shift.” Rainwater said the break-ins happened between 1-7 a.m. on Monday. Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers said firefighters returned from a call around 1 a.m. on Monday and nothing had been broken into at that time, but noticed the damage during a shift change at 7 a.m. "When they came back from a call just after 1 a.m., they could see the parking lot, and they know everything was fine then, so it had to be between then and shift change,” Shivers said. “When they came out at shift change, they found broken windows, and disarray in the vehicle interiors where someone had gone through them." Shivers said no electronics or other items were stolen from the vehicles and there was “no indication they made entry into the station or fire apparatus.” Rainwater said it did not appear the fire station was specifically  targeted and the sheriff's office had received six other calls for cars broken into at homes around Old Atlanta Road.  Check back to ForsythNews.com for more information as it develops.

6 arrested, ID'd in Forsyth County Pawn gun heist linked to Bullseye Marksman robbery

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By: Kelly Whitmire
CUMMING — Six suspects are in custody and have been charged with robbery by force and other charges and one remains at large after stealing at least 30 firearms from a Cumming pawn store early Saturday morning. Around 5:25 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, “seven male suspects entered the store by backing a truck into the front of" Forsyth County Pawn Inc. at 211 Atlanta Road, where multiple firearms were stolen, according to Cpl. Pete Sabella, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Once inside, the suspects encountered an employee and one round was fired. No one was hit or hurt. All suspects left the scene in a pickup truck, which officers spotted on Ga. 400 southbound near McFarland Parkway. A chase ensued after an attempted traffic stop. During the chase, a wheel reportedly fell off the truck on Morris Road at Deerfield Parkway in the city of Alpharetta, and all seven suspects fled in different directions. Two suspects were arrested “very quickly” after the crash, and the other four were arrested by Saturday afternoon. Those arrested are: Jajuanis Armstrong, 19 of Stone Mountain; Jason Wheeler, 20 of Decatur; Jordan Brown, 19 of Decatur; Senuel Hawk, 23 of Decatur; Rashad Jackson, 17 of Decatur; and a 16-year-old male from Decatur. All were charged with robbery, burglary and possession of a firearm during certain crimes, and all except Brown were charged with violation of the Georgia Gang Act. Armstrong was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to Georgia law, adult charges can be applied to anyone aged 17 or older. The five being charged as adults were taken to the Forsyth County Jail and are being held without bond. The juvenile was taken to the Regional Youth Detention Center in Gainesville and is also being held without bond. Police are still searching for the last suspect, whose identity is unknown. Altavious Jackson, who was named over the weekend, is no longer believed to be a suspect. The suspects have also been charged with the burglary of Bulls Eye Marksman Gun Club in south Forsyth after “two firearms located in the getaway vehicle had serial numbers matching ones stolen from Bulls Eye Marksman Gun Club.” Around 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, 12-15 pistols and semi-automatic rifles were stolen from the business. A blue 2002 Dodge Durango was found backed into the wall and window of the building, with a rifle laying on the ground in front of it “that looked to have been dropped,” according to the sheriff’s office.“The combination of stolen firearms from Bulls Eye Marksman and Forsyth County Pawn along with similar methods used during both incidents allowed detectives to link the same suspects to both cases,” Sabella said. Saturday’s search was part of a coordinated effort with the sheriff's office, Cumming Police Department, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, Milton Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol's aviation program, which used a helicopter to help look for the suspects. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms will assist the investigation, which is active and ongoing. Anyone with information on Saturday's robbery is encouraged to contact Detective Norton with the sheriff's office's criminal investigations section at (770) 781-3087.

Gainesville authorities: Almost $21K of meth found in diaper bag near infant

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By: FCN Regional Staff
HALL COUNTY - Authorities say two Gainesville parents tried to hide $20,900 of methamphetamine and needles in a diaper bag with their infant child in their car. Russell Ray Passmore, 38, and Megan Elizabeth Stone, 27, were arrested Sunday when Hall County authorities said they found eight bags containing 6 ½ ounces of meth. The two face charges including trafficking meth and cruelty to a child and were booked into the Hall County Jail. Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad Lt. Don Scalia said the child is now with the Division of Family and Children Services.“They had the child checked out and get some medical attention out of an abundance of caution,” he said.

Authorities: Cobb woman makes plea deal in jewelry store heists

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By: Associated Press
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a 25-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to charges arising from a string of jewelry store heists across the South. Abigail Lee Kemp waived her right to trial in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina when she accepted a plea deal Wednesday in Panama City federal court, local news organizations are reporting. She has already pleaded guilty to conspiring with three men in the robbery of a Panama City Beach jewelry store, the reports say. Arrested last January, she was charged in a string of robberies spanning a 10-month period. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13. The News Herald (http://bit.ly/2hz4y1U ) reports she faces up to 20 years for each of six counts of interfering with commerce and could face a life sentence for brandishing a firearm during store robberies.

New Year’s weekend DUIs increase in Forsyth County

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By: Isabel Hughes
FORSYTH COUNTY – This New Year’s Eve weekend saw the most arrests for driving under the influence since 2011, officials said. Deputies arrested 11 people for DUI over the three-day weekend, up from nine last year, according to Dep. Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The agency responded to 38 accidents between Friday and Monday, Rainwater said. Last year, there were 26 crashes reported, but that number did not include accidents from Dec. 30 or Jan. 2. It did not immediately appear there were any fatal crashes this weekend, the same as last year. In 2014, Forrest Bushong, a 27-year-old from Cumming, died after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree near Mashburn Elementary School at about 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015.

Dawsonville woman arrested for starving her children

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By: FCN Regional Staff
DAWSON COUNTY - A Dawsonville woman was arrested early last month for reportedly starving her children and allowing her toddler to wander away from her residence. The woman, Susan Diane Neeley, 34, was arrested Dec. 8 on three counts of cruelty to children and one count of reckless conduct. According to Sheriff Jeff Johnson, Neeley is accused of willingly depriving her three children of necessary sustenance to the extent that the children's health and well-being were jeopardized.Johnson said the arrest stemmed from a missing juvenile call that occurred on Dec. 7. The ages of the children were not released. Neeley is also accused of allowing her toddler daughter to wander approximately 1 1/2 miles away from the residence, Johnson said. "The child was out after dark on an evening with a temperature of 52 degrees," Johnson said. "The child's two siblings, who went to search for the toddler, were also missing. All were located at another residence." When located, the toddler was found soaking wet, apparently from falling into a creek.Neeley was released on a $30,000 bond on Dec. 12.

Cumming man charged for striking roommate’s head with glass bottle

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By: Kayla Robins
CUMMING – A 24-year-old man from Cumming sustained what were described as severe injuries to the head after his roommate hit him with a glass bottle during a fight early Tuesday morning. The two men reportedly were “actively fighting” when deputies from the Cumming Police Department and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene of the apartment complex on Bald Ridge Road about 2:15 a.m. Jan. 3, according to Deputy Chief Aletha Barrett, a spokeswoman for the city agency. The victim was transported to an area hospital and was in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon, Barrett said. Odilio Lopez-Jimenez, 39 of Cumming, was arrested for aggravated assault family violence and remained, as of Wednesday, in the Forsyth County Jail without bond. Barrett said the two are not related but do live in the same apartment and work together. She said both men were intoxicated at the time and had just gotten off work from Kani House in Cumming. More than one teenaged juvenile, who also live at the residence, reportedly witnessed the incident.

Motorist caught after cornered by 5 patrol cars in south Forsyth

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By: Kayla Robins
SOUTH FORSYTH – Motorists in south Forsyth may have seen a slow-speed police chase Thursday afternoon that ended in the arrest of a wanted man. Christopher Mays, 38, failed to stop for deputies on Thursday, Jan. 5 on Brookwood Road at McGinnis Ferry Road at the Fulton-Forsyth county line about 2:30 p.m., according to Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Mays reportedly had fled from deputies near Johns Creek, which borders Forsyth County, causing Alpharetta deputies to issue a lookout. Rainwater said Mays continued driving onto Mathis Airport Road with his flashers on about 30 miles per hour before jumping a curb onto Old Atlanta Road. Once other deputies arrived to the moving scene, five patrol cars boxed him in to force him to stop. Mays was detained without struggle once he pulled over, Rainwater said.“At no point did he go too fast, so that’s the reason we could box him in” without causing injury to Mays or the deputies. Mays was transported to the Forsyth County Jail Thursday afternoon. Once he posts bond, Alpharetta will detain him on their warrants, and he will be transported to their jail.

Two from Hall County charged in northeast Forsyth murder

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By: Kayla Robins
NORTH FORSYTH – Two Hall County residents have been charged in the murder of a 35-year-old man after his body was found in northeast Forsyth. The deceased, David Eric Guice, was reportedly found on Odyssey Trail, off Pea Ridge Road, which connects Jot Em Down Road and Hwy. 53, on Thursday, Jan. 5, according to Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.“Deputies at the scene recalled a recent traffic stop and arrest that had been made a few days prior near this location,” Rainwater said. A search of those records reportedly revealed a female had given her home address as the same location as where the body was found. As a result, 32-year-old Tonya Tidwell and 29-year-old Ryan Spark have been charged in connection with Guice’s death. They both were charged with aggravated assault and felony murder and are being held at the Forsyth County Jail. It was not immediately clear how the murder occurred or for what reason.“This is an active investigation,” Rainwater said. “We hopefully will be able to provide more information on Monday.” Rainwater said the suspects' booking photos are being withheld for the time being due to details of the investigation. The sheriff’s office and Hall County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team executed arrest and search warrants at homes in Gainesville and Flowery Branch, and an additional search warrant was conducted at a home in Forsyth County, Rainwater said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Scene Unit has processed the scene for evidence and transported the body to its crime lab to determine the cause of death.

Third suspect arrested for murder of man in northeast Forsyth

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By: Kayla Robins
NORTH FORSYTH – A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 35-year-old man that occurred in northeast Forsyth last week. Jimmie Lee Winkles, 23, was found at a home in Banks County on Sunday, Jan. 8 and charged with aggravated assault and felony murder, according to Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Two other suspects, 32-year-old Tonya Tidwell, of Forsyth County, and 29-year-old Ryan Spark, were arrested Saturday. They have all been accused of murdering David Eric Guice, 35, who was reportedly found on Odyssey Trail, off Pea Ridge Road, which connects Jot Em Down Road and Hwy. 53, on Thursday, Jan. 5, Rainwater previously told the FCN.“Deputies at the scene recalled a recent traffic stop and arrest that had been made a few days prior near this location,” he said. A search of those records reportedly revealed a female had given her home address as the same location as where the body was found. It was not immediately clear how the murder occurred or for what reason. Rainwater said the suspects’ booking photos are being withheld for the time being due to details of the investigation, which remains active and which is expected to be fleshed out Monday. All three are being held in the Forsyth County Jail. Winkles was found through an investigation aided by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and the Banks County Sheriff’s Office and reportedly did not resist arrest once located.“During the course of this investigation, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit was working with local authorities in extreme north Georgia,” Rainwater said. “We were aware of his general location and knew he was not in Forsyth County. This investigation has been conducted around the clock in order to locate him.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Scene Unit has processed the scene for evidence and transported the body to its crime lab to determine the cause of death.

Gwinnett firefighters have items stolen from personal vehicles

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By: Kelly Whitmire
Less than a week after guns were stolen from the personal vehicles of firefighters at a south Forsyth fire station, several fire stations in Gwinnett have also reported break-ins. Per the Gwinnett County Police Department, four fire stations and one former station experienced vehicle break-ins with thefts from vehicles of on-duty firefighters between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The break-ins occurred less than a week after five vehicles were broken into and three guns were stolen from Fire Station 10 at 3860 Old Atlanta Road, near Lambert High School, early in the morning of Monday, Jan. 2. A Gwinnett police official said there was no confirmation that the incidents were related, but it is a possibility. Officials said no electronics or other items were stolen. The Gwinnett stations broken into were: Station 5 on Old Norcross Road near Breckinridge Boulevard; Station 15 in downtown Lawrenceville; Station 23 on Steve Reynolds Boulevard next to Meadowcreek High School; Station 31 at Georgia Gwinnett College; and former Station 10 on Russel Road at Ga. 20. “A suspicious person was observed and chased on foot by county officers at Fire Station 31, which is across from Georgia Gwinnett College. That individual was not apprehended,” a news release said. At the former fire station, a county-owned vehicle was entered. Gwinnett police are working with the fire department “to investigate these incidents and to prevent further incidents from occurring.” Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, said at the time it did not appear the fire station was specifically targeted and that the sheriff’s office had received six other calls for cars broken into at homes around Old Atlanta Road.

126 marijuana plants seized from north Forsyth home

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By: Isabel Hughes
NORTH FORSYTH -- A north Forsyth man was arrested Thursday after 126 marijuana plants -- about $239,000 worth -- were found in a home. On Thursday, Jan. 12, narcotics detectives conducted a drug search warrant at a residence off Jot Em Down Road, where they found 92 pounds of the schedule-I drug, according to Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. Norlan Gomez, 39, who rents the house, has been charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possession with intent to distribute.“Along with the plants, we also found trash bags containing dried green leafy materials suspected of being marijuana,” the sheriff's office said. It was not immediately clear if he has prior criminal history in the county. Gomez is currently being held without bond at the Forsyth County Jail.

Two wanted for armed robbery at south Forsyth pharmacy

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By: Isabel Hughes
SOUTH FORSYTH -- Two suspects remain at large after a woman reportedly robbed a pharmacy at gunpoint in south Forsyth on Friday morning. Around 10:45 a.m., a white woman armed with a black handgun reportedly entered Forsyth Pharmacy and Specialty Center, which is located at 3592 Old Atlanta Road, and demanded various medications from the store’s pharmacist, said Forsyth County Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the agency. After being handed an unknown amount of medicine by the pharmacist, the woman walked out of the store, fleeing the pharmacy on foot. She is described as 5-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Rainwater said.“Prior to the robbery, a white male suspect was observed talking to the female on the sidewalk outside, but she is the only one who entered the pharmacy,” Rainwater said. “The male stayed on the sidewalk in front [of the pharmacy], and he was seen wearing a dark in color hoodie with khaki pants.” Rainwater said the community is not thought to be in danger. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at (770) 781-2200 during business hours. After hours, the sheriff’s office can be reached at (770) 781-3087.

Alpharetta man arrested for shooting in southwest Forsyth

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By: Isabel Hughes
SOUTHWEST FORSYTH – A man was arrested Saturday afternoon after reportedly shooting another man in the stomach near Cambridge High School and the Forsyth-Fulton County border. Abundio Lagos-Duran, 55, of Alpharetta, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and is currently being held at the Forsyth County Jail without bond. At 2:13 p.m. on Jan. 14, deputies responded to 6415 Atlanta Highway, which is between McFarland Parkway and Milton’s Cambridge High School, in reference to a person shot call, according to a Cpl. Pete Sabella, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. When they arrived on scene, "they located a male victim with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his left lower abdominal area. The victim and witnesses were able to provide deputies with an excellent description of the shooter," Sabella said. After setting up a perimeter and conducting a brief manhunt, deputies located Duran, who was reportedly sitting in a parked car just blocks away from the incident location. "While taking the suspect into custody, our guys found the weapon used in the shooting ... he still had the gun on him," Sabella said. It was not immediately clear what led to the incident or how the two men know each other. It was also not immediately known whether Duran has any prior history in Forsyth County. Follow ForsythNews.com as this story is updated.

Alabama threatens to sue in tri-state ‘water wars’ involving Georgia, Florida

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By: Gainesville Times
LAKE LANIER -- Alabama, long just an interested party in a water-sharing legal dispute between Georgia and Florida, is suggesting it might pursue “further litigation” in a longstanding “water wars” between the three states. A U.S. Supreme Court order on Jan. 3 urging Georgia and Florida to consider interbasintransfers in settlement talks has Alabama worried that “interbasin” potentially could involve Alabama waters.“The practical effect of … authorizing such transfer could prejudice Alabama, and Alabama would, as a result, become a necessary party to further litigation in this case,” Alabama lawyer John C. Neiman Jr. said in a Wednesday letter to Ralph Lancaster, a Maine lawyer tapped by the U.S. Supreme Court to preside over the latest legal battle. Neiman cited Lancaster’s statement in the 1-page order that Georgia and Florida shouldconsider as part of an agreement the “importation of water” from outside the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, which includes Lake Lanier, “to supplement streamflow during drought periods.”“Neither Florida nor Georgia has requested the Court to enter an order or decree that would authorize either party to make interbasin transfers of that sort,” Neiman said in his 2-page letter. “The possibility mentioned in the Jan. 3 order could alter the nature of this action from Alabama’s perspective.” Neiman said that previous court submissions by Alabama supporting Florida in the case “have not considered or discussed the effect that a decree authorizing interbasin transfers could have on Alabama.”“If this case’s scope were expanded to include the possibility of a decree authorizing interbasin transfers from rivers flowing into Alabama,” Neiman said, “Alabama’s interests in the case would be different.” From the start of Florida’s dispute with Georgia — which involved allegations of “overconsumption” of water in the ACF — Alabama “did not need to become a party to this case because Florida’s requested relief was limited to a cap on Georgia’s withdrawals from the ACF Basin, which would not prejudice Alabama.“Alabama thus assumes that the Jan. 3 order contemplates only importation of water frombasins wholly within Georgia, such as the Oconee and Ocmulgee river basins, rather than from interstate river basins that flow into Alabama, such as the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Tennessee River Basins.” Much of southeast Hall County is in the Oconee River Basin, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The ACF flows to the Gulf of Mexico. In his order, Lancaster doesn’t elaborate on his point about the interbasin transfers. Neiman asked that Alabama “first receive notice” of a decree “authorizing transfers from interstate river basins flowing into Alabama as a result of settlement discussions,” and that the state would “be given the opportunity to assert its interests in an appropriate way.” The lawyer also said Alabama “is willing to participate in any negotiations between Florida and Georgia that address this issue.” Lancaster’s order set a Jan. 24 deadline for Georgia and Florida to try to settle their differences. The states need to submit a confidential memorandum to him by Jan. 26 “setting forth a summary of the parties’ settlement efforts,” his order says.

Hall County fires doctor after 'questionable' touching during exams

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By: Gainesville Times
HALL COUNTY -- The staff physician at a Hall County-run health clinic for employees was fired late last month after allegations of “questionable” touching were reported by more than one female employee. Hall officials said they relayed the allegations against R. Philip Marler to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and an inquiry is ongoing. The accusations, all similar in nature, stem from questionable touching during physical examinations with a stethoscope, according to county officials.“On Dec. 12, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office requested us to investigate allegations of inappropriate contact by a former medical provider at the Hall County Family Health Center,” said GBI Region 8 Special Agent in Charge Kim Williams. Officials said they removed Marler from his position to err on the side of caution and protect employees. Marler did not immediately respond to a call for comment Tuesday afternoon. The clinic and pharmacy serving county employees opened in January 2015 at 2434 Old Cornelia Highway in Rabbittown. After retiring from The Longstreet Clinic, Marler was hired by Healthwell Solutions, an independent contractor paid by the county to operate the clinic.
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