Author: On Common Ground News

Update: Lawrenceville missing teen identified, suspect Dennis Calzadilla charged with murder The victim has been identified as Jose Daniel Martinez, 16, of Lawrenceville. Authorities said he was found shot to death and have arrested a 20-year-old male suspect, Dennis Calzadilla, in connection with the murder. Police issued the following report: At 1:05 p.m., on March 1, 2023, Martinez’s family called 911 to report Martinez as a missing person. Officers spoke with the family and found out that he had not returned home the previous night. While on the scene, officers were notified that the teen’s possible last known location was…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– Sasha Dinnall, 36, of Lithonia has been arrested and charged with the Sept. 7, 2022 fatal car crash that killed Brionna S. Johnson, 32, of Loganville. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit with the U.S. Marshals Office arrested Dinnall without incident this morning (March 1) at a residence on Pole Creek Drive in Lithonia. Arrest warrants charge Dinnall with Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree (a felony) and three misdemeanors: Exceeding Maximum Speed Limits, Reckless Driving, and Vehicle to Drive on Right Side of Road. Authorities reported Dinnall was speeding at rates in excess of…

WASHINGTON, D.C.–DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson was in the right place at just the right moment. Johnson was photographed in a selfie with President Biden on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 as the President attended a White House reception celebrating Black History Month. Johnson called the timing divine. “God is  good!” Johnson exclaimed. His wife posted “Thank you God!!!” on her IG social media account. The photo promoted a PBS NewsHour report in which   President Biden commented  “history matters.”

DECATUR, GA—The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections meeting for the purpose of conducting its normal monthly business will be held on Thursday, March  9, 2023, at 4:30 p.m.  This meeting will be conducted in person at 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, Ga. 30032. Public comments may be made in person or submitted by sending an email of one page or less to electionspubliccmnt@dekalbcountyga.gov, which must be received between 4:30 and 5 p.m. on the day of the meeting. The body of the email must include the citizen’s first and last name, followed by the citizen’s address. Abusive, profane, or derogatory…

DECATUR, GA–  The DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will hold a Parks Citizen Advisory Board Committee meeting on Thursday, March 28, 6 p.m. at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. The meeting to discuss current park improvements and will be conducted via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/87648259124. To join the meeting by phone, dial 888-270-9936, and use conference code 829398. For more information, contact Carol Underwood, administrative coordinator, at 404-371-2927 or cjunderw@dekalbcountyga.gov.  

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, along with the DeKalb County Police S.W.A.T. arrested a suspect in the murder of a pregnant woman in Clarkston, Georgia. Investigators located and arrested Diamonte Oiy’Shawn Haithcoats, 22, of Stone Mountain, on Monday without incident  outside of a barbershop on Memorial Drive in Decatur. A warrant for Haithcoats’ charges him with Malice Murder in the Feb. 2, 2023 shooting death of Shaniyah Monet Rodriguez, who was killed on Old Singleton Lane in the Brannon Hill condominium community. According to the warrant, Rodriguez was seven months pregnant with Haithcoats’ child and…

DECATUR, GA– DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond’s FY2023 budget, which includes $4.3 million to raise the starting salaries for police and firefighter recruits and provide increases for veteran public safety personnel, was passed today by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. This salary boost in the $1.7 billion budget maintains DeKalb’s status as one of the highest the -aid police and fire recruits among large local governments in the southeast and the state, respectively. “Our ability to recruit, hire and retain the best sworn personnel is essential to maintaining the quality of life in DeKalb County,” CEO Thurmond said. Effective April…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Rockdale County government is inviting the public to provide input on the future of Rockdale Transportation by participating in the upcoming Transit Development Plan (TDP). The TDP will identify transit needs and opportunities for the county to inform the public of its future transit system investments. By aiding communities in developing a transit vision, the The TDP will lay the foundation for partnerships to address transit needs that best support the county’s continued growth and economic development. The Transit Development Plan is a 12-month study consisting of the following key phases: Evaluate current transportation conditions. Gauge current…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– Efforts to improve water service capacity throughout DeKalb County continue on Monday, March 13, with the launch of the Stone Mountain- Lithonia Road Water Line Replacement Project. Crews will replace 5,000 linear feet of crumbling water lines with new 8-inch and 12-inch ductile-iron water lines along Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road. The repair project is expected to last approximately six months (March 2023 to September 2023), barring any weather delays. Normal construction hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays. An increase in construction-related noise and traffic during work hours should be…

ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is establishing a new task force to further engage the community on plans for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site as well as the surrounding green space including the former Atlanta Prison Farm. The City of Atlanta is also relaunching www.ATLTrainingCenter.com with additional information about plans for greenspace enhancement and protection and facts on the purpose and vision for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. The task force will supplement the work of the Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee which will continue to provide direct dialogue with neighborhoods adjacent to the site of the future Training Center. The approximately…