Latest news with #AthensBanner-Herald
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Why Barry Odom dismissed 1 Purdue football player, added Georgia transfers with driving arrests
Barry Odom emphasized discipline as a bedrock principle for his Purdue football tenure. He established it with expectations for attention and attendance at his first Boilermaker team meetings. He reinforced it with the 'Winning Edge' program — grueling, up-tempo offseason workouts designed to enhance mental toughness as much or more than physical skills. When freshman safety Antonio Parker was arrested on drug charges and other infractions weeks after arriving on campus, Odom dismissed him from the team. It sent a message about standards and expectations. It did not, though, establish a blanket zero-tolerance policy toward players with run-ins with law enforcement. The recent vehicle-related infractions of Georgia transfers NiTareon 'Nitro' Tuggle and Marques Easley do not belong in the same legal conversation as Parker's crime. Yet they illustrated the sometimes murky waters into which coaches must wade when rebuilding a roster via the transfer portal. Relationships with high school recruits are built over months or years. In the portal, they sometimes come together in a matter of days. Odom said his staff does what it can to build a network of sources for all incoming players on that truncated timeline. Our book on Purdue men's basketball's Final Four run makes the perfect Father's Day gift 'We've all made mistakes, or I certainly know I have,' Odom said in a Thursday video interview with local media. 'I think there's education pieces that I'm responsible for. ... You've got to decide No. 1, did he make a mistake? OK, why did he make it? Has he learned from it? Are we willing enough to have him in our program because he was issued a citation? 'I'm not the only one making those decisions. There's a number of people that go into stamping yes or no. But we also feel like the culture, the surrounding people that we have that are part of our organization, that we're in a position that it becomes the DNA of who we are on doing the right things and protecting the team and becoming great student-athletes at Purdue.' Tuggle and Easley came to Purdue from a Georgia program notorious for vehicle-related legal issues. Tuggle, a wide receiver, was arrested for speeding and reckless driving on March 19. The police report asserted he was driving 107 mph in a 65 mile-per-hour zone. In a plea deal, Tuggle pleaded guilty to speeding in exchange for dismissal of the reckless driving. Easley, an offensive lineman, was charged with three counts of reckless conduct and one count of reckless driving after crashing his vehicle into the front of an apartment complex on March 22. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, investigating troopers said in the crash report they found evidence of 'laying drag' — intentionally skidding the car. Per online court records, Easley's case has not reached resolution. At the time he and Tuggle entered the portal, both players had been suspended by Georgia. According to the Banner-Herald, Georgia players or support staff members have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or racing in 32 incidents since Jan. 15, 2023. That's the date football player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash. Odom said his staff scrutinizes every incoming player, not merely those with a public incident in their past. They look for evidence of a love for the game. They make sure the players know the academic commitment at Purdue exceeds that expected at many other institutions. 'If all of those things align, then we know structurally they will thrive in our system,' Odom said. A QB, skill players, OL and more: Who is in Purdue football's 2026 recruiting class? Another incoming player, safety Myles Slusher, was suspended by Arkansas after a 2022 arrest for disorderly conduct. He served a one-game suspension and left the program soon after. That's three players with public brushes with the law out of the 26 signed in the spring window. Transferring to Purdue provided both Tuggle and Easley a chance to move closer to home, and further from Athens. Tuggle played at Northwood, located southeast of South Bend. Easley grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and played at Kankakee (Illinois) High School, located south of Chicago and about 90 minutes from Ross-Ade Stadium. Odom said both players could make an impact quickly. The Boilermakers need playmakers, and Tuggle was a four-star, borderline top-100 prospect out of high school. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Easley was also a four-star prospect, ranked in the top 200 per some services. He retains four years of eligibility, while Tuggle comes with three. Odom said he's been impressed with Tuggle's linear speed and ability to change directions. Easley has 'transformed his body' to better use his 'exceptional feet.' Those attributes show up on film. Recent events meant Odom and his staff had to be sure about their evaluation in other areas, too. 'Any time you're going to try to recruit a young man to your campus you make sure they're a fit in every single area,' Odom said. 'And if they're not, it doesn't matter how good of a player you think they are. It'll never work.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Did your walls shake Saturday morning? An earthquake in Tennessee could be felt in North GA
Feel the walls shake this morning in north Georgia? The National Weather Service is reporting a preliminary 3.5-magnitude earthquake hit south of Knoxville, Tenn., near the Tennessee-North Carolina border that could be felt in north Georgia and even Athens. Knoxville meteorologist Spencer Denton provided results from a seismograph showing the results. The area near the epicenter has had nearly every form of natural disaster in the past eight months. Hurricane Helene hit the area hard in the fall, flooding has ravaged the area and wildfires have been an issue in recent months. Multiple people took to X, formerly Twitter, to comment of feeling the quake in the Atlanta area and across north Georgia. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Tennessee earthquake shakes north Georgia. What was magnitude?
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
No foul play suspected, but no cause identified in case of man who died in home basement
Athens-Clarke police reported Monday that detectives are still investigating the circumstances of how a man died in the basement of his home where his body lay for a month before it was found. The death investigation revolves around Frank Perry Williams, 44, whose body was found in a Lavender Road home on April 9 by his girlfriend, who also lived in the house. The investigation is continuing, but no foul play is suspected, police Lt. Katie Jenkins said Monday. Results of the autopsy are still pending, she said. Williams was found dead by his 56-year-old girlfriend, who reported she discovered the body after taking a bicycle into the basement of the home the pair co-habited, according to the police report. A week prior to finding the body, the girlfriend reported detecting a smell that lingered despite deep cleaning the house, according to police. She reported last seeing Williams about a month earlier when they had a domestic argument and the next day she discovered him gone, according to the report. She told an officer she believed Williams had 'left her for good.' The woman described Williams as her husband when officers arrived, but Selena Sanders, his sister who lives in Franklin, said the two had never married. 'He said it wasn't working out,' she said Monday about her brother's relationship with the woman. 'I know he was going to leave after he saved some money." Williams, who was born in New Orleans and moved with his family to Georgia when he was about 11 years old, had lived in Lithonia, according to Sanders. He was one of 10 children in the Williams home and Sanders said they remained close following the deaths of their parents. Previously: Wife finds body of husband in basement of Athens home after missing for month 'At an early age my brother learned how to sing, play piano and drums. And he was excellent in mathematics,' she said, adding he grew up singing gospel songs. But he also had health problems as an adult with back and sciatic nerve pain, she said. He had quit one job due to the pain, but recently had accepted a new job at a Taco Bell. 'He was excited about working and to find someone willing to hire him and allow him to sit down and get off his feet and not stand the whole time,' she said. 'He said, 'Sis, I don't go a day without feeling pain.'" Sanders said police have not shared how they think he came to his death, but officers told the family they are awaiting the autopsy. The body has not been released, but the family is reaching out for help with funeral expenses. Sanders created a Gofundme page to raise $2,000 to assist in this effort. The page can be accessed This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Probe continues in death of Athens man found dead in home basement
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Athens man doesn't wait long for cops to find his stolen bike and capture suspect
Bicycle thefts in Athens are not uncommon, and one survey by a California university shows more than 2 million bicycles were likely stolen across the country in 2024. But an Athens man had the good news recently of having his bike returned within minutes of it being stolen at his home on Moreland Avenue in east Athens. The 71-year-old man called Athens-Clarke police about noon on March 18 to report the bike disappeared at his home within the past 30 minutes, according to a police report. Police officers in the area issued a description of the bike and soon after a man along North Avenue was seen with a bike matching the description. Officer Injured: Jackson County sheriff's deputy seriously injured in pit bull attack while serving papers When officer David Raymond activated his patrol unit blue lights, the man began pedaling away. The report shows the suspect disappeared into a wooded area, where the officer entered on foot. A woman in a homeless camp pointed out the suspect's direction of travel, according to the officer. The bike was found abandoned, but as Raymond searched, he reported observing the suspect hiding behind a tree. The officer reported he snuck close to the tree, pulled his stun gun on the unaware man, then arrested him without incident. The bike was returned to the victim. The 44-year-old suspect from Athens was taken to jail. The Bike Index survey by the University of California reported this year that it documented a 15% increase in the thefts of bikes it had registered, but the Index estimated more than 2 million were stolen last year in the U.S. The survey was reported by Bicycle Retailer, an online bike industry newsletter, that also reported that nearly 60% of bike thefts occur in residential areas. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens police officer sneaks up on bike thief hiding behind tree
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Pig butchering: Athens man loses thousands after 'Lyra' tells him to invest in cryptocurrency
An Athens man with a "steady' relationship with a woman named 'Lyra' that he met on Instagram recently reported to police that she told him about an app on which he could make money by investing in cryptocurrency. So, the 52-year-old man went to his bank and withdrew more than $70,000, according to an Athens-Clarke police report. The app showed he was indeed making money from the investment, but a problem happened when he decided to withdraw some money to pay off his car, according to the report. He was told to deposit more money to receive the withdrawal. This was an uh-oh moment for the man, as he reported he immediately suspected a scam. The man told an officer he contacted Lyra and confronted her about app. But after the communication, he went back to the app and instead of $74,000 in the account he only had 25 cents. And somehow, the layout of the app was changed, he told police. Death Investigation: Oconee deputies investigating deaths of long-time Athens wrecker service owner and his son The FBI on its website reported that cryptocurrency investment fraud is prevalent today. Commonly, the fraud is called 'pig butchering," because the scam artist builds a relationship with a victim before luring them into an investment scheme. 'Scammers, through various means of manipulation, convince victims to deposit more and more money into financial 'investments' using cryptocurrency,' the FBI reported. 'In truth, these investments are fake; all victim money is under the control of — and ultimately stolen by — criminal actors, usually overseas. As a result, victims typically lose all money they invested." The scam artist encourages the victim to move their money from a traditional bank into a cryptocurrency account, where initially the returns appear "extremely lucrative," so this prompts even more investments, the FBI warned. Only when the person wants money from the account, do the problems arise as the scammer then demands more money, according to the FBI. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Instagram user tricks Athens man into 'pig butchering' investment scam
