Latest news with #StreetGangTerrorismandPreventionAct
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two arrested, one suspect sought in Spalding County drive-by shooting
The Brief Two suspects, Toriyah Gotell and Andre Noble Jr., have been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting in Spalding County; a juvenile suspect is still at large. The suspects face multiple charges, including aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and violations of Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Sheriff Darrell Dix emphasized the coordinated efforts of law enforcement units in identifying and apprehending the suspects, linking the incident to gang-related activity. GRIFFIN, Ga. - Two people have been arrested and a third suspect is being sought in connection with a drive-by shooting that damaged two homes earlier this month in Spalding County, authorities said Monday. The backstory Deputies responded to reports of gunfire on Chester Woods Court at around 11:18 p.m. on May 4, where they found a home struck by multiple rounds and a single round had hit a neighboring home. Spent shell casings were recovered in the roadway, the Spalding County Sheriff's Office said. A home surveillance video from the neighborhood captured footage of a vehicle in the area at the time of the shooting, which led to the identification of a suspect vehicle. What we know On May 6, investigators with the Spalding County Special Operations and S.T.I.N.G. units located and stopped the suspect vehicle. The driver, 18-year-old Toriyah Gotell of Griffin, was taken in for questioning. The vehicle was seized and searched pursuant to a warrant. Gotell was later arrested. Further investigation led to the identification of two more suspects — 19-year-old Andre Noble Jr. of Griffin and a male juvenile also from Griffin. On May 13 at approximately 8:30 a.m., the sheriff's SWAT team executed a search warrant at 424 Lakeview Street, where Noble was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered. Gotell and Noble are both facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and violations of Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. The juvenile suspect remains at large. Charges: Andre Noble Jr., 19:Aggravated Assault (4 counts)Criminal Damage to Property (2 counts)Violation of Georgia Street Gang Act (8 counts) Aggravated Assault (4 counts) Criminal Damage to Property (2 counts) Violation of Georgia Street Gang Act (8 counts) Toriyah Gotell, 18:Aggravated Assault (4 counts)Criminal Damage to Property (2 counts)Violation of Georgia Street Gang Act (4 counts) Aggravated Assault (4 counts) Criminal Damage to Property (2 counts) Violation of Georgia Street Gang Act (4 counts) What they're saying Sheriff Dix praised the coordinated work of his deputies and specialized units. "We had a S.T.I.N.G. Unit Investigator respond to the scene due to the link to possible gang activity," Sheriff Darrell Dix said. "A neighborhood canvas was conducted and home security camera from another residence was found to have had captured footage of a vehicle in the area at the time the gunfire occurred." "The first Deputies on scene that night secured and protected the scene allowing our Crime Scene Investigators to gather pertinent evidence," he said. "Our STING Unit, Criminal Investigators, and Special Operations Agents did a great job identifying the suspects, gathering evidence, conducting interviews, linking the suspects to the drive-by, and locating where they were laying their heads. Then our SWAT Team paid them a visit that they will remember for the rest of their lives." Dix added the shooting was not a random act, but a targeted attack likely linked to gang disputes. "These types of incidents aren't random; they're targeted at a specific person or at rival gang members," he said. "Thankfully, an innocent person or child was not hit by a round. It also demonstrates the cowardice of all criminal street gang members. They sneak up on their rivals or their houses at night, attack them or fire their shots, and then run away like roaches when you flip a light switch on." What we don't know The investigation remains ongoing. The Source The Spalding County Sheriff's Office provided the details and mug shots for this article.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Multi-count gang indictment brought in Chatham County, 2 new gang prosecutors approved by lawmakers
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – State prosecutors are set to increase the crack down on gang related crimes in the Savannah area, an effort that's already begun with three people indicted in a major, gang case Wednesday. Over $250,000 of Georgia's state budget has been appropriated by lawmakers to the Attorney General's office to add two positions that will expand the state's Gang Prosecution Unit to Savannah. 'Most violent crime is gang related. A lot of people don't realize that,' State Rep. Jesse Petrea, (R) District 166, said. Wednesday's indictment names three individuals who have been charged with violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act for their involvement with the Rock Out Gang (ROG) in Chatham County. The 19-count indictment brought by the Attorney General's office includes crimes like aggravated assault, armed robbery and carjacking. 'We need somebody aggressively going after gang members,' Petrea said. 'It makes the community safer wherever you do it, and we're going to do it in a bigger and bolder way here in Savannah, I hope. You're going to see more.' However, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget that's been approved by the state House and Senate must be signed by Governor Brian Kemp for the money to come through. Then, the Attorney General's Gang Prosecution Unit will officially include the Savannah region. The unit is based in Atlanta, and, right now, it has regional prosecutors in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and the Middle Judicial Circuit. 'A lot of drugs move through Atlanta,' Petrea said. 'So, that tends to be a center, but we're right at 95. So, a lot of drugs and a lot of trafficking come up and down the interstate, and we're right next to the interstate. So, Savannah, we need these resources.' Petrea said the state is working with law enforcement to mitigate what elected officials anticipate will be a larger influx of criminals to the local jails under the new prosecuters. 'We had to make sure that they had the resources to pay more to retain staff. We did a pretty big increase on the per diem for holding state prisoners,' he said. 'We pay them a per diem and that's about $30/day and we're increasing it by $6/day. So, we're trying to help in that regard.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
DeKalb County announces indictments of gang members, 4 murder suspects on weapons, drug charges
A multi-agency investigation at a DeKalb County home led to the arrest and now indictment of 17 alleged gang members, a DeKalb County grand jury announced on Wednesday. Yesterday, the indictment came down on the following individuals: Darin Katharail Harris, 20 Nashan Levonta Hutton, 25 Calvary Ray Jackson, 21 Jakai Tyere Lewis, 18 Amarion Jacoby Pitts, 21 Joshua Demarquis Thomas, 19 Naseem Umar Triplett, 21 Caleb Nehemiah Dudley, 20 Ashton Patrick George, 18 Jameel Thomas Jones, 23 Camryn Anaya Byrd, 24 John Ben Frazier, 22 Jerry Devaun Johnson, 25 Fratavic Trevorious Goodwin, 20 Donovan Logan, 19 Tyrique Thomas, 20 Daniel Kenneth Solomon, 23 Officials say the 17 defendants are indicted on four counts of violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act, possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Hutton is also indicted on an additional charge of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, along with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In April 2024, DeKalb County police were contacted by the Cedar Park police in Texas regarding four unidentified armed robbery suspects that might have connections in DeKalb County. DKPD, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, ATF and CPD executed a search warrant at a home on Cleethropes Drive in Lithonia. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta bagpiper killed while scuba diving; son who vanished 4 years ago found dead at home Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addresses players' latest driving arrests GA law enforcement makes biggest fentanyl bust in state history, enough to kill 2.5 million people While executing the search warrant, law enforcement officials recovered 20 firearms, including fully automatic long guns, as well as illegal switches used to turn handguns into automatic weapons and extended magazines. Police also discovered an illegal psychedelic mushroom growing operation and seized a significant amount of other drugs from the house. Thomas, Johnson, and Goodwin are charged with armed robbery and felony murder for the April 4 murder of Nicholas Grierson, 27. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
GA inmate sentenced to more years in prison for trafficking kilos of meth
A Georgia Department of Corrections inmate has been sentenced for his involvement in a 2019 trafficking case. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Coweta County District Attorney's Office said Rodolfo Ortiz entered a negotiated plea for his participation with the Sureños criminal street gang and his involvement in a trafficking case. Ortiz was sentenced to a 50-year sentence for 25 years of that sentence to be served in confinement. The DA said, back in 2019, Ortiz texted an undercover officer with Newnan police looking to distribute meth.. At the time, Ortiz was an inmate at the Georgia Department of Corrections. What is referred to as a 'prison broker' deal, Ortiz told the undercover officer that his people would transport illegal drugs to him in exchange for money, officials said. TRENDING STORIES: 3 Atlanta men arrested after police find over 200 fake checks during traffic stop Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs, Eagles players who got their start at GA high schools, colleges 'What I do?:' Armed robbery suspect leads GA deputies on 100 mph chase Ortiz and the undercover officer spoke several times over the phone and planned for the deal to happen at a restaurant in Coweta County. The DA said, one of Ortiz's fellow Sureños drove from Gwinnett County to the restaurant to deliver the meth to the undercover officer. After making contact with the undercover officer, Ortiz's fellow gang member showed three large gallon-sized zip lock bags containing five kilograms of meth, according to the DA. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] That individual along with Mr. Ortiz was later indicted and charged with trafficking methamphetamine and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. After he was sentenced and back in prison, Ortiz reached out to the undercover officer using a contraband phone expressing his fear of the sentence under the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. He offered to coordinate more drug transactions with the undercover officer in hopes of being sent to a less violent institution, the DA said. That investigation is pending.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
YFN Lucci Released From Prison After Serving 4 Years, Placed On Parole Until 2031
YFN Lucci is officially a free man after serving nearly four years in prison. According to Channel 2 Action News, the Georgia Department of Corrections confirmed that the Atlanta rapper, born Rayshawn Bennett, was released from Burress Correctional Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia, on Friday (Jan. 31). He has reportedly been placed on parole until January 2031. Lucci was initially arrested in January 2021 in connection to a murder case. Authorities alleged that he was behind the wheel during a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of his associate, James Adams, 28. According to prosecutors, Adams was shot during the altercation and later pushed out of the moving vehicle, suffering fatal injuries on the street in front of witnesses. After being released on bond, Lucci's was arrested again in 2021 on a RICO charge and was stabbed by another inmate at Fulton County Jail the following year. After nearly three years served, the 'Everyday We Lit' rapper secured a victory in 2024 when 12 of the 13 charges against him were dropped—including the murder charge. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of violating Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and upon sentencing expressed remorse. 'My heart goes out to my friend, James Adams, and his family,' Lucci stated in court at the time of sentencing. 'I also want to apologize to my family and my friends for putting them through this stressful process. I would also like to apologize to the court.' Lucci was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in prison and 10 years of probation. His time behind bars was counted as time served, making him eligible for parole in May 2024. As part of his parole conditions, the 33-year-old reportedly must 'live with his mother, undergo regular drug testing, avoid gang associations, and refrain from any gang-related activities.' He is also 'prohibited from possessing firearms and must seek permission before leaving the state.' The rapper's early release surprisingly received support from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who penned a letter to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles advocating for his release. Intervention attorney, Drew Findling, described the gesture a 'powerful punch' in the case. On Instagram, Lucci shared a heartfelt video of his homecoming, including glimpses of his children, family and friends all excited to see him. See below. More from YFN Lucci Receives Early Release Co-Sign As 2020 Shooting Footage Emerges Lil Wayne May Have To Testify About Young Thug Beef At YSL Trial YFN Lucci Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison, 10 Years Probation
