A 13-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured Thursday afternoon in a single-vehicle wreck on Interstate 16 in Effingham County.
Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said the wreck was reported about 5:30 p.m.
“Initial reports indicate the driver of a white sedan traveling east attempted to avoid a vehicle that had slowed down,” he said. The vehicle that slowed was in front of the sedan.
The sedan then crashed into a tree.
The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene. The three other people who were hurt did not have life-threatening injuries and were taken to a Savannah hospital, Ehsanipoor said.
The names of the victims were being withheld Thursday night pending notification of next of kin.
The wreck is being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol.
Garden City, downtown Savannah banks robbed
The FBI was investigating Thursday after two Chatham County banks were robbed about two hours apart.
Descriptions of the suspects in the two incidents did not match.
The first robbery occurred just before 10 a.m., when a gunman entered The Savannah Bank in the 100 block of Chatham Parkway in Garden City.
Garden City police Capt. Al Jelinski said the black male suspect was wearing a Green Bay Packers hat, khaki-colored shirt and a cloth over his face.
Savannah-Chatham police spokesman Julian Miller said the suspect was carrying a black bag with a red lining when he ran behind the bank.
The gunman took an undetermined amount of money and fled on foot toward a nearby neighborhood, Jelinski said.
Police searched the area using helicopters and K-9 officers but did not immediately locate the suspect.
In the second robbery, about 11:30 a.m., a black male entered The Coastal Bank on West Bryan Street on Johnson Square and handed the teller a note demanding money and claiming he had a gun in his possession, Miller said.
The suspect, described as about 6-feet tall with a light complexion wearing eyeglasses, a white shirt and red and black shorts, then fled the scene, running west toward Whitaker Street, Miller said.
FBI agents and police officers are continuing to search for the suspect.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
Fugitive wanted for three years captured in Atlanta
U.S. Marshals in Atlanta Wednesday captured a Savannah fugitive wanted by multiple federal agencies for drug-related crimes.
Joshua Emanuel Varner, described as “a dangerous fugitive” was arrested by marshals at a location in Atlanta, ending a nearly three-year manhunt by marshals and the Drug Enforcement Administration for the 34-year-old who was indicted in June 2010 on charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distributing controlled substances for his role in a major drug conspiracy organization, said Tommy Long, Marshals spokesman. Varner was the only defendant still at large among 24 indicted in that DEA case.
Long said recent information led marshals to that Atlanta location where Varner was arrested, ending “an extensive investigation over the last three years to find Varner.”
“Cases like this one reenforce the motto of the U.S. Marshals Service: ‘You can run, but you can’t hide,’” Long said. “The marshals will work a case until the fugitive is caught whether it’s a week, a month, or three years as in this case.”
Man shot during domino game
A 29-year-old man was hospitalized Wednesday evening after he was shot during a domino game at a home in the Hudson Hill area on Savannah’s westside.
The gunshot victim was taken to Memorial University Medical Center after he was shot about 8:45 p.m., said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
Miller said the victim and other men were playing dominoes at the home when three men entered the yard and an altercation began. One of the men drew a handgun and fire, striking the victim.
Detectives are continuing their investigation into the incident, Miller said.
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.
Police investigate pedestrian-vehicle crash possibly tied to robbery
Savannah-Chatham police violent crimes detectives are investigating events that led to a homeless man being hospitalized in critical condition.
Police officers responding to a reported crash in the 500 block of West Oglethorpe Avenue just after 1 p.m. Wednesday found 60-year-old Zebedee Legree unconscious there on the sidewalk, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
The homeless Legree had been struck by a green Lexus SUV driven by 31-year-old Rhett Manning, who according to witnesses in the area had driven against the direction of traffic and run over Legree who was running away from the vehicle with another man. Miller said that other man fled the area.
Manning told investigators he’d been flagged down earlier a few blocks away by Legree and the other man who had asked him for money. One of those men, Manning told police, grabbed his cash and they both ran away. Miller said Manning then pursued the men.
Legree was taken to Memorial University Medical Center where he was listed Thursday in critical condition, Miller said.
Police, who are continuing the investigation into the incidents, ask anything with information about this case 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.
Watch out for road work
A contractor for Georgia Department of Transportation has scheduled emergency guardrail repair in Chatham County from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weather permitting, through Friday.
Crews will be working in half-mile to one-mile increments and relocating frequently. Motorists should be alert to changing work patterns.
Motorists should expect minor delays. Motorists are advised to reduce speeds as they travel through these maintenance work zones. Message signs, barrels and/or cones will be utilized to alert the public of the upcoming changes.
Areas where work will occur are:
• Ga. 26 at Allen Boulevard (lane closure).
• Ga. 26 at Interstate 516 eastbound (narrow ramp lane).
• Ga. 204 eastbound at mile marker 11.5 (close shoulder).
• Ga. 204 westbound at mile marker 11.6 (lane closure).
• I-516 westbound at mile marker 2.9 (close shoulder).
• I-516 westbound at mile marker 3.5 median (close shoulder).
Compiled by Corey Dickstein, Janay Kingsberry and DeAnn Komanecky