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PAGE 6A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. AUGUST 10. 2023
Crime
Commercial structure fire, house fire reported in DanielsviUe
On Monday, July 31, around 9:55 a.m.
the Danielsville Volunteer Fire Department
and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office
responded to a fire at the unoccupied Nail
Spa on General Daniel Avenue North.
The fire department found the fire to be
self-extinguished upon their arrival. The
brick building sustained fire damage to the
right rear corner of the business. The entire
building sustained smoke and heat damage
from the fire.
The fire is currently under investigation
by the MCSO and the Danielsville VFD.
There was also an unrelated structure fire
reported at a house on Woodland Drive,
Danielsville, on Aug. 1 around 1:28 p.m.
Ila, Shiloh, Danielsville and Neese-San-
ford VFD’s responded to the scene with
EMS and MCSO after a lawn mower
caught on fire, catching the rest of the
house on fire.
Every resident was outside the home
prior to the respondents’ arrival. American
Red Cross was contacted.
Other incidents investigated by the Mad
ison County Sheriff’s Office last week in
clude:
•A woman on North Seventh Street,
Carlton, reported that her daughter was
bitten and scratched by an injured cat she
got out from under the porch to take to the
vet. The complainant stated she was also
bitten when she tried to help her daughter
and her grandson had killed the cat.
•A man was transported by Madison
County EMS from a home on McCannon
Morris Road, Colbert, to Piedmont Athens
Regional Medical Center for treatment for
a possible overdose in a suicide attempt.
•A woman on Rocky Branch Hollow
Road, Nicholson, reported two unknown
persons on her property, but the respond
ing officer advised he did not see anyone
on her property.
•Criminal trespass was reported at a
home on Neese-Commerce Road, Com
merce, where a woman reported that her
husband had forced his way into the res
idence and had pushed her out of the way
to get in.
•Simple battery - Family Violence Act
(FVA) and theft by taking was reported
at a home on Neese Lane, Hull, where
a 14-year-old female juvenile took her
grandmother’s van and “jumped” on her
mother.
•Some citizens on Cliff Griffith Road,
Danielsville, reported that a wanted male
subject had left some bags and possible
weapons on the side of the roadway.
•Terroristic threats and acts were report
ed at a home on Waggoners Grove Church
Road, Colbert.
•Theft by taking was reported on
Neese-Commerce Road, Danielsville,
where a man reported that his broken-down
lawnmower left on the side of the road in
front of his residence had been stolen.
•A woman who left her car with a flat tire
parked at Neese Grocery, Hwy. 106 South,
Danielsville, reported that another vehicle
backed into her car, causing damage, and
then left the scene.
•A deceased person was found at a home
on Miller McElreath Road, Danielsville.
•Aggravated assault was reported at a
home on Cliff Griffith Road, Danielsville.
•An accident involving a deer was re
ported on Hwy. 281, Danielsville.
•A man with an extensive history of
medical issues was found unresponsive at
a home on Wilkes Street, Ila.
•A female reportedly attempted suicide
at a home on Macedonia Church Road,
Danielsville.
•Cruelty to children was reported at a
home on Ivywood Drive, Hull, where a fe
male juvenile had reportedly been locked
out of the residence the night before.
•Theft by taking was reported at a res
idence on Blackberry Lane, Danielsville,
where a man reported that his nephew used
Cash App to send himself $50 without the
complainant’s authorization.
•Theft of lost or mislaid property was
reported at Ingles, Hwy. 29, Hull, where
a man reported his wallet missing and he
believed he left it at the gas pumps.
•A female reportedly attempted suicide
at a home on East 5th Street, Colbert.
•Theft by shoplifting was reported at
Dollar General, Glenn Carrie Road, Hull,
where a female with a buggy full of items
scanned some of the items, but not all of
them and then left the store.
•A woman on Elm Road, Carlton, report
ed that a man on a dirt bike stopped in the
road and shot at her dog that was injured
and ran off.
•Affray was reported at a home on Farm
Road, Colbert, where a domestic dispute
was reported.
•A smash and grab burglary was reported
at the Chevron gas station on SR 72, Hull.
•A runaway 14-year-old male juvenile
was reported at a home on Arnold Park
Drive, Comer.
•Recovered stolen property was report
ed where a John Deer excavator reported
stolen out of Peachtree City was located
at a home on Diamond Hill-Colbert Road,
Colbert.
•Simple battery was reported by a man
who came to Diamond Hill Grocery to
report he gave a female friend a ride to a
home on Jones Mathews Road, Hull, where
another man threw a large rock at him.
•Criminal trespass was reported on Shoal
Creek Road, Colbert, where the owner of
a cleaning business reported that she be
lieved an employee she had confronted
about smoking marijuana on the job was
responsible for a broken windshield on a
vehicle at their home.
•Disorderly conduct was reported on
Northwood Circle, Colbert, where the
complainant reported that his neighbors
were in an argument and it had possibly
been physical.
•An unattended death was reported on
Macedonia Church Road, Danielsville.
•A woman on Sorrow Patterson Road,
Colbert, reported that a 2-year-old male
child, dressed only in a diaper, was at the
complainant’s house and she didn’t know
who the child’s parents were, or where the
child lived. She stated the same thing had
occurred the day before.
•Improper stopping on the roadway was
reported on Piedmont Park Drive, Hull,
where a man reported a suspicious van,
with a male and female inside, parked in
front of his residence.
•Criminal trespass was reported on
Blacks Creek Church Road, Danielsville,
where a rock had been thrown through a
window.
•Obstruction of officers, fleeing/attempt
ing to elude a law enforcement officer for
a felony offense and failure to stop at a
stop sign was reported on Nowhere Road
at Neese-Commerce Road, Danielsville,
where a traffic stop was attempted on a
motorcycle driver.
Comer man faces DUI charges, endangering child by DUI
A Comer man faces DUI charges and
endangering a child by DUI.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office
stopped a vehicle driven by Robert Mi
chael Smith, 31, Main Street, Comer, on
Saturday, August 5, around 6:10 p.m. after
he came around a curve too fast and trav
eled into the opposite travel lane where a
MCSO deputy was traveling.
Smith was charged with driving while
driver’s license is suspended or revoked,
DUI - less safe, endangering a child by
driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs and failure to maintain lane/weav-
ing over the roadway.
Other arrests on file at the sheriff’s of
fice this past week include:
•Ian W. Foster, 22, Spratlin Mill Road,
Hull, was charged with simple battery -
Family Violence Act (FVA) and threaten,
intimidate a disabled adult, elder person
or resident after he was involved in a ver
bal altercation with his father that became
physical.
•Shauna Leann Giddens, 45, Lakeview
Circle, Danielsville, failure to appear.
•Travis John Hill, 23, Washington High
way, Elberton, two counts of failure to
appear.
•Timothy Michael Home, 43, Hwy. 29
North, Danielsville, was charged with
criminal trespass - FVA after he report
edly broke into his daughter’s room at a
home on Racetrack Road, Danielsville,
and was accusing her of things.
•Terry James Hughes, 58, Braselton
Highway, Buford, probation violation.
•Zachery Blake Johnson, 29, Daniels
ville, was charged with probation viola
tion and theft by taking after he was found
asleep in a storage shed on Cliff Griffith
Road, Danielsville.
•Kyle Jonathan Meeler, 35, Carriage
Way, Jefferson, driving while driver’s li
cense is suspended or revoked, Driving
Under the Influence (DUI) - drugs - less
safe, fleeing or attempting to elude a law
enforcement officer, improper turn or
U-tum, possession of marijuana, three
counts of probation violation and speed
ing in excess of maximum limits.
•William George Melton III, 22, Stone
Stewart Road, Hull, entering an automo
bile or other motor vehicle with the intent
to commit a theft or other felony and theft
by taking.
•Randy Lee Webb Watson, 40, Watson
Road, Danielsville, was charged with
driving with no valid driver’s license on
person, drugs not in original container,
DUI - drags, possession of a Schedule IV
Controlled Substance and too fast for con
ditions when he was involved in a “head-
on” motor vehicle accident on Diamond
Hill-Neese Road at Hardman Road, Dan
ielsville.
•Sherlonda Yevtte Crew, 40, Royston
Homes Circle, Royston, housed for
Royston.
•Samuel Andrew Daniel, 23, Haw Creek
Trail, Winder, DUI - less safe and speed
ing (16-25 miles over).
•Richard Thomas Ginn, 59, Carson
Road, Commerce, DUI and possession of
marijuana.
•Jason Edward Lynn, 38, McClain
Road, Martin, housed for Royston.
•Anita Carol Parsons-Richards, 48,
Mount Olivet Road, Hartwell, was charged
with DUI when her vehicle was located
down an embankment and lodges among
some trees on Moons Grove Chmch Road,
Colbert.
•Madison Breanna Potts, 22, Della Slay
ton Road, Comer, DUI, failure to obey a
stop sign, homicide by vehicle and posses
sion of marijuana.
•Dane Phillip Pulmano, 37, GrandView
Drive, Jefferson, DUI.
•Joseph Thomas Roberts, 41, Lamey
Lane, Colbert, was charged with driving
while driver’s license is suspended or re
voked and expired vehicle tag or decal
when a traffic stop was conducted on his
vehicle on Ivywood Drive, Hull.
•Kedrick Lamorris Smith, 26, Lombar
dy Drive, Athens, failure to appear.
•Tyree Lemarris Thomas, 38, Crabapple
Hollow Road, Nicholson, serving sen
tence.
Repeat child sex offender sentenced to 35 years in federal
prison; earlier conviction involved Madison County court
A repeat child sex offender who ad
mitted to possessing graphic child sexual
abuse material (CSAM) in an investiga
tion involving the tattooing of children
was recently sentenced to serve 35 years
in prison.
Kenneth Scott Queen, 35, of Forsyth,
Georgia, and formerly of Dayton, Tennes
see, was sentenced to serve 420 months
in prison to be followed by 25 years of
supervised release and pay $20,000 res
titution to a minor victim by U.S. District
Judge Marc Treadwell on July 24, after he
previously pleaded guilty to two counts
of possession of child sexual abuse ma
terial and one count of failure to register
as a sex offender. Queen will also have to
register as a sex offender for life upon his
release from prison.
“Children will be safer because law en
forcement quickly responded to reports
of minors being tattooed and unveiled a
predator,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary
said. “Protecting the most vulnerable cit
izens from harm—and holding criminals
who prey on them accountable—is a pri
ority for law enforcement at every level.”
“Despite his prior conviction, Queen
continued to abuse children, which the
FBI will not tolerate,” said Robert Gibbs,
supervisory senior resident agent of FBI
Atlanta’s Macon office. “Queen’s 35
years in prison will give him plenty of
time to think about his unacceptable and
repeated behavior, but more importantly
while in federal prison, he won’t be able
to do harm to any more children.”
“A case like this highlights the impor
tance and utility of our local and federal
partnerships. Each agency played a spe
cific and vital role in developing a com
prehensive case for the prosecutors,” said
U.S. Marshal Stephen D. Lynn for the
Middle District of Georgia. “The success
ful prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Of
fice will keep a dangerous predator off the
streets for many years and will prevent
him from targeting additional young chil
dren. This was a job well done.”
According to public records, Queen
was convicted of sexual battery against
a child under age 16 and child molesta
tion in Madison County Superior Court
on Oct. 27, 2008. Queen was required
to register as a sex offender for life. Af
ter his conviction, Queen relocated to
Tennessee, where he registered as a sex
offender. Queen was residing in Monroe
County, Georgia, in the summer of 2020
when it was reported to authorities that he
was unlawfully tattooing children. Queen
was found in possession of graphic child
sexual abuse material he captured involv
ing a young child. Queen was required to
be registered as a sex offender at the time
but had not registered himself in Monroe
County as the law required him to do. For
the protection of the minor victim, a por
tion of Queen’s plea agreement will re
main sealed.
This case was brought as part of Project
Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative
to combat the growing epidemic of child
sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in
May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the
DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity
Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals
federal, state and local resources to lo
cate, apprehend and prosecute individuals
who exploit children, as well as identify
and rescue victims. For more information
about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Queen case was investigated by the
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and
the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case.
Athens resident named ASAC of GDI’s Metro Gang Task Force
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation an
nounces the promotion of Katie Hartzog
Walker to assistant special agent in charge
(ASAC) of the GBI’s Metro Gang Task
Force. ASAC Walker will be responsible
for the supervision of the staff assigned to
this unit that conducts both proactive and
reactive investigations involving criminal
street gangs, including murder, aggravated
assault, weapons and drag trafficking, fraud
and other crimes.
“ASAC Katie Walker has been a dedi
cated member of the GBI for years and has
proven her ability to effectively collaborate
with teams and assist with leading our Met
ro Gang Task Force,” said GBI Director
Chris Hosey. “Her skills and expertise in
investigating and dismantling criminal or
ganizations will undoubtedly contribute to
the continued success of the GBI’s efforts
to keep our communities safe.”
“ASAC Walker’s investigative experi
ence and success as a field agent will be an
asset to the Metro Gang Task Force mem
bers and the agencies they assist,” said GBI
Division Director Cynthia Adkins. “Her
drive and motivation will have a positive
impact on the agents that she mentors and
supervises as they continue the GBI’s fight
to combat gangs and gang related crimes.”
Walker began her career in law enforce
ment as a sex offender analyst with the
Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis
Center (GISAC) in 2012. She was hired
as a special agent and assigned to the GBI
regional investigative office in Athens in
2014. Walker is a member of the GBI’s
special enforcement team, a crisis/hostage
negotiator and a Georgia P.O.S.T. certified
instructor. Walker is also a member of the
Georgia Gang Investigators Association
(GGIA). She graduated from the Universi
ty of Georgia with a bachelor of science in
child and family development in 2011.
ASAC Walker is from Warner Robins
and currently resides in Athens.
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