Public safety summary
Firefighters responding to an open-area blaze Saturday night found an unresponsive woman who was later declared dead.
About 11:15 p.m., Savannah Fire & Emergency Services responded to a dead-end area at Pritchard Street and Louisville Road after calls about the fire.
Firefighters had to breach a chain-link fence before the flames could be extinguished, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire spokesman. Firefighters found the woman unresponsive in the area while battling the fire, Keller said.
Keller said an autopsy was performed Monday on the woman, who appeared to be middle-aged, but the medical examiner has labeled the cause of death undetermined pending toxicology results.
The Savannah-Chatham police department on Monday had not yet released the woman’s identity.
In the area where the fire occurred was a makeshift shelter put together with plywood, tree branches and other material, Keller said. A gas generator was being used to supply electricity via extension cords to appliances and there were propane heaters in use, he said.
“Everything was combustible,” Keller said of the structure. “When the fire broke out, it was an easy target for destruction.”
As of Monday afternoon, Savannah Fire investigators had not yet determined the exact cause of the fire.
2 3rd ID soldiers killed in Vidalia
A current 3rd Infantry Division soldier and a former soldier were killed in what civilian law enforcement investigators are calling a domestic dispute this weekend.
Dead are Spc. Samuel Tellu and Miranda Nichols. Nichols was found dead with a gunshot outside of her mother’s home in Vidalia Saturday, said Kevin Larson, Fort Stewart spokesman.
Tellu was also found dead with a gunshot inside his vehicle in Montgomery County on Sunday.
Tellu was assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd ID, as a petroleum specialist. He had one deployment, Fall 2009 to Fall 2010, to Afghanistan.
Nichols served in the 3rd ID and the Georgia National Guard.
The incident remains under investigation; agents from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Command are assisting with the investigation.
Customer drives through Savannah jewelry store
A customer reportedly coming to pick up her jewelry Saturday afternoon at Harkleroad Diamonds & Fine Jewelry on Abercorn Street crashed into the store.
A Savannah-Chatham police accident report indicates Christina Wands of Savannah entered the parking lot at a high rate of speed in a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan about 4:11 p.m., making a sharp turn into a parking spot just in front of the jewelry store window. Instead of stopping, Wands apparently drove through the window and into the store.
Police at the scene were told there were no injuries, according to the report. The store’s owner, Marion Harkleroad, however, said the car drove into his office and that he was injured when the desk he was sitting at and other objects hit him.
According to a statement released by Harkleroad, the car drove through two jewelry showcases.
Wands, 84, was charged with reckless driving, said police spokeswoman Gena Bilbo.
Harkleroad said the store would be open by this morning.
Police looking for alleged GameStop robber
Savannah-Chatham police are looking for a man investigators believe robbed a GameStop twice.
Mark Owens, 25, has warrants on file for two armed robberies that occurred at the GameStop on Victory Drive, said Gena Bilbo, police spokeswoman. Detectives believe Owens went into the GameStop just after 2 p.m. Sept. 23 and demanded money while holding a gun. Police believe he robbed the same location again just after 8 p.m. Nov. 9.
Owens is a black male who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds, Bilbo said. Police ask anyone with information on Owens’ whereabouts to call Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include “CStop2020” plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
Two Savannah sex offenders still missing
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating two missing sex offenders.
Christopher Aaron Walter, 30, was being monitored by the Georgia Department of Corrections Probation Program. He was convicted in 2002 in Georgia for enticing a child for indecent purposes and has been labeled a sexual predator by the state, said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Michelle Gavin. Walter disabled his electronic ankle monitor on Nov. 13 and his probation officer took out a warrant for his arrest on Nov. 14, Gavin said.
Probation officers notified the U.S. Marshals’ Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the sheriff’s office’s Sex Offender Registration and Tracking Unit, but the three agencies have exhausted all leads. Gavin said Walter is homeless, and that when he registered as a sex offender with the sheriff’s office on Sept. 12, he indicated he lived under the Talmadge Bridge. He has no known family members in the Savannah area, Gavin said.
Kyle Lamont Gadson, 41, convicted of rape in 1992, is also unaccounted for. Gadson was last seen at the sheriff’s office July 23 when he came to the SORT unit for his annual registration, Gavin said. SORT investigators went to verify his home address Oct. 4 and Gadson’s father said he did not live there, Gavin said. The sheriff’s office issued a Recorder’s Court warrant for Gadson on Oct. 15 and has exhausted all leads trying to locate him, Gavin said.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Walter or Gadson to contact the SORT unit at 912-656-5715, Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020 or to call 911.
SEX OFFENDERS MAP
Go to savannahnow.com to search for registered sex offenders in the Savannah area.
Fire destroys Savannah apartment
An early morning fire Monday at the Windsor Crossing condominiums destroyed one apartment and two others were damaged by smoke.
Firefighters arrived at 12510 White Bluff Road at 1:48 a.m., and saw smoke and flames coming out of unit No. 1003, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, but smoke spread to the adjoining units, he said.
No one was home at the time of the fire, and as of Monday afternoon, Savannah Fire investigators had not been able to contact the tenants, Keller said.
The Red Cross provided funds for food and temporary shelter for one couple in one of the smoke-damaged units. The couple in the other unit damaged by smoke chose to stay in their apartment but received food, said Robin Wingate, executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Georgia Chapters.
The fire is still under investigation, and a cause has not yet been determined. Keller said that it appeared the fire may have started between the kitchen and dining room areas.
Rincon mobile home destroyed by fire
A double-wide mobile home on Austin Drive in Rincon was destroyed by a fire about 10 a.m. Monday
The fire began in the kitchen of the home, said Rincon Fire Chief Corey Rahn.
A family of two adults and three children was displaced from their home, Rahn said. No injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross responded and reported providing the family with food, clothing, including seasonal garments like coats, and temporary emergency shelter. Red Cross officials said they may provide additional assistance, such as first month rent or deposit, when the family locates to another residence.
Rincon and Springfield Fire Departments responded.
Savannah-Chatham’s crisis coordinator named top in state
The Crisis Intervention Team coordinator for the Savannah-Chatham police department has been named Georgia’s CIT coordinator of the year.
Dorothy Cave was presented the award this month at the National Alliance on Mental Illness conference in Sea Island, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
Cave has been working with the Crisis Intervention Team since 2005, Miller said.
CIT is made up of professionals committed to helping people with mental illness and other disorders. It is sponsored by NAMI, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the GBI, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Georgia Sheriff’s Association and Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
Law enforcement officers who are trained in CIT can effectively assist individuals with mental illness and other brain disorders who are in crisis, advancing public safety and reducing the stigma commonly associated with mental illness, Miller said.
Compiled by Dash Coleman, Josh Rayburn and DeAnn Komanecky