The allegations against the owners of a mobile home dealership who reside in Appling County have now garnered the attention of state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Last Thursday the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported a search warrant had been executed at the Yurezz Home Center in Baxley in connection with a fraud investigation that spans several states. In addition to the Appling County Sheriff’s Office, other local law enforcement agencies, and the GBI, the FBI Savannah Resident Agency is now assisting with the investigation.
The GBI said that due to the complexity of the fraud investigation, the state agency is working to centralize the flow of information from potential victims, and urges anyone affected by the alleged fraudulent actions of Yurezz Home Center owners Richard and Heather Altman to report those issues to the GBI using one of three methods. You can use the See Something Send Something mobile app, call 1-800-597-TIPS and select Option 2, or contact the bureau online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.
The GBI said no matter how you notify the agency, you should include your name and contact information and describe briefly how you have been affected by Yurezz Home Center and its owners.
Richard Altman was arrested by the Appling County Sheriff’s Office on July 8 on a warrant originated from Livingston Parrish, LA for illegal transmission of monetary funds.
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The Dublin VA Medical Center is warning veterans or their spouses about a scam circulating to steal their information.
In the scam, veterans receive a postcard claiming they may qualify for extra money in checks through a Veteran Savings Program. If you call the number on the postcard, the scammer seems professional and cordial, but it’s all an attempt to steal your identity and money.
The Veteran’s Administration is telling veterans not to call the number or share sensitive information over the phone, and if you have questions, call the number listed on the VA’s official website.
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The former secretary and bookkeeper of the Alston Fire Department was arrested on July 1 for taking funds from the bank account of the department and using those funds for personal use.
Kimberly Vashti Oglesby, age 55, of Ailey, has been charged with one count of felony theft by taking, according to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI was requested by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office on June 19 of this year to investigate allegations of funds missing from the Alston Fire Department’s Boot Fund account. The account contains both City of Alston funds and donations made to the Department by members of the public.
The members of the Alston Fire Department volunteer their services to the community and depend on the funds Oglesby is accused of taking to support the purchases of equipment and necessities to operate the fire department.
Oglesby was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and this investigation remains active.
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A former Lyons Day Care worker received a 40-year sentence Thursday morning by Superior Court Judge Bobby Reeves on 9 counts of cruelty to children and 2 counts of aggravated battery involving infants who could not verbally tell of the trauma they had experienced. Nicole Cabrera worked for Step-by-Step Care and Learning Center and was indicted on the charges in April 2025, after parents reported finding bruising and other signs of neglect and mistreatment while their babies were under her care.
On May 7 of this year, Cabrera entered guilty pleas on all counts, and her sentencing hearing lasted several hours Tuesday with multiple mothers of those children recounted how their children had suffered at her hands. Some of those injuries were so extensive that they caused their infants skull deformities and developmental delays. Proof of the charges against the caregiver were documented on video with those captured episodes explained one-by-one on the screen in the courtroom by an investigator with the Lyons Police Department.
Cabrera was represented by Public Defender Brandee Payne, who told the Judge that her client was suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety at the time of the incidents. Payne called three witnesses to the stand: Cabrera’s mother, the father of the Cabrera's own children, and the foster mother of that father who said they had never witnessed this type of behavior between her and her own children.
Cabrera also took the stand and apologized for actions, but that apology did little to sway Judge Reeves, and in the end, he upheld Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Trippe Fitzner’s recommendation of a sentence of 40 years with 30 to be served in prison followed by 10 years on probation and that she be barred from Toombs County after her release. The Judge also denied her First Offender status, saying that her actions needed to “follow her around for the rest of her life.”
Judge Reeves said, “These actions are unbelievable; there’s no need to try and understand it because I cannot. No matter what punishment I hand down today, it won’t be enough for these children or their families.”
Before adjourning the sentencing, Judge Reeves cautioned parents that it is up to the State Board of Pardons and Parole to decide if, and when, she can be released from her incarceration, noting that neither he nor the District Attorney had any determination in what the State decided if she sought parole or early release.
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A bicyclist was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning in Lyons after he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of W. Oglethorpe and N. Victory Drive.
The incident report released by the Lyons Police Department says that Mathew Maltby was on his bike and was attempting to outrun some dogs that were chasing him when he accidentally ran a stop sign and rode into the path of a pickup driven by Rickey Edge. Edge told police at the time of impact he didn’t see the cyclist and that the accident was unavoidable.
Maltby was transported by EMS to Memorial Health Meadows Hospital for what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. Edge was uninjured in the accident.
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