An Alzheimer's patient Savannah-Chatham police had been looking for early Monday was found in good health this afternoon by a retired officer.
Police had asked the public’s help locating 78-year-old Napoleon Israel, who was reported missing from his Daffin Heights residence.
Israel was found on the 1400 block of East 57th Street sitting in a vehicle similar to his own, said metro police spokesman Julian Miller.
A Savannah man is in custody today following his arrest in connection with a series of fires at a southside apartment complex in late March and early April.
Savannah Fire & Emergency Services investigators say 24-year-old Juwan Johnson of 10612 Abercorn St., Apt. No. E16, was arrested this morning at a business in the 10400 block of Abercorn Street, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire spokesman.
Johnson was charged in June through a federal indictment with three counts of arson in connection with the fires at Stratford Arms Apartment complex at 126 Tibet Ave.
Savannah firefighters responded to three separate fires at the apartment complex on March 31, April 2 and April 8. All three fires were reported by Johnson and Savannah Fire investigators deemed at least two of them to be suspicious at the time.
Two of the fires occurred near a maintenance storage building and the third was in a vacant apartment at the complex.
Through their investigation, investigators developed a link between Johnson and the fires and were assisted by agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms in bringing the case to a successful conclusion.
In addition to the three arson charges, Johnson is charged with lying to a federal agent. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service awaiting an initial court appearance.
Johnson arrest was the result of a coordinated effort between Savannah Fire investigators, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms and Savannah-Chatham police.
View the most recent top 25 restaurant violators from the Chatham County Health Department.
Click here to launch the slideshow and see how your local eateries scored.
JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) — An athlete raising money for an injured Georgia toddler has raised more than $150,000 during a 900-mile cross-country bike ride.
Dave Nazaroff left from New York City Wednesday morning, and arrived in Jefferson, Ga., Monday morning as part of the fund-raising effort for Tripp Halstead.
The boy was on the playground of his day care center in Winder when a large tree branch fell and struck him on Oct. 29, 2012.
WSB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/15aZnXl) that money raised will be used to ensure that Tripp's mom, Stacey Halstead, can stay by his side while he recovers.
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Information from: WSB-TV, http://www.wsbtv.com/index.html
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
A natural gas leak on the 3400 block of Bannon Drive in Thunderbolt has been mitigated, according to the Chatham Emergency Management Agency.
Thunderbolt Public Safety Director Robert Merriman said a gas line was struck by workers. Atlanta Gas Light was called to repair the line.
Thunderbolt Volunteer Fire Rescue had command of the scene, and the Savannah Fire & Emergency Services hazardous materials team was called in to monitor air quality.
The wreck on Interstate 16 near mile marker 164 that had re-routed westbound traffic onto I-516 for more than two hours has been cleared, according to the Chatham Emergency Management Agency.
CEMA reports another wreck on the interstate near Chatham Parkway has traffic moving slowly.
Motorists are urged to drive carefully.
A Savannah man will remain in jail pending a July 18 preliminary hearing in the early Sunday shooting death of Marco Cruz,
Ruiz Suchiapa Venturino, 46, was arraigned on murder and aggravated assault charges Monday in a video arraignment before Chatham County Recorder’s Court Judge Harris Odell Jr.
Only a Superior Court judge can set bond on a murder charge. Odell said no bond would be set and scheduled the preliminary hearing.
The charges stemmed from the fatal shooting of Cruz, 54, on Queen Ann Court on Savannah’s southside. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he died.
Savannah-Chatham police said the shooting following a confrontation between the two men.
Savannah-Chatham police are asking the public’s help locating an 11-year-old boy who left his parents' house Monday afternoon.
Kyle Jordan Michael Ward is a black male about 5 feet tall who weighs 100 pounds, has short hair and may be wearing glasses, said police spokesman Julian Miller.
Ward was wearing a light blue shirt with Isle of Hope printed on it, red pants with a black stripe on the side and blue slip-on shoes.
Ward was last seen in the Nottingham area on Bradford Court, Miller said.
Anyone with information on Ward’s location is asked to call 911.
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.
BARNESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a college student as she walked to her job at a Huddle House restaurant in Barnesville.
Georgia State Patrol officials say Alexandria Desir of Locust Grove was struck by a vehicle as she walked along Rose Avenue in Barnesville late Saturday night.
Authorities say Desir was a student at Gordon State College in Barnesville.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/15c2PRu) that investigators believe the vehicle is a Saturn Vue between the model years 2002 and 2005. The right front corner of the vehicle should be damaged, the GSP said, and the light should be missing.
Barnesville is about 60 miles southeast of Atlanta.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,http://www.ajc.com
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The University of Georgia Foundation says it will be offering an additional $3.3 million for scholarships, faculty support and other initiatives in the next fiscal year.
The foundation made the announcement in a press release Monday, saying the surplus funds were the result of strong returns on investments as well as budget management. The foundation provides more than $40 million annually to the university.
Foundation officials say the funds include $1 million designated to support an effort to acquire a piece of property in Washington, D.C., that would be home to UGA's Washington program. Officials say the property would include living and classroom space and enhance the university's presence in the nation's capital.
Funds for need-based scholarships, study abroad scholarships and professional school scholarships were also included.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. NSA LEAKER A 'STATELESS PERSON' LOOKING FOR A HOME
WikiLeaks says Edward Snowden has sought asylum in 20 countries, including China and Cuba, while he remains at a hotel in Moscow's airport.
2. AN ULTIMATUM FOR MORSI
Egypt's military gives him until Wednesday to end the crisis enveloping his presidency before generals will come up with their own plan.
3. MOURNING ARIZONA'S 'HOTSHOTS'
The 19 elite firefighters who died in a raging blaze included fathers and expectant fathers, ex-Marines and sons of firefighters.
4. NATO COMPOUND ATTACKED IN KABUL
Four guards and two civilians were killed when militants blew up a car bomb at the gate. The four attackers were also killed.
5. OBAMA AND BUSH MEET IN AFRICA
The president and former U.S. president lay a wreath at a memorial for Americans killed in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in in Tanzania.
6. DOLAN OVERSAW PLAN TO PAY ABUSERS TO LEAVE CLERGY
Milwaukee church documents show the archbishop's frustration with the Vatican's response to priest sex abuse problem.
7. WHAT ZIMMERMAN TOLD POLICE ABOUT TRAYVON MARTIN
Police testifying at Zimmerman's trial say when the ex-neighborhood watch volunteer found Martin, the teen began beating him and said, "You're going to die tonight."
8. RISING WATER IN FLORIDA KEYS
Sea levels have gone up 9 inches in the last century and will double in the next 50 years, prompting the popular islands to re-examine how prepared they are for storms.
9. HOW KRISS KROSS RAPPER DIED
Atlanta officials say 34-year-old Chris Kelly died of a drug overdose. His mother told investigators her son used cocaine and heroin before he died.
10. ANOTHER SURPRISE EXIT FOR A CHAMPION AT WIMBLEDON
Top-ranked Serena Williams was unbeaten in 34 matches before she lost to a 23rd seed in the fourth round.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
ATLANTA (AP) — An ultrasound has confirmed that a giant panda at Atlanta's zoo is pregnant with her fourth cub and will likely give birth later this month, zoo officials said Tuesday.
Veterinarians at the zoo estimate 15-year-old Lun Lun will deliver a cub in two to three weeks, Zoo Atlanta officials said in a news release. An ultrasound done Sunday shows the fetus is currently 1.08 centimeters long. Veterinarians based their birth window estimate on a similar ultrasound from Lun Lun's last pregnancy in 2010.
The cub would be the first giant panda born in the U.S. this year.
"We're thrilled about the possibility of a fourth cub for Lun Lun, but we remain cautiously optimistic at this point. Giant panda cubs are extremely fragile, and the chance remains that the fetus does not go to term," zoo president and CEO Raymond B. King said. "A birth would be another success for our giant panda program, and we share our optimism with our fellow U.S. zoos housing this iconic species and with our colleagues at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China."
Pandas sometimes act pregnant even when they are not, but the ultrasound has confirmed that Lun Lun is pregnant. Hormone tests done by Dr. Dave Kersey, an expert in giant panda endocrinology from Western University of Health Sciences, will allow the veterinary team to continue to monitor her condition.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated in March. She and her 15-year-old mate Yang Yang have three previous offspring, also through artificial insemination: 6-year-old male Mei Lan, who now lives at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding; 4-year-old male Xi Lan; and 2-year-old male Po.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
MusicFile Productions LLC announced Tuesday the full lineup and schedule for the inaugural Revival Fest to be held on Sept. 14 in Savannah.
The all-day festival will take place at the old Paint Shops area of the Georgia State Railroad Museum at 655 Louisville Road, the first public event held at the location.
Confirmed to perform are:
• The Accomplices (Savannah)
• Bradford Lee Folk & The Bluegrass Playboys (Nashville)
• Cedric Burnside Project (Holly Springs, Miss.)
• Field Report (Milwaukee, Wisc.)
• Luella & The Sun (Nashville)
• Matrimony (Charlotte, N.C.)
• Papa Moon & The Stargazers* (from Johnson City, Tenn.)
• Sweet Thunder Strolling Band (Savannah)
• The Trainwrecks (Savannah)
• Treetop Flyers (London, England)
• Truth & Salvage Co. (Nashville)
• Whiskey Shivers (Austin, Texas)
• Wild Child (Austin, Texas)
* featuring members of ‘this mountain’
Austin’s Wild Child will headline the Bridge View Stage at 9 p.m. and Nashville’s Truth & Salvage Co. will headline the Paint Shop Stage at 10 p.m.. Wild Child’s second album, The Runaround, produced by Ben Kweller, will be released late summer.
Truth & Salvage Co., a Los Angeles-based band first championed by Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, recently relocated to Nashville and will release their sophomore album Pick Me Up on Megaforce/Sony RED on July 23.
Savannah upstart, the Sweet Thunder Strolling Band, will welcome festivalgoers at 12:30 p.m. with a special performance, with additional surprises planned throughout the day. The local collaborative, spearheaded by percussionist Andrew Hartzell, grew out of a performance at the Flannery O’Connor Birthday Celebration this spring and features Hartzell, Anna Chandler and Philip Reynolds Price and additional guest musicians to be announced.
Local favorites The Accomplices and The Trainwrecks are also confirmed to perform.
Additional touring bands include Savannah Stopover Music Festival alums Field Report and this mountain, the latter of which will unveil a new project called Papa Moon & The Stargazers.
Cedric Burnside, grandson of the legendary blues legend RL Burnside, will bring his unique blend of Hill Country blues to the Bridge View Stage, followed by Nashville’s widely praised newcomers Luella and the Sun who revel in foot stomping blues, soul and gospel.
Treetop Shivers, from London, won the 2011 Glastonbury Emerging Sound Competition and have been lauded by Paste, NPR and others for a sound that hearkens back to the 1970’s breezy California folk rock scene. The band recently recorded their debut album in Malibu, Calif.
A Midnight Ramble jam session will follow the festival at a space that is still to be announced.
The festival has partnered with Local Farm Bag. The group will curate all of the food for the event focusing on the best and freshest the Lowcountry has to offer. It will include a traditional pig roast and an oyster roast.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now at the Savannah Box Office for $35 for a general admission pass and $55 for a festival pass plus the pig and the oyster roast.
Additional food offerings, beverages and crafts from local vendors will also be available and will be announced later this summer.
ON THE WEB
Learn more about Revival Fest at dosavannah.com, savannahnow.com and:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevivalFestSav
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SavRevivalFest
• Hashtag: #revivalfest
About three weeks after a Savannah woman reported her car had been stolen, Savannah-Chatham police charged her Monday with false report of a crime.
30-year-old Sylvia Annette Johnson, of the 1100 block of East Bolton Street, was arrested Monday and charged after police investigated her claim that her car, found wrecked and abandoned June 8, had been stolen.
Johnson told officers she'd parked the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo at her home about 10 p.m., June 7 and taken the keys with her. She said it had been stolen sometime between then and when it was found wrecked about six blocks away on East 31st Street about 7 a.m., June 8.
Investigating officers, Miller said, located the keys inside the car. Officers arrested Johnson on Monday and booked her into the Chatham County jail.
Savannah-Chatham County Court Appointed Special Advocates will hold their annual back-to-school supply drive July 8-Aug. 2 to try and ensure that foster children are prepared to begin school with the needed supplies for a successful school year.
ZaDonna Slay, executive director for CASA, said more than 150 foster children in the community could benefit from the drive.
“Starting a new year of school is always fun, but can also be nerve wracking for many students,” she said. “On top of the normal fears a student may face, imagine having to start the new year with no school supplies.
“Having inadequate or no school supplies hinders a child’s ability to excel in the classroom and fit in. That’s where the community can step in and make a difference.”
Collection of such items as loose-leaf paper, pencils, glue, crayons, colored pencils, personal-size hand sanitizer or 3-prong folders with pockets can be dropped off July 8 and Aug. 2 at the United Way of the Coastal Empire building, 428 Bull St., Suite 205, on Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
For information, contact CASA at info@savannnahcasa.org or 447-8908, ext. 100
A second-grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School was arrested and charged with drunken driving-refusal and obstruction of a law enforcement officer with violence, a felony.
Cpl. Robert J. Cochran of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Ga. 30 and the county line at 1:15 a.m. Sunday on a report of a red Dodge Challenger traveling west in the eastbound lane.
The car, a 2010 Dodge Challenger, ran into the ditch at Kelly Drive before the deputy arrived. Tracy Ann Granzow, 40, of Rincon, was sitting on the ground beside the car, according to the arrest report.
The deputy said he could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage as he approached the woman. She told the deputy she had two shots of alcohol two or three hours earlier.
She said she had taken anxiety medication eight hours earlier that could affect her performance in a field sobriety test.
She refused a breath test, saying, “I’m a teacher. I’m not doing it.” She also refused to give a blood sample.
At the jail, the deputy discovered that she had slipped the handcuffs off her wrists when she was in the back of the patrol car. She slapped at the deputy’s hands and arms, resisting being placed back in handcuffs.
She refused to get out of the patrol car and had to be pulled out. She tried to knee Cochran in the groin, “striking me in the right thigh with her knee.”
Granzow was charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer with violence, a felony; driving under the influence-refusal; failure to maintain lane; operation of an unregistered vehicle or vehicle without current license plate or decal; and no insurance (unable to provide proof).
She was released Sunday on $7,900 bond, according to Effingham Sheriff’s Spokesman David Ehsanipoor.
A Savannah man has been extradited from Virginia to Effingham County on child pornography charges.
Edward Holmes, 52, was arrested by Montgomery County, Va, deputies in a Wal-Mart parking lot about 1 a.m. on June 14.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s office began the hunt for Holmes on June 10 following the execution of search warrant at Holmes’ residence in Chatham County.
Investigators said explicit images and videos of children under the age of 10 were found on a computer belonging to Holmes.
The investigation is being conducted by the sheriff’s office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Holmes was booked in to the Effingham County Jail this afternoon.
He remains at the jail and a bond hearing is expected to be held on Wednesday.
ATLANTA — Chris Johnson’s two-run, go-ahead double was the big hit in a four-run sixth inning that helped the Atlanta Braves to a 11-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
The Braves set a season high with 16 hits and matched their high for runs.
The game was tied at 3 before the Braves opened the sixth with three straight hits off Dan Jennings (0-1), loading the bases. Ryan Webb struck out Dan Uggla and Reed Johnson before Johnson gave Atlanta the lead with his double past first baseman Logan Morrison.
Jordan Schafer and Andrelton Simmons added run-scoring infield singles to cap the big inning.
Morrison hit a two-run homer in the first inning.
Kris Medlen (6-7) gave up three runs and nine hits and two walks in six innings as the NL East-leading Braves took their fourth straight win. The Marlins’ three-game winning streak ended.
The Braves added three runs in the eighth. Justin Upton and Brian McCann, who each had three hits, had run-scoring singles in the inning. Johnson also had three hits. Simmons tripled in a run.
Miami rookie right-hander Tom Koehler gave up three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings.
An error by Marlins left fielder Juan Pierre helped the Braves break a 2-2 tie in the fourth. Justin Upton led off the inning with a triple to right field.
Freddie Freeman followed with a fly ball between Pierre and center fielder Marcell Ozuna. Both outfielders hesitated before Pierre made a late try for the ball, which fell off his glove for the error. Upton scored for the 3-2 lead.
Pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs’ two-out single off Medlen in the sixth drove in Derek Dietrich for a 3-3 tie.
After the big sixth inning, the Braves added a run in the seventh. McCann’s double off Kevin Slowey in the seventh drove in Justin Upton, who walked.
The Marlins couldn’t score in the second after Adeiny Hechavarria’s infield hit and Rob Brantley’s double to right field put runners and second and third with one out.
Koehler grounded out to third base and Pierre popped out to shallow center field to end the inning.
Braves center fielder B.J. Upton left the game after the second inning with left forearm spasms. The Braves say Upton’s status is day to day.
The Marlins survived an injury scare in the third inning when Morrison was upended at first base when reaching for a wild throw by third baseman Placido Polanco on Medlen’s grounder. Morrison fell over Medlen and landed hard on his right side. Medlen was safe on Polanco’s error.
Braves first base coach Terry Pendleton immediately signaled for help from the Marlins’ dugout as Morrison, who missed the first two months of the season recovering from right knee surgery, remained on the ground. Morrison finally was helped to his feet and remained in the game.
Medlen had an apparent cut on his right arm following the collision.
Notes
Schafer made his first appearance since fouling a ball off his right ankle last Wednesday, and he was limping after his pinch-hit single. ... Braves RHP Cristhian Martinez, on the DL since April 7 with a right shoulder strain, said he’s still having pain. Martinez returned to Atlanta to have the shoulder examined. ... Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said C Evan Gattis, on the 15-day DL since June 18 with a right oblique strain, is improving but is not ready for baseball activities. ... Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco, 5-10 with a 5.26 ERA in 23 career appearances against Atlanta, will face LHP Mike Minor as the three-game series continues tonight.
FORT STEWART — A pregnant Army soldier struggled violently against handcuffs on her wrists and suffered blows to the head before she died from a lack of oxygen, likely caused by someone keeping her in a chokehold, a Georgia medical examiner said Tuesday.
Sgt. Deirdre Aguigui was found dead on July 17, 2011, at her apartment on Fort Stewart. The military charged her husband, Pvt. Isaac Aguigui, with murder in April and conducted a two-day hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to try him in court-martial.
A military autopsy on the 24-year-old woman was unable to determine a cause of death. But investigators got a second opinion from Dr. James Downs, a Savannah-based medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who agreed to look at the case earlier this year.
Using records and photos from the previous autopsy, Downs noted Deirdre Aguigui had a large, deep bruise above her left ear and more bruising on the inside of her lips and left cheek. Both wrists had raw scrapes and bruises that appeared to match a pair of handcuffs found on the couple’s bed.
Downs said he concluded the woman was choked or suffocated by essentially ruling out other possible causes of death. Her heart appeared healthy, she showed no signs of allergic reaction and lab tests found no traces of poisons in her blood.
“If you put everything together, I think you would reasonably end up where I am, which is asphyxiation,” said Downs, adding he could understand why military doctors hesitated to reach a similar conclusion. “I certainly can see somebody being not willing to make that call and leave it undetermined.”
When Isaac Aguigui’s Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury, opened Monday, Army investigators testified the young soldier received more than $500,000 in life insurance and benefit payments after his wife died. Witnesses testified the couple had been fighting and considering divorce because of the husband’s infidelity and drug use. An old girlfriend confirmed Isaac Aguigui sent her a text message hours before his wife died that said: “We’ll have plenty of money. All I need is your body whenever I want it.”
Civilian prosecutors in neighboring Long County say Aguigui used some of the money to buy guns and bomb components for an anti-government militia group he formed by recruiting other disgruntled soldiers. He and two other soldiers face the death penalty on civilian murder charges in a double slaying a few months after Aguigui’s wife died.
Aguigui’s defense attorneys Tuesday suggested the wounds on his wife’s wrists and other injuries came from them having rough but consensual sex. Chief Warrant Officer Justin Kapinus, an Army criminal investigator, testified Monday that police found the handcuffs on Aguigui’s bed along with an array of sex toys and leg restraints. He said Aguigui told investigators his wife liked being restrained with handcuffs and they had sex a few hours before he found her dead on a couch. Kapinus said he suspects the bedroom scene was staged because it looked “too excessive.”
“If someone was into bondage and rough sex, could that account for the bruises?” Capt. William Cook, one of Aguigui’s lawyers, asked Downs.
The medical examiner said it was possible. But he said the wrist wounds seemed severe for someone willingly wearing handcuffs.
“In your report you said it’s consistent with somebody violently struggling against the constraints?” asked Maj. Jaclyn Grieser, an Army prosecutor.
“That’s correct,” Downs replied.
The hearing’s presiding officer, Maj. John McLaughlin, will report to Fort Stewart commanders whether there’s enough evidence to try Aguigui in a court-martial.
Additional charges
Aguigui was jailed months after his wife’s death for a different crime. On Dec. 5, 2011, fishermen found the bodies of former Army Pvt. Michael Roark and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany York, in the woods of rural Long County near Fort Stewart. Both had been shot in the head just two days after Roark was discharged from the Army.
Investigators arrested Aguigui and three other soldiers — Sgt. Anthony Peden, Pvt. Christopher Salmon and Pfc. Michael Burnett — and charged them with the deaths about a week after the bodies were found.
Burnett struck a plea deal with civilian prosecutors and testified last summer that Aguigui led an anti-government militia group he’d formed inside the military called F.E.A.R. — short for Forever Enduring Always Ready. Civilian prosecutors say the group talked of bombing the fountain in Forsyth Park, poisoning apple crops in Washington state and killing the U.S. president.
Burnett said Roark and York were killed because Roark had just left the Army and the couple knew too much about the group.
