July 13, 2014 marked the 1-year anniversary of the death of Deborah Burton.
The hit-and-run death investigation remains open and the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office is again asking the public for any information they may have.
On July 13, 2013, at approximately 9:53 p.m. in the area of Manning Gin Road and Jeremy Drive, a white pedestrian identified as Deborah Burton was struck and killed by a motor vehicle.
Burton was walking on Manning Gin Road towards Hwy. 53. A vehicle traveling in the same direction struck and killed her.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol are looking for a late 80s to early 90s GM vehicle in connection with this incident. Anyone with information on the vehicle or driver is asked to call the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 770-307-3080, ext. 4643.
Public Safety Archives
Fatal hit-and-run case remains open
Wednesday, July 16. 2014
Three arrested in Hoschton drug raid
Barrow County authorities arrested three people on drug-related charges after a raid of a Hoschton residence on Thursday, July 10.
Sheriff’s investigators executed a search warrant at 1652 Thomas Drive in searching for narcotics, according to Barrow County investigator Matt Guthus. The search warrant was the culmination of a month long investigation by the Sheriff’s Crime Task Force into illegal drugs being sold out of the residence.
The search warrant netted approximately three ounces of methamphetamine, a ½ ounce of marijuana, prescription medication, and 11 rifles.
Sheriff’s officials arrested the owner of the residence, Rex Bailey, 52, and two occupants who were present at the time: Brandy Nicole Powell-Simonton, 26, of Winder, and John Vernon Mulligan, 46, of Auburn.
Bailey is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, possession of schedule 4 controlled substance (Xanax), and possession a firearm by a convicted felon (11 counts). Simonton is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Mulligan is charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Sheriff’s investigators executed a search warrant at 1652 Thomas Drive in searching for narcotics, according to Barrow County investigator Matt Guthus. The search warrant was the culmination of a month long investigation by the Sheriff’s Crime Task Force into illegal drugs being sold out of the residence.
The search warrant netted approximately three ounces of methamphetamine, a ½ ounce of marijuana, prescription medication, and 11 rifles.
Sheriff’s officials arrested the owner of the residence, Rex Bailey, 52, and two occupants who were present at the time: Brandy Nicole Powell-Simonton, 26, of Winder, and John Vernon Mulligan, 46, of Auburn.
Bailey is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, possession of schedule 4 controlled substance (Xanax), and possession a firearm by a convicted felon (11 counts). Simonton is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Mulligan is charged with possession of methamphetamine.
$870 reward posted in alpaca, llama deaths
Saturday, July 5. 2014
An $870 reward is being offered to anyone with any knowledge of who and why someone would shoot and kill two farm animals in Hoschton over the weekend — one that was worth at least $30,000.
The deaths include a $30,000 female Huacaya alpaca named Sandi Lynn and a $5,000 male llama named Patches from a Hoschton farm off Dee Kennedy Road early Saturday morning, June 28, sometime after 1:30 a.m.
“We are devastated,” Angie Gilliland, said. “These were like our children.”
Gilliland and her husband, Jim, run the farm that is located in Barrow County, but “is right on the Jackson County line.”
The deaths include a $30,000 female Huacaya alpaca named Sandi Lynn and a $5,000 male llama named Patches from a Hoschton farm off Dee Kennedy Road early Saturday morning, June 28, sometime after 1:30 a.m.
“We are devastated,” Angie Gilliland, said. “These were like our children.”
Gilliland and her husband, Jim, run the farm that is located in Barrow County, but “is right on the Jackson County line.”
Community rallies for family of local man killed in wreck
Wednesday, June 11. 2014
Winder and Barrow County residents have rallied to support the family of a man who received fatal injuries during a wreck on Hwy. 316 last week.
Cody Brantley, 29, died during a wreck involving a tractor-trailer last Wednesday leaving behind a wife and young daughter. Brantley’s sister-in-law, Amber Marquardt Drake, has created a page on GoFundMe.com with a goal of raising $25,000 to help provide for his infant daughter’s future education.
Brantley, who owned a lawn care business, was traveling on Hwy. 316 on the afternoon of June 4 when a tractor-trailer ran into his pickup truck near Patrick Mill Road. The accident closed down traffic for several hours and was covered on Atlanta television news.
According to the official Georgia State Patrol report, “On June 4, at 1:30 p.m., a Dodge 3500 pulling a trailer, a 1989 Red Dodge Ram 50 pickup, and a tractor-trailer were traveling westbound on GA 316 in the right lane. A mower was traveling westbound in the same location, straddling the right lane and the shoulder. The Dodge 3500 came to a stop because the driver was unable to pass the mower. The driver of the pickup slowed as it approached the rear of the Dodge 3500. The tractor-trailer struck the rear of the pickup causing its front end to strike the Dodge 3500. The trailer of the tractor-trailer overturned.”
The driver of the tractor-trailer, 40-year-old Roger Bly of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was charged with homicide by vehicle (second degree) and following too closely.
Cody Brantley, 29, died during a wreck involving a tractor-trailer last Wednesday leaving behind a wife and young daughter. Brantley’s sister-in-law, Amber Marquardt Drake, has created a page on GoFundMe.com with a goal of raising $25,000 to help provide for his infant daughter’s future education.
Brantley, who owned a lawn care business, was traveling on Hwy. 316 on the afternoon of June 4 when a tractor-trailer ran into his pickup truck near Patrick Mill Road. The accident closed down traffic for several hours and was covered on Atlanta television news.
According to the official Georgia State Patrol report, “On June 4, at 1:30 p.m., a Dodge 3500 pulling a trailer, a 1989 Red Dodge Ram 50 pickup, and a tractor-trailer were traveling westbound on GA 316 in the right lane. A mower was traveling westbound in the same location, straddling the right lane and the shoulder. The Dodge 3500 came to a stop because the driver was unable to pass the mower. The driver of the pickup slowed as it approached the rear of the Dodge 3500. The tractor-trailer struck the rear of the pickup causing its front end to strike the Dodge 3500. The trailer of the tractor-trailer overturned.”
The driver of the tractor-trailer, 40-year-old Roger Bly of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was charged with homicide by vehicle (second degree) and following too closely.
Apalachee High School evacuated after threat scrawled on bathroom wall
Posted by Susan Norman
in Education Archives, Meet the Candidates, Public Safety Archives, Top Stories & Breaking News
Friday, May 2. 2014
No suspicious devices were found after sheriff's officials finished what they call an exhaustive search of Apalachee High School this afternoon, but an investigation is underway to find who did cause the apparent false alarm.
The school was evacuated this morning while Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith and his deputies searched the campus to make sure a threatening message scrawled on a bathroom wall was not a reference to an actual bomb. As of just after 1 p.m., students were safe and preparing to re-enter the building to have lunch.
"There was a threat that was issued through graffiti," said Superintendent Wanda Creel in a message to the newspaper. "The students were evacuated to the stadium while the Sheriff’s Office is checking all areas of the campus."
According to the BCSO, the phrase, likely written by a student, did not use the word “bomb” but was considered a threat. Barrow County school resource deputies on site placed the school on lockdown and evacuated the staff and students, who had been in a school assembly, to the stadium behind the building.
All students remain on campus and are accounted for, and parents are being asked not to go to the school. The entrance is being blocked by deputies. The BCSO statement says no explosive devices have been found, and no one has reported actually seeing any.
"Thus, there is no evidence at this time to suggest an actual bomb emergency exists. The Sheriffs’ Office is treating this as a legitimate threat, however, until proven otherwise."
Creel said the school assembly this morning was a JROTC award ceremony, and it continued in the stadium. Also Colene Cannarella was announced as the District Teacher of the Year in front of the entire student body.
"Thank you to each of our school system and county employees for their quick response and help today with this situation," Creel said.
There have been at least three bomb scares at Jackson County schools this week.
The school was evacuated this morning while Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith and his deputies searched the campus to make sure a threatening message scrawled on a bathroom wall was not a reference to an actual bomb. As of just after 1 p.m., students were safe and preparing to re-enter the building to have lunch.
"There was a threat that was issued through graffiti," said Superintendent Wanda Creel in a message to the newspaper. "The students were evacuated to the stadium while the Sheriff’s Office is checking all areas of the campus."
According to the BCSO, the phrase, likely written by a student, did not use the word “bomb” but was considered a threat. Barrow County school resource deputies on site placed the school on lockdown and evacuated the staff and students, who had been in a school assembly, to the stadium behind the building.
All students remain on campus and are accounted for, and parents are being asked not to go to the school. The entrance is being blocked by deputies. The BCSO statement says no explosive devices have been found, and no one has reported actually seeing any.
"Thus, there is no evidence at this time to suggest an actual bomb emergency exists. The Sheriffs’ Office is treating this as a legitimate threat, however, until proven otherwise."
Creel said the school assembly this morning was a JROTC award ceremony, and it continued in the stadium. Also Colene Cannarella was announced as the District Teacher of the Year in front of the entire student body.
"Thank you to each of our school system and county employees for their quick response and help today with this situation," Creel said.
There have been at least three bomb scares at Jackson County schools this week.
Low-cost rabies vaccine clinic April 1
Monday, March 31. 2014
A low-cost vaccine clinic for dogs and cats is scheduled for two hours on Tuesday, April 1, at the Barrow County animal shelter at 610 Barrow Park Drive. The clinic was scheduled by the county government to help deal with an outbreak of rabies in the Winder area.
The CatSnip clinic will be open from 12:30-2:30 p.m., and no appointments are necessary. But dogs must be on a leash, and cats must be in cat-specific carriers, according to the notice distributed to the media.
The clinic's cost for a one-year rabies vaccine is $13 and a three-year vaccine $17. Other annual vaccines and discounted flea and heart-worm prevention products also will be available. For information, call 770-455-7077.
The CatSnip clinic will be open from 12:30-2:30 p.m., and no appointments are necessary. But dogs must be on a leash, and cats must be in cat-specific carriers, according to the notice distributed to the media.
The clinic's cost for a one-year rabies vaccine is $13 and a three-year vaccine $17. Other annual vaccines and discounted flea and heart-worm prevention products also will be available. For information, call 770-455-7077.
Barrow teacher indicted by feds on kiddie porn
Tuesday, March 25. 2014
A Westside Middle School teacher who for the past two school years has taught students how to use technology was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for allegedly using his home computer to view child pornography.
William Kimbrell, 27, was indicted March 18, which was one day after he resigned his teaching position. Westside administrators learned of the federal investigation on March 13 and placed him on administrative leave the following morning. He resigned March 17 and the Barrow County Board of Education at a called meeting March 19 confirmed his resignation.
“The school and district have cooperated with law enforcement in regards to this matter,” said superintendent Wanda Creel in a statement to the newspaper.
Kimbrell, a May 2012 graduate of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, was hired by Barrow County schools in August 2012 to teach “technology communications.”
For the full story, see the March 26th issue of the Barrow Journal.
William Kimbrell, 27, was indicted March 18, which was one day after he resigned his teaching position. Westside administrators learned of the federal investigation on March 13 and placed him on administrative leave the following morning. He resigned March 17 and the Barrow County Board of Education at a called meeting March 19 confirmed his resignation.
“The school and district have cooperated with law enforcement in regards to this matter,” said superintendent Wanda Creel in a statement to the newspaper.
Kimbrell, a May 2012 graduate of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, was hired by Barrow County schools in August 2012 to teach “technology communications.”
For the full story, see the March 26th issue of the Barrow Journal.
Rabies outbreak: Multiple cases reported
Wednesday, March 12. 2014
Animal control officials are urging local pet owners to make sure their animals are up-to-date on rabies vaccines after an outbreak of the deadly virus in Winder over the past week.
Barrow County Animal Control’s staff cannot recall the county ever having multiple cases of rabies in such a short period of time.
Madison County is the only other county in the Northeast Health District that has reported any cases of rabies this year, and they were in two skunks.
But in Winder, two raccoons tested positive for the virus last week in back-to-back incidents only a mile apart — Tuesday on Meadowbrook Drive and Wednesday on Hidden Court.
Then on Sunday and Monday of this week, two homeowners on the same side of town had frightening encounters with skunks that likely had rabies, but managed to avoid capture and testing.
Jimmy Terrell, the interim director of Barrow County’s Animal Control, said Tuesday in a statement to the media that there have been “a number of skunk sightings” in the West Midland Avenue area lately. He asked anyone seeing a skunk or finding skunk remains to call 770-307-3012.
For the full story, see the March 12 issue of the Barrow Journal.
Barrow County Animal Control’s staff cannot recall the county ever having multiple cases of rabies in such a short period of time.
Madison County is the only other county in the Northeast Health District that has reported any cases of rabies this year, and they were in two skunks.
But in Winder, two raccoons tested positive for the virus last week in back-to-back incidents only a mile apart — Tuesday on Meadowbrook Drive and Wednesday on Hidden Court.
Then on Sunday and Monday of this week, two homeowners on the same side of town had frightening encounters with skunks that likely had rabies, but managed to avoid capture and testing.
Jimmy Terrell, the interim director of Barrow County’s Animal Control, said Tuesday in a statement to the media that there have been “a number of skunk sightings” in the West Midland Avenue area lately. He asked anyone seeing a skunk or finding skunk remains to call 770-307-3012.
For the full story, see the March 12 issue of the Barrow Journal.
Raccoon tests positive for rabies after fight with cat
Thursday, March 6. 2014
Barrow County’s first case of rabies this year was confirmed earlier this week after a raccoon tangled with a family cat in a yard off Meadowbrook Drive in Winder.
“A resident on Meadowbrook Drive in Winder near the (Winder-Barrow) high school shot and killed the raccoon after it was involved in a fight with the homeowner’s cat,” said interim animal control director Jimmy Terrell in an email to the Barrow Journal.
The large orange colored cat ran from the scene after the raccoon was killed, and officials at WBHS and the Winder Police Department were notified.
Then on Wednesday the state lab confirmed that the dead raccoon had tested positive for rabies. And the cat’s owner managed to get his pet back. But the cat was not current on its rabies vaccination; so it was transported by animal control officers to the Barrow County Animal Shelter where “it will be evaluated and a decision will be made on the status of the cat,” Terrell said.
“A resident on Meadowbrook Drive in Winder near the (Winder-Barrow) high school shot and killed the raccoon after it was involved in a fight with the homeowner’s cat,” said interim animal control director Jimmy Terrell in an email to the Barrow Journal.
The large orange colored cat ran from the scene after the raccoon was killed, and officials at WBHS and the Winder Police Department were notified.
Then on Wednesday the state lab confirmed that the dead raccoon had tested positive for rabies. And the cat’s owner managed to get his pet back. But the cat was not current on its rabies vaccination; so it was transported by animal control officers to the Barrow County Animal Shelter where “it will be evaluated and a decision will be made on the status of the cat,” Terrell said.
Barrow men nabbed in sex sting
Wednesday, March 5. 2014
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says two local men have been arrested after allegedly traveling to meet children for sex.
Richard Roger Tumlin, 49, was arrested Friday and booked into the DeKalb County Detention Center. He was released Monday after paying a $25,000 bond.
Kennith Samuel Walker, 48, was arrested Saturday and released from the same facility on Sunday after paying a $25,000 bond.
They were among 14 suspects arrested in a four-day sweep across North Georgia by agencies participating in an undercover operation the GBI dubbed “Operation Broken Heart."
For the full story, read the March 5 edition of the Barrow Journal.
Richard Roger Tumlin, 49, was arrested Friday and booked into the DeKalb County Detention Center. He was released Monday after paying a $25,000 bond.
Kennith Samuel Walker, 48, was arrested Saturday and released from the same facility on Sunday after paying a $25,000 bond.
They were among 14 suspects arrested in a four-day sweep across North Georgia by agencies participating in an undercover operation the GBI dubbed “Operation Broken Heart."
For the full story, read the March 5 edition of the Barrow Journal.
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