A Rincon child walking home from his grandfather’s house has suffered multiple puncture wounds from dog bites.

The 8-year-old boy was walking down Greenbay Avenue about 2 p.m. today when the dog attacked, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

The animal bit the child on the arms and legs. The injuries are not life threatening, deputies reported.

Ehsanipoor said the American Bulldog mix was roaming at large.

The owner was found at a residence in the 600 block of North Columbia (Ga. 21) Avenue and has been arrested.

The unidentified female has been charged with having a dog at large and may face further charges.

“It doesn’t appear the dog is up-to date on any of its shots,” Ehsanipoor said.

The owner turned the dog over to the county. The animal has been taken to the Effingham County Animal Shelter where it will remain for a 10-day quarantine.

The identity of the dog owner will be released by deputies later.

A 30-year-old man was critically wounded Tuesday evening after he was shot on Savannah eastside.

Savannah-Chatham police are investigating the shooting on Skidaway Road near East 51st Street that occurred about 6:30 p.m., said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Miller said the injured man, who remains at Memorial University Medical Center, was involved in an altercation with another man before he was shot.

There were a lot of vehicles driving by the area when the shooting happened, Miller said. Police investigators are asking anyone who saw the shooting or any events possibly leading up to or following it to speak with them.

People with information about the case are 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.

A man local drug agents believe was suffering from delusions when he called 911 to report a burglary at his home was arrested Tuesday and faces numerous methamphetamine-related charges.

Savannah-Chatham police initially responded to 35-year-old Robert Boyles’ Beaufort Road home after he called 911 and advised a dispatcher he believed he was home alone and had heard voices inside the residence, said Gene Harley, spokesman for the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.

The responding officers, searching the home for signs of a burglary, found several items the believed could be related to methamphetamine manufacture and asked CNT agents to respond to the location, Harley said.                                              

Agents quickly confirmed the Savannah-Chatham officers’ suspicions, finding objects used to both make and use meth. Agents also found evidence showing a batch of the synthetic narcotic had likely been recently manufactured at the location, Harley said.

“Methamphetamine can make people hears voices, see things that aren’t really there or even believe they feel things like bugs crawling under their skin,” Harley said. “Users also often suffer from persecutory delusion — believing people are out to get them or that they’re under surveillance.” 

CNT arrested Boyles and charged him with a number of felony and misdemeanor counts including possession of substances with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine and unlawful use of 911. Boyles remains in the Chatham County jail and CNT expects to make additional arrests relate to the case, Harley said.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former Olympic and professional runner from Ethiopia who was due to give birth in three weeks has died after collapsing at a Connecticut restaurant, but doctors were able to save her baby, her friends said Wednesday.

Meskerem Legesse, 26, who lived in Westport, Conn., was with her 2-year-old son when she collapsed at a Chinese restaurant in Hamden on Monday, said her friend, Fatima Sene. She was transported to a hospital where she died and the baby was saved, Sene said.

The cause of death wasn't clear. Sene said Legesse had suffered heart problems in the past.

"It is very sad. She was a very good person," Sene said. "She would do anything for anybody. And she loved that little boy she left behind."

Legesse ran in the 1,500 meter competition at the Athens Olympics in 2004. She finished 12th in a first-round heat with a time of 4:18:03 and didn't advance to the medal race. She moved on to a professional running career in the U.S., competing in events including the Boston Indoor Games, Fifth Avenue Mile in Manhattan and the Millrose Games in New York. She apparently hadn't raced within the past few years.

Legesse's children are now with their father, and arrangements are being made to bring Legesse's body to Ethiopia, Sene said. Legesse was planning to get married to the children's father, she said.

Legesse's death was first reported by Hartford-area CBS affiliate WFSB-TV, which obtained surveillance video from the restaurant showing Legesse entering with her son, sitting down in a chair and collapsing to the floor within seconds. Legesse had ordered takeout and was picking it up, said Sene's sister, Fatima Cisse, another friend of Legesse.

Legesse knew the two sisters from a hair salon down the street from the Chinese restaurant, they said.

Hamden firefighters and paramedics with American Medical Response were called to the restaurant at about 2 p.m. Monday and performed CPR on a pregnant woman who collapsed, according to fire and police officials who did not release the woman's name.

Doctors at Yale-New Haven Hospital were able to save the baby because of the CPR efforts both in the restaurant and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Hamden Fire Chief David Berardesca said.

A spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office said the agency declined to perform an autopsy, citing Legesse's past health problems. She declined to elaborate.

A Yale-New Haven Hospital spokesman on Wednesday said he had no information about Legesse being brought there Monday.

The Chatham County Health Department has placed Tybee Island’s Polk Street Beach under advisory because of possible risk of illness associated with water contact at that location.

Routine water quality tests taken July 16 at Polk Street Beach — the northernmost portion of Tybee near the mouth of the Savannah River from the end of the beach to the jetty — showed a high level of enterococci bacteria which increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers, said Sharon G. Smith, a health services program manager with the health department. The beach is not closed.

Fish and other seafood caught from that area should be thoroughly washed with fresh water and thoroughly cooked before eating as should fish or seafood caught from any waters, Smith said.

The area will be retested July 18 and the advisory will be lifted when tests show the bacteria levels meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards.

The Georgia Court of Appeals, in a 4-3 vote, has upheld the class action certification of a lawsuit against Georgia-Pacific.

Kirbi and Aaron Ratner and David and Kathy McDonald, who live near the Fort Howard Road plant, originally filed the suit against Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River Mill Plant in 2010.

Class action certification was granted by Effingham County Superior Court Chief Judge William E. Woodrum in July of 2012. The class-action certification will allow lawsuit members to include owners of 116 properties that neighbor the plant. The properties include an area west of Fort Howard Road, south of the railroad line and east of Rincon-Stillwell Road.

The lawsuit presents claims of nuisance, trespass and negligence, alleging that sludge dumped in disposal cells at the plant release hydrogen sulfide, a gas that causes egg-like smells and is corrosive to metal. The property owners claim the gas has caused loss of property values and physical damage to homes.

Much of the reported damage has been from corrosion to air-conditioning systems.

As of last summer Georgia-Pacific has paid to replace a portion of 20-30 of the air-conditioning systems, mainly in the Mallard Pointe Subdivision, according to court documents.

Ben Perkins, a Savannah attorney representing the plaintiffs, said that practice has continued while both sides have waited on the appeal ruling.

“Georgia-Pacific has replaced a number of units (since last year),” Perkins said.

GP has said they are aware of odor issues and a project to close the three landfill sludge cells most responsible for odor issues has recently been completed.

The GP disposal area is on about 170 acres. The site currently has one closed sludge cell, two active cells and the three cells that have been closed, Carrie Thompson, spokesman for GP said. The waste comes from the remnants of GP’s manufacturing process that chiefly uses recycled paper and cardboard.

The cells have been capped and have a gas collection system.

GP assertions in their appeal of Woodrum’s ruling included that the trial court abused its discretion in certifying the class.

The appeals court ruled the plaintiff’s met class certification requirements of Georgia law and the court’s certification would not be reversed unless factual findings were “clearly erroneous.”

The justices noted that the defendants did not list any errors of factual findings by the trial court.

Perkins said the Court of Appeals ruling sends the right message.

“My clients and their entire legal team are very pleased that the Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Woodrum’s thoughtful and well-reasoned decision to certify this property damage case as a class action,” Perkins said. “In reaching its decision, the Court of Appeals made it clear that property owners in Georgia are entitled to, and deserve, protection of their property rights.”

Thompson said GP officials had just received the appeal ruling, handed down on July 16.

“We are evaluating it and the impact it will have,” Thompson said. “It’s one step in the legal process and we will continue to move forward in that process and be a good neighbor,” Thompson said.

Perkins said once the case has been returned to Superior Court, Judge Woodrum will be asked to sign an order to approve a class notice.

The notice will be sent to property owners in the impacted area informing them of their right to opt out of the suit.

“We are eager to give our clients the long-awaited opportunity to have their day in Court,” Perkins said. “We look forward to presenting our clients’ claims to a jury as soon as possible.”

The Savannah River Mill has been in operation over 25 years and employs 1,200.

For the second day in a row, coastal Georgia emergency managers are issuing advisories concerning flooding and dangerous conditions on area waterways, including the Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers.

In Effingham County, all waterways should be avoided.

Effingham Emergency Management Agency Director Ed Myrick said the Savannah River at Tuckasee King in Clyo has a discharge of 53,800 cubic feet per second and a stage of 18.06 feet, which is forecasted to increase to 19.5 feet by Thursday.

“We are asking everyone to stay off the waterways due to the increased discharge rate of the water,” Myrick said. “The stronger currents are not only a danger to our citizens but also for our first responders in the event of a rescue.”

This advisory applies to boaters as well.

In Chatham County, emergency managers and the Georgia Department of Transportation are eyeing the Savannah River that could flood and lead to water spilling over U.S. 80 on the roadway between Savannah and Tybee Island.

Beginning Saturday, the Savannah River will be monitored and conditions documented at high tide. The Georgia Department of Transportation announced it will place electronic message boards on U.S. 80 alerting drivers of the potential hazard.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency, like its counterpart in Effingham, will continue monitoring both rivers throughout the weekend and alert citizens to observations adverse to those listed above.

A man local drug agents believe was suffering from delusions when he called 911 to report a burglary at his home was arrested Tuesday and faces numerous methamphetamine-related charges.

Savannah-Chatham police initially responded to 35-year-old Robert Boyles’ Beaufort Road home after he called 911 and advised a dispatcher he believed he was home alone and had heard voices inside the residence, said Gene Harley, spokesman for the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.

The responding officers, searching the home for signs of a burglary, found several items the believed could be related to methamphetamine manufacture and asked CNT agents to respond to the location, Harley said.

Agents quickly confirmed the Savannah-Chatham officers’ suspicions, finding objects used to make and use meth. Agents also found evidence showing a batch of the synthetic narcotic had likely been recently manufactured at the location, Harley said.

“Methamphetamine can make people hear voices, see things that aren’t really there or even believe they feel things like bugs crawling under their skin,” Harley said. “Users also often suffer from persecutory delusion — believing people are out to get them or that they’re under surveillance.”

CNT arrested Boyles and charged him with a number of felony and misdemeanor counts including possession of substances with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine and unlawful use of 911. Boyles remains in the Chatham County jail and CNT expects to make additional arrests related to the case, Harley said.

Effingham child attacked by dog

A Rincon child walking home from his grandfather’s house has suffered multiple puncture wounds from dog bites.

The 8-year-old boy was walking down Greenbay Avenue about 2 p.m. Wednesday when the dog attacked, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

The animal bit the child on the arms and legs, but the injuries are not life-threatening, deputies reported.

Ehsanipoor said the American bulldog mix was roaming at large.

Judy Stanley, 55, of Rincon was arrested and charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer, dog at large and expired rabies tag after her dog attacked the child.

Ehsanipoor said Stanley turned the dog over to the county. The animal has been taken to the Effingham County Animal Shelter where it will remain for a 10-day quarantine.

Stanley is being held in the Effingham County jail.

Police investigate Tuesday shooting

A 30-year-old man was critically wounded Tuesday evening after he was shot on Savannah’s eastside.

Savannah-Chatham police are investigating the shooting on Skidaway Road near East 51st Street that occurred about 6:30 p.m., said police spokesman Julian Miller.

Miller said the injured man, who remains at Memorial University Medical Center, was involved in an altercation with another man before he was shot.

A lot of vehicles were driving by the area when the shooting happened, Miller said, and investigators would like to talk to anyone who saw the shooting or any events leading up to or following it.

People with information about the case are 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.

Health advisory issued for Tybee’s Polk Street Beach

The Chatham County Health Department has placed Tybee Island’s Polk Street Beach under advisory because of possible risk of illness associated with water contact at that location.

Routine water quality tests taken July 16 at Polk Street Beach — the northernmost portion of Tybee near the mouth of the Savannah River from the end of the beach to the jetty — showed a high level of enterococci bacteria which increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers, said Sharon G. Smith, a health services program manager with the health department. The beach is not closed.

Fish and other seafood caught from that area should be thoroughly washed with fresh water and thoroughly cooked before eating as should fish or seafood caught from any waters, Smith said.

The area will be retested July 18 and the advisory will be lifted when tests show the bacteria levels meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein and DeAnn Komanecky.

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 Montgomery Crossroads.

A "Tour De France" party, complete with door prizes and gourmet appetizers by local chefs, was held Wednesday night at the Bicycle Link on Victory Drive to celebrate the store's 15th anniversary. 

View Spotted® photos: Gallery 1 and Gallery 2

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Sea Turtle Center officials say one of their most popular patients will be moved to Sea World in Orlando, Fla.

Spokeswoman Anna Hall says Caton, a female loggerhead sea turtle being treated at the center, has previously been released into the wild three times. Hall says Caton either swam back to the shores of Jekyll Island every time she was released or just sat on the beach.

Caton has lived at the sea turtle center for more than three years.

Officials say Caton was found stranded in 2009 on Ossabaw Island. She was severely debilitated and was placed in a recovery tank for observation.

Georgia Sea Turtle Center officials say Caton is considered unreleasable, which means she can still live comfortably in a captive setting.

ATLANTA (AP) — State labor officials say Georgia's unemployment rate increased to 8.6 percent in June.

The new seasonally adjustment jobless rate was announced early Thursday morning by the Georgia Department of Labor.

The June unemployment rate was up three-tenths of a percentage point from 8.3 percent in May. However, it remained under the 9.1 percent in June a year ago.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the rate increased partly because a large number of education workers are unemployed during the summer, and new graduates are considered unemployed until they find a job.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Power said crews are working to restore service to more than 600 customers in metro Atlanta after storms downed trees and power lines.

The utility reported early Thursday that most of the customers were on the northern and northeastern parts of metro Atlanta.

Authorities said lightning associated with the Wednesday evening storms was believed to be the cause of several fires in at least three metro Atlanta counties.

In Union City, a lightning strike sparked a fire at a retirement home. No injuries were reported. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a house in Cherokee County was engulfed in flames after a lightning strike.

In Rockdale County, minor flooding, down trees and power lines were reported in downtown Conyers, which sustained significant damage. No injuries were reported.

Savannah TV personality and chef Bobby Deen married Claudia Lovera on Saturday at the home of his mother, Paula Deen.

People.com reports the couple, who got engaged in the spring, were married in front of about 75 guests, including Bobby's brother, Jamie Deen and his family; Paula's brother, Bubba Hiers; and the bride's family, who now live in Panama City, Panama. 

INTERACTIVE Timeline: Deen family over the years

The wedding comes amid a firestorm of controversy over Paula Deen saying in a lawsuit deposition that she had used the "N" word in the past.

In an interview with the Savannah Morning News prior to that controversy, Paula Deen had this to say about her son and the wedding that then was scheduled for next month:

“I can’t keep up with Bobby Deen anymore,” Deen says. “Oh, honey, I can’t believe the old man is getting married! I’m so proud of him. He’s 43 years old but he looks 33.

“He didn’t sell out — he really waited for the one that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He said, ‘Mama, I’m not doing this more than once.’

“We’re stepping and fetching around here,” Deen says. “It’s going to be here at the house. You know how hot it will be, which will be a chore, but we’ll deal with it.”

Bobby has known the bride-to-be for some time, Deen says.

Follow our coverage on Paula Deen

“She’s from Venezuela and was here getting a master’s degree from SCAD,” she says. “He had met her at the gym and knew what kind of person she was. Bobby has never thrown that ‘m’ word around very much, so when he finally said it, I knew it was the real deal.”

Deen isn’t just proud, she’s relieved.

“One of my biggest worries was Bobby waking up at 80 years old and being a lonely old man,” she says.

“He used to say, ‘I’ll probably never marry and I’ll never have children.’ I don’t know what I’d do without my children, and for him to miss that would have broken my heart. Now I can not worry and know he’ll be surrounded by a beautiful, loving wife and children.”

Although she’ll host the wedding, Deen will not do the cooking.

“I know my limitations,” she says. “I can only tackle so much.”

Read more about the nuptials at savannahnow.com and in Friday's Savannah Morning News.

 Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are investigating the shooting death of a 19-year-old Savannah man at a downtown public housing complex Wednesday night.

Ardearrin Christopher L. Jefferson died at Memorial University Medical Center where he was transported for treatment after the 11:40 p.m. shooting near 725 Yamacraw Village, police said.

 Residents in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots before responding Downtown Precinct patrol officers found Jefferson with gunshot wounds

.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.

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

Click here to view a slideshow of Georgia Death Row inmates listed with the Georgia Departments of Corrections as of July 16, 2013.

Information includes photos of the inmates and details of their crimes that led to death sentences. 

Source: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us

A man who was known on the Internet as “Sir Butler” pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 years in prison in a child sex case in Effingham County.

Mark Butler, 29, of Vidalia, pleaded guilty Wednesday to obscene Internet contact with a child and distributing material depicting nudity, according to Assistant District Attorney Ben Edwards.

Superior Court Judge F. Gates Peed sentenced Butler to 13 years in prison, with seven to serve and six as probation.

Butler was living in the Jefferson County, Ala., area when he turned himself in to authorities on the charges in August of 2012.

He was accused of exposing himself online to an undercover investigator who posed as a teenage girl, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

The sheriff’s office released Butler’s photo and online chat name and identified him through tips provided by the public.

The Chatham Area Transit ticket window will be closed in light of ongoing construction.

Construction of CAT's operations and maintenance facility at 900 East Gwinnett St. will result in access to the ticket window for bus passes/tickets to be unavailable after Saturday. The ticket window will be closed as of Monday, CAT reported.

Customers are asked to visit CAT Central at 124 Bull St., the Old Courthouse building, to purchase bus passes/tickets. CAT Central is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

However, the agency's telephone system will be down and unavailable on Monday evening. It is expected to be active again on Tuesday.

Bail of $95,000 has been set for a Guyton man arrested on child pornography charges.

Ronald Mullins, 50, was arrested Thursday afternoon following a search of a residence on Barrister Circle, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

Magistrate Rhonda Sexton set the bail at a hearing Friday for Mullins.

Mullins is charged with sexual exploitation of children, and possession of child pornography.

Deputies seized computers as well as other electronic equipment during the search warrant served by the Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.

Mullins was in possession of over 100 images and videos of child pornography, Ehsanipoor said. The ages of some of the children were between four and 12 years of age.

Deputies seized computers as well as other electronic equipment during the search.

Mullins remains in the Effingham County Jail.