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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MTV star charged in friend's fatal overdose released from jail after being granted $15K bond
Whitney Purvis has been released from custody and has returned home after she was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Purvis, 33, who appeared on the MTV reality show 16 and Pregnant, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the fatal February 17 drug overdose of her friend John Mark Harris at 37. Authorities said she provided him with the narcotics that led to his tragic end. The television personality was granted a bond of $15,000 by a Georgia court last Thursday, with conditions including sobriety and a curfew. At that time, it was not immediately clear if Purvis would be able to make bond, insiders told TMZ, which first reported the news. Now, however, it has emerged that she left jail this Monday after a judge amended the agreement to stipulate that she could go home once she had been in Floyd County Correctional Institution for 14 days, according to People. She must abide by all the other conditions previously set, including that she keep a 7 p.m. to 7 p.m. curfew; stay at a residence in Bartow County, Georgia named by the court; and refrain from consuming drugs or alcohol. Purvis is not permitted, under her terms of release, to initiate contact with any members of the family of the victim, according to court documents reviewed by TMZ. Purvis on March 3 took to the site of the funeral home which handled arrangements for John Mark Harris, and penned a memorial in his honor. 'John mark, I hate that I found out what happened today and missed your funeral,' Purvis wrote on the Henderson & Sons Funeral Home site. She continued: 'I wish I could've found out sooner and attended your celebration of life.' The MTV star posted the message more than three months before she was arrested Monday in Floyd County, Georgia in connection with with involuntary manslaughter and distribution of a controlled substance, among other felony counts, TMZ reported July 7. Purvis 'distributed a substance presented as "Tranq," commonly known as Xylazine and Fentanyl, to the victim, which directly contributed in the victim's death due to a toxic overdose,' law enforcement officials said in an arrest affidavit reviewed by People. It's been an awful year for Purvis, who would later pen an emotional memorial for her son Weston following his death at the age of 16 on June 2; Daily Mail has reached out to Purvis via Instagram for further comment on this story. Purvis thanked her late confidante 'for being such a great friend to me and always making me feel beautiful and cared for.' Purvis said that her late friend had been a dear one, as they grew close over their passion for cooking: 'We bonded over being chefs, our love of cooking and our struggle.' Harris had been employed as a chef at Barnsley Gardens, a popular North Georgia resort. She praised Harris for his candor and intelligence in their interactions over the years. 'I could tell you anything and you always knew what to say or give me your honest opinion and advice,' Purvis said. The MTV alum added 'You've came to my rescue on many occasions and saved me over the years. 'I am so very thankful for the times we had together.' Purvis - who's also charged with use of a communication device to commit a felony involving controlled substances - said that she was dealing with serious emotional trauma over the loss of her friend. 'My brain just can't process this happened,' she said. 'I don't want it to be true.' Purvis listed off a number of things she associated with Harris that she would miss in the wake of his passing. 'I'll miss waking up to your silly messages and pictures you'd send me,' she said. 'I'll miss marshal and lunchbox. I'll miss your amazing cooking. 'I'll miss snuggling on the couch watching tv with you. I'll miss sitting outside, smoking camel crush cigs w/ you how we talked about talked about life, gossiping and you telling me what movies/shows I need to watch next.' Purvis characterized her late friend as 'a truly good hearted, one of a kind man' who she would 'never forget.' Purvis, who has more than 17,800 followers on Instagram, wrapped up in saying: 'Rest in peace and my condolences to your family and friends. 'I pray they are able to find some kind of comfort during this tragic time. I love you forever, John Mark. Love, Whitney.' Following the death of her son last month, Purvis spoke on social media about how she was understandably struggling in the wake of her child's unexpected passing. 'This is so hard to write,' Purvis said. 'My beautiful son, Weston has passed away. He was only 16 years old. Life is so cruel and unfair. I just dont understand. 'Oh my baby is gone and I don't know what to do with myself. He was so perfect. This is really my worst nightmare come true. 'How do you go on in life after losing a child?' Purvis said she was 'in disbelief,' thinking that 'this cannot be happening' and that she didn't 'want it to be real.' She added of her late son: 'I love you so much, Weston Owen Gosa. I would do anything just to hold him. Words just can't describe the pain I am feeling. 'God, I love you so much. You are my heart. I was so proud of the young man you were becoming. I just can't go on without you. Rest in Peace, my angel. You are gone too soon. April 2, 2009 - June 2, 2025.'
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
16 & Pregnant star Whitney Purvis granted bond in man's fatal overdose she's charged in
MTV star Whitney Purvis has been granted a bond of $15,000 by a Georgia court Thursday in connection with her involuntary manslaughter arrest in her friend's fatal overdose. It was not immediately clear if Purvis will be able to make bond, insiders told TMZ, who first reported news she had been granted bond in the case. Purvis, 33, who appeared on the MTV reality show 16 and Pregnant, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the fatal February 17 drug overdose of her friend John Mark Harris at 37. Authorities said the reality star, 33, provided him with the narcotics that led to his tragic end. As conditional to her bond, the court demands that Purvis keep a 7 p.m. to 7 p.m. curfew; stay at a residence in Bartow County, Georgia named by the court; and refrain from consuming drugs or alcohol, TMZ reported. Purvis is not permitted under her terms of release to initiate contact with any members of the family of the victim, the outlet reported after reviewing legal docs. Purvis on March 3 took to the site of the funeral home which handled arrangements for John Mark Harris, and penned a memorial in his honor. 'John mark, I hate that I found out what happened today and missed your funeral,' Purvis wrote on the Henderson & Sons Funeral Home site. She continued: 'I wish I could've found out sooner and attended your celebration of life.' The MTV star posted the message more than three months before she was arrested Monday in Floyd County, Georgia in connection with with involuntary manslaughter and distribution of a controlled substance, among other felony counts, TMZ reported July 7. Purvis 'distributed a substance presented as "Tranq," commonly known as Xylazine and Fentanyl, to the victim, which directly contributed in the victim's death due to a toxic overdose,' law enforcement officials said in an arrest affidavit reviewed by People. It's been an awful year for Purvis, who would later pen an emotional memorial for her son Weston following his death at the age of 16 on June 2; Daily Mail has reached out to Purvis via Instagram for further comment on this story. Purvis thanked her late confidante 'for being such a great friend to me and always making me feel beautiful and cared for.' Purvis said that her late friend had been a dear one, as they grew close over their passion for cooking: 'We bonded over being chefs, our love of cooking and our struggle.' Purvis penned an emotional statement in memory of her late friend - whose death she was subsequently charged in Harris had been employed as a chef at Barnsley Gardens, a popular North Georgia resort. She praised Harris for his candor and intelligence in their interactions over the years. 'I could tell you anything and you always knew what to say or give me your honest opinion and advice,' Purvis said. The MTV alum added 'You've came to my rescue on many occasions and saved me over the years. 'I am so very thankful for the times we had together.' Purvis - who's also charged with use of a communication device to commit a felony involving controlled substances - said that she was dealing with serious emotional trauma over the loss of her friend. 'My brain just can't process this happened,' she said. 'I don't want it to be true.' Purvis listed off a number of things she associated with Harris that she would miss in the wake of his passing. 'I'll miss waking up to your silly messages and pictures you'd send me,' she said. 'I'll miss marshal and lunchbox. I'll miss your amazing cooking. 'I'll miss snuggling on the couch watching tv with you. I'll miss sitting outside, smoking camel crush cigs w/ you how we talked about talked about life, gossiping and you telling me what movies/shows I need to watch next.' Purvis characterized her late friend as 'a truly good hearted, one of a kind man' who she would 'never forget.' Purvis, who has more than 17,800 followers on Instagram, wrapped up in saying: 'Rest in peace and my condolences to your family and friends. 'I pray they are able to find some kind of comfort during this tragic time. I love you forever, John Mark. Love, Whitney.' Following the death of her son last month, Purvis spoke on social media about how she was understandably struggling in the wake of her child's unexpected passing. 'This is so hard to write,' Purvis said. 'My beautiful son, Weston has passed away. He was only 16 years old. Life is so cruel and unfair. I just dont understand. 'Oh my baby is gone and I don't know what to do with myself. He was so perfect. This is really my worst nightmare come true. 'How do you go on in life after losing a child?' Purvis said she was 'in disbelief,' thinking that 'this cannot be happening' and that she didn't 'want it to be real.' She added of her late son: 'I love you so much, Weston Owen Gosa. I would do anything just to hold him. Words just can't describe the pain I am feeling. 'God, I love you so much. You are my heart. I was so proud of the young man you were becoming. I just can't go on without you. Rest in Peace, my angel. You are gone too soon. April 2, 2009 - June 2, 2025.'
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
A Georgia town that solidly backed Trump could fall victim to his tax bill's green energy cuts
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — When two South Korean companies announced a multibillion-dollar investment to build solar panel and electric battery factories in northwest Georgia, federal subsidies helped close a deal to diversify the local economy. The factories promised thousands of new jobs, transforming the manufacturing base in Cartersville, once a cotton mill town before an Anheuser-Busch brewery arrived in the 1990s and a tire plant in 2006. But now Republicans in Congress want to gut the subsidies for projects across the country in a tax cut bill likely days from final passage. President Donald Trump's signature legislation could harm Cartersville despite it being in overwhelmingly Republican Bartow County, which backed Trump with 75% of the vote all three times he appeared on the ballot. Both companies say they're continuing their buildout plans. But Steve Taylor, a Republican who is Bartow County's lone elected commissioner, says ending the tax credits would be 'a little concerning.' 'Those companies came and it gave us a completely different type of industry and manufacturing for our community,' Taylor said. By some measures, no state may have more to lose than Georgia from such cuts in Trump's ' Big Beautiful Bill .' Top Georgia Republicans have been mostly silent, while Georgia's two Democratic U.S. senators are staunchly opposed. 'A vote for this bill is a vote against Georgia's economy and a vote that will put so much of what we've worked so hard to achieve at risk' U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff told The Associated Press. And few towns have more to lose than Cartersville, the Bartow County seat about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta. As the county transforms from rural to suburban, leaders foresee an economic boost from the $5 billion battery factory that Hyundai Motor Group and SK On are building, as well as the $2.3 billion solar panel plant belonging to Qcells, a unit of Hanwha Solutions. Both plants pledge to pay workers an average of $53,000 a year. Clean energy projects are taking off in Georgia Georgia's huge inrush of clean energy projects had already begun before 2022, when then-President Joe Biden signed his signature climate law , the Inflation Reduction Act. But if anything, that rush accelerated . The 33 additional projects announced by the end of 2024 were the most nationwide, according to E2 , an environmental business group. Exact figures differ, but projects in Georgia top $20 billion, pledging more than 25,000 jobs. Buyers of Qcells solar panels get a 40% federal tax credit, including a 10% bonus for domestic content, which would go away under the bill. Qcells itself would still get production tax credits for panels it started producing last year in Cartersville. The bill would also tax companies that buy panels or components from some foreign countries including China. That could help Qcells, but wouldn't aid domestic producers as much as the domestic content bonus. When the 1,900-job plant is complete, it will take refined polysilicon, cast it into ingots and then thinly slice ingots into the wafers that become solar cells. Qcells says controlling its own supply chain will let it work more efficiently. Those additional steps would earn the company additional tax credits. Scott Moskowitz, vice president of market strategy and industry affairs for Qcells, said the company built its first American factory up the road in Dalton during the first Trump administration in response to Trump's protectionist trade policy. Moskowitz argues that a quick curtailment of federal subsidies undercuts Trump's goal of bolstering domestic manufacturing, pushing buyers back to Chinese-controlled producers. Some local Republicans are expressing alarm, with 16 GOP state legislators imploring Congress in a June 17 letter to preserve tax breaks for solar panels. 'We urge you not to weaken the tax credits, as doing so would only harm the manufacturing renaissance in Georgia while creating opportunities for Chinese companies to take over the solar industry,' wrote the Georgia lawmakers, led by Republican state Rep. Matthew Gambill of Cartersville. Some argue it's unfair for Congress to pull the rug out after companies relied on the promise of federal support to invest huge sums. 'I would like to think that from a business perspective that when you have agreements in place that you carry those out to fulfillment,' Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini said. High-ranking Georgia Republicans have been publicly silent Clean energy projects have overwhelmingly located in Republican-held congressional districts, with a report by Atlas Public Policy finding GOP districts host 77% of planned spending. But Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who lives in Bartow County, praised the cuts when they passed the House in May, saying the bill would 'unleash American energy stifled by the Democrats' Green New scam' and lauding expansion of oil, gas and coal production on federal lands. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says he's staying out of the debate. 'Our position is that Congress needs to be the one to decide the future of the IRA,' said Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas. Kemp loves green energy investments and jobs, and even declared that his goal is to make Georgia the 'electric mobility capital of America.' But Kemp and Ossoff clash over who should get credit for Georgia's green energy boom. Kemp sharply disputes that the Biden-era incentives spurred the flood of investment, saying many industries were already on their way before the Inflation Reduction Act was passed. Unlike his current silence, Kemp vociferously opposed some domestic content requirements that made it hard for Hyundai to access the same tax credits as unionized U.S.-based automakers. 'Just generally speaking, the Inflation Reduction Act picked winners and losers, and we saw that negatively impact our partners,' Douglas said. All nine of Georgia's Republican House members voted to support the bill, including U.S. Rep Buddy Carter, who earlier signed a letter supporting green energy subsidies. Carter, who is seeking the GOP nomination to oppose Ossoff for Senate in 2026, represents a coastal district that includes a $7.6 billion Hyundai plant in Ellabell that started production last year. Hyundai wants to make batteries at what would be a 3,500-employee plant near Cartersville so that Hyundai and Kia buyers can fully take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. Those credits would end six months after the bill is enacted under the current version. The company is publicly sidestepping the current legislative fight. But with American demand for electric vehicles slow to take off , Hyundai now says it will also build gas-electric hybrid vehicles in Ellabell, once projected to make only electric vehicles. 'We remain focused on electrification because we believe it represents a significant long-term opportunity,' Hyundai spokesperson Michael Stewart said in a statement. 'At the same time, our business is driven by consumer demand, which is why we continue to offer a full range of powertrains.' Bartow County leaders say it's in everyone's interest to keep the projects on solid footing and that jobs should outweigh politics. 'I don't know that people are lining up along party lines over this topic,' Santini said. But Ossoff says partisanship is motivating many Georgia Republicans to turn their backs on the state's economic interests. 'For national Republicans right now, loyalty to Trump is more important than anything else, and this is what Trump says he wants,' Ossoff said.
Associated Press
01-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Police officer fatally shoots person at Atlanta apartment complex
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — A police officer handling security at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex shot and killed a person Sunday morning who was breaking into the officer's patrol car and charged at him with a metal pipe, authorities said.. The Fulton County officer confronted the individual at around 7:40 a.m. at Heritage Station Apartments, officials said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. The Bureau is also investigating the death of Carrie Hall, 50, who was shot last week during an encounter with Bartow County deputies and a Cartersville police officer and later died at a hospital. Authorities say Hall did not comply with orders to drop a gun.
