Eleven people have been arrested and three more are wanted for their roles in two local methamphetamine manufacturing rings.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team in recent months has worked to dismantle two groups working across local counties to manufacture and distribute the synthetic narcotic.

On May 22, 14 individuals alleged to be involved in the two meth organizations were indicted by a Chatham County grand jury on charges including conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Controlled Substance Act and trafficking methamphetamine.

Ten individuals were indicted based on their alleged involvement with a group centered around the Basham family from Pembroke, said Gene Harley, CNT spokesman.

Those individuals were: Thomas Randall Basham, 36; Melodie Jaclyn Basham, 26; Sharon Mulkey Basham, 62; Roger Basham, 33; David Allan Barnard, 46; Hope Elaine Mitchell, 37; Dustin Clemons, 34; Marcus Lee Lindsey, 31; and Tami Jo Hill, 52. Clemons, Lindsey, and Hill remain at large. The others have been taken into custody.

The other four indicted, Harley said, are alleged to have been involved in manufacturing methamphetamine in north Bryan County where a discarded meth lab was found on Cuyler Road. An investigation linked 36-year-old Christopher Thomas Davis, 22-year-old Heather Nicole Dunn, 28-year-old Kimberly Marie Carney, and 33-year-old Lisa Renee Williams to that lab, Harley said.

Davis, Dunn, Carney and Williams have all been arrested in the case.

CNT is asking the public’s help in locating Clemons, Lindsey and Hill. 

Clemons is described as a white male, 6-foot-1 and about 215 pounds with brown eyes and short black hair. 

Lindsey is described as a white male, 5-foot-10 and about 170 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. 

Hill is described as a white female, 5-foot-10 and about 170 pounds with green eyes and blonde hair. 

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or CNT at 912-652-3900.

See Friday’s Savannah Morning News for more details.

Savannah-Chatham police are searching for a 26-year-old woman wanted on warrants charging she was involved in trafficking drugs.

Last Friday, Ashley McClendon’s was one of several residences was one of several Yamacraw Village units searched by detectives during a shooting investigation, said police spokeswoman Eunicia Baker. Inside McClendon’s home investigators discovered a bag of crack cocaine and multiple scales.

McClendon is described as a black female with black hair and brown eyes. She is aboout 5-foot-6 and weighs 115 pounds. Baker said McClendon is known to frequent Yamacraw Village and was last known to work at the McDonald’s on the 2000 block Skidaway Road.   

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous. A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124.

Hundreds of people stood in line today for the opening of a Goodwill store in Rincon, which created 25 new, full-time jobs and includes a center to help people find jobs.

The store has 11,000 square feet of retail space and another 9,000 square feet of space devoted to a career center and to employees who accept donated goods.

“This is very exciting to see the support in the community,” said Mohsen Badran, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Coastal Empire.

He said the store helps shoppers find “treasures,” or quality things at reduced prices; is a place where people can easily donate household items and clothing; and has a center to help people find jobs.

The not-for-profit organization helps people with disabilities and other barriers to employment to live independently and become employed. But the jobs center will be open to anyone who needs help finding a job, not just the disabled, said Brenda Pollen, vice president of mission service for Goodwill.

Workers at the center will help people apply for jobs, create resumes, prepare for interviews, take GED classes, study financial literacy and learn English as a second language or Spanish as a second language, Pollen said.

Free computer and Internet access allows applicants to view job postings and submit their job histories online.

The store, which is next to Fred’s in the Ford Howard Shopping Plaza, has a donations center that will be staffed with people who can help carry donated goods into the building.

The store will have specials, such as a day when everything with a green tag is marked down 50 percent. Pollen said customers can sign up for a preferred shopper’s card that offers points, additional discounts and emails about special sales.

Pollen said Goodwill came to Effingham County 18 years ago, helping people find jobs. The store is the first Goodwill store in the county, she said.

She said the poor economy has hurt donations slightly, but also has increased the number of shoppers.

Wesley Corbitt, city manager of Rincon, said the store helps the area’s economy while also helping people find jobs.

“This is a big organization that helps people help themselves and that’s always good,” he said.

Badran said the store needs people to donate goods and to shop. The group also needs employers in the area to list job openings and what skills they need.

Connie Mitchell, a shopper from Guyton who was at the store with her 10-month-old grandson, Brooks Sturgess, said she shops at Goodwill stores in Statesboro and Savannah. She said it’s nice to have one in Rincon.

“It’s so nice here and handy, and it has a wide variety of things,” she said. She also is glad to have a close place to take donations.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, go to www.goodwillsavannah.org.

A 41-year-old woman was identifed as the victim killed Thursday evening in a head-on collision in Garden City.

Georgia State Patrol said Kimberly Rhodes, of Savannah, died at the scene of the crash at the intersection of Chatham Parkway and Telfair Place about 5 p.m.

GSP did not release any additional information about the two-vehicle wreck that involved a dark green sedan and a grey Ford F-350 that was pulling a trailer with a small SUV on it.

Eastbound traffic on U.S. 80 East/Islands Expressway is being diverted to Bryan Woods Road as the Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) investigates a collision of an automobile and a motor scooter.

The scooter rider has been transported for treatment of undetermined injuries.

The eastbound lanes are expected to be closed until at least midnight. Motorists are advised to seek other routes, if possible.

A recommended millage rate increase to Chatham County property owners will be reduced, following slight growth in the county’s annual tax digest.

The 2013 net tax digest released this week showed a 2.23 percent increase in the county digest, 2.55 percent growth in the unincorporated area and a 2.07 percent increase in the transit district.

The unexpected news was greeted positively at the Old Courthouse, as county commissioners consider whether to raise taxes.

County officials had projected only 1 percent growth in the digest, which is what they had based their recommended 1.431 mill increase on. That would have meant $40 more annually for owners of a $100,000 home and $98 more for owners of a $200,000 non-homestead property.

However, the recommended millage rate increase will be reduced as a result of the digest growth, said Linda Cramer, county finance manager.

“If your net digest values go up, then you should have more revenue because there’s growth,” Cramer said.

She estimated the county’s net digest growth translates to $2.6 million in additional revenue if commissioners kept the millage rate at 11.109 mills. That’s not nearly enough to cover the $7.4 million in extra jail expenses largely responsible for the suggested tax hike, but it would provide a little relief for property owners.

Nevertheless, Cramer said the digest figures will be treated conservatively by county staff because of the uncertainty surrounding the revenue impact of the state’s new ad valorem tax some residents now pay just once on their vehicles. That went into effect March 1.

“Even though we had growth in those motor vehicles on this digest, we’re not sure if we’re going to see any revenue from that because of that caveat and the way that might flow through,” according to Cramer, who said she has been busy calculating projections.

Most of the growth in the digest can be attributed to new construction and reappraisals based on the market, said chief appraiser Roderick Conley, who has been on the job for six months.

“I think a combination of the two will probably account for the increase,” he said.

The digest is the combined value of all real and personal property and registered vehicles in the county. Its significance lies in the fact that county and city government officials use the digest to estimate tax revenues and set their annual budgets.

The county commission will use the digest data in adopting the county’s 2014 fiscal year budget and a millage rate on June 28. Three public hearings on the millage rate are scheduled beforehand.

The county’s fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.

The county, including all municipalities, has a net tax digest of $10.8 billion, compared to the unincorporated area’s $4.4 billion net digest. The transit district — which incorporates the city of Savannah, unincorporated area and part of Garden City — has a $8.6 billion net digest.

The net digest figures are used to set millage rates, said Cramer.

For the record, the gross digest for the county is $13.7 billion, $6.2 billion for the unincorporated area and $11.1 billion for the transit district; all are increases from a year ago.

Commissioners were officially notified about the digest on Tuesday, after it was approved by the county Board of Assessors on May 9. The chief appraiser is scheduled to deliver the digest to the state Department of Revenue by Aug. 1.

According to the chief appraiser’s office, there are 99,658 residential properties in the entire county and assessments were reduced on 17,894, or 18 percent, of them compared to 40 percent in 2012.

A total of 67,162 residential properties, or 67.4 percent, reportedly increased in value from 2012 to 2013.

In all, 115,871 assessment notices, including 6,813 personal property and 7,986 commercial notices, were mailed on May 17, said Conley.

He reported 363 appeals had been filed as of Thursday morning, 14 percent fewer than this time in 2012.

At 296, most of the appeals, Conley said, were for residential properties, while 49 appeals were for commercial/industrial property and 18 were for personal property, which among other things include vehicles.

Property owners have 45 days from the date listed on assessment notices to appeal.

CHATHAM TAX DIGEST

Chatham County’s tax digest was a mixed bag as far as the net digest of its eight cities are concerned:

• The city of Savannah has a digest of $4.6 billion, up 1.49 percent from the 2012 digest.

• Thunderbolt’s digest stands at $101 million, a modest 0.46 percent increase.

• Tybee Island’s digest of $426.2 million grew by just 0.69 percent.

• Pooler’s digest is $1 billion, an increase of 4.70 percent.

• Garden City’s digest of $351.2 million is a 5.11 percent decline from last year.

• Port Wentworth’s $335.4 million digest experienced a 4.66 percent increase.

• Bloomingdale’s digest of $75.7 million fell by 3.95 percent.

• Vernonburg’s digest is $22.5 million, down 1.41 percent.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

The Chatham County Commission will conduct three public hearings on the millage rate at 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. June 20; and 9:30 a.m. June 28 at the Old Courthouse Building.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

Savannah-Chatham Metro police will be operating radar hot spots along Littleneck Road. 

Police remind drivers there is zero tolerance for speeding in school zones. 

WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a 38-year-old waitress as a homicide after her body was found on the side of a road in northeast Georgia.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1381sl6) that Misty Michelle Myrick's death was deemed a homicide after a medical exam.

The woman, from the small town of Lexington, was found dead Wednesday afternoon on the shoulder of Simonton Bridge Road after a passing motorist spotted her body

Oconee County sheriff's officials would not disclose how she was killed.

Myrick has apparently worked at Waffle House restaurants in and around Athens.

Oconee County sheriff's Chief Deputy Lee Weems would not comment on her occupation as he said that it could have a bearing on the investigation. He also declined to elaborate on possible suspects.

___

Information from: Athens Banner-Herald,http://www.onlineathens.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Smiles for Life
Through June 28. Godley Station Dental, 1000 Towne Center Blvd., Bldg. 100, Suite 101, Pooler. Godley Station Dental in Pooler will provide tooth-whitening procedures to benefit the Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center and the Smiles for Life Foundation until June 28. The $209 cost is completely tax-deductible, as materials and services by Drs. Matthew Allen and Tait Carpenter are donated. The children’s advocacy center provides free services to children who have been abused or witnessed violence. To make an appointment, call 912-748-8585.

Telfair Art Fair Artist submissions extended
Through June 7. Telfair Museums, one of the South’s premier art museums, has officially extended the deadline for Telfair Art Fair artist submissions to Friday, June 7. The 19th Annual Telfair Art Fair will take place in historic downtown Savannah on November 15-17, 2013. Artists are chosen through a blind jury process and are eligible for $12,000 in prizes. Only original art work will be considered. For complete artist submission requirements and an online application, go to www.zapplication.org/event-info-public.php?fair_id=2426.

2013 New Alumni Concert
6 p.m. May 31. Forsyth Park. Savannah College of Art and Design will host its 2013 New Alumni Concert, featuring The Greyboy Allstars, Gringo Star and Mayer Hawthorne, Friday, May 31, 2013, in historic Forsyth Park. This annual event honors new alumni and their achievements at SCAD. The public is invited to join this free concert celebration for a night of groove- and rhythm-inspired music.

PAC’s Variety Show
8 p.m. May 31. Muse Arts Warehouse, 703 Louisville Road. The Performing Arts Collective of Savannah will present “PAC’s Variety Show” for one night only on Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m. at Muse Arts Warehouse. The variety show will include all aspects of a traditional variety show; echoing shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and The Jackson Family Variety Show. PAC’s Variety Show will include singing, dancing, poetry, and comedy skits. Co-directors Gary Swindell, Darowe McMillon, and Muriel Miller have put together some amazingly talented adults and young people in the cast. The cost is $5.

ShapeDown Zumbathon
6 p.m. May 31. Candler Hospital, 5353 Reynolds St. The Wellness Center at St. Joseph’s/Candler is hosting a Zumbathon on Friday, May 31 from 6-8 p.m. in the Marsh Auditorium at Candler Hospital. All proceeds will go to the scholarship fund for The Wellness Center’s ShapeDown, an age-specific children’s weight management program that uses behavior modification intervention to address food, activity, psychosocial and family system issues that underlie weight or eating problems. Admission: $10 for adults, $1 for children. In lieu of zumba’ing, donations will also be accepted. For more information, call the Wellness Center at 912-819-8800.

“Explorations in Landscapes & Abstracts”
5 p.m. May 31. Ta Ca Sushi & Japanese Fusion, 513 East Oglethorpe Ave. Join local palette knife painter Stephen Kasun and friends for an opening art reception at Ta Ca Sushi & Japanese Fusion on Friday, May 31 from 5-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on display throughout June. For more information, call 407-474-0411 or go to www.KasunStudio.com.

‘Seersucker Live — The Earth Tones Episode’
7-8:30 p.m. May 31. The Sparetime, upstairs. Join Seersucker Live for an evening of literature and entertainment. Amelia Gray, a 2013 finalist for the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction, novelist Nate Brown and 2011 Best New Poet Thea Brown will perform original pieces of writing. They will also present new works based on an illustration by Seersucker Live artist Lucas Rager. Tickets are $10 at the door or online at seersuckerlive.com/tickets. Cost is $5 with student I.D. Seating is limited. Cash bar available. Open to those 18 and older only with valid I.D. For more information, go to www.seersuckerlive.com, call Zach Powers at 912-398-3589 or email editor@seersuckerlive.com.

Blues, Jazz & BBQ
May 31-June 2. Savannah Riverfront-Rousakis Plaza. Blues, Jazz & BBQ is a new festival hosted by the Savannah Riverfront. Come celebrate the end of the week and the beginning of a new month with First Friday and Saturday festivities on Historic River Street. Stop by local barbecue restaurant booths serving up their favorite dishes on Rousakis Plaza. Fireworks kick off the weekend at 9:30 p.m. May 31. Live entertainment will take place on the Arbor Stage all weekend long. For more information, contact the Savannah Riverfront at 912-234-0295 or email info@riverstreetsavannah.com.

Tea in the Garden at the Davenport House
5 p.m. May 31. Davenport House Museum, 324 E. State St. Learn about tea traditions and experience an early 19th-century tea in Davenport House’s beautiful courtyard garden. Patrons will visit areas of the home where tea service took place and will participate in an afternoon tea given with costumed interpreters in the garden. The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs. The cost is $18 and reservations are recommended as space is limited. For more information, call 912-236-8097.

Church anniversary
7:30 p.m. May 31; 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. June 2. Abercorn Missionary Baptist Church, 500 Old Augusta Road. Pastor Ansley Harrison and the Abercorn Missionary Baptist Church family invite you to come and fellowship with them in celebrating the church’s 191st anniversary. Guests include, Rev. Rosalind Kent and the St. James AME Church, Rev. Titus Lovett and the Brampton Baptist Church, Minister Donna Curry and Greater Jersalem Baptist Church and Rev. Jonah German and the Goodwill Baptist Church of Rincon. For more information, call 912-826-4213.

Church Spring Festival
11 a.m.-5 p.m. May 31 and June 1. 7259 Skidaway Road. Speedwell United Methodist Church will be celebrating it’s annual Spring Festival on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1. We ask that everyone come out to participate in this joyous annual event. All proceeds will go toward the church’s Building Fund. Some of the events include youth activities and games, dinner sales, bake sales, a huge rummage sale and other vendor sales. For more information, go to www.speedwellumc.org/.

STATESBORO, Ga.– Demolition of the scoreboard at the east end of Allen E. Paulson Stadium began Monday as part of the upcoming stadium expansion and Football Operations Center projects.

Both projects have a planned June 6th construction start date with expected completion in May 2014. The removal of the venerable scoreboard, originally installed in the mid-1990s, signals a new era for Paulson Stadium and the Georgia Southern Football program.

“The Stadium expansion and the Football Operations Center projects represent the initial steps in our journey into the Football Bowl Subdivision,” said Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein. “As Georgia Southern continues to grow, it is important that our athletics facilities reflect the same commitment the University has demonstrated with its first-class academic facilities with the new biology building, library expansion and renovations of the College of Public Health and Foy music building, to name just a few.

“We want to ensure that when we become a member of the Sun Belt Conference, our facilities are attractive to prospects, provide a great experience for our fans and student-athletes, and portray the image of the prominent university Georgia Southern has become,” Kleinlein said. “This stadium expansion is in line with that philosophy and will include new amenities for all fans to enjoy while maintaining some of the traditions fans expect when they visit Paulson.”

Last fall, students overwhelmingly approved of a $25 per-semester fee to fund construction of  6,200 new seats, which includes two lower-level seating areas of approximately 1,100 seats each and a mid-deck to accommodate an additional 4,000 seats. When the cost of the seat expansion project is retired, that fee will terminate. The additional permanent seating will now accommodate 50 percent of the University’s student population as compared to only 20 percent with the original configuration.

The 50,000-sq. foot Football Operations Center, to be located between the east end zone and Lanier Drive, provides space for the essential functions of the Eagle Football program in one central location with locker rooms, meeting spaces, coaches’ offices, strength and conditioning, athletic training and equipment.  In addition to serving as the day-to-day center for the team, the facility will also include a large Hall of Fame exhibit area to display the program’s history and honor Georgia Southern legends.

Two constructions zones allow for work to be performed concurrently, beginning with extensive site preparation, followed by pouring of structural foundations. The new lower-level seating areas will be available for use for the 2013 season. As the stadium seat expansion project progresses, supports for mid-deck will be installed with a large portion of that work to take place after the completion of the season.

The Paulson Stadium expansion, which will provide additional seating for the University’s spring Commencement as well as other events, and Football Operations Center are two of many construction or major renovation projects taking place on the Georgia Southern University campus.  Construction and renovation projects recently competed or underway total more than $120 million.

A new $44 biological sciences building and support facilities anchor the southwest corner of Akins Boulevard and Forest Drive while Sanford Hall undergoes renovation to convert it from a residence hall space to classroom and administrative use. The complete transformation of Landrum Dining Hall, a new construction, and Lakeside, a major renovation, will better serve the campus community with contemporary facilities.  Development also continues on the 167-acre University Park Recreation Complex and the Shooting Sports Education Center.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Authorities say a man accused of killing two women in a South Carolina crime rampage is wanted for questioning in the disappearance of a third woman. 

Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon says 31-year-old Jeffery Eady is charged with murder in the death of Chrystal Johnson. The 37-year-old mother of three was shot and killed Thursday in the convenience store where she worked part time. Cannon says state and federal authorities are looking for Eady in Georgia.

Recent information shows that Eady was in Georgia this morning, however his current location is unknown. Last known vehicle is a 2008 blue Ford Focus with Carolina tag GYF 642.

Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett says Eady is also charged with murder in Thursday's shooting of a 65-year-old Clarendon County woman at a recycling center. It's believed Eady is linked to the disappearance of a third woman.

Prison officials say Eady was released last year after serving more than a decade for armed robbery.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

A Stan Lee Power Concert that would have featured popular rock group O.A.R. at Grayson Stadium on June 8 has been canceled.

All tickets are refundable through the original point of purchase. Further information on the series is available at www.stanleespowerconcerts.com or http://buyblitztickets.com/i3wpC.

Sand Gnats team president John Katz confirmed that his organization had been informed of the cancelation. “There apparently are numerous factors that contributed to the decision that I’m not privy to,” he said.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed and understand they’re working on rescheduling a date with the band,” Katz said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over this.”

Grayson Stadium was only the venue, and ticket sales were being handled by the promoters. According to O.A.R.’s website, the $70 VIP tickets had already sold out.

Organizers of the concert, including Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment and MKC Entertainment, did not respond to numerous calls for comment. Neither did representatives of Miller PR, which was promoting the show.

A local costume contest being held in conjunction with the concert also has been canceled. The concert was sponsored by SavCon, a local 1980s nostalgia and anime convention.

A representative of SavCon said he had spoken with Sam Frankel at POW! Entertainment, who said the concert was canceled because the platoon/battalion that Stan Lee met at Hunter Army Airfield last October was deployed, and the entertainment group wanted that platoon to be able to benefit from the concert/charity. Frankel said that the concert would be rescheduled in October or November when the soldiers get back.

POW! Entertainment, Inc., is a multi-media entertainment company that was founded by Lee, a noted comic book writer who was in Savannah in October to attend the Savannah Film Festival. MKC Entertainment was founded by former Marine Corps Capt. Michael Dodd.

A portion of the net proceeds from the concert would have benefitted local military charities, and POW! Entertainment was to have provided prize money for the costume concert. “We have been working to put this show on in Savannah since our visit to Hunter Army Airfield and attending the Savannah Film Festival in (October) 2012,” Dodd said when the concert was first announced. 

A collision between a motorcycle and a pickup truck took the life of a motorcycle rider Friday afternoon in north Bryan County.

According to Bryan County Sheriff Clyde Smith, the pickup truck pulled out in front of the motorcycle at the intersection of Ga. 280 and Olive Branch Church Road around 4 p.m., causing the motorcycle to hit the truck.

The male motorcyclist died en route to a hospital. 

Law enforcement did not immediately release additional information Friday.

A resident of Golf Cart Road has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a 13-year-old male on May 23.

The 13-year-old male was shot when the homeowner found the teen and the teen’s 14-year-old cousin on his property.

The two teenagers have been arrested on criminal trespass charges.

The property owner, Irvin Helmey, 73, of Guyton, has been charged with aggravated assault.

Deputies had responded to the home to the home about 8 p.m. on a report of a burglary in progress.

Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor the investigation showed the teens entered the property without Helmey’s consent.

“Helmey then approached the property with a firearm and demanded them to surrender,” Ehsanipoor said.

The 13 -year-old came from inside the home and ran across the street when a shot was fired and he was hit, Ehsanipoor said.

The shooting victim’s injuries were not life threatening and the 14-year-old remained inside the home and was not harmed, deputies reported.

Ehsanipoor said the Sheriff’s Office had discussed the incident with the District Attorney’s office and the case will be presented to a grand jury.

He doesn’t care who kicked in the front door of his Thunderbolt home, ransacked the rooms inside and stole his computers, jewelry and a television set.

Grant Robinson only asks that they return one invaluable item that was stolen Wednesday morning from his house on Mechanic’s Avenue: A mahogany box that contained the ashes of his late wife, Patricia.

“I feel like someone’s torn my right arm off and ripped my heart out,” Robinson said. “It was really hard to lose her once, and then to lose her now twice — it’s really tough. It’s awful.”

When he came home from work Wednesday afternoon to eat lunch and let his dog out, Robinson immediately knew something was amiss.

The front door, made of steel, had been smashed and bent. The inside of his house looked like a disaster zone, but the reality didn’t sink in until he noticed the heavy, locked box that had been sitting on his bureau was missing.

“That was pretty much the final blow,” he said. “I don’t care at all about all the other stuff; I just want my wife’s remains back, and maybe her wedding ring that was also in the box.”

The Robinsons were married nearly 40 years before Patricia died in December. The couple, who moved to Thunderbolt about 2.5 years ago, was inseparable. They were truly soulmates, Robinson said Friday evening just outside of Thunderbolt City Hall where he met with reporters, hoping that publicizing the theft might lead someone to return his wife’s remains.

He grew emotional as he described Patricia, nicknamed “The Provider,” because she cared for everyone else ahead of herself.

Trying to find the right words, Robinson peered down at his left hand and crossed his index and middle fingers.

“We were like that,” he said. “She was just one of those incredibly beautiful people. We did everything together, from building boats to weeding the garden.”

He’d planned one last, special outing with his wife’s remains to take place in August, a memorial service with all her family and friends on a small island off the coast of St. Augustine, Fla., where the couple had lived for more than two decades and raised their two children.

Now, he questions it ever happening.

“She wanted me to spread her ashes there,” he said. “I figured if we did it in August, it would give her family in New England time to come down and have a big deal for her. Now, I’ve got nothing to spread. I feel like I’ve let her down. It’s just very, very difficult.”

While burglaries are rare in Thunderbolt, they occur from time to time, said police Capt. James Pierce. The break-in at the Robinson home was the first reported to Thunderbolt police in more than a month.

His investigators, Pierce added, were working hard to find the people responsible for the incident.

“He (Grant Robinson) doesn’t care a bit about the stuff that was stolen, but having his wife’s ashes stolen, that’s just awful,” Pierce said. “It’s a big, expensive-looking box, and I’m sure (the suspects) thought there was gold or valuables in it.”

The captain asked anyone with information about the urn, the ashes or the burglary to contact Thunderbolt police at 912-354-3818 or CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020.

The Robinsons said they wouldn’t ask any questions. They even offered not to press charges against the responsible parties. They just want their loved one’s remains back, said Kate Robinson, Grant and Patricia’s daughter who drove up from her St. Augustine home as soon as she was told what had happened.

The thought of her mother’s ashes in a stranger’s possession or tossed aside like garbage is nearly impossible for her to stomach, she said, especially so soon after her death.

“That’s her. That’s my mother,” Kate Robinson said, addressing whoever stole the urn. “You have my mother with you. How would you feel if that was your mother or if that was your kid?

“No questions asked. If you have them, if you threw them out of a car window, just let us know where you threw them so we can go and retrieve my mother’s ashes, so we can lay her to rest.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Kyle McGowin got a bitter first taste of college baseball’s big stage.

Savannah State had hoped that McGowin, the Tigers’ ace right-hander, could potentially be an equalizer in its first-ever NCAA tournament game, a matchup with No. 7 Florida State in the first round of the Tallahassee Regional.

Instead, the Seminoles made quick work of the MEAC pitcher of the year, touching him up for 10 runs in the game’s first three innings en route to a 10-0 victory in front of 3,804 fans Friday at Dick Howser Stadium.

SSU (33-22) will play Alabama in an elimination game today at noon.

“(FSU) coach (Mike) Martin and his team are very patient at the plate,” Tigers coach Carlton Hardy said. “They work the count and when they got a good pitch to hit, they put a good swing on it. But we competed. I’m very proud of our kids.”

McGowin came into the game with a 12-1 record and a 1.33 earned-run average — a number that inflated to 2.02 by the time the final out was recorded.

In fact, the Sag Harbor, N.Y., native had allowed only 17 earned runs all season. The 10 he surrendered Friday spiked that number to 27 — meaning that 37 percent of his season total came in his last outing.

McGowin, who was pulled after five innings and 132 pitches, credited FSU with drawing deep pitch counts and laying off pitches outside the strike zone. He struck out six Seminoles but also walked another six.

“I didn’t have my fastball at all today so I had to go a lot to my secondary (pitches), and they were just waiting for the fastball or anything in the zone,” McGowin said. “They were not chasing. They’re a great hitting team.”

McGowin limited FSU to a single run in the first inning but couldn’t keep the Seminoles’ offense at bay in the second. He actually recorded two outs and then had two strikes on lead-off hitter Josh Delph before hitting Delph with a pitch that extended the inning.

The Seminoles’ Nos. 2-4 hitters then each produced scoring hits, a stretch punctuated by Stephen McGee’s two-run home run that made it 6-0.

McGowin, though, didn’t get any help from the Tigers’ offense. Savannah State registered just seven hits on FSU starter Scott Sitz (10-1, 1.59 ERA) and were shut out for only the second time this season.

SSU’s best threat came in the top of the third when Kevin Herlihy was hit by a pitch, and Mendez Elder hit a double to right-center field that gave the Tigers two runners in scoring position with only one out.

But rather than put a dent in FSU’s lead, Joseph McCrary struck out and Parker Nix lined out to right field to end the inning.

“Give Sitz a lot of credit,” Hardy said. “When guys got on base in scoring position, he just got tougher. He made money pitches.”

NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL

Friday’s Results

Troy 5, Alabama 2

FSU 10, Savannah State 0

Today’s Games

Alabama vs. SSU, noon

Troy vs. Florida State, 5 p.m.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

Press the play icon above to watch live streaming of the 2012-13 SCAD Commencement Ceremony at the Savannah Civic Center.

Renowned architect Moshe Safdie is expected to address more than 1,600 graduates during the ceremony. 

Safdie is known for his work on the Holocaust History Museum in Israel, the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada and the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington. He also designed the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, which opened in 2006 and added a shocking touch of modern flair to the city's downtown historic district. - Associated Press

Commencement Schedule

• 8 a.m. Doors open for presidential conferment of degrees ceremony
• 9–10:30 a.m. Presidential conferment of degrees
• Noon Doors open for presentation of degrees ceremony one
• 1–3 p.m. School of Communication Arts, School of Design, School of Fashion, School of Fine Arts
• 3:30 p.m. Doors open for presentation of degrees ceremony two
• 4–6 p.m. School of Building Arts, School of Digital Media, School of Entertainment Arts, School of Liberal Arts