Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap announced Friday that a jury found Raynard Lamar Lexie, 20, of Savannah, guilty of three counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping, aggravated sodomy, burglary and armed robbery in the home invasion and assault of two SCAD students in 2012.
Assistant District Attorney Jenny Guyer told the jury one of the students arrived at her Waldburg Street address on Sept. 21, 2012, at about 7:25 p.m.
As she approached her front door, two men wielding guns assaulted her, forced her into her home and led her into a back bedroom.
The pair then began ransacking the house for items to steal, finding a phone, laptop computers, a camera and cash. One man sexually assaulted the victim at gunpoint.
As the men were leaving, the victim’s roommate was arriving. The men burst through the front door and ran into the roommate who fell backward onto the sidewalk and broke her leg.
A neighbor heard the roommate’s cries for help and called police.
Lexie was apprehended minutes later at a friend’s apartment in Frazier Homes and positively identified by the victim.
Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley will set a date for sentencing.
Brothers’ fight ends in death
Savannah-Chatham police are investigating the stabbing death of a 43-year-old man after a domestic confrontation escalated into violence Thursday night.
William Graham Jr. was declared dead at Memorial University Medical Center after the 6:45 p.m. incident at his residence in the 1000 block of West 45th Street.
His brother, Emmanuel Lorenzo Graham, 29, of the same address, was questioned by violent crimes detectives and released when the investigation indicated the victim was the aggressor, said police spokesman Julian Miller.
Investigators determined that William Graham had become involved in an altercation with his sister and Emmanuel Graham had intervened. The confrontation escalated to the point that Emmanuel Graham was injured and William Graham was stabbed by his brother.
The investigation is continuing in collaboration with the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office.
Fire blamed on candle, dog
A southside family is cleaning up their Largo Woods home after an accident caused a candle to start a bedroom fire.
Savannah firefighters were sent to 801 Tibet Ave. at 11:30 a.m. Friday after a resident reported a pet dog had knocked a lighted candle onto the bed, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman.
The resident had left the candle unattended briefly and said she tried to smother the flames with a blanket but was unsuccessful before she fled the house and called 911.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames quickly and contain fire damage to the bedroom while much of the rest of the house sustained smoke and water damage. There were no injuries, and residents declined Red Cross assistance while arranging for alternate living arrangements.
Savannah Fire reminds citizens that candles are open flames that can easily ignite any flammable objects. Citizens are reminded of some safety tips while using candles:
• Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn.
• Use candle holders that are sturdy and won’t tip over easily.
• Place candle holders on flat, sturdy, uncluttered surfaces.
• Avoid the use of candles in bedrooms and other areas where people may fall asleep.
• Also, blow out candles before leaving a room or going to bed.
• Never leave lit candle unattended.
Approximately one-third of all candle fires occur in a bedroom. Savannah Fire also reminds citizens to never attempt to extinguish fires themselves. Always exit the structure and call 911 from a safe distance. Citizens should formulate an exit plan and practice it at least twice a year.
Police investigating one-vehicle wreck
The Savannah-Chatham police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team officers are investigating a one-vehicle crash that left a Savannah man in critical condition Friday afternoon.
Glenn Ashley Stokes, 45, of a White Oak Bluff address, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center after the 2008 Ford F-150 pickup he was driving crashed into a tree on the Interstate 16/37th Street Connector about 3 p.m. He was extricated from the wreckage by Savannah Fire & Emergency Services.
The truck was exiting the interstate on the connector when it drifted to the left, off the roadway and into the tree between the entrance and exit ramps, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.
Coast Guard saves man on boat near Georgia coast
A 36-year-old man was rescued from a boat about 80 miles off the Georgia coast Friday by a Hunter Army Airfield-based U.S. Coast helicopter crew after he experienced life-threatening medical complications.
Jeff Landis was medically evacuated about 11:30 a.m. off Doboy Sound by an Air Station Savannah crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter after watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Charleston were notified Landis was having medical issues, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.
The Coast Guardsmen transported Landis to Hunter where emergency service responders awaited and took him to Memorial University Medical Center.
Jorgensen said Landis was traveling in his 48-foot sport-fishing vessel from Palm Beach, Fla., to his home in Ocean City, Md. She said he was in stable condition when the crew evacuated him but it was unclear what condition he was in Friday night.
Compiled by Josh Rayburn
and Corey Dickstein