Vidalia Police Department reports the following arrests.

Hurston, Terrell Darquise – Reidsville – Reckless driving/cruelty to children (2 counts)

Jordan, Delvinnear – Vidalia – No driver’s license

Rix, Emory Edward – Glenwood – Shoplifting/criminal trespass/possession of methamphetamines

Brooks, Destiny Denise – Glenwood – Theft by shoplifting

Brooks, Charles Tyler – Glenwood – Theft by shoplifting

Walker, Chelsea Lynn – Vidalia – Theft by shoplifting

Faircloth, Cody Lee – Vidalia – Cruelty to children

Mobley, Travis Jermaine – Vidalia – Suspended license/stop sign violation/giving false information/possession of marijuana with intent to sell

Rodriguez, Hector – Lyons – Simple obstruction/criminal trespass

Baily, Brendan Lemuel – Vidalia – Burglary

Mills, Demetrious – Vidalia – Warrant served (Toombs County)

McKinney, Keith – Vidalia – Forceful obstruction/criminal trespass

Hudson, Anthony – Jacksonville, FL – Suspended license

Toombs County Sheriff’s Office reports the following arrests.

Beecher, James – Chauncey, GA – Bench warrant failure to appear

Hill, Extavious – Vidalia – Entering automobile (2), financial transaction card fraud (2)

Joyner, Kaitlynn – Lyons – Making false report/giving false information, false statements and writings, concealment of facts

Smith, Lacoriea – Swainsboro – Reckless driving, speeding in excess of maximum limits, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving while license suspended or revoked-misd, giving false name, address or DOB to officers, out of county hold

Thompson, Danielle – Vidalia – Theft by taking

Lyons Police Department reports the following arrests.

Mathews, Erroll Cameron – Lyons – Driving while unlicensed

Williams, Diamond Simeon – Vidalia – Headlight requirements, fleeing attempting to elude felony

Andrews, Salvatore Antonio – Metter – Family violence provision simple battery, interference with 911 call, burglary, kidnapping, theft by taking

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the following arrests.

Lorenzo Patterson, Uvalda, Criminal Trespass

James Anthony Walker, Eastman, Felony Probation Violation

Gwen Delores Kelley, Mount Vernon, Deposit Account Fraud

Katelyn Davis Wilkes, Lyons, Felony Probation Violation

Tabitha Nicole Rose Quattlebaum, Dallas, Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Related Objects

Marvin Leon Thompson, III, Dallas, Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Related Objects, Driving with Suspended License

Brenton Hunter McDaniel, Ailey, Aggravated Assault (2 Counts), Criminal Damage to Property – 2^nd

Lorenzo Todd Breedlove, Uvalda, Possession of Methamphetamine

Felicia Ann Evans, Uvalda, Failure to Appear, Possession of Methamphetamine

Details

Written by Jeff Raiford

Category: Newsbreak

Published: 27 March 2023

Hits: 819

EXTAVIOUS HILL

BREONA MOBLEY

A rash of calls to the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office regarding entering automobiles in the North Morningside Drive and C.V. Mosley Boulevard area have led to the arrest of a Vidalia man and a Lyons woman.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that residents have filed complaints that items were stolen from their vehicles including firearms, credit cards, cash, and a handbag.

Investigator Sergeant Chris Clark and Investigator Nick Luke responded to the callers and initiated an investigation. It was determined that Extavious Hill, age 19, of Vidalia was responsible for entering the vehicles.

As the investigation continued, the Investigators determined that Breona Mobley, age 25, of Lyons, had made purchases with the stolen credit cards, and that Mobley was still in possession of the stolen handbag.

Thursday morning, the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office posted  on social media that they were looking for Hill, and later that day, updated their report to say he had been taken into custody. He is charged with two counts of entering an auto and two counts of financial transaction card fraud. Mobley was arrested and charged with two counts of financial transaction card fraud. Both Hill and Mobley were turned over to the Toombs County Detention Center.

Capt. Jordan Kight said this is on ongoing investigation and is asking that anyone with any information concerning these investigations contact the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office at 912-526-6778.

Details

Written by Kathy Hilt

Category: Newsbreak

Published: 24 March 2023

Hits: 3019

By Rep. Leesa Hagan

Last Monday, March 20, the Georgia House of Representatives reconvened under the Gold

Dome for our last full week of the 2023 legislative session. Soon we will reach Legislative Day 40, also known as “Sine Die.” It may seem like out official business would wind down in these final days. However, we have ramped up our House efforts to perfect and pass legislation before the session comes to an end.

The Soap Box Derby Bill Back on Track

As I wrote last week, House Bill 237, which would have designated the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby as Georgia’s official derby was hijacked by a Senate committee to make another attempt at passing a sports gambling bill. With the support of House leadership and members, I was able to attach my bill language to Senate Bill 158, and pass it unanimously out of the House again. I’m confident it will receive a favorable vote in the Senate.

Protecting Children from Gangs

Senate Bill 44 amends Georgia’s anti-gang statute in several ways. It clarifies that it is unlawful for a person to indirectly recruit individuals to become a member of a criminal street gang or participate in gang activity and increases the minimum sentences if convicted. There will be a further increase in the penalty if a gang member recruits a minor under 17 years old or an individual with a disability to join a street gang.

Prisoner Re-entry

We passed a bipartisan measure to support Georgians as they rebuild their lives after prison. Senate Bill 218  allows state identification cards to be issued to inmates after they complete their incarceration. Additionally, when an inmate is released from a DOC facility, the individual can request documentation regarding programs he or she completed while incarcerated. These individuals could also request documentation if they obtained a state-approved high school equivalency diploma, other educational degrees, and their institutional work record. Providing this documentation and identification will help these Georgians gain employment and start rebuilding their lives after incarceration. This bill will go to the Governor for his signature.

Banning Tik-Tok

The House unanimously passed Senate Bill 93 to prohibit the use of certain foreign-owned social media platforms on state devices. This ban would only apply to social media platforms owned or operated by a foreign adversary or by a company which is domiciled in, headquartered in, or is organized under the laws of a foreign adversary. Governor Kemp issued a memo to state agencies in December to prohibit employees from using TikTok on their state-owned devices, like cellphones or laptops. This new law codifies his order with the goal of preventing TikTok from accessing critical, private information or collecting data about our state government’s operations. This bill does not apply to individuals’ personal devices.

Expanding Dual Enrollment

Last Thursday, the House passed Senate Bill 86 to allow eligible dual enrollment students to take  certain career, technical, and agricultural education (CTAE) courses, regardless of whether he or she has reached the maximum credit hour cap. Our goal is to support students who are preparing to join our state’s workforce by allowing them to earn college credit before graduation. Local CTAE courses are crucial to supporting high-demand career fields throughout our state. These funds will help students pay for the necessary training they need to launch their careers.

Other Bills We Passed

Other bills passed in the House this week include:

• Senate Bill 1, which would permanently prohibit state and local governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of providing services, accessing a facility, issuing licenses or permits, performing duties and other matters;

• Senate Bill 42 revises the penalty for certain businesses that fail to post required signage about the human trafficking hotline. The hotline handles tips about potential sex and labor trafficking and reports the incidents to law enforcement. Recognizing and reporting potentially dangerous situations are the first steps to ending human trafficking in our state. To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, you can call the statewide 24-hour hotline at (866) 363-4842.

• Senate Bill 47, which would add the use of electronic smoking or vaping devices to the Georgia Smokefree Air Act of 2005;

• Senate Bill 73, which would allow citizens on the “Do Not Call List” who receive more than one unauthorized telephone solicitation within a year to bring action against the entity that made the solicitations and/or the entity the telephone solicitations were made on behalf of for injunctive relief and damages;

• Senate Bill 164, which would create licensure requirements for advanced practice registered nurses; this bill makes it a misdemeanor to practice as an APRN without a license and adds anesthesiologist assistant to the Georgia Composite Medical Board and the Physician Assistants Advisory Committee; SB 164 is also the Anesthesiologist Assistant Act and would create the licensure process and regulation of anesthesiologist assistants through the Georgia Composite Medical Board;
  
• Senate Bill 197, or the "Health Care Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act," amends the Consumer Information and Awareness Act to prohibit an advertisement or identification by a health care practitioner that includes deceptive or misleading terms or false representation of medical titles that they do not hold; the bill requires advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to verbally identify themselves during each patient interaction and clearly state they are not a medical doctor;

• Senate Bill 220, or the “Georgia Farmland Conservation Act,” which creates the Georgia Farmland Conservation Trust Fund to provide matching grant awards to qualified easement holders to support farmland conservation, active farming and food production, or to purchase agricultural conservation easement;

Visitors to the Capitol

• Two new Toombs County Republican Party officers visited the Capitol last Monday. Trish Poole is the new Chair, and Shari Poole is the new 2^nd Vice-Chair.
• Bryson and Dalton Henriott, Vidalia Heritage Academy graduates and students at the University of Georgia, visited the Capitol with the UGA Student Government Association.
• I failed to mention in my last article that Craig George, Jimbo Partin, and others from Gardens of Hope RCO came to Atlanta to visit with legislators. They specialize in policy advocacy, outreach programs, and peer-based recovery support to help individuals find long-term recovery.

Next week, the Georgia General Assembly will convene for two legislative days before

the 2023 legislative session adjourns “Sine Die” on Wednesday, March 29. My House colleagues and I will be hard at work to pass meaningful legislation for our state and its citizens. Before we complete our business for the session, I urge you to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or input on any measures being considered in the House or Senate. I can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative.

Details

Written by Kathy Hilt

Category: Newsbreak

Published: 27 March 2023

Hits: 224

According to Tony Hall of the city’s public works department, an advisory issued Thursday cautioning a small segment of Vidalians to boil their water pertains ONLY to nine addresses in the McNatt Street area, and NOT to the entire water customer base.

Hall said a 12-inch water main broke in that area, and has been repaired, but as a precautionary measure those nine  residences and industries – all of which have been personally contacted – need to continue boiling  water that is consumed by people or pets until water samples documents here is no contamination.

All other water customers within the City of Vidalia do NOT need to boil their water at this time.

Details

Written by Kathy Hilt

Category: Newsbreak

Published: 24 March 2023

Hits: 834