Author: On Common Ground News

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The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit today announced the arrest of Charlie Lee Geddis, 23, of Decatur, who has been on the run for murder since last October. Geddis is the second of three suspects arrested in the shooting death of a 68-year-old man at a gas station in Ellenwood. Antonio Crowley, 21, turned himself in to authorities last October, a day after the shooting.  Tyler Anderson, 23, is still wanted. Authorities said the three men fatally shot Jesse Turner, III at a BP gas station on Panthersville Road in Ellenwood on Oct. 7, 2019 after an altercation with Turner.…

Board of Elections approves 1400 Parker Road as early voting site   Rockdale County would join the city of Conyers in selling alcohol on Sundays beginning at 11 a.m. instead of 12:30 p.m., if voters give the nod on May 19. The Rockdale Board of Elections approved the Board of Commissioners’ resolution putting an amendment on the ballot to change the Sunday alcohol sales at its special called meeting on Feb. 4. Currently, Sunday alcohol sales in Rockdale begin at 12:30 p.m. Supervisor of Elections Cynthia Willingham said the Board of Commissioners requested the measure be brought to voters.…

District 7 DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson will hold a countywide Voting Town Hall on Wed., Feb. 5 at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. The town hall seeks to increase voter participation, improve voter confidence and provide residents with the opportunity to experience using the new voting machine. The Voting Town Hall will also give attendees access to their voting status, the ability to register to vote, and the opportunity to speak with state and local election officials to answer questions pertinent to voting in the approaching primaries. Voting machine…

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DeKalb County Police are investigating a shootout that took place late Sunday(Feb. 2) at 4317 Glenwood Road, Decatur. The shooting happened at around 11:50 p.m.  on Feb. 2. Investigators believe one of the victims, a black male in his mid-30s, was involved in a verbal disputes moments before the shots were fired, said Michaela Vincent, spokesperson for the DeKalb County Police Department. The victim was found in the parking lot with multiple shots and transported to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition but stable condition, Vincent said in a news release. A second victim, a black…

The Rockdale Board of Elections will have a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 12:30 p.m. at its new office located at 1261 Commercial Drive, Conyers. The board will discuss amending the Sunday alcohol sales hours in Rockdale. Currently, Conyers permits Sunday alcohol sales starting at 11 a.m. Rockdale’s Sunday alcohol sales start at 12:3 p.m. The board will decide whether to amend the hours to 11 a.m. on Sunday. The question would be put on the ballot for the May 19 election, said Supervisor of Elections Cynthia Willingham. The board also will consider relocating the in-person early voting…

A proposed gas station/assisted living facility at 3320 Turner Hill Road is on hold for now, while another gas station at 3332 Turner Hill Road is slated for discussion at the city’s Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 4. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at City Hall. The projects have raised concerns among residents in the area who say they don’t want a preponderance of gas stations offering alcohol sales in their communities. The projects, submitted by different applicants, would require rezoning changes and special land use permits (SLUP). The tracts are currently zoned R-100 (residential). Stonecrest City…

Two DeKalb County police officers have been arrested and charged in connection with illegally selling accident reports to third parties. Additionally, one officer was charged with bribery. The criminal investigation was launched after a DeKalb County Police officer alerted the department’s Criminal Investigation Division about the alleged criminal conduct. The investigation revealed that Nikko McClinton and Ronald Anderson, both nine-year veterans of the DeKalb County Police Department, allegedly accessed and sold thousands of motor vehicle accident reports. The officers are accused of selling the reports to “illegal runners,” individuals who solicit clients who could profit from injury or property damage…

Kobe Bryant (left) and Coach Phil McCrary, Columbia High School in DeKalb County.   By Mackenzie N. Morgan Staff Writer Basketball fans in metro Atlanta are mourning the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in the early morning hours on Jan. 26. The 41-year-old retired shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers died along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others while on his way to coach his daughter’s basketball team in a local youth tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California. The victims included…