logo
Oconee Blotter: Winder man charged with having machine gun

Oconee Blotter: Winder man charged with having machine gun

Yahoo08-05-2025

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office reported the following incidents:
SHOPLIFTING: On April 23, Deputy Kelda Simmons and Sgt. Lex Ogan were dispatched to Walmart for a shoplifting was in progress. A loss prevention officer had stopped the three suspects, Athens women ages 48, 26, and 45, and recovered the merchandise, mostly makeup. The trio was then sent to jail.
HIT AND RUN: On April 25, Sgt. Lex Ogan and deputy Kelda Simmons were dispatched to Georgia Highway 316 and Jimmy Daniel Road, where a 36-year-old Athens woman reported she was stopped at a red light when her Kia Telluride was hit in the rear by a Kia Sportage. She walked to the offender's car and the driver didn't acknowledge her. She told the woman in the Sportage that 'you hit my car.' The woman responded, 'So.' The offender then made a U-turn and pulled into the roadway almost colliding with a trailer-trailer rig. Then she left the scene. The Telluride driver took a photo showing the license plate of the offender, which was traced to Enterprise Rental on Atlanta Highway. Deputies contacted the business and learned the vehicle was rented about 10 minutes before the crash. FLOCK cameras showed the vehicle headed to Monroe, so the police department there was contacted. A Monroe officer stopped the car. When deputies arrived, the 31-year-old Athens woman asked for a lawyer. However, she told the officers the other driver told her it was 'Nothing major, you good.' So, she drove off. She was taken to jail.
DUI CHARGED: On April 26, Sgt. Lex Ogan and Deputy Kelda Simmons were traveling about 5:30 p.m. on Mars Hill Road near the Oconee Connector when they saw a Mercedes Benz partially on the median and blocking traffic. Another motorist had stopped and was talking to the 66-year-old Watkinsville woman. The woman, who smelled of alcohol, exited her car, but had difficulty walking. She explained she was on the way home and was trying to turn around in the road when she became stuck in the median. She denied drinking, but later admitted she had three drinks of vodka. After testing she was taken to a hospital for a blood test, then transported to jail on a DUI charge.
Scam alert: Telephone call from a person claiming to be a cop could prove expensive for Athens man
SPEEDING, GUN AND MARIJUANA: On April 26, Sgt. Lex Ogan was working a traffic stop along Highway 316 when a 2006 Chrysler 300 approached at a high speed, then accelerated as it passed the deputy. Ogan estimated the car's speed at 80 to 90 mph. He began a pursuit that was joined by Lt. Travis Wooster. The vehicles all entered the Athens Perimeter. The Chrysler disappeared from sight, but when Ogan turned off the loop at South Milledge Avenue, he spotted it stopped at a red light. He made a traffic stop. The driver, a 22-year-old Winder man, had a Draco AK 7.62 rifle between his legs loaded with a 60-round magazine. The man explained he was driving to a medical emergency at the home of his cousin, who was having a seizure. The man offered that he was last cited for speeding at 91 mph in a 55 zone. He said he reached a speed of 110 mph on the loop, but because his car maxed out at 126 mph he didn't try to push it. The man was wanted on a warrant out of Barrow County so he was placed in custody. The deputies smelled marijuana in the car, but couldn't see any. However, a search of the dashboard revealed bags of marijuana concealed inside. After his arrest, his passenger, a 19-year-old Winder woman, revealed they were headed to a block party in Athens. The rifle had a modified trigger, but the suspect denied it was an automatic weapon. He was charged with DUI, having an open container of alcohol, reckless driving, and possession of a machine gun and marijuana.
COP IMPERSONATOR: On April 28, Deputy R. Bush spoke with a 47-year-old Watkinsville woman, who reported she received a call from a man who said he was a captain with the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. He informed her he had a warrant for her arrest and he sent her a bar code to use to pay him $500. However, she called the sheriff's office to speak with the captain, but it was after hours and the captain was not there. While the deputy was speaking with the woman, the man called again still trying to impersonate the captain.
SHOPLIFTING: On April 28, Sgt. Lex Ogan and Deputy Kelda Simmons were dispatched to Dick's Sporting Goods for a shoplifting in progress. A woman had already left the store in a green car, but her male companion was still in the store. He was searched and did not have any merchandise, but he was barred from the store. The 59-year-old Athens woman was later located and deputies recovered Nike brand clothing and shoes in her possession. She was charged with shoplifting. It was learned that her driver's license had been suspended since 1988.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Oconee Blotter: Winder man charged with having machine gun

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin
Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin

Washington Post

time2 hours ago

  • Washington Post

Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin

DECATUR, Ga. — Silentó , the Atlanta rapper known for his hit song 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin. The 27-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said the found 10 bullet casings near Rooks' body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Rooks told police that Silentó had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silentó confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silentó had when he was arrested, authorities said. Rooks' brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson before sentencing that Silentó should have gotten a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silentó made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show 'The Doctors' in 2019 that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. 'I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,' he said in 2019. 'Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,' Silentó said then, urging others to get help. 'And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you.' 'I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away.' Silentó had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silentó was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he didn't know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. In October 2020, Silentó was arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Hudson said at the time of Silentó's arrest in the killing of Rooks that he had been 'suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses.'

Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin
Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin

Associated Press

time2 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Silentó, the Atlanta rapper known for his hit song 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin. The 27-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said the found 10 bullet casings near Rooks' body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Rooks told police that Silentó had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silentó confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silentó had when he was arrested, authorities said. Rooks' brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson before sentencing that Silentó should have gotten a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silentó made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show 'The Doctors' in 2019 that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. 'I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,' he said in 2019. 'Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,' Silentó said then, urging others to get help. 'And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you.' 'I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away.' Silentó had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silentó was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he didn't know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. In October 2020, Silentó was arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Hudson said at the time of Silentó's arrest in the killing of Rooks that he had been 'suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses.'

Driver accused in Little Havana hit-and-run that killed woman now facing vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter
Driver accused in Little Havana hit-and-run that killed woman now facing vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter

CBS News

time3 hours ago

  • CBS News

Driver accused in Little Havana hit-and-run that killed woman now facing vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter

The driver accused in last month's hit-and-run that killed a woman who was crossing a Miami street is now facing additional charges after her toxicology report revealed she was driving under the influence at the time of the crash. According to updated arrest documents obtained by CBS News Miami, 32-year-old Ivana Gomez is now facing vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter charges after her toxicology report showed she had blood alcohol content (BAC) levels over the legal limit when she hit and killed 41-year-old Kathryn Kipnis in the early hours of May 30. "The defendant's flagrant disregard for human life by striking the victim and fleeing the scene demonstrates a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others," the updated arrest documents said. When Gomez was first arrested, she faced several other charges, including leaving the scene of a crash involving death and resisting arrest without violence. City of Miami Police noted in the arrest documents that Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams was notified and briefed about Gomez's additional charges. The crash that shut down Little Havana for hours Just after 1 a.m. on May 30, Miami Police said Gomez was driving a blue 2019 BMW 330i westbound on Southwest 7th Street at high speeds when a nearby officer saw her speeding past him near 16th Avenue. According to the updated arrest documents, Gomez was driving so fast that the officer had to "travel over 100 mph" just to catch up with her. As the officer was catching up with Gomez, he witnessed her strike Kipnis with such force that a chunk of her hair became embedded in the car's windshield and headrest. According to the updated arrest documents, Kipnis was carried by Gomez's car for approximately 231 feet before her body was "violently thrown off" the vehicle. She died at the scene. The officer immediately turned on his emergency lights and continued to pursue Gomez until she stopped at a red light at Beacom Boulevard, where her car — showing heavy front-end damage — was blocked in by traffic. Police said when they interacted with Gomez, she smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot and watery eyes, and failed an eye exam during field sobriety testing. She refused further testing and asked for a lawyer. While she was sitting in the back of a police vehicle, Gomez spontaneously told officers the victim was a "homeless person" and claimed it was "just an accident," arrest documents said. Despite her refusal, Miami Fire Rescue conducted two blood draws after police obtained a search warrant. During the second attempt, officers had to forcibly move Gomez into a fire rescue truck for the procedure. Authorities noted in the arrest documents that they found what appeared to be fresh vomit inside her car during the investigation. Southwest 7th Street was shut down for several blocks that morning as police and first responders investigated. CBS News Miami crews on the scene saw officers surrounding the area where Kipnis' body remained, and later observed Gomez receiving a medical exam two blocks from the crash site. On Monday, Miami Police received the final toxicology report from the University of Miami's Forensic Toxicology Laboratory. According to updated arrest documents, the results from the exigent blood draw — taken about two-and-a-half hours after the crash — revealed that her BAC levels were between 0.162 and 0.159 g/100ml. The legal BAC limit in Florida is 0.08 g/100ml or 0.08%. During the first blood draw after the search warrant was issued, Gomez's BAC levels were between 0.112 and 0.0109 g/100ml, which was taken approximately four hours and 47 minutes after the crash. The second blood draw showed her BAC levels were at 0.088, nearly six hours after the crash, the updated arrest documents said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store