A man being sought by Savannah-Chatham police in connection with burglaries was arrested Wednesday night.

Terah Kamel Jones, 25, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and metro police at a Newel Street address in west Savannah.

Jones was wanted on charges connected to two local burglaries, said police spokesman Julian Miller. Miller said the man is also a suspect in at least nine similar burglaries in Savannah and in thefts in Richmond Hill and Pooler.

Jones was released from prison on parole in September after serving 15 months of a 60-month sentence for theft by receiving, theft by taking, receiving stolen goods and theft by receiving stolen property, Miller said.

Police earlier arrested four of alleged associates of Jones and seized two cars they said he was known to drive, Miller said.

Also arrested were Kimberly Pollard, 36, Mark Anthony Smalls Jr., 21, Tron Lamar Smith, 26, and Jahrell Lamar Ulmer, 20, on charges similar to those Jones is wanted on. The four, Miller said, are known associates of Jones.

SAN DIEGO — The Atlanta Braves did everything they could against the San Diego Padres in a three-game series, except win.

They worked over Petco Park as best they could, outhitting the Padres in every game, finishing ahead 25-20 overall.

Yet they were swept, losing 5-3 on Wednesday. Edinson Volquez struck out a season-high nine in seven innings as he rebounded from the worst start of his career and Chris Denorfia hit a two-run homer.

The Padres, who have won six of eight, swept the Braves in San Diego for the first time since May 19-21, 2005.

The Braves, who have lost five of seven, were swept for just the second time this season. The first was at Detroit April 26-28.

“Nothing to take away from the Padres, but this was a weird series,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “We outhit them all three games, but we lost all three. Let’s not forget that.”

“The whole series, we hit rockets. I mean rockets. I’m not taking anything away from the San Diego Padres. They still beat us three straight. We just didn’t catch anything,” he said.

Denorfia homered to left field with one out in the fifth off Paul Maholm, his third. Everth Cabrera was on second after hitting a single and stealing his 30th base, tops in the majors.

Volquez (5-5) bounced back after allowing nine runs and 11 hits, both career highs, in just 2 1/3 innings in a 10-9 loss at Colorado on Friday. He held the Braves to one run and six hits and walked three. His nine strikeouts were his most since Aug. 20.

In his previous two starts, Volquez had allowed a combined 13 earned runs and 17 hits in just 7 1/3 innings.

Rookie Nick Vincent, the third Padres’ pitcher in the ninth, struck out Justin Upton looking for the final out with runners on first and third for his first career save. It was his first opportunity this season and second of his career.

“We had the right guy at the plate in the ninth with Justin,” Gonzalez said. “That’s the way baseball is sometimes. You run into a hot team and you don’t get any breaks. That’s just the way it goes.”

Luke Gregerson got the first two outs but also allowed Jordan Schafer’s RBI single and was pulled when the Padres couldn’t turn a double play on Andrelton Simmons’ grounder. Lefty Tommy Layne came on to face Jason Heyward, who singled up the middle to move Simmons to third.

“We thought we did all we could,” Upton said. “We swung the bats well, we played solid defense. Sometimes the game doesn’t go your way, and it didn’t work out for us.”

Heyward said the Padres “had some outfield hits that fell in, some infield hits that kept innings going, and their starting pitchers threw well enough to stay in the game pretty long. We fought but sometimes a little too late. We hit some balls hard. Some hops didn’t go our way. We put up some big innings, which I know we can do. I’m not too worried about this team in terms of scoring runs.”

Paul Maholm (7-5) loaded the bases three times, including twice in the three-run first and for a final time with two outs in the sixth before making way for David Carpenter.

Maholm allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out three and walking four.

Maholm gave up three singles and two walks in the first, including a bases-loaded walk to Kyle Blanks with one out followed by Logan Forsythe’s two-run single. After Jesus Guzman singled to load the bases again, Yasmani Grandal lined to shortstop and Forsythe was doubled off second. One of the runs was unearned due to second baseman Dan Uggla’s throwing error.

Upton drove in Atlanta first two runs, including hitting his 15th homer, a solo shot with one out in the eighth off Joe Thatcher. The ball went an estimated 430 feet, landing in the balcony on the third level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse and bouncing into the second deck in left field. Upton hit an RBI single in the third.

Notes

Atlanta returns home for an off-day today before opening a three-game series against San Francisco. The probables are Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (5-4, 3.58) vs. Braves RHP Kris Medlen (3-6, 2.87).

The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is searching for a Savannah man wanted on child pornography charges.

Sheriff's Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said the Internet Crimes Against Child Task Force unit executed a search warrant Wednesday afternoon at the temporary Savannah residence of Edward Holmes, 52.

"Investigators seized a computer which had several images of child pornography with children under 10 years of age," Ehsanipoor said.

Holmes was last seen in Quail Run Lodge off of Dean Forest Road. Holmes drives a silver vehicle with Virginia tags. Anyone with information on Holmes whereabouts is asked to call the Effingham County Sheriff's Office at 912-754-3449.

Two local firms included among the original design finalists for a planned cultural arts center are protesting the city staff’s recommended contractor for the project.

The design contract for the center, which would be built on a site across from the civic center at Oglethorpe Avenue and Montgomery Street, is scheduled to go before the city council today for approval.

In letters submitted to Mayor Edna Jackson and aldermen Wednesday, architect Paul Hansen, principal of Hansen Architects, and Barbara Cogdell, principal of Cogdell and Mendrala Architects, requested that consideration be postponed due to questions about how the top firm was chosen.

Hansen said Wednesday the city’s scoring process for the project is flawed and he is not afraid to publicly voice his concerns.

“I think we asked some legitimate questions,” he said. “I don’t think this is just sour grapes.”

Jackson could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

An evaluation committee gave Savannah-based Gunn Meyerhoff Shay a score of 89 out of 100, after grading proposals on qualifications, experience, minority and women participation, methodology, references and fees.

The ranking put the firm three points above Hansen and two points above Cogdell. Those two firms had been included in an original short list of three companies selected for interviews in late April.

The list was expanded to include nine other firms, including Gunn Meyerhoff Shay, one week later.

City Manager Stephanie Cutter declined to comment Wednesday on the concerns in the letters, according to city spokesman Bret Bell.

“This is a matter for City Council to discuss,” Bell said in an email.

Previously, Cutter said she had always intended for all of the qualified firms to be interviewed and attributed the initial short list to a staff error.

Following the publication of the expanded list, two of the 12 qualified firms chose to withdraw from consideration. The city declined to provide the names of the firms that withdrew or the other firms’ scores.

City code governing proposal requests prohibits the disclosure of such information until after the contract is awarded to make sure no firms obtain an unfair advantage, Bell said.

In his letter, Hansen questioned how Gunn Meyerhoff Shay could earn a perfect score under the category of “understanding project requirements” when the firm did not make the original short list.

In addition, Hansen said, his firm should have received more points than the recommended firm in the fee category because his company’s “best and final offer” came in at $35,000 less.

Both firms were given 17 points in the fee category.

Cogdell and Mendrala’s fee proposal was the lowest of the three firms. Coming in $600,000 less than the others at $1,325,000, the company earned the full 25 points.

Gunn Meyerhoff Shay proposed a fee of $1,985,000; Hansen’s was $1,950,000.

“We felt confident in what we submitted,” Cogdell said. “We were being aggressive and wanted the job.”

Gunn Meyerhoff Shay achieved the highest scores among the three firms for its understanding of project requirements, team management and presentation quality.

The firm also pledged a minority and woman-owned business participation level of almost 21 percent — two times the city’s 10 percent goal — but below the pledge of Cogdell, a woman-owned business, of 44 percent.

Hansen pledged a participation rate of 13.5 percent. All three firms received the maximum 10 points in the category.

Gunn Meyerhoff Shay President Patrick Shay, a former Chatham County commissioner, said he was not surprised the company is being recommended for the job after not making the initial short list.

His firm assembled a well qualified team after a vigorous vetting process, Shay said.

“I think we are the best qualified,” he said.

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 Diamond Causeway. 

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

Senior Citizens Inc. Annual Fan Drive is up and running to provide free fans to help low-income senior citizens deal with rising summer temperatures.

“Coming off an unseasonably warm winter, we know that even more seniors than usual are going to suffer from the upcoming sweltering heat of summer,” said Patti Lyons, Senior Citizens president. “But the fact is that we simply don’t have the funding to provide fans for everyone in need so we are restricting our distribution to the most extreme cases.”

The agency is calling for community support by donating new electric box fans or funds to purchase them.

Each year hundreds of fans are distributed throughout the area but unless fans or funds are donated, those will not be available this year, Lyons said.

New fans or donations may be dropped off at Senior Citizens offices at 3025 Bull St. weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

To qualify for a fan, seniors must be 55 or older and have income of less than $1,000 a month. Seniors wishing to apply for a fan may go to the Bull Street site and provide proof of income and a photo ID.

For information, call Senior Citizens at 236-0363 or visit www.seniorcitizens-inc.org

COLUMBIA — Del Webb Communities and Pulte Homes have notched a victory in the South Carolina Court of Appeals over Sun City property owners.

In September 2008, Roger and Mary Jo Carlson brought an action against Del Webb and Pulte, alleging construction defects in their home’s stucco siding.

The Carlsons’ case is among nearly 140 cases pending against Del Webb and Pulte involving stucco-homes in Sun City. The Sun City Hilton Head Community Association calls it “the largest, active adult community in the South Carolina Lowcountry,” and claims 13,000 residents.

According to the court decision, the couple had argued they weren’t bound by the arbitration clause in their purchase agreement. The court disagreed on Wednesday.

The result is that Del Webb and Pulte may compel arbitration, a process outside the court. It is unclear what effect, if any, the decision will have on the other cases. Efforts to reach the parties’ attorneys were unsuccessful.

A 13-year-old DeRenne Middle School student on Thursday admitted her role in a May 6 knife attack on a fellow schoolmate at the school and a separate incident involving another female student four days earlier.

Attorney Jonah Pine, representing the defendant, told Chatham County Juvenile Court Judge LeRoy Burke III his client admitted to charges of aggravated assault, disrupting a public school and carrying a knife within a school safety zone or on school property in connection with the May 6 knife attack on a 13-year-old girl.

He also told Burke the defendant admitted to a charge of disrupting a public school in a May 2 incident involving a 14-year-old female student in which administrators intervened.

In return, Assistant District Attorney Allison Bailey agreed to dismiss an affray charge in the May 2 incident.

Both the aggravated assault and possessing a knife on school grounds are designated felony charges reserved for the most serious juvenile crimes. Disrupting a public school is a misdemeanor offense.

Burke scheduled a July 31 disposition hearing at which time he will determine whether the defendant is a designated felon and impose punishment.

The Savannah Morning News generally does not identify juveniles until a judge adjudicates the offender as a designated felon.

Burke also took under advisement a request by Pine that the defendant be allowed to leave custody at the Savannah Regional Youth Detention Center and return to her home with an electronic monitor pending disposition of the case.

Pine said each of the defendant’s issues involved the school and she has been suspended.

“This is a very upsetting thing to her,” Pine told Burke.

Bailey opposed release, citing the “pre-emptive assault” nature of the May 6 attack.

Bailey said evidence shows the defendant waited for the victim in a restroom on May 6 and stabbed her repeatedly with a five-inch knife.

The victim was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

“It’s clearly a premeditated, pre-emptive assault,” Bailey told Burke.

In the May 2 incident the defendant and another female were posturing for a fight in which the defendant “threw the first lick” before as many as five school administrators helped break it up, Bailey said.

Both incidents were captured on videos, Bailey said.

The defendant “is not a victim, but she is very much wanting to participate in this fight,” the prosecutor said.

The supervisor of the FBI's Savannah office said today that an investigation of the Savannah-Chatham police department found no federal violations occured following allegations that crimes were not being reported properly.

Senior agent Eugene Kowel informed the Savannah City Council this morning that the investigation was closed after Police Chief Willie Lovett had requested 12 complaints be looked into in February.

"The complaints appear to be serious and, if they occured, should be addresed, but should be addressed by Chief Lovett," Kowel said.

Alderman Tony Thomas in January publicly questioned whether the department's 2012 overall crime figures were based on numbers that were manipulated because officers were failing to file reports on some crimes.

Return to savannahnow.com or see Friday's Savannah Morning News for additional information. 

Savannah-Chatham police detectives are searching for 24-year-old Michael Christopher Garko, believed responsible for thousands of dollars in damage to a Savannah church.      

At 8:35 a.m. Monday, officers responded to The Church at Godley Station, on the 1600 block of Benton Boulevard. Officers observed a broken window on the front door and ­­­­several shattered glass windowpanes around the building. It did not appear that the suspect made entry.

 Security cameras captured images of a white male at about 4:50 a.m. Monday. Further investigation revealed, that on June 9, a white male identifying himself as “Mike Garko” was at the church requesting and receiving money for food and shelter from members. 

Garko is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is about 5-8 and 150 pounds. He was last seen without a shirt and appeared homeless.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward. A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124.

GEISMAR, La. (AP) — Ambulances and helicopters took at least 30 people from a burning chemical plant after an explosion Thursday in Louisiana, officials said.

Early tests did not indicate dangerous levels of any chemicals around the plant in Geismar, about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, but area residents were told to remain indoors with doors and windows closed, said Jean Kelly, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Quality.

She said helicopters took three or four people Thursday from the plant owned by The Williams Companies Inc., and ground ambulances took 30. Kelly did not have other details about injuries.

The company said in a news release on its website that the flow of chemicals to the fire had been cut off.

Louisiana State Police Capt. Doug Cain said the explosion occurred around 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the plant. It makes ethylene and propylene — highly flammable gases that are basic building blocks in the petrochemical industry.

A thick plume of black smoke rose from the plant. At a roadblock several miles away, where family members waited anxiously to hear about loved ones, flames were easily visible above the trees.

Kelly said an ethylene fire at ground level reportedly was waning several hours after the explosion.

Assistant City Manager Dick Evans is recommending the city take out about $20 million in bonds to cover the cost of planned President Street and drainage improvements.

The costs of the projects came in about $10 million more than initial estimates.

In additition, the city owes the Savannah-Chatham school board about $10 million by the end of next year. The school board agreed to not take any of the income derived from a special taxing district along President Street about six years ago, in return for the payment.

Evans said the $29 million President Street project, which elevates the roadway to avoid flooding, will be presented to the city council on June 27 for consideration. The bond issue will have to be part of the project being approved, Evans said.

MABLETON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities in Cobb County say a 4-year-old boy has been hospitalized after falling from a fourth-floor window.

Cobb County police spokesman Mike Bowman says the boy fell from a window at a house in Mableton Thursday morning and landed on a concrete driveway. The boy was airlifted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and is listed in critical condition.

Police say the boy's teenage sibling was supposed to be watching him when he got onto a chair and fell from the window.

Additional information was not immediately available.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Pembroke Police Chief Mark Crowe was terminated Tuesday, Mayor Mary Warnell said Thursday afternoon.

Warnell declined to reveal the cause for the termination stating that she wished to wait until the city’s attorney, Richard E. Braun Jr., who is currently out of town, had the opportunity to review information contained in a press release before it was made public.

Thursday’s announcement of Crowe’s termination is somewhat confusing as a June 10 press from the city of Pembroke had stated that “Mark Crowe resigned from the department after having served for four year as Chief of Police,” and that Sgt. Stacy Strickland had been named interim chief.

However, later that day Crowe said he had not resigned, did not plan to resign, and that it was his intention to report for duty Tuesday as a star corporal in accordance with an offer made to him by the city in a meeting that morning.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Warnell said she did not know if Crowe had reported for duty, but that she had not received a resignation from him. “…I have not heard if he has reported or not. I have a meeting a little bit later on with Chief Strickland and Bill Collins (Pembroke public safety director). At that time, I will know if he showed up for work today or not. I know he has been downtown, but I have not seen him, he has not been by my office.”

Crowe said at 2 p.m. Tuesday he had attempted to report for duty but had been unable to.

“I haven’t received a schedule, new equipment, a car or new badge number,” he said. Crowe added that he had been in contact with Strickland three times but Strickland was waiting for someone to let him know how to proceed.

“I fully intend to report to work, or at least until my attorney advises me not to," Crowe said.

Warnell said Crowe was terminated at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Attempts to contact Crowe were unsuccessful.

The mother of suspected burglar captured Wednesday evening and an associate of his were arrested as part of a Savannah-Chatham police investigation into a string of local burglaries.

Teco Tujuara Jones, the 40-year-old mother of Terah Kamel Jones, was arrested in the 100 block of Montgomery Street late Wednesday night and charged with hindering the apprehension of a fugitive. Additionally, police spokesman Julian Miller said Thursday, 29-year-old Robert Jamal Benton was arrested Wednesday evening when the 23-year-old Jones was apprehended by U.S. Marshals and Central Precinct detectives on Newell Street. Benton was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and parole violation.

Terah Jones had been wanted on two charges of burglary and was wanted for questioning in at least nine additional burglaries, Miller said. When he was arrested he was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Miller said Thursday Jones was going to be questioned by other law enforcement agencies about separate incidents.

Miller said another suspect in the burglary string — one of four of Jones alleged associates who had previously been arrested and charged — turned himself in to police Thursday morning on a probation violation charge. 21-year-old Mark Anthony Smalls Jr. was arrested May 13 and charged with three counts of burglary, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and burglary in the second degree. He was released on bond on May 22, Miller said.

Savannah-Chatham and neighboring police departments are continuing the investigation, Miller said.

A massive pillar of thick, black smoke was visible several miles away from where firefighters battled an intense fire at a warehouse on Savannah’s westside Thursday evening.

What sparked the enormous blaze at the building tucked among several industrial sites in the 1800 block of West Gwinnett Street near the Carver Heights neighborhood was unknown several hours after the fire had been extinguished by Savannah Fire & Emergency Services, said the department’s spokesman Mark Keller.

When firefighters arrived about 5 p.m., the rear of building was already fully engulfed, Keller said.

“When we got here there was a lot of fire, really heavy smoke,” he said. “We took a defensive position and battled from all sides of the building.”

As the firefighters worked to contain the blaze to the rear of the building, fire spread throughout it, eventually fully engulfing the entire structure. About 1.5 hours into the battle, the building’s roof collapsed, Keller said. He added there were no injuries reported.

“What we understand is the people who were here got outside before the fire,” Keller said about 7 p.m. “We haven’t been able to get inside (the warehouse), so we can’t say for sure, but it is our understanding that no one was in there.”

Keller confirmed the structure housed Savannah Architectural Supply, a locally-owned building materials company listed at 1880 W. Gwinnett St.

The items inside the warehouse, including wooden doors and moldings, helped fuel the fire, Keller said. Because of its intensity, dispatchers sent a second alarm out for additional firefighting teams to respond to the blaze, Keller said. He noted the heat index was more than 100 degrees, forcing responding personnel to take turns firefighting and recuperating at a rehab station set up at a neighboring business.

More than two hours after the initial group of firefighters responded to the blaze, small amounts of smoke continue to pour from the charred structure. Keller said investigators examined a small portion of the structure Thursday night to ensure the fire was extinguished. He said the investigation would continue today to determine what caused the fire.

Book signing
7 p.m. June 14. The Booklady Bookstore, 6 E. Liberty St. Dan Kennedy will do a reading and signing for his new novel, “American Spirit,” on June 14. Special guest, author and founder of the Moth Storytelling Series, George Dawes Green will also be in attendance. This event is free and open to the public and books will be available for purchase. For more information, call 912-233-3628.

Skate night in Port Wentworth
6:30-9 p.m. June 14. P.B Edwards Jr. Gymnasium, 101 Turnberry St. City Of Port Wentworth Leisure Services Department will host skate night June 14 at the P.B Edwards Jr. Gymnasium. Admission is $5. Children ages 10 and younger must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older. No skateboards allowed. Concessions will be available. For more information, call 912-966-7428.

‘Falsettos’ by William Finn
8 p.m. June 14. Muse Arts Warehouse, 703D Louisville Road. Bangers and Mash Theatre Works presents “Falsettos” by William Finn, directed by DJ Queenan with musical direction by Warren Heilman. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. To reserve tickets, call 912-920-3594 or purchase at the door. Contact us at info@bangersandmashtheatre.com. Additional performances will be June 15, 16, 21 and 23. 

Free piano concert
7:30 p.m. June 14. Messiah Lutheran Church, 1 W. Ridge Road, Skidaway Island. Pianist Crystalyn Snow will perform works of Bach, Brahms, Debussy and Chopin. A two-time recipient of the Three Arts Scholarship in Cincinnati, Snow has given numerous solo and chamber recitals in the Cincinnati and Indiana areas. Free childcare available. For more information, call 912-598-1188. The concert is free, but contributions are gratefully accepted to help defray costs.

Muriel Anderson in concert
7:30 p.m. June 14. Stewart Hall First Presbyterian Church, 520 Washington Ave. Muriel Anderson is considered to be among the top acoustic nylon string guitarists/harp-guitarists in the world. She is the first woman to win the National Finger-Style Guitar Championship and is host of the renowned Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night® in Nashville. The cost is $15 and $12 for Savannah Friends of Music members. Cash only at the door. For more information, go to www.savannahfolk.org.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency reports that westbound Interstate 516 is closed while an accident is being cleared. 

Traffic is backed up to Veterans Parkway, according to CEMA. Motorists are advised to choose alternate routes. 

An Army Ranger based at Hunter Army Airfield died Thursday evening at Fort Stewart during a routine parachute jump.

Rangers already on the ground at Fort Stewart’s Taylor’s Creek Drop Zone discovered Pfc. Christopher P. Dona, 21, unresponsive with risers — cords that connect the parachute’s canopy to its harness — wrapped around his neck, said Lt. Col. Brian DeSantis, a Fort Benning-based spokesman for the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. Ranger medics and Ft. Stewart emergency medical response technicians were unable to revive him. 

It was not clear how the cords wound up around the Ranger’s neck, DeSantis said.

“We don’t have evidence that the parachute malfunctioned,” he said. “It’s not a case where the parachute didn’t deploy. We don’t know if the Ranger was knocked unconscious during the decsent or when he landed or if he became entangled on the ground — we’re currently investigating all possibilities.”

DeSantis, a longtime veteran of airborne units, said he’d never heard of a soldier dying under similar circumstances.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” the lieutenant colonel said. “This was a very routine proficiency jump. It was not part of a training exercise or anything. It was just jumping to practice jumping, something we do routinely. So, this is something that’s out of the ordinary for us.”

The incident is under investigation. 

A native of Dudley, Mass., Dona was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as an automatic rifleman in August 2012. He returned from his first deployment to Afghanistan last month. 

“Chris was an excellent Ranger who consistently displayed great courage and strength – a true warrior,” said Lt. Col. Robert J. Harman, Commander of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. “He was the kind of Ranger everyone wants by their side in a tough situation. Above all, Chris was the epitome of what we expect of our Rangers – a quiet professional with unmatched selfless service. He will forever be part of this unit and an inspiration for the Rangers of today and those yet to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Dona Family.”

His awards and decorations include the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge.

Dona has also been awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal.

He will be posthumously awarded the Army Commendation Medal.

Dona is survived by his parents, Paul and Maryann Dona, his sister, Melissa, and his brother, Brian, all from Dudley, Mass.