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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2008
GBI: Autopsy not enough for body ID
BY SUSAN NORMAN
A GBI Crime Lab autopsy
of a body discovered Nov.
16 in Barrow County did not
reveal enough information to
immediately identify the vic
tim, but it did narrow down
the time of death.
The body lay in woods
behind an abandoned house
at 998 Atlanta Hwy. for
at least two days and for
no more than three weeks,
said Jim Fullington, special
agent in charge of the GBI's
District 11 office in Athens,
in an interview Tuesday.
The warm weather and
other factors caused the
severe deterioration of the
body, he said.
There have been news
reports that the body was
burned, but Fullington would
neither confirm nor deny that
information.
“I don’t want to discuss or
put out any other information
about the body, other than
we know it was foul play and
we’re treating it as a homi
cide,” he said.
“For the integrity of the
case. I'm asking that it not
be released. It can mess up
an investigation to put other
details out there when you
are working with limited
information.”
Last week’s autopsy did
not reveal the victim’s race
or age, Fullington said.
“One of our forensic
anthropologists, Dr. Rick
Snow, is working with us
to help us get more definite
details,” he said, explaining
that a forensic anthropolo
gist studies bones and other
parts of a body to gather
evidence.
“We are utilizing all of
the normal processes to get
a confirmed identity, includ
ing DNA, dental records and
(finger) prints,” Fullington
said. “It’s also going to take,
at this point, and also some
investigating work to help
line up some of that.”
If the GBI does not iden
tify the victim within the
next week, Fullington said,
he would disseminate a bul
letin to the media explaining
what the GBI has learned
about the victim and asking
for the public’s help in iden
tifying him.
Statham woman flees at 100 mph
A Statham woman led a
Statham police officer on a
high-speed chase Sunday
night because she didn’t want
a ticket for speeding.
After driving through the
city at speeds topping 100
miles per hour with her
13-year-old son in the vehicle,
30-year-old April Michelle
Williams is now facing seven
charges, including fleeing or
attempting to flee a police
officer, reckless driving, reck
less conduct, speeding, mail
box injuring, tearing down
or destroying, and failure to
maintain lane.
According to an incident
report from the Statham
Police Department, a police
officer was in his vehicle in
a bank parking lot at about 9
p.m. when he saw a white van
going “extremely fast” down
Railroad Street.
“Following the vehicle with
lights and sirens on, I observed
the vehicle increasing speed
and even with me doing over
100 mph to stop the vehicle,
the vehicle was leaving me
behind with no problem,” the
officer wrote.
The van traveled west on
Broad Street and north on
Providence Road. It came to
a stop after hitting a mailbox
and landing in a ditch, the
report states.
At gunpoint, the officer
ordered Williams to get out of
her vehicle and to get on the
ground. Neither the woman
nor her son complained of
injuries.
When the officer asked the
woman’s 13-year-old son why
his mother ran from him at
such a high rate of speed, the
boy said, “She didn’t want a
ticket.”
When the officer told the
boy’s mother that she could
have hurt someone, she
responded, “I didn’t want a
ticket,” the report states.
The boy was turned over to
his grandparents.
MAN THREATENS
OFFICER
A 54-year-old Statham man
was arrested Nov. 17 after
allegedly telling a Statham
police officer that he would
“not live as long as him.”
According to a Statham
Police Department incident
report, officers went to a home
on Ellerbe Drive in response
to a call about a woman hav
ing chest pains.
Upon their arrival, the offi
cers could hear a man and
woman arguing. Barrow
County Fire and Emergency
Services workers assisting
the woman asked the officers
to remove the man, Darell
Richard Sims of Statham,
from the room.
When the officers told the
man to go outside, the man
allegedly began cursing at the
officers and accused them of
being racist.
Detecting a strong odor of
alcohol, the officers arrested
Sims and began driving to
the Barrow County Detention
Center. He became angrier
and allegedly threatened one
of the officers.
“Upon reaching the Barrow
County Detention Center, Mr.
Sims stated that ‘he had lived
a long time and that I would
not live as long as him,”’ the
officer wrote. “I asked Mr.
Sims if that was a threat (to)
Free legal services offered
Free legal services are
available to senior citizens
and low-income clients in the
area.
Services are based on case
type and financial eligibil
ity. Georgia Legal Service
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which he stated, ‘Take it how
you want to.’”
Sims was charged with dis
orderly conduct, obstruction
of an officer and making ter
roristic threats or acts, accord
ing to the report.
MAN ARRESTED
A 26-year-old Statham man
was arrested early Sunday
after an alleged assault in the
Woodberry Subdivision.
According to a police
incident report, Jake Scott
Kennedy was charged with
criminal damage to property
in the second degree, simple
battery, and obstruction of an
officer.
The victim was a 23-year-
old Powder Springs Man. He
told police he was in his truck
and talking to his wife, when
two men confronted him. The
victim said Kennedy tried to
pull him out of his truck and
then kicked the vehicle twice,
damaging the rear wheel well
and a taillight.
TRAFFIC ARREST
Statham police arrested
Veronica Lopez, 20, of 105
Sir Scott Road in Athens for
allegedly speeding and driv
ing while unlicensed.
WPD investigating auto break-ins
The Winder Police
Department is investigating
five break-ins to automo
biles last week. The break-
ins were:
•entering an auto/theft at
a location on North Broad
Street.
•entering an auto on Saint
Germaine Place.
•entering an auto on
Capital Avenue.
•entering an auto on North
Center Street.
•entering an auto and
criminal damage to property
at an address on East Broad
Street.
Winder police also
responded to the following
incidents Nov. 17-24
•a verbal domestic dispute
at a residence on Williams
Court.
•damage to property on
East Wright Street.
•damage to property on
Hwy. 81 at Lee Street.
•financial transaction card
fraud in Winder.
•violation of a restraining
order in Winder.
•forgery, counterfeit, iden
tity theft at an address in
Adel, Ga.
•burglary on Graham
Street.
•criminal trespass at a busi
ness on Hamilton Avenue.
•fraud at an address on
Piedmont Drive.
•forgery at a location in
Winder.
•missing/found child on
Monticello Court.
•suspicious person/crimi
nal trespass at a church on
5th Avenue.
•burglary on North Broad
Street.
•theft by deception at a
location on Clearwater
Drive.
•forgery at a location in
Winder.
•hit and run on West
Candler Street.
•identity theft at a location
in Winder.
•seatbelt violation and no
insurance at a location on
Monroe Highway.
•simple assault at Fairview
Avenue and East Broad
Street.
•burglary/entry upon
property at a location on
Ashwood Drive.
•chase on foot on North
Broad Street.
•forgery at a business on
West Athens Street.
•failure to signal, no tag
light and driving while
license is revoked or sus
pended at West Wright
Street.
• terroristic threats at a
location on Harpy Eagle
Drive.
•fraud at North Broad
Street at Short Stop.
•damage to property
at a location on Hamilton
Avenue.
•theft at a location on
Alexander Court.
•theft by taking at a loca
tion on West May Street.
•simple battery at a resi
dence on Glen Avenue.
•shoplifting at a business
on North Broad Street.
•theft at a location in
Winder.
• stolen vehicle at a loca
tion on Georgia Avenue.
•obstruction of a law
enforcement officer at a
location on North Broad
Street.
•hit and run on North
Williamson Street.
•no insurance, suspended
registration at North Broad
Street at Laura Street.
•harassment at a location
on East Midland Avenue.
•possession of cocaine at
a location at King Street and
Capital Avenue.
•damage to property at a
location on West Midland
Avenue.
•report of possible child
abuse on North Broad
Street.
•a verbal dispute on West
Stephens Street.
• damage to property on
3rd Avenue.
•terroristic threats at an
address on Northridge Lane.
•damage to property on
Miles Patrick Road.
•burglary at a location on
East Broad Street.
• theft by taking at a loca
tion in Winder.
•custody dispute at an
address on East Wright
Street.
Three middle school students arrested
Two Russell Middle School students
were charged with juvenile offenses in mid
November after an incident involving a knife.
School Resource Officer Tracy Wild said
that she was working at the school Nov. 13,
when a substitute teacher handed her a small,
black-handled pocketknife with a “whole razor
blade attached to it.” The teacher said a student
told him he had found the knife inside a toilet
paper holder in the 6th grade boys’ bathroom.
After questioning students, the school’s prin
cipal, Dr. Russell Claxton, decided to file
juvenile complaints against two boys. One
was charged with having a weapon on school
grounds and the other with being a party to a
crime.
A third RMS student was arrested the fol
lowing day after allegedly threatening to stab
a student’s eye out with a pencil and then dis
rupting the class and telling the teacher they
should read “Let’s kill the teacher.”
The student was charged with simple
assault, reckless conduct and making terror
istic threats.
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