While Savannah-Chatham police have had their hands full tackling crime and dealing with critics who say it’s out of control, west Chatham County experienced a mix in crime trends in 2012.

Pooler, one of Georgia’s fastest growing cities, saw overall FBI classified Part I crimes increase in 2012. In smaller Garden City, where the population has been on the decline, crime fell last year, while crime also dropped in growing Port Wentworth.

Still, all those cities point to community policing for keeping crime manageable.

Checking rising crime in Pooler

Part I crimes include homicide, rape, property crime, aggravated assault and robbery.

In Pooler, those crimes increased by 5 percent, from 531 in 2011 to 556 in 2012. In 2012, there were 31,932 calls for service compared to 28,846 in 2011, according to city data.

“Obviously growth would be a large factor,” police Chief Mark Revenew explained.

“Also, I think the minor deviations is attributable to the cyclical nature of crime and the numerous dependent variables. We had decreases from 2010-11 and anticipate some minor fluctuations. However, myself and our senior staff review every incident daily to better combat these crimes and protect our city.”

Chatham County’s second largest city isn’t known for murders but it has experienced a homicide in at least each of the past two years.

On Feb. 24, 2012, forklift operator Nickifor Zephyrine, 28, of Savannah was fatally shot in the head at a Pooler warehouse by a co-worker, according to police. Christopher Jesse Lema of Savannah was charged with homicide.

“Every municipality experiences sporadic violent crimes that almost always involve people from outside our jurisdiction perpetrating these crimes within our city,” said Revenew.

“Unfortunately, there is little a police department can do to prevent these isolated incidents. All we can do is thoroughly investigate them and ensure the offenders are brought before the appropriate judicial systems.”

The city did experience a noticeable drop in reported motor vehicle thefts over the past year, from 37 to 23 in 2012.

Revenew said new state laws which increased accountability and reporting by scrap metal yards have made stealing by traveling theft rings and others looking for scrap metal, which Pooler has experienced, less likely.

Burglaries though increased by 39 percent, or 31 incidents, in 2012, totalling 111.

However, Revenew noted that Georgia recently reclassified burglary, which previously was a crime against or involving a dwelling. Now, unlawfully entering another person’s vehicle — which was classified as “entering an auto” — is classified as second degree burglary.

Policing in Garden City

Garden City police Capt. Donald Chapman Jr. also cited reclassification in explaining the 47 percent increase in burglaries in his city, from 110 in 2011 to 162 in 2012.

“Additionally, we did have one suspect who was arrested for a burglary during 2012,” he said. “Once that suspect was in custody we saw a substantial decrease in burglaries.”

Garden City experienced a big drop in larceny cases in the past year.

In 2011, there were 303 larcenies, which fell to 219 in 2012. Chapman attributed the drop to an emphasis on community oriented policing, which he said includes instilling an appropriate culture, daily methods of operation and the deployment of a COP specialist in the community.

The department has a total of 41 full-time officers who are trained to proactively identify suspicious activity and familiarize themselves with who lives and works in the community, Chapman said.

“That’s how we do business,” said Chapman. “Interaction with the community and getting out of the cars and out on foot is a staple of our daily operations. We believe being proactive, COP-based and highly visible makes us successful in keeping crime down as much as possible with the resources we have.”

The approach to law enforcement seems to be working as Part I crimes decreased by 7 percent over the past year from 581 to 541 in 2012. There was no homicide in 2012. Garden City received 23,330 calls for service in 2012, down from 27,099 calls the year before.

“Although there was a small population decrease we find that has no bearing on our crime statistics,” Chapman said. “Garden City has a very large ‘day-time population,’ which does receive police services when needed.”

Fewer Port Wentworth officers and crimes

The cities of Pooler and Port Wentworth are where much of the county’s population growth has occurred in recent years.

Port Wentworth Public Safety Director Matt Libby, who took over the police department in 2011, said he has been “very pleased” with the department’s performance, despite being down two officers for six months and four officers at one point last year. There are 21 officers on the police force.

Part I crimes in the city dropped 17 percent over the past year from 153 to 127 in 2012. There was one homicide and a decline in reported burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft cases, which Libby credited to proactive policing and public cooperation in solving cases.

“We stress to our officers that we want them in all of these neighborhoods repeatedly throughout the day,” he said.

Still, the small city is not without its own unique set of problems, which Libby identified as rising incidents of domestic violence and gun violence. There were 27,054 calls for service last year in Port Wentworth.

“Domestics are hard for us to quantify because there are a lot that aren’t reported,” he said.

“We had more gun violence — not a ton, we’re not Savannah — but we’ve had more gun violence the last couple of years than I ever remember. I just think that’s society in general. You have bad people out there trying to get guns.”

Lessons for Savannah

Earlier this year, Savannah-Chatham police reported a 12.1 percent decrease in Part I crime, highlighted by a 13.1 percent decline in property crime. Those statistics, however, have come under questioning and have led to an FBI audit of the complaints regarding their accuracy.

As Savannah-Chatham police deal with concerns about violent crime in Savannah, west Chatham law enforcement officials were hesitant to offer sideline advice to their brethren in blue.

Revenew described Savannah-Chatham precincts as “mini-cities in themselves with each one having their own problems.” Chapman praised Chief Willie Lovett and his officers, and said the department has a “great reputation amongst other law enforcement agencies in the area.”

On the other hand, Libby, who recently returned from training in Texas, said taking a proactive strategy in crime fighting and having officers seen daily in neighborhoods and even in schools has proven to be widely successful.

“Just letting people know we’re serving them and work for them,” he said. “We need them to work with us so we can make a safer community.”

West Chatham Crime Numbers

Pooler, population 19,640

Homicide: 1

Forcible rape: 4

Robbery: 11

Aggravated assault: 8

Burglary: 111

Larceny-theft: 396

Motor vehicle theft: 23

Arson: 2

Garden City, population 9,001

Homicide: 0

Forcible rape: 4

Robbery: 18

Aggravated assault: 96

Burglary: 162

Larceny-theft: 219

Motor vehicle theft: 39

Arson: 3

Port Wentworth, population 5,492

Homicide: 0

Forcible rape: 1

Robbery: 4

Aggravated assault: 9

Burglary: 26

Larceny-theft: 78

Motor vehicle theft: 8

Arson: 1

Source: Police departments and 2011 U.S. Census estimates

Local drug agents and federal probation officers Tuesday morning arrested a Savannah man and his two sons after an investigation determined they’d been distributing controlled substances.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team began investigating 46-year-old Ernest Moore earlier this month after receiving information he was selling marijuana while still on federal probation for a previous drug-related conviction, said Gene Harley, CNT spokesman.

CNT agents and federal probation officers conducted a search of Moore’s home in the 10600 block of Abercorn Street Tuesday morning, where they discovered a large amount of marijuana, most of which was packaged for distribution; items typically used in the process of distributing controlled substances; and two guns, Harley said. Agents also seized about $3,900 cash.

Moore and his two sons, 22-year-old Kiwani Patterson and 27-year-old Terrell Patterson, who are all felons, were present at the home and arrested, Harley said.

Agents charged Moore and Kiwani Patterson with numerous felonies, including possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. All three men were charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The men were transported to the Chatham County jail and are expected to be arraigned in Recorder’s Court today.

Two jailed as child center run by teen closes

Two women were sentenced to 10 days in jail Tuesday after Savannah-Chatham police and county authorities found a 14-year-old child in charge of 11 children, age 4 or younger, at an illegal, unlicensed day care center, police reported.

Kimberly Denise Emerson and Erica Hayward were both sentenced for contempt of court after they were found to be operating the day care center after being ordered not to, police said.

Police said the day care center had not obtained licenses from either the county or state since authorities first became aware of it last October.

In January, the women were cited on continuing to operate the center at 1190 King George Blvd., known as Georgetown Child Care Center, and ordered to stop in Recorders Court. Instead, police said it reopened as Georgetown Fitness Center for children.

County inspectors visited the center two weeks ago and caught the operators sneaking children out of the back door in the rain without shoes to hide them in a van, said police spokesman Julian Miller. On another occasion, he said they attempted to drive them away in an automobile without seat belts or child safety seats.

The following day, authorities arrived to find the screaming children hidden in a bathroom with no lights.

On Tuesday, Savannah-Chatham police arrived to find a family member of one of the women had left the facility in the hands of a 14-year-old. The center was closed permanently.

Assistant Chatham County Attorney Jennifer Burns, who oversaw the county actions, advised parents not to leave their children in the care of these operators.

Ogeechee River flooding

National Weather Service Charleston, S.C., has placed Chatham County in a flood warning.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency reported that the Ogeechee River is experiencing minor flooding and that it had reached 10.9 feet as of 10 a.m. Tuesday. Flood stage is 9 feet.

By Friday, the river is forecasted to be at 11.3 feet, which is still considered a minor flood stage.

The river is expected to flood over the river banks, CEMA reported. Rainfall in the latter part of this week could impact flooding as well, it said.

The National Weather Service alerts residents 24 hours before rivers reach flood stages so that they can prepare for flooding. Reports of any flooding along the river in Chatham County is requested.

Section of Whitefield Avenue to be paved today

Georgia Department of Transportation contractors today will be paving a portion of Whitefield Avenue that will likely cause traffic delays.

From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., weather permitting, crews will be working on the road starting from near Mistwood Lane to about the Diamond Causeway.

A temporary flagging operation will be used to direct traffic through the work zone; motorists are asked to pay close attention, reduce speeds and observe all signs, barrels and messages throughout the area.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein and Marcus E. Howard

Opening statements were scheduled today for the trial of two men in the May abduction and robbery that paralyzed downtown Savannah and the Olde Pink House Restaurant.

Kevin Dale Brooks, 27, and Brian Jones, 24, are on trial in Chatham County Superior Court on armed robbery and related charges in the May 17 abduction of a third man that resulted in a gunshot being fired by police at Bull and Broughton streets.

Each man has pleaded not guilty.

Eight women and four men were selected Wednesday as jurors in the case that is expected to last into Monday.

Chief Judge Michael Karpf earlier denied a motion by Jones’ attorney to sever the cases for trial.

Both men was charged with robbing Earl Hamilton of jewelry by use of an offensive weapon, burglary, and false imprisonment of Hamilton and his 12-year-old son.

Jones is charged with theft by taking of a Cadillac SUV owned by Hamilton’s girlfriend, Erica Grant.

Brooks alone is charged with kidnapping the elder Hamilton and possession of cocaine.

Assistant District Attorney Jerry Rothschild contends the pair were targeting drug dealers and intended to rob Hamilton of drugs and money when they broke into his home at 1108 Milton St. late May 16.

During the ensuing hours, police said Hamilton and his son were held overnight at gunpoint at their home, then Brooks forced Hamilton the next morning to drive his silver Jaguar downtown to get money from a credit union, police said.

Hamilton alerted Savannah-Chatham Detective Trina Mayes at Bull and Broughton streets of his plight. Mayes fired a gunshot into the car and Brooks fled, dropping a stolen pistol in Johnson Square as he ran to the basement at the Pink House on Reynolds Square, where he barricaded himself inside until police with a K-9 forced his surrender after a three-hour standoff, police said.

Meanwhile, police went to Hamilton’s home where Jones was holding Hamilton’s son. Jones backed the SUV out of the garage before wrecking it on a utility poll and fleeing into nearby woods where he was arrested, police said.

Before jury selection began Wednesday, Jones complained to Karpf that he had not been offered a plea deal by prosecutors and was being forced to trial.

“I don’t understand why I can’t get a deal,” he told Karpf.

“We’re not making him an offer,” Rothschild responded.

Rothschild took over the case under the Major Case Division. An earlier plea offer had been rejected by the defendant.

The exchange followed Assistant Public Defender Bob Attridge telling the judge his client wanted to fire him for failing to get a plea offer.

“I take it you don’t want to discharge your lawyer,” Karpf asked Jones.

When the defendant did not answer, Karpf said he would take that silence for agreement and proceeded with jury selection.

A convicted sex offender accused of cutting his ankle monitor and fleeing Chatham County in November was captured Tuesday in San Francisco.

Police there stopped 30-year-old Christopher Aaron Walter riding a bicycle near an elementary school where he acted nervous and provided an officer with a false name, said Michelle Gavin, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. Walter eventually admitted he was wanted in Georgia and investigators arrested him.

Walter who was convicted in 2002 for enticing a child for indecent purposes and had been labeled a sexual predator by the state. Gavin said Walter had last registered as homeless with the sheriff’s office’s Sexual Offender Registry Team — or S.O.R.T. — and had been living under the Talmadge Bridge. He cut his required electronic monitoring device on Nov. 13 and fled the area.

Walter will be extradited back to Chatham County and faces charges including probation violation and failing to register as a sex offender.

He was the only registered sex offender listed as absconded by S.O.R.T.

Man’s body found near I-95 in Richmond Hill

The body of a white male approximately 60 years old was discovered near Interstate 95 at exit 90 in Richmond Hill, police say.

Richmond Hill police Lt. Dana Strickland said a maintenance worker preparing to mow next to the interstate discovered the body.

“We don’t suspect foul play, but to be sure, he has been taken to the crime lab in Atlanta for an autopsy,” Strickland said.

Police have a tentative ID on the man, but have not released a name.

The body found lying in a ditch had been there for some time, Strickland said.

“The last time anyone remembers seeing him was around Jan. 27,” Strickland said.

State takes over investigation into illegal child care center

State authorities on Wednesday took over the investigation into a day care center in Chatham County that was shut down Tuesday by Savannah-Chatham police and Chatham County fire marshals.

The unlicensed business — named at different times George Town Child Care Center and George Town Fitness Center and located at 1190 King George Blvd. — was closed after investigators from the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services through the Department of Early Childcare and Learning advised the Savannah-Chatham Special Victims Unit they had opened an investigation, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Police officers on Tuesday accompanied county authorities as they delivered a cease and desist order issued by the Chatham County Recorder’s Court, said Miller. At the business they discovered one adult and a 14-year-old caring for 11 children younger than 5 years old.

The adult locked the front door and fled the center as officers arrived, leaving all the children under the teenager’s watch, Miller said.

Two of the day care center’s operators, 47-year-old Kimberly Denise Emerson and 36-year-old Erica Denise McKinney, who is also known as Erica Hayward, were sentenced Tuesday in Recorder’s Court to 10 days in the Chatham County jail for violating a court order.

Miller said both women had substantial arrest records in Savannah. Emerson has been arrested for charges including prostitution, fraud and multiple drug offenses.

Records show the child care center had been closed in Richmond Hill, Miller said. Most of the children at the center were from that area.

On Wednesday, a Savannah-Chatham police officer was stationed at the center to assure that no parents dropped children off there.

Second man charged in January Turtle Creek shooting

Savannah-Chatham police on Tuesday arrested and charged a second man in connection to a Jan. 23 shooting at a southside apartment complex.

Detectives charged 23-year-old Harold Edward Hodges IV, with a felony count of criminal attempt at armed robbery.

Investigators determined Hodges and 21-year-old Ernest Patterson were involved in a drug-related confrontation at Turtle Creek Apartments in the 11900 block of White Bluff Road, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

During the incident a 25-year-old man was struck by a bullet fired through his apartment door, Miller said.

Earlier this month police arrested Patterson, the alleged shooter, and charged him with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempted armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the commission of a crime.

The 25-year-old was treated for the gunshot wound at a local hospital and has since been released.

Miller said violent crimes detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting and additional charges could be added.

Anyone with information on the case is asked 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.

Man dies in morning car crash

A 52-year-old man died Wednesday after a medical problem led to a morning crash on Johnny Mercer Boulevard.

Sam Clarence Arnold, of Savannah, died at Memorial University Medical Center from injuries received when his Toyota Corolla crashed into a utility poll about 10 a.m., said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Savannah-Chatham’s Major Accident Investigation Team determined a medical problem caused the crash, they are continuing to investigate the incident, Miller said.

Wide load to cause delays Friday in Effingham

A wide load moving from Plant McIntosh in Rincon to Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro will cause delays in traffic in Effingham County on Friday.

Big reader boards are warning motorists to expect delays when the huge piece of equipment, a deaerator, is moved, starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday and continuing through 2:30 p.m. Friday.

The piece of equipment, which is two lanes wide, will travel on Ebenezer Road and on Ga. 21 northbound on Friday.

Motorists are being advised to use extreme caution in its vicinity and to follow instructions from the law enforcement escort.

Traffic will be slowed or even stopped at some points because of the load.

The mega load will continue from Screven County into Burke County on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The route the load will take: in Effingham County, Ebenezer Road to Ga. 21 northbound. In Screven County, it will travel on Ga. 21 to U.S. 301, then Ga. 24.

In Burke County, the load will travel on Ga. 24, Murray Hill Road, Millhaven Road, Ga. 23 and Ebenezer Church Road.

Man indicted in December shooting death

A Savannah man on Wednesday was indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the December death of 19-year-old Rashamel Howard.

Antoine Drummond caused Howard’s death on Dec. 7 “while in the commission of reckless conduct” by the accidental discharge of a gun, the Chatham County grand jury determined.

Savannah-Chatham police said the victim was critically injured when a gun being handled by several men discharged in the carport of a residence in the first block of West 53rd Street.

Roadwork scheduled for Abercorn on southside Saturday

Georgia Department of Transportation contractors will close two eastbound lanes of Abercorn Street on Savannah’s southside for most of Saturday.

The temporary lane closures to construct a median in the area will begin at 7 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m.; they will stretch from Holland Drive to Wilshire Boulevard.

Motorists’ access to businesses, schools and residences in the are should not be hindered.

Drivers are asked to drive carefully in the work zone and to use alternate routes if possible.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein, Jamie Parker, Jan Skutch, and G.G. Rigsby.

Evidence closed Friday afternoon in the case of the two men charged with the May 16-17 robbery and abduction that ended at the Olde Pink House.

Chatham County Superior Court Judge Michael Karpf directed jurors to return to the courthouse at 9 a.m. Monday to hear closing arguments and instrutions on law before beginning deliberations which he anticipated after lunch Monday.

Assistant District Attorney Jerry Rothschild completed his main case about 2 p.m. Defense attorneys were to begin their case immediately.

A police detective testified today that Bryan Jones admitted searching a westside home for drugs but denied having a gun during a home invasion in May.

Jones, one of two men on trial in the May 17 robbery and abduction case, told police he heard that Earl Hamilton had "work" which was described as a code name for having drugs, Savannah-Chatham detective Johnathan Puhala told a Chatham County Superior Court jury today.

Prosecution testimony has been that two gunmen accosted Hamilton and his 12-year-old son Earl B. Hamilton at their home 1108 Milton Street late May 16, holding them overnight. Only one recovered weapon, a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun, has been placed in evidence.

Puhala, the lead detective in the case, remained on the witness stand for cross examination.

Earl B. Hamilton, 13, testified Thursday he feared for his safety from an armed bandit at his home in May, but said he misled police because of a “promise on my soul” with his abductor.

“I was scared for my well-being,” Hamilton, who was 12 at the time, told the Chatham County Superior Court jury.

The gunman, Brian Jones, 24, held him at gunpoint from late May 16 until the following morning as Jones and a second man ransacked the home at 1108 Milton St. for drugs, money and jewelry.

He never saw the second man, whom prosecutors contend was co-defendant Kevin Dale Brooks, 27, but heard a second man demand the items from the boy’s father, Earl Hamilton, 60.

“I prayed I’d get out of that situation,” he said.

The defendants are charged with armed robbery and related charges in the case. Each man has pleaded not guilty.

Judge Michael Karpf told jurors at the close of evidence Thursday the trial was proceeding ahead of schedule and offered the possibility the case could go to the jury by this afternoon rather than Monday as he previously indicated.

The young Hamilton’s testimony opened the state’s case against Jones and Brooks stemming from what Assistant District Attorney Jerry Rothschild told jurors was “anarchy these defendants caused the next day” in downtown Savannah.

That included a kidnapping of the elder Hamilton who fled his abductor, Brooks, at Bull and Broughton streets outside Starbucks, and a Savannah-Chatham police detective firing a gunshot into Hamilton’s Jaguar auto.

Brooks then fled ahead of a massive police reaction to the Olde Pink House Restaurant on Reynolds Square and was arrested by police SWAT team officers and K-9 unit after a several-hour standoff.

Rothschild has told the eight women and four men jurors in opening statements Thursday the defendants were targeting drug dealers in their home invasion at Hamilton’s Milton Street home.

But Brooks’ attorney, Richard Darden, told jurors the elder Hamilton was “a drug dealer, a convicted drug dealer … a many times convicted drug dealer” and said police found items related to the drug trade when they searched his home afterward.

He conceded his client “did something” wrong in the case but said he was not guilty of “most of the charges in this case.”

And Assistant Public Defender Falen Cox, co-counsel for Jones, said the elder Hamilton had been out drinking on May 16 celebrating his birthday, noting he was a “drug dealer whose business was booming.”

Testimony showed the younger Hamilton escaped the next morning as police surrounded the home after the assailant fled to the attic. He initially mislead officers, explaining he did not want to balk at his promise.

The elder Hamilton told jurors he arrived home to be confronted by two armed bandits, one with a submachine gun and the other with a 9 mm handgun.

“They tore my house up,” he told the jury.

Police witnesses testified they found the “house was in obvious disarray” when they executed a search there May 17.

Hamilton said Brooks “was basically running the show,” adding Brooks took items of jewelry, which he stuffed in a Crown Royal bag.

Police recovered the bag and jewelry from Brooks when he was arrested at the Pink House. Also in the bag was about 10.5 grams of powdered cocaine.

“That’s what he owed me,” Brooks told police at his arrest. “I got shot at.”

Hamilton, who became argumentative on cross-examination, testified he had dealt drugs early in life, including a drug addiction, but told jurors he had no drugs in the house.

“I’m too old to go to jail now,” he testified.

But defense lawyers got him to testify he was on probation on a drug sentence in May, explaining he had a “relapse.”

He denied a scenario offered by Jones co-counsel Bob Attridge, an assistant public defender, that Hamilton had a deal to sell drugs to Jones on May 16 and provided poor quality product to Jones that night.

Hamilton told his assailants he had no drugs or money at the house, but said he had $5,000 in a Georgia’s Own credit union account where he took Brooks the next day.

When he saw Savannah-Chatham police detective Trina Mayes at the Starbucks, Hamilton jumped from the still-moving car, yelling he was being robbed and that his assailant meant to kill him.

Mayes testified she stopped at the Starbucks for a cup of tea and heard a vehicle pull like it was about to run over her.

“He has a gun. He’s going to kill me,” she testified Hamilton was screaming.

“He was going to shoot me or run me over,” Mayes said of the Jaguar driver. “I drew my weapon and fired.”

Her gunshot went through the upper windshield of the Jaguar but did not hit Brooks inside. He rolled out with a gun and fled.

Police recovered a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun from under bushes in Johnson Square where Brooks attempted to hide.

No machine gun was reported recovered from either scene.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office traveled into Screven County Wednesday and arrested a man for manufacturing methamphetamine at his residence near Newington.

Sheriff’s spokesman David Ehsanipoor said Screven County Sheriff Mike Kile had asked Effingham’s drug suppression team for help addressing a drug problem near Newington.

Effingham drug agents discovered a meth lab at a residence on Runs Branch Road, as well as ingredients used to make meth. They arrested 42-year-old Tracy Austin of Newington.

Ehsanipoor said Austin has an extensive criminal history and has served prison time for charges including manufacturing methamphetamine.

He was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of tools during the commission of a crime. He remains in the Screven County jail.

Effingham sheriff seeks cross-dressing fraud suspect

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help locating a person suspected of passing fraudulent checks at several local stores.

Deputies are looking for Johnny Green, 37, of Garden City or the Savannah area.

Green is possibly driving a 2001 tan Chevrolet Venture minivan displaying Georgia tag BSQ 0263. Green is known to dress as a woman and use several aliases for identification purposes, said Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor.

Deputies obtained video surveillance showing Green dressed as a female in Walmart in Effingham County as well as Walgreens in Garden City and Target in Brunswick.

Green has an extensive criminal history and has been arrested 18 times in Georgia for financial-related crimes.

Anyone with information on Green’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office at 912-754-3449.

Traffic delay in Effingham today

A wide load moving from Plant McIntosh in Rincon to Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro will cause traffic delays in Effingham County today.

Big reader boards are warning motorists to expect delays when the huge piece of equipment, a deaerator, is moved, starting at 8:30 a.m. and continuing through 2:30 p.m.

The piece of equipment, which is two lanes wide, will travel on Ebenezer Road and on Ga. 21 northbound today.

Motorists are being advised to use extreme caution in its vicinity and to follow instructions from the law enforcement escort.

Traffic will be slowed or even stopped at some points because of the load.

The mega load will continue from Screven County into Burke County on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The route the load will take: in Effingham County, Ebenezer Road to Ga. 21 northbound. In Screven County, it will travel on Ga. 21 to U.S. 301, then Ga. 24.

In Burke County, the load will travel on Ga. 24, Murray Hill Road, Millhaven Road, Ga. 23 and Ebenezer Church Road.

Roadwork scheduled for Abercorn on southside Saturday

Georgia Department of Transportation contractors will close two eastbound lanes of Abercorn Street on Savannah’s southside for most of Saturday.

The temporary lane closures to construct a median in the area will begin at 7 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m. and will stretch from Holland Drive to Wilshire Boulevard.

Motorists’ access to businesses, schools and residences in the area should not be hindered.

Drivers are asked to drive carefully in the work zone and to use alternate routes if possible.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein, Josh Rayburn and Marcus E. Howard

ON THE WEB

To see pictures and details for individuals serving their initial incarceration in Chatham County, as reported by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, go to ChathamCountyBooked.com.

Two people were killed and three others injured in a multi-vehicle wreck that crippled traffic throughout much of Savannah Friday afternoon.

Savannah-Chatham police shut down Interstate 516 between Veteran’s Parkway and Montgomery Street after the driver of a pickup truck traveling eastbound lost control, swerved over the median, and struck two vehicles, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

The police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team determined the 22-year-old driver of the Ford F-250 was driving at a high rate of speed before he lost control of the vehicle that rolled over into a car before crashing into a westbound SUV carrying a family from Brooklet, Miller said.

Stephen Carroll Joyner, 29, the Toyota RAV4’s driver, and his wife, Camie Barnes Joyner, 31, died at the scene of the about 2:15 p.m. crash. Their 3-year-old daughter was taken to Memorial University Medical Center, where she was listed Friday night in serious but stable condition.

The driver of the F-250 was also listed in serious but stable condition, Miller said. The 47-year-old driver of a motorcycle who crashed trying to avoid the initial wreck was treated for his injuries at Memorial and released.

The wreck shut down I-516 for nearly three hours, forcing motorists to seek alternate routes and creating congestion throughout the city’s surface roads even after the highway was reopened just after 5 p.m.

Late Friday night MAIT was continuing its investigation into the wreck, Miller said.

Roadwork scheduled for Abercorn on southside today

Georgia Department of Transportation contractors will close two eastbound lanes of Abercorn Street on Savannah’s southside for most of the day today.

The temporary lane closures to construct a median in the area will begin at 7 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m. and will stretch from Holland Drive to Wilshire Boulevard.

Motorists’ access to businesses, schools and residences in the area should not be hindered. Drivers are asked to drive carefully in the work zone and to use alternate routes if possible.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein

Savannah-Chatham police are investigating a shooting on Savannah’s southside that injured a 13-year-old Pooler boy early Saturday morning.

Southside Precinct patrol officers responded to a shots fired call from Deerfield Road and discovered the boy had injuries to his shoulder and jaw after shots were fired into his grandmother’s house, said police spokesman Julian Miller. The boy had been asleep on a sofa about the time of the 2:13 a.m shooting. Miller said the boy's injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Patrol, criminal investigators and forensics officers spent most of the night seeking clues  in to the shooting. 

Anyone with information  is asked 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.

A 13-year-old was shot while he slept on the couch in his grandmother’s Windsor Forest home early Saturday morning.

Just before 2:15 a.m., gunshots were fired into the single-story house in the 12400 block of Deerfield Road that backs up to Windsor Forest Elementary School.

Responding Savannah-Chatham police officers found the boy suffering from injuries to his shoulder and jaw, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. The teenager, who lives in Pooler, was expected to survive.

Investigators, as well as patrol and forensics officers, spent much of the night gathering evidence at the crime scene, Miller said.

Saturday evening, detectives and crime suppression officers in the area spoke with potential witnesses and continued searching for clues.

However, no description or information about possible suspects in the shooting was available as of Saturday night.

The incident came almost exactly a month after another teenager was shot in the Windsor Forest neighborhood.

Windsor Forest High School student Evan Colquitt, 17, died Jan. 22 after he was shot several times in front of a house in the 400 block of Sharondale Road, less than half a mile from Saturday’s shooting.

Colquit was Savannah’s second homicide victim of 2013 after 21-year-old Rebecca Foley, a student at Savannah State University, was shot to death the night before in the parking lot of the nearby Colonial Village at Marsh Cove apartment complex, in the 11400 block of White Bluff Road.

Like Saturday morning’s shooting, information about suspects in the killings of Foley and Colquitt have not been released.

Police have made two arrests connected to another January shooting in the same area of Savannah’s southside.

Ernest Patterson, 21, was arrested and charged with shooting a 25-year-old man Jan. 23 through a door at the Turtle Creek apartment complex, in the 11900 block of White Bluff.

Another man, 23-year-old Harold Edward Hodges IV, was also arrested in connection to that incident and charged with a felony count of criminal attempt at armed robbery.

Anyone with information about Saturday’s shooting or the slayings of Foley or Colquitt is asked 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.

A medical doctor from Waycross and five others have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiring to traffic in oxycodone, hydrocodone and other drugs through a purported pain clinic known as East Health Center that operated in Garden City.

The indictment, unsealed Monday, alleges that February through May 2011, the time East Health Center was open, members of the conspiracy unlawfully prescribed and caused to be prescribed more than 4 million milligrams of oxycodone without any legitimate medical purpose.

During this period, prescriptions were written for numerous “patients” who lived outside the state of Georgia, including more than 130 from Kentucky; more than 50 from North Carolina; more than 30 from South Carolina; and more than 80 from Florida.

Named in the indictment were Dr. Najam Azmat, 55, of Waycross; Sean Michael Clark, 34, Adelaida M. Lizama, 27, and Candace Anne Carreras, 25, all of Boca Raton, Fla.; and Daniel John Wise, 34, and Shelly Lynn Morford, 31, both of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Other targets of the investigation who have pleaded guilty for their role in the East Health Center pill mill were:

• Adelard LeFrancois III, 43, of Boca Raton; and Francis J. Barbuscia, 36, of Plantation, Fla., who entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. on Aug. 3. Each pleaded guilty to conspiring to dispense controlled substances, including oxycodone, without a legitimate medical purpose.

• Constantinos Afthinos, 32, of Florida pleaded guilty to misprision of felony on Nov. 5.

• Dr. Kenneth Gossett, 51, of Rome who pleaded guilty Nov. 7, to conspiring to dispense controlled substances, including oxycodone, without a legitimate medical purpose.

“During the last two years, we’ve seen a number of pill mills relocate their unlawful businesses to the state of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver. “These so-called clinics operate under the guise of a stethoscope and a white coat, and they prey upon their so-called ‘patients.’

“Any pill mills that seek to do business in the Southern District of Georgia can expect to be investigated and prosecuted like every other drug-trafficking organization that pushes poison in our communities.”

Harry S. Sommers, special agent in charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, reinforced Tarver’s statement.

“The DEA will continue to aggressively investigate those who cause to be dispensed addictive pain medications without legitimate medical purpose under the pretext of a medical doctor’s care,” Sommers said.

The indictment results from a joint investigation by the DEA, IRS — Criminal Investigations, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Chatham Savannah Counter Narcotics Team and the U.S. Marshals Service. Personnel from the Ware County Sheriff’s office assisted in making arrests.

Savannah-Chatham police Wednesday arrested a man for the Nov. 14 double shooting that killed a 25-year-old and left his brother in critical condition.

Christopher Alexander Johnson, 24, of a Garrard Avenue address, was arrested on a murder warrant by homicide detectives, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. Johnson was also charged with aggravated assault for the shooting that occurred at the home in the 700 block of West 49th Street where 25-year-old Maurice Antwan James and his 30-year-old brother Josh Detrimis James lived.

Police allege Johnson shot the younger James to death and also shot his brother, who was hospitalized but survived his injuries.

Johnson was released in June after serving six months in Hays State Prison for a 2009 cocaine possession charge, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records.

He had previously served two other prison terms for cocaine possession and distribution and obstructing a law enforcement officer, records show.

Miller said Savannah-Chatham homicide detectives are continuing to investigate the November shooting.

Police: Beware roving con man mechanic

Savannah-Chatham police Wednesday urged the public to be wary of people approaching them to offer to help fix problems with their vehicles.

Neighborhood watch members in Windsor Forest recently contacted police after they were approached by a man as they walked to their cars in parking lots in the area. The man offered to fix a problem with their cars, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

The suspect, described as a white male about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 185 pounds in his 50s with short brown hair, typically targets women, Miller said. He’s been seen wearing a baseball cap, gray jacket and blue pants.

He points to a collection of fluid near a wheel and tells the women that their brake fluid is leaking, Miller said. He advises them he can repair it, which will help them avoid an accident.

The man asks his targets for $18 to purchase the part and says he’ll return to fix it.

In one case, he approached a woman in the parking lot of a drug store on Abercorn Street, Miller said. The woman had his work checked in a garage later, and was told there was no problem with the car and no work had been done to it.

Police are asking anyone approached in a similar manner to immediately contact them before agreeing to any repairs.

MAIT investigates Friday fatal crash site

A crash scene investigation at the site of a fatal crash on Lynes Parkway took place from 10:45-11:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers from the Major Accident Investigation Team of the Savannah-Chatham police department were continuing on Wednesday to look into the crash that killed a couple Friday afternoon.

The crash on Friday occurred on Lynes Parkway (Interstate 516) between Veterans Parkway and the Montgomery Street intersection, when a pickup crossed the center line and collided with an SUV carrying the couple and their small child.

Advisory issued for Polk Street Beach

Public health officials have issued an advisory for Tybee Island’s Polk Street Beach after water quality tests indicated a high level of gastrointestinal-illness-causing bacteria.

The advisory does not close the beach and is only in effect for that specific beach, located on Tybee’s north end at the mouth of the Savannah River stretching from the end of the beach to the jetty, said Sally Silbermann, Chatham County Health Department spokeswoman.

Routine water tests taken Tuesday found a high level of enterococci bacteria that can increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers.

Silbermann said the health department suggests people do not swim or wade in the water in the area. Additionally, seafood caught in the area should be thoroughly washed with fresh water and cooked thoroughly before being eaten.

Officials will retest the water today, Silbermann said. The advisory will be lifted once testing shows bacteria levels are consistent with the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards.

Railroad crossing on Dean Forest to close for rail maintenance

Railroad crews will temporarily close a portion of the southbound, outside lane on Dean Forest Road for maintenance work on a railroad crossing today.

The lane will close between Old Dean Forest Road and U.S. 80 from about 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Motorists are advised to reduce speed and expect delays as they travel through this work zone.

Woman indicted on threats charges

A Savannah woman on Wednesday was indicted on terroristic threats charges stemming from a Jan. 11 incident at the Social Security office that prompted evacuation of the building.

Latoya Jones, 35, threatened to commit murder to terrorize a Social Security employee at the 430 Mall Blvd. building, the Chatham County grand jury determined.

That same conduct was committed to cause evacuation of the office and was done “in reckless disregard of the risk of causing the evacuation of the building,” the indictment determined on evidence presented by Assistant District Attorney Reginald Martin.

Homeless man indicted in theft from nonprofit

A former driver for Old Savannah City Mission on Wednesday was indicted on seven counts of financial card fraud for improperly using an agency gas card to obtain cash at EnMark gas stations.

Michael Deshawn Hill, a 39-year-old homeless man, used the cards on seven different occasions between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 without permission, the Chatham County grand jury determined.

Evidence presented by Assistant District Attorney Emily Thomas Puhala showed the thefts involved trading the card for cash totaling more than $200, DA spokesman Daniel Baxter said.

William Stiles, executive director of the nonprofit, said Hill was a graduate of the mission’s Urban Training Institute and had been hired as a driver for the agency.

He said the sum taken would have been several thousand dollars. Hill was terminated following discovery of the thefts, Stiles said.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein, Marcus E. Howard and Jan Skutch

Due to the recent rains, the Ogeechee River has risen and is currently at 12.22 feet and it’s predicted the river will crest at 12.8 feet on Sunday, which is considered a moderate flooding potential. Because of the potential flooding risk the Chatham Emergency Management Agency will continue to monitor the river, said Kelly Harley, CEMA spokeswoman.

Thursday morning, the Chatham County Aviation Unit conducted an over-flight of the Ogeechee River basin. This allowed CEMA to see any impacts to life safety issues, property and infrastructure damage downstream in Chatham County. Homes along the banks of the Ogeechee River are limited and, other than the commercial area near Kings Ferry that includes Love’s Seafood Restaurant, the only other significant area of population on the river is at the end of Ft. Argyle Lane.

Ft. Argyle Lane runs southeast of Ga. 204 near Bush Road, and approximately half of Ft. Argyle Lane from Ga. 204 is submerged. Most of the approximately 15 residential properties on the river were surrounded with water. Most if not all of these residential properties are built on pillions/stilts, the homeowners own 4x4 vehicles and are prepared to deal with this type of situation.

The hardwood forests within the Ogeechee River Basin are now inundated with water. In many areas, these waters are approaching improved private properties. This was specifically seen behind the homes on the southwest side of Ga. 204, properties just to the west of Joyner’s Corner, and new construction areas in the Bloomingdale/Pooler areas.

Fingers of the basin have also expanded to include large areas of unimproved properties throughout areas of Chatham County west of Interstate 95.

To see video of the river, go to savannahnow.com.

Woman dies in crash

A Savannah woman died Thursday morning when the car she was driving crashed into a fence, sign and tree on Ferguson Avenue, said Savannah-Chatham police spokesman Julian Miller.

Jessica J. Strieber, 28, died instantly when the 2006 Suzuki Forenza hatchback she was driving left the right side of Ferguson between Lehigh Avenue and Diamond Causeway. The 2:25 a.m. collision knocked down a brick fence column, a traffic sign and a small tree before the car flipped over in a grassy area.

Southside Fire rescue units had to remove pieces of the car to free the driver who had been declared dead at the scene, Miller said.

Major Accident Investigations Team officers from the Savannah-Chatham police department said the vehicle had crossed the center line into the southbound lane and the driver overcorrected, sending it out of control.

MAIT continues to investigate the crash.

Craigslist drug deal busted

Two people are in custody after selling prescription drugs to members of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.

Wednesday afternoon, CNT agents were made aware of an ad on Craigslist where someone was offering to sell the prescription drug Klonopin. According to the ad, it listed “KLONOPINS” and instructed the would-be buyers to text the phone number listed, said Gene Harley, CNT spokesman.

A CNT agent working in an undercover capacity contacted the number listed in the online ad and made arrangements to meet with the seller at her residence located in the 200 block of Quacco Road.

The undercover agent arrived at the residence and purchased a total of 50 Klonopin pills for $50. Once the sale was complete, the seller, 25-year-old Jessica Cope, was arrested for sale of a controlled substance without incident.

While on scene, Cope’s fiance, 34-year-old Rashawn Mitchell, arrived at the residence and was also arrested after agents discovered he was wanted by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office for contempt of court.

Both Cope and Mitchell were transported to the Chatham County jail where Cope remains after being denied bond during her arraignment in Chatham County Recorder’s Court.

Klonopin is listed as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Substances Act and used to help treat seizures and anxiety. Persons abuse Klonopin by enhancing the effects of other drugs, like opiates and alcohol.

Savannah residents help catch suspects

With Carver Heights residents joining Savannah-Chatham police who were saturating the area, two armed robbery suspects were apprehended moments after the robbery Wednesday afternoon, police reported.

Calls from residents started coming in within minutes after two armed men robbed clerks at Sheppards convenience store on West Gwinnett Street at Stiles Avenue about 11:35 a.m. Callers directed officers along the path; the suspects ran west into the Carver Village area.

The constant tips directed a combination of Savannah-Chatham police officers. Saturating the area were Patrol and Crime Suppression Unit officers from West Chatham and Downtown Precincts, Robbery Unit and precinct detectives, canine officers from SCMPD and the Chatham County Sheriff’s deputies.

Crime Suppression Unit officers located Nicholas Alexander Floyd, 19, and Juan Chaunecey Stephens, 20, behind a house a block away. Canine units helped locate two weapons believed used in the robbery between the two locations. Both were charged with armed robbery.

Stephens also was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is on active parole since his release from Telfair State Prison on Sept. 12, 2012. He had served 21 months of a five-year sentence for crimes including two counts of theft by receiving, possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

Two arrested in Rincon following FedEx delivery of marijuana

A home delivery by FedEx of over three pounds of marijuana has resulted in the arrest of a Rincon couple.

Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said authorities in California notified the sheriff’s office a narcotics K-9 office alerted on a package prior to it being shipped.

Deputies arrested Zachary Smith, 29, and Crystal Clifton, also 29, on Wednesday following the package’s delivery at the couple’s residence.

Both been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The street value of the recovered marijuana is more than $ 15,000, Ehsanipoor said.

Both are currently being held in the Effingham County Jail.

Ehsanipoor said this is an ongoing investigation by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office along with several other local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Pooler man promoted in Air National Guard

Col. Todd A. Freesemann has announced the promotion of Senior Master Sgt. Toy “Neal” Allen to Chief Master Sergeant, the highest grade attainable for non-commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force and Georgia Air National Guard.

Allen has also received a notice from Maj. Gen. James Butterworth, Georgia’s Adjutant General and his personal congratulations.

In this new role of responsibility, Allen will serve as the Combat Readiness Training Center’s operations superintendent, with oversight of all aspects of airfield management and operations.

Allen, a native of Moultrie, enlisted in the Georgia Air National Guard in 1982, serving in the 283rd Combat Communications Squadron then located in Savannah. In 1985, he joined the active duty U.S. Army working in numerous areas related to helicopter operations, eventually deploying to Operation Desert Storm where his unit received the Valorous Unit Award for their role in the destruction of Iraq’s Republican Guard.

In 1995, he rejoined Georgia’s Air National Guard, beginning his service in airfield management, and by mastering ever-increasing roles of responsibility he earned the role of operations superintendent.

Allen and his family reside in Pooler.

- Compiled by Marcus E. Howard, DeAnn Komanecky and Josh Rayburn

Savannah-Chatham police are asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects in a west Savannah armed robbery over the weekend.

A gunman and his accomplice were caught on surveillance camera about 9 p.m. last Saturday entering the Dollar General in the 2100 block of West Bay Street, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. The gunman jumped onto the store’s counter and demanded cash from two employees.

Both suspects fled the location in a dark colored vehicle, heading eastbound on West Bay Street form Tuten Avenue, Miller said. They later abandoned the vehicle in the downtown area.

Witnesses told investigators the gunman was a black male about 5 feet 10 inches with a slender build who wore all black clothing and a black baseball cap, Miller said. He had his face partially covered.

The second suspect, also a black male, is described as standing between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet and heavily built. Like the gunman, he wore all black including a baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked 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.

A confidential tip line also is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124. Callers preferring to speak directly to the detectives without reward potential can arrange private discussions.

The man charged in the 2012 murder at a Pooler business pleaded guilty to that and other crimes Friday.

Christopher Jesse Lema, 24, pleaded guilty to felony murder, false imprisonment, simple battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for his involvement in the slaying of Nickifor Zephyrine, 28, his co-worker at the OA Logistics Warehouse in Pooler.

Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap announced the plea Friday.

Lima entered into a negotiated plea that sentenced him to life in prison plus 10 years of probation for his crimes.

About 3 p.m. Feb. 24, 2012, Lema made sexual advances toward a female co-worker in her office at OA Logistics. The co-worker, who had no prior romantic connection with Lema, became frightened.

After pushing Lema away, she was able to flee the office. Upon emerging from the office, Lema then stepped over to Zephyrine, who was standing nearby, and shot him twice in the head with a .22 caliber pistol.

Lema then dropped the pistol, disrobed and ran into the woods outside of the warehouse. When police arrived on the scene, they were able to locate Lema in the woods. He complied with police orders and was taken into custody.

The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Ann Elmore and the lead detective on the case was Sgt. Randy Lindler of the Pooler Police Department.

Red Cross assisting 10 families displaced in southside fire

Ten families were displaced late Thursday evening after a fire tore through several southside Savannah apartments.

All eight apartments in a building at Live Oak Plantation Apartments, in the 8500 block of Waters Avenue, were completely destroyed, said Red Cross spokesman Harry Walker. Friday afternoon, the Red Cross had conducted follow-up interviews with six of those families to assess their immediate needs.

The organization is continuing to reach out to the other four families to offer more assistance, Walker said. If they need to, all 10 families can remain in a hotel through the weekend, he added.

Since the fire broke out, Walker said, Red Cross volunteers and staff have worked tirelessly to provide shelter and funds for food and clothing to the families left homeless by the blaze. They’ve had to replace eyeglasses for members of two families, he said.

Walker said the incident was the second major apartment fire this week, including the Sunday blaze at a complex off Rainbow Drive.

So far, the Red Cross has spent more than $13,000 on those two fires. Walker said that total will likely rise.

Man sentenced to 20 years in kidnappings

A 36-year-old Pembroke man who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from kidnappings in 2011 and 2012 was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield sentenced Gary Leon McDonald to serve 20 years, with no chance of parole, followed by five years of supervised release for his role in the Dec. 1, 2011, and the Jan. 12, 2012, kidnappings of Pembroke businessmen. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $500,000 to the victims.

McDonald pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnappings and cooperated in the investigation and prosecution of co-defendants Antonio Lamont Murray and Cecil DeWitt Nelson, both of whom were convicted for their roles in the two kidnappings and sentenced to life in prison, said James D. Durham, first assistant U.S. District Attorney.

The judge took into consideration McDonald’s willingness to cooperate, Durham said.

The convictions of McDonald, Murray and Nelson stemmed from an investigation conducted by many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, Durham said.

Man charged in July shootout

Savannah-Chatham police on Friday arrested a 23-year-old man on charges related to a July 2012 shootout on Savannah’s eastside that left one man dead.

Raheem Saamad Hicks, of East 39th Street, was captured by U.S. Marshals from the Southeast Regional Firearms Task Force, Savannah-Chatham violent crimes detectives, crime suppression officers and canine officers Friday morning.

Savannah-Chatham police investigators determined the July 24 shootout in the 200 block of South Avalon Drive stemmed from an ongoing dispute between Hicks and Rasheed Johnson, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. Johnson was found dead at the scene after the shooting.

Miller said Hicks was driving a white Hyundai Sonata and 25-year-old Richard Antonio Jiles was in the vehicle with him when the shootout occurred.

The Sonata crashed into a house on Avalon after both Hicks and Jiles were shot, Miller said. Hicks was taken to Memorial University Medical Center by a neighbor and Jiles was transported by ambulance.

Hicks faces charges including possession of a firearm while committing a crime, terroristic threats and acts, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon stemming from the shooting. He also faces four unrelated felony warrants for robbery, possession of illegal substances with intent to distribute, and two counts of burglary, Miller said.

Guns were found underneath Johnson’s body, in the front seat of the wrecked car and on the lawn where the shooting occurred, Miller said.

CAT announces St. Patrick’s Day shuttles

Chatham Area Transit will provide a shuttle March 16 to St. Patrick’s Day events downtown from three locations in Chatham County.

Buses will be available from 7 a.m. to noon, leaving from the Westside Shopping Center on U.S. 80 in Garden City, the Island Towne Center on Whitemarsh Island near Wal-Mart, and from Savannah Mall near the Dillard’s parking lot adjacent to Apache Avenue.

Shuttles will begin return trips from the parade area in downtown Savannah at 11 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.; regular CAT routes will be available to take patrons back to their vehicles after that time.

The 3A and 3B routes will return within a block of the Westside Shopping Center, so patrons would have to walk; the 10 East Savannah route will return to the Island Towne Centre; and the 114X Abercorn Express will return to Savannah Mall.

A round-trip St. Patrick’s Day shuttle pass will cost $5 and include trips to and from downtown, including the extended late-night service that will run from midnight to 4 a.m. Sunday.

Passes can be purchased at the shuttle locations and patrons are asked to have correct change.

March 16 on the Savannah River, the Savannah Belles Ferry will begin traveling between the City Hall landing and the Trade Center landing. Normal ferry schedule will resume after 6:30 p.m.

Tybee bacteria advisory lifted

A swimming advisory for Tybee Island’s Polk Street Beach issued Tuesday afternoon has been lifted.

The advisory, which covered the northernmost part of Tybee at the mouth of the Svannah River from the beach’s end to the jetty, was issued after higher than normal levels of enterococci bacteria were found in the water during routine testing, said Sally Silbermann, Chatham County Health Department spokeswoman.

The bacteria increases the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers.

Recent water samples show the bacteria had dropped below the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limits so the advisory was lifted, Silbermann said.

Whitefield Avenue closure canceled

Scheduled bridge work that was to close a section of Whitefield Avenue near the Truman Parkway on Saturday and Sunday has been canceled, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced Friday.

The work will be rescheduled for a later date.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein

An apologetic Kenneth Edward Sanders on Tuesday pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole for stabbing his wife to death in 2011 in front of her three small children.

The plea before Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley came as a jury was poised to be selected for trial.

Sanders, 48, was charged with stabbing Nancy Bruin Sanders repeatedly at their Port Wentworth home on July 23, 2011, as her daughters, ages 4, 7 and 9, looked on.

The victim, 28, had bought ice cream and cake to celebrate Sanders’ birthday when he assaulted her. The children fled to neighbors after the attack, asking if the neighbors could help their mother.

Police found Sanders next to the victim’s body, a knife to his throat and threatening to kill himself. Officers had to use a Taser twice on Sanders before arresting him, said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Parker Guyer.

“I’ve been through hell, and I put a family through hell,” Sanders told the victim’s family who were seated in the courtroom. “I’m so sorry it ended this way. It wasn’t supposed to.”

Sanders, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, stood to address the family and Walmsley after meeting earlier with his attorney, Assistant Public Defender John Rodman, and announcing his decision to take the plea offer.

Sanders earlier complained about his representation by the public defender’s office but said Tuesday he was satisfied with Rodman.

Guyer said the state’s offer was a guilty plea to a malice-murder charge in return for a sentence of life with the possibility of parole. She then dismissed the remaining counts including felony murder, cruelty to children and possession of a knife in commission of a crime.

If Sanders had been convicted on all counts, he would have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole plus 65 years, Guyer told the judge.

“Madame prosecutor, I will be accepting your offer,” Sanders said. “Once again …I am sorry.”

Asked by Walmsley how he was pleading, Sanders responded, “Guilty.”

When Walmsley asked the follow-up question of whether Sanders was in fact guilty, the defendant hesitated before responding, “Yes, sir.”

The victim’s sister, Areatha Laurel, speaking for the family, told Walmsley the victim was the baby of eight siblings and her death had been hard on her children.

“It’s hard every day,” she said.

If Sanders knew the effect on the children, she said, he “would have died that night.”

“These children are destroyed by what happened,” she said. “For him to have taken her life, it was just sad.”

Responding to a directive for Savannah-Chatham police officers to address any neighborhood issues in their areas of responsibility, Southside Precinct Commander Capt. Dean Fagerstrom took it upon himself to remove tennis shoes from utility lines.

Fagerstrom borrowed a bucket truck from the department and used it to remove several pair of tennis shoes strung up on lines near Montgomery Crossroad on Tuesday, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Traditionally, Miller said, the tennis shoes are a symbol of drug sales in the area, and present a quality of life issue.

“We grew tired of waiting on someone else to solve the problem,” Fagerstrom said in a prepared statement. “It was a blight issue that concerned neighbors and they asked us to address it. Our crime prevention officer asked several entities with equipment to remove them and found it more expedient to do it ourselves.”

Miller said any shoes that appeared useful were donated to a local charity.

Animal Control to close today, reopen Thursday

The Savannah-Chatham police-run Animal Control Center will be closed today as staff upgrades computer programs.

The shelter will reopen at its normal time on Thursday at noon for rescue organizations and 1 p.m. for the public, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

The upgrades to the new Chameleon Software, Miller said, will enhance the shelter’s efficiency by streamlining and organizing case information, documentation, billing and reports. It will also analyze service calls.

Shamrock Run to affect downtown traffic

Traffic downtown will be affected Friday when roads close for the Shamrock Run, Savannah-Chatham police announced Monday.

The run starts at 6 p.m. Friday. At 5 p.m., roads at the starting line near Ellis Square will be closed. Police will close roads along the route as needed.

The race starts at Congress and Jefferson streets, goes south on Jefferson Street to York Street, east on York to Bull Street, south on Bull to Gaston Street, west on Gaston to Whitaker Street, south on Whitaker to Park Avenue, east on Park to Drayton Street, north on Drayton to Gaston, west on Gaston back to Bull, north on Bull to Congress Street, east on Congress to Drayton, north on Drayton to Bryan Street, west on Bryan to Bull, south on Bull to Congress, then west on Congress to the finish line on Barnard Street.

Roads will reopen to vehicle traffic as runners pass.

Compiled by Corey Dickstein

Six people were indicted on Wednesday on charges of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude involving several juveniles they allegedly used for sex.

Shawn Jamele Bragg, 21; Colby Laquan Bragg, 20; Ray Sebastian Hunter, 18; Robert James Foard, 21; Tyseen Young, 16; and Stephone “Smiley” Brown, 21; all of Savannah, used one juvenile female in the scheme between Nov. 1, 2010, and May 31, 2011, the Chatham County grand jury determined on evidence presented by Assistant District Attorney Emily Thomas Puhala.

The same defendants also were charged with pimping during the same period by arranging meetings with people with the same victim for prostitution, the indictment charged.

Shawn Jamele Bragg, Colby Laquan Bragg, Hunter and Foard also were indicted on multiple charges of statutory rape involving two additional females also under age 16.

Attorneys for 10 teenagers on Wednesday denied allegations their clients participated in what prosecutors contend was a gang-based attack on a 13-year-old student last month during a school bus ride home.

Chatham County Juvenile Court Judge Lisa Goldwire Colbert ordered all but one to remain in detention pending the beginning of a juvenile trial beginning March 18.

She ordered one of the group released on house arrest pending the same hearing.

In all, there are 13 charges, including several designated felony counts reserved for the most serious juvenile offenders.

Assistant District Attorney Kim Rowden contends the conduct on the bus was “associated with a criminal street gang.”

Meanwhile, four other juveniles on Wednesday were ordered detained in the same case by Juvenile Judge LeRoy Burke III, pending arraignments on March 12.

With the pending detention hearing of another juvenile Thursday, all 17 suspects have appeared in Juvenile Court.

Another, a 17-year-old, also is charged but will be handled as an adult.

The Savannah Morning News does not identify juvenile offenders until they are found guilty by a judge of a designated-felony charge.

The incident occurred on school bus 626 carrying students home from the Ombudsman Alternative Learning Program site on Brampton Road in Garden City on Feb. 21.

According to school district police officer Brenda Johnson, a group of students exhibiting gang signs and related behavior beat a 13-year-old female student, including ripping a braid from her head, kicking and beating her and causing a four-inch bald spot in the victim’s head.

The events were captured on a videotape on the bus and played in evidence before Colbert on Friday.

Only three students on the bus were not charged.

At the end of the video, students are seen jumping through windows and out the front and back doors to flee.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team is asking for the public’s help locating a wanted Savannah man.

Agents are looking for 51-year-old Calvin Herman Lovett, said Gene Harley, CNT spokesman. Lovett is wanted on two counts of selling a controlled substance, heroin, following a CNT investigation earlier this year, Harley said.

Lovett is described as a black male who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He is known to keep a low haircut of shaved head and often has a mustache and/or goatee, Harley said.

Lovett’s last known addresses are 1401 East 54th St. and 2502 Oak Forest Apartment D, Harley said, but the agency believes he is staying at various local hotels, particularly along U.S. 17.

Agents believe Lovett to be driving a white 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass with Georgia license plate ACM 4222, Harley said.

Anyone with information on Lovett’s whereabouts is asked to call CNT at 912-652-3900 or CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020. Callers to CrimeStoppers can remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

Police investigate Tuesday shooting, car crash

Savannah-Chatham police detectives are investigating a shooting that took place Tuesday afternoon.

A 23-year-old man was taken to Memorial University Medical Center after Central Precinct patrol officers found him with a non-life-threatening wound to his leg about 3:30 p.m. in the 600 block of West 40th Street., said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Police responded to the shooting call to find the injured man and a car that had collided with a parked vehicle nearby, Miller said.

Officers were advised the man had been standing in front of a house when the car drove by and a passenger fired shots at him.

The car then crashed, and the occupants got out, entered another car and drove away, Miller said.

Police have not released detailed descriptions of the suspects.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting 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.

A confidential tip line is also open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124. Callers preferring to speak directly to detectives without reward potential can arrange private discussions.

Body pulled from Savannah River

Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators have taken the lead in the investigation of the death of a 20-year-old man whose body was recovered from the Savannah River on Wednesday morning.

Savannah-Chatham police initiated the investigation after Brian Charles Parker of Pooler was found floating between a boat and the pier at Crescent Towing on Fig Drive about 9:30 a.m, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. He had been working around a tug boat and dock when he disappeared from view, Miller said.

Members of the police department’s Marine Patrol, Savannah Fire & Emergency Services and Southside Fire/EMS pulled the body from the water.

An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death, Miller said.

Man indicted for assaulting officer with car

A Savannah man on Wednesday was indicted for aggravated assault on a peace officer and related offenses in a Dec. 7 traffic confrontation with police officers.

Michael Brandon Hall, 28, assaulted Savannah-Chatham police officer Brian Spence with a Mazda 6 vehicle, the Chatham County grand jury decided.

He also fled and attempted to elude a traffic stop by Officer Charles McCoy by refusing to bring the vehicle to a stop when ordered to do so by McCoy, the indictment charged.

Hall was also indicted on charges of possession of a 9 mm Smith & Wesson pistol by a convicted felon, possession of the pistol during the commission of a felony, interference with government property by damaging a Ford Crown Victoria police car, and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.

The indictment, obtained by Assistant District Attorney Steve Brown, also charged Hall with obstruction of McCoy, a police officer; reckless driving, failure to maintain lane on 52nd Street and driving on the wrong side of the roadway on Victory Drive.

Compiled by Marcus E. Howard, Dash Coleman and Jan Skutch

Three injured in car crash

Major Accident Investigation Team members of the Savannah-Chatham police department are investigating a one-car crash Wednesday morning that left three people injured, one seriously.

Baheem Frazier, 20, was in serious condition at Memorial University Medical Center after the 4:49 a.m. crash on Florence Street between West 40th and West 41st streets, said Julian Miller, police spokesman. Two passengers, 17-year-old Aliccia Cherry and 16-year-old Derrick Grantham, were in stable condition, Miller said Wednesday night.

Frazier was the driver of the gray 2004 Nissan Quest minivan that was traveling north on Florence Street, a one-way street flowing south, Miller said. The minivan went out of control and struck a tree on the west side of the street, shearing the driver’s side and front end away, he said.

The investigation by MAIT is ongoing.

Compiled by Marcus E. Howard, Dash Coleman and Jan Skutch

ON THE WEB

To see pictures and details for individuals serving their initial incarceration in Chatham County, as reported by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, go to ChathamCountyBooked.com.