Crime

Ex-Hall County Schools electrician arrested for theft

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013, 9:58am

Ex-Hall County Schools electrician arrested for theft

HALL COUNTY, Ga. -- A retired Hall County Schools employee has been charged with stealing more than $55,000 from the school district.

Ricky Donald Loggins, 48, turned himself in to Hall County Sheriff's officials Tuesday.

PHOTOS | Mug Shots: See 'em to Believe 'em

Hall County Sheriff's Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks said Loggins is accused of manipulating the school system's repair and maintenance contract paperwork, which allowed him to obtain excess equipment and supplies. He then sold the materials and pocketed the money. The discrepancies in the paperwork were discovered during an internal audit.

Loggins worked as an electrician for Hall County Schools for 31 years and retired last month, Wilbanks said.

He was charged with felony theft by conversion and is currently free on $5,000 bond.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Teen arrested for Flowery Branch HS Instagram threat

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, 11:54pm

Teen arrested for Flowery Branch HS Instagram threat

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The familly of a teenage girl arrested after writing about a possible shooting at Flowery Branch High School, says this has been one big misunderstanding.

Tiffani Torres, 18, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and released on bond around 5:30 that night. A judge ordered her to stay away from social media sites, the internet and her cell phone. She was also given a 10 p.m. curfew.

PHOTOS | Mug shots: See 'em to believe 'em

Hall County Sheriff Sgt. Kiley Sargent said Torres was charged with one count of disruption of a public school after posting a threatening message on Instagram. Torres is a senior at Flowery Branch High School.

View Comments | Post a Comment

SPECIAL REPORT: Drug traffickers operating Sandy Springs rehab center

Submitted by Devin Fehely, 11Alive Reporter

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012, 3:45am

SPECIAL REPORT: Drug traffickers operating Sandy Springs rehab center

11Alive News has learned that two metro Atlanta men who recently pled guilty to federal drug trafficking charges have been operating a Sandy Springs facility for recovering addicts for several years.

In October, federal prosecutors announced the indictment of Drew T. Green, Thomas Malone Jr. and eight others for drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy, alleging they were operating one of the largest synthetic drug cartels in the country.

Federal prosecutors say Green and Malone's company Nutragenomics sold millions of dollars worth of chemicals used to manufacture so-called designer drugs like synthetic marijuana and bath salts.

"I've come to a point where I refuse to use the term synthetic marijuana. It gives these poisons too much credence," said Lance Dyer whose son Dakota committed suicide after smoking a synthetic marijuana product named "Mr. Miyagi."

"These drugs are literally poisons."

View Comments | Post a Comment

Man arrested for child pornography

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, March 16th, 2012, 7:47am

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- A Hall County man was arrested Monday for having child pornography on his computer.

Officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested 40-year-old Tim Carlton Quick after obtaining evidence of his peer-to-peer sharing of the child porn.

Members of the GBI's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force performed a forensic preview of Quick's computer at the suspect's home on Sundial Avenue in Flowery Branch. They located "multiple files of suspected child pornography," according to GBI spokesman John Bankhead.

Quick is charged with one count of child pornography. He is being held in the Hall County Jail.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Ga. woman pleads not guilty to murder charge

Submitted by Eden Godbee, Where U Live Producer

Thursday, December 15th, 2011, 1:23pm

Ga. woman pleads not guilty to murder charge

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia woman pleaded not guilty to charges that she stabbed to death a 26-year-old man.

Local newspaper, the Gainesville Times is reporting Lisheena Kinanna Cantrell on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to murder, aggravated assault, battery and simple battery charges.

Prosecutors say the 22-year-old stabbed Eveccio Ballard in the neck during a Sept. 5 dispute between the two and another woman.

Gainesville Police Sgt. Chad Ford said Cantrell and Ballard had an "on-and-off" relationship, but police would not reveal a suspected motive for the killing.

Defense attorney Travis Williams declined comment on his defense strategy.

View Comments | Post a Comment

2 suspects sought for robbery inside taxi

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Thursday, November 17th, 2011, 12:10pm

2 suspects sought for robbery inside taxi

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Investigators with the Hall County Sheriff's Office are looking for two men accused of robbing a taxi driver.

The victim, who works for Taxi Los Potros, told police that he picked up the suspects on Atlanta Highway at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and took them to a mobile home park in the 100 block of McConnell Drive.

When the taxi arrived at its location, the victim said one of the men produced a handgun. When the driver tried to reach for his own gun, the two men overpowered him, stole his handgun and ran from the cab.

The driver described his attackers as Hispanic men in their late teens or early 20s. Both were wearing hooded sweatshirts.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Hall County Sheriff's Office at 770-533-7674.

View Comments | Post a Comment

HALL: $21,5000 in cattle stolen

Submitted by Associated Press

Thursday, November 17th, 2011, 9:58am

GILLSVILLE, Ga. -- The Hall County Sheriff's Office is investigating the theft of 30 cattle from a holding pen in Gillsville.

The owner, Wayne Wright of Jefferson, told authorities he had put the cattle in the pen and planned to move them to another property. Hall County sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks says when Wright returned the following day, he discovered the cattle were missing.

Wilbanks says the 15 cows and 15 calves are of mixed colors, and some are branded with the letters "WT" on the hip. They have a total value of $21,500.

Wilbanks says it's the first report of cattle rustling in the county in three years, and that involved a dairy cow which was later recovered.

View Comments | Post a Comment