Entries by Walter Geiger

From the Georgia Bureau of Investigation:

On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, the GBI arrested Gregory Ryan Edge, 41, of Williamson, GA, for six counts of felony theft by deception.

On March 19, 2020, the GBI Region 2 Field Office was requested by the Griffin Police Department to assist in investigating suspicious activity reported on loans at The Southern Credit Union in Griffin, Spalding County, Georgia. Initial investigation identified former credit union employee, Gregory Ryan Edge, as a subject with alleged involvement of theft of approximately five customers’ funds during various loan activities.

Further investigation identified a total of 22 victims from 2014-2019, many of whom were stolen from multiple times. Most of the alleged thefts occurred as a part of refinance loans where Edge would create a payoff check that contained more money than required to close the old loan. Edge would then take that check to a bank teller, then essentially “make change” with the excess amount and keep that excess amount for himself. Sometimes the excess amount was explained to the customer as loan fees to the credit union and other times there was no explanation and customers later discovered the discrepancies. The total amount of loss is estimated to be in excess of $35,000.

This investigation is ongoing and will be turned over to the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Anyone with information regarding this investigation may contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 2 Field Office at (706) 565-7888. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

A Pike County man was one of two people killed early Monday morning in a crash on North Expressway in Griffin. The driver of a Mazda crossed the median and hit a Chevy Silverado head-on at about 4:05 a.m. Both drivers were killed.

They were identified as Deslin Redding, 24, of Griffin and David Thurmond, 58, of Zebulon.

-WKEU

A 13-year-old boy was struck on Hwy. 18 East near Brazier Road on Aug. 24 and air lifted to an Atlanta hospital. The teen succumbed to his injuries several hours later.

Funeral services for John Evan Hurt of Zebulon will be held on Friday, August 28 at 4 p.m. in Christ Chapel Church with Pastor Billy Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the Zebulon United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Friends may visit the family on Friday from 2-4 p.m. at the church. [Full story »] 

From special agent Tony Lima, GBI:

On Wednesday, July 15th, 2020, Pike County resident Brent Stein, 67, was charged with seven counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Pornography) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The Pike County Sheriff’s Office assisted the GBI with the arrest of Stein.
 
The search warrant and arrest is related to an investigation being conducted by the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. The investigation began as a result of a report received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) pertaining to the upload of numerous images depicting child pornography to a social media site.
  
At the time of his arrest, Stein was employed as a teacher at Rock Springs Christian Academy in Milner, Lamar County, Georgia. Stein is currently in custody at the Pike County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

There is no information at this time that indicates any students were victims of Stein. Anyone with information about this case or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870.

One person was killed and another seriously injured after an early morning crash on Hwy. 109 in Pike County near Weems Road.

According to the PCSO, a Kia Sorrento, driven by Jacob Norton, 29, was westbound on Hwy. 109 when it left the roadway and struck several trees.

A passenger in the Kia, Christina Payne, 27, was dead at the scene. Norton was airlifted to an Atlanta trauma center. No cause for the accident has been determined but a blood sample was taken from Norton for toxicology testing.

A strike team comprised of officers from the Butts County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol and U.S. Marshal's Service captured alleged killer Cody Brice Matthews at a home in Williamson, Ga. Wednesday afternoon.

Autumn Finlay was found safe. There is no word yet on charges against her. She had been described originally as a hostage and later as an accomplice.

Matthews was en route to the Butts County jail. "He will face justice in the senseless murder of Ryan Ray. I want to commend my staff and all agencies involved in bringing this coward to justice," Butts sheriff Gary Long said.

There was no immediate indication if the owners of the Williamson home where Matthews was located face charges for aiding him.

FROM PCSO:

Pike County Deputies responded to a motor vehicle collision on Highway 362 at Williamson/Zebulon Road this evening at 6:34 p.m. A GMC Sierra was attempting to turn left onto Williamson/Zebulon Road when it struck a Nissan Sentra head on. The Nissan was waiting to enter Highway 362 when the collision happened. The driver of the Nissan , Traci Durham , 53 years of age, from Hollonville, was deceased at the scene. The driver of the GMC, Jennyvelisse Womack , along with her husband and son , were transported to Spalding Regional Hospital for treatment.

Sheriff’s Office traffic investigators are working to piece together the events leading up to this collision.

Mack Crawford entered a guilty plea to one count of theft by taking in Pike superior court Thursday as part of a negotiated Alford plea in which he does not actually admit guilt.

A second theft by taking count and a count of violation of oath of office were dropped.

He was sentenced to 12 months probation and immediately resigned his judgeship. He may not seek reelection. He is also precluded from serving as a judge in lesser courts during the probationary period.

For much more on this, see the 2.12.20 print edition of The Journal Reporter.

The Hispanic male driver of this 2004 Chevy Express Work van fled the scene of a high impact crash in Lamar County July 31 that left one victim badly injured. The van driver was turning left from Rock Springs Rd. onto High Falls Rd. when he pulled into the path of a eastbound 2002 Mercedes driven by Carson O’Connor, 20, of Canton, Ga. at about 5 p.m. The van driver got out, looked at the severely injured O’Connor and fled on foot up Rock Springs Rd. and remains at large.

O’Connor was lifeflighted to Grady trauma center. The owner of the van, which bore a Pike County tag, reported it had been stolen. Investigators are skeptical about that report since it was not filed until the morning after the crash. If you recognize the van, which had a roof rack similar to those used for siding or gutter work, or know who might have been driving it call the Lamar County sheriff’s office at 770-358-5159.

Pike County sheriff Jimmy Thomas has reported his deputies responded to a call at 7:47 PM Sunday evening of two victims being shot at 349 Bates Road in Concord. One person was lifeflighted by helicopter air ambulance to Atlanta for additional treatment and the other was transported to Macon for medical treatment. The investigation is underway and more details will be released as they become available.

Sheriff Thomas said he has no reason to believe that any citizens in the area are in danger and it is believed the victims are the only ones involved in this incident.

The property there is owned by Roger Prater via life estate, according to tax records.

UPDATE from PCSO;

Pike County Sheriff’s Investigators have been working through the night to piece together the shooting that occurred at 349 Bates Road. The homeowner , Roger Prater, and his adult son , Nathan Prater, saw an an individual unknown to them on their property.

They walked over to speak with the person to inquire what he was doing on the property. The person , later identified as Darrell Brown, 45 years of age, stated that he was looking for a way off of Mr. Prater’s land. No explanation was given by Brown as to why he was at the location. When Brown was shown a gate that he could leave the through he pulled out a handgun and shot at Nathan Prater multiple times striking him once.

Nathan Prater did have a rifle with him and was able to return fire on Brown. He was hit and collapsed a short distance away after trying to run away from the area. It appears that one shot was fired by Mr. Prater.

Both people were transported for medical treatment. Brown later died of his injuries at the hospital. Nathan Prater’s injuries were non-life threatening. An autopsy will be performed by the GBI medical examiner on Brown.

Through the investigation it was determined that Brown had been visiting a residence in the area prior to this incident. Brown had shown another person the handgun he had with him. The witness told investigators that he knew Brown was a convicted felon and shouldn’t have it. It was at his time for an unknown reason that Brown walked away from the witnesses house and ended up on the Prater property.

A vehicle driven by Brown was recovered by investigators from the witnesses home. An additional firearm was taken into evidence from this vehicle. It was also discovered that the U.S. Marshals office had an active arrest warrant for Brown in regards to a probation violation.

Once completed the investigative case file will forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for review. At this time it is believed that Mr. Prater acted in self defense to protect himself and other family members.

The Fred's stores in Zebulon and Barnesville are among 159 stores the company is closing in an effort to save the business.

The stores will close by the end of May.

For more on this story, see the 4.17.19 edition of The Journal Reporter.

By DeNeen L. Brown
Retropolis

Martin Luther King Jr. was born 90 years ago, on Jan. 15, 1929.

But the name on his original birth certificate — filed April 12, 1934, five years after King was born — was not Martin. Nor was it Luther. In fact, for the first years of his life, he was Michael King. And it wasn’t until he was 28 that, on July 23, 1957, his birth certificate was revised.

The name Michael was crossed out, next to which someone printed carefully in black ink: “Martin Luther, Jr.”

The story of how Michael became Martin began in 1934 when King’s father, who then was known as the Rev. Michael King or M.L. King, was senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church and a prominent minister in Atlanta. In the summer of 1934, King’s church sent him on a whirlwind trip. He traveled to Rome, Tunisia, Egypt, Jerusalem and Bethlehem before setting sail to Berlin, where he would attend a Baptist World Alliance meeting, according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University [Full story »] 

With Judge Arch McGarity of Henry County presiding, a Pike County grand jury indicted Judge Mack Crawfrord on two criminal counts Wednesday. Evidence was presented to the grand jury by an assistant Georgia attorney general.

Crawford was indicted on one count each of theft by taking and violation of oath of office. He is to surrender himself at the Pike County jail today for processing and will be released on his own recognizance.

“I feel confident Mack didn’t steal any money or have any criminal intent, and I believe I can prove that in court,” Crawford's attorney Virgil Brown said.

As a private attorney, Crawford represented two clients who placed $15,675 into the Pike County court’s registry in 2002 while their foreclosure case was pending. In 2009, a judge dismissed the case and ordered the funds be returned to Crawford’s clients.

The funds stayed in the registry until last December when clerk Carolyn Williams told Crawford she planned to send the money to the state as unclaimed property. But Crawford directed her to give him the funds, which she did. The grand jury determined that comprised a theft.

A Pike County timber company is under investigation for racketeering and elder abuse is alleged fraud that spanned 16 counties including Pike.

Bibb circuit district attorney David Cooke said the allegations involved Cox Land & Timber Inc. of Pike County and six co-conspirators. [Full story »]