A 32 year old Chattanooga man riding a motorcycle was fatally injured in an accident with a truck Sunday evening around 6:30.

According to investigators a 74 year old man driving a pickup was apparently attempting to make a right turn when he collided with the motorcycle at the intersection of Cloud Springs and Lafayette Road.

The victim identified as Heath Brown was reportedly killed instantly when the two vehicles crashed.

The accident remains under investigation; authorities are saying that speed wasn't an issue and the big question is did the driver of the pickup fail to yield OR were both drivers simply at the intersection after the light had already turned red.

It remains unclear whether or not any charges will be filed in connection with the case.

The driver of the truck is also from Chattanooga.

Walker County Messenger) 

Charles Allen Brock, 44 of Cartersville, was transferred from the Polk County Jail to the Floyd County Jail on Monday to face charges that he stole a Mercedes last November.

Brock allegedly stole the 1999 Mercedes last November on Morrison Campground Road. The warrant stated the vehicle was reported stolen in Bartow County on November 5.

Brock was charged with felony theft by receiving stolen property and is being held without bond on undisclosed charges out of Bartow County.

(Coosa Valley News) 

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming the first travel related case of Zika virus in Georgia. Testing was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The non-pregnant individual traveled to Colombia between the end of December and the first of January and has made a full recovery. Tests are still being done on specimens from several other Georgia residents with travel history to areas where Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing.

DPH cautions travelers, especially women who are pregnant, headed to countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, among others.

The complete list of Zika affected countries can be found at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information.

 Zika virus is primarily spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). 

For more information about Zika virus and current travel advisories, visit dph.georgia.gov or cdc.gov/zika.

  The Georgia Department of Public Health is the lead agency in preventing disease, injury and disability; promoting health and well-being; and preparing for and responding to disasters from a health perspective. In 2011, the General Assembly restored DPH to its own state agency after more than 30 years of consolidation with other departments. At the state level, DPH functions through numerous divisions, sections, programs and offices. Locally, DPH funds and collaborates with Georgia's 159 county health departments and 18 public health districts. Through the changes, the mission has remained constant – to protect the lives of all Georgians. Today, DPH’s main functions include: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Maternal and Child Health, Infectious Disease and Immunization, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emergency Medical Services, Pharmacy, Nursing, Volunteer Health Care, the Office of Health Equity, Vital Records, and the State Public Health Laboratory.

For more information about DPH, visit www.dph.ga.gov. 

A car flips and ends up on its top in a ditch on Highway 27 North just south of Hennon Drive Wednesday.

Two adults and two children were in the vehicle.

Rich Gilbert was just behind the car, which was traveling south, and saw what happened.

“I saw them move to the right and then come back across the highway very sharply,” he said. “The car ran off the bank and the nose hit right next to the creek and it flipped.”

Gilbert and another man, Bobby Isham then began offering assistance to the occupants of the vehicle.

“When I got up to the vehicle, the little one was in the car seat and his father was trying to get him out,” Gilbert said. “I took him from him and could tell he was bleeding, but I couldn’t tell from where. His nose may have been busted. Then we got the older kid out and he looked like he had hit his head.”

The male driver was able to get out of the car on his own.

The female passenger, who is pregnant, had to be extricated.

She and the children were transported by ambulance to Redmond Regional Medical Center.

The injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

(WRGA) 

Summerville resident Robert Gene Milam, Jr., age 49, was arrested, and charged with felony Obstruction of Officers and a misdemeanor count of Disorderly Conduct – following a report of someone pulling a knife during a domestic dispute.

Deputies arrived at the residence, and spoke with Milam's wife and son, both of whom said that at one point he had gone into the kitchen and retrieved a knife from one of the drawers and threatened his son, however no physical attack apparently occurred.

According to statements, Milam later placed the knife in a sink; he then went to the home of a neighbor and that's when the 9-1-1 call was made.

When speaking with deputies, Milan denied pulling a knife, claiming his wife and son lied.

Milam allowed the officers to search him for weapons and none were found; however, once he was instructed to place his hands behind his back he reportedly resisted and there was a brief scuffle which ended after Milam was hit with pepper spray; he was then carried to the Chattooga County Jail.

That was the third time that day deputies had been dispatched to the location in regard to a verbal argument Milam was accused of instigating.

Authorities have now arrested the woman suspected of shooting a man Tuesday, at a Hardy Avenue apartment in Floyd County.

Shirley Ann Wilson was taken into custody, and charged with the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to reports Wilson and the victim were in an argument when she pulled a gun and fired a single shot – striking the man in the abdomen.

The victim was taken to Floyd Medical Center suffering wounds to the stomach and arm.

(Coosa Valley News)

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Law enforcement officials recently responded to a report of a possible stolen weapon called in by a Summerville resident; the complainant said that he noticed his Diamondback DB380 pistol was missing a couple of weeks ago.  

The man then gave authorities the serial number for that black subcompact semi-automatic .380 caliber pistol.

The serial number has been entered into the GCIC/NCIC stolen gun database.

The incident remains under investigation.

A Cherokee County Alabama woman was recently arrested in Chattooga County on DUI and traffic charges.

According to incident reports 45 year old Beverly Kay Maxwell of Centre was pulled over in Lyerly near the Pure Stop station – just past the Mohawk plant on Highway 114 – after being observed driving erratically.

The deputy approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Ms. Maxwell, who stated that she was taking the passenger in the vehicle to the home of a friend, but wasn't sure exactly where the person actually lived.

She also admitted that she was on the "Color Code System" in Alabama, adding that she was on code because she had several drug charges including an arrest for methamphetamine.

Later, Maxwell gave consent to search the vehicle – which according to the report turned up nothing.  When asked if she was under the influence of any drugs she first said no but when asked again she admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day but said she wasn't under the influence of anything else.  After failing several field sobriety tests, and based upon her admission to smoking marijuana earlier – Maxwell was placed under arrest on a DUI/Drugs charge and transported to the Chattooga County Jail.

She was additionally charged with Failure to Maintain a Single lane.

Trion Elementary School, a national and state recognized reward school, announces its registration dates for both Pre-K and Kindergarten.

• Pre-K registration is Scheduled for Thursday, March 10 from 8 am to 11am at the Trion Recreation Department. Pre-K is for children age 4 years old on or before September 1st.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
• Kindergarten registration is scheduled for Thursday, March 17 from 1 pm to 4 pm at Trion Elementary School.