Garden City police have charged a man found on the property where three school buses were damaged in a fire Sunday night with arson and other crimes.
Leonard Townsend, 24, was arrested at the scene of the fire that was reported at the facility off Chatham Parkway where Savannah-Chatham County school buses are held after he refused to cooperate with police, said Garden City Police Chief David Lyons.
Townsend was charged with felony counts of second degree arson, second degree criminal damage to property and a misdemeanor count of obstruction.
Garden City police and fire responded to the facility on Chatham Parkway near Telfair Place just after 9 p.m., where they found one bus burning.
The fire quickly spread to buses on either side of the initial blaze, said Garden City Fire Chief James Crosby.
Firefighters were able to limit the damage on the two flanking buses to just the side closest to the original fire and a small amount of internal damage.
The bus that originally caught fire, however, was a total loss.
As firefighters worked to put the fire out, police located Townsend on the property; they had to use a stun gun on him, and he was taken to Memorial University Medical Center for treatment before he was booked into the Chatham County jail.
Chatham County court records show Townsend has a criminal history that includes a guilty plea to a 2013 criminal trespassing charge in Pooler.
Lyons said Townsend was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and did not have any shoes on when he was arrested, clothing that seemed suspicious to officers on a cool night. Additionally, Lyons said, his clothing smelled strongly of smoke and was partially burned.
The investigation into the incident is continuing and state fire investigators have been brought in, Lyons said Monday.
3 children, 3 adults injured in Effingham County wreck
A three-vehicle accident on Ga. 21 at Ga. 275 (Ebenezer Road) Monday morning sent six people to the hospital.
Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said the wreck involved a day care van.
About 7:30 a.m. a Chevrolet truck traveling south on Ga. 21 turned left onto Ebenezer and into the path of a church day care van carrying two adults and three children.
“The van flipped on its side,” Ehsanipoor said. The van had the right-of-way.
All five occupants of the van were transported to area hospitals with various injuries, Ehsanipoor said.
None are believed to be life-threatening.
The driver of the truck was transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center by helicopter with serious injuries.
A third vehicle was involved, but only minor injuries were reported.
Police, GSP capture stolen car suspect
A 24-year-old Savannah man was arrested Sunday morning after police and Georgia State Patrol troopers caught him driving a stolen vehicle.
An off-duty Savannah-Chatham police officer in his personal vehicle on Interstate 16 recognized the silver 2008 Honda Element with a Virginia license plate as a vehicle stolen early Saturday morning, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
Derrick Leonard Middleton, of the 700 block of West 47th Street, was captured after he lost control of the car on Interstate 16 and then lost a foot race with pursuing state troopers and Savannah-Chatham police just after 2 a.m.
Troopers and uniformed officers followed the Honda back towards Savannah and attempted to stop it with stop sticks, but Middleton eluded the sticks before crashing into a guard rail and attempting run. Police saturated the area and were able to catch him about 75 yards into a wooded area, Miller said.
The vehicle was reported stolen about 3 a.m. Saturday when a 31-year-old woman was approached outside her West Hall Street home by a gunman who robber her of her keys and purse.
Work to close lanes on Whitefield Ave.
Georgia Department of Transportation contractors today will close a portion of Whitefield Avenue for asphalt work.
Workers will close single lanes in both directions between Old Montgomery Drive and Mistwood Lane from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday, weather permitting.
Motorists should expect delays in the area. Message signs, barrels and/or cones will be utilized to alert the public of the upcoming changes. Drivers should be aware that personnel and equipment will be operating in close proximity to travel lanes.
Lane closed along Ga. 204 Spur
A paving operation will close a lane of Ga. 204 Spur today.
Single lane closures will be in place between Mistwood Lane and Ferguson Avenue from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Friday, weather permitting.
Traffic will be guided through the project by the use of a flagging operation and motorists should pay close attention to the instructions of the flagmen. Motorists are advised to reduce speeds in the work zone.
Compiled by Corey Dickstein and DeAnn Komanecky