Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Friday, September 13, 2024:
Across Georgia, law enforcement has continued to deal with threats to schools after what is now being considered the most deadly school shooting in Georgia history that happened last week in Barrow County. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice calls it “unprecedented”, saying they have dealt with dozens of youths who have been arrested for threats against school systems across the Peach State.
Presidential candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz are disqualified from running for president in Georgia, two Georgia superior court judges ruled Wednesday, saying that their electors didn’t file the proper paperwork.
The City of Menlo will have two contested races this November. On Thursday, qualifying ended for city elections. Jerry Morris was the only candidate to qualify for Seat Three on the Menlo City Council. Seat Four will see a race between Patti Settoon and Courtney Willingham and Seat Five will be a contested race between Linda Wilson and Amanda Swords. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
The Salvation Army of Rome, GA is pleased to announce that the registration dates for the 2024 Angel Tree program are set. The Salvation Army of Rome serves residents in Floyd, Polk and Chattooga Counties.
On Monday, September 16th there will be free food distribution at Summerville Middle School. Anyone in need of food is welcome to come by between the hours of 2 PM and 4 PM. The food will be distributed first come, first serve, while supplies last.
A Rome man has been arrested and charged in a crash that claimed the lives of two people early Saturday morning on Turner McCall Boulevard.
A man from Rainsville, Alabama in neighboring DeKalb County, was sentenced to life in prison for the attempted murder of his parents. Ballard Pennington Jr. entered a guilty plea to two counts of attempted murder, and was sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Judge Jeremy Taylor, September 10, 2024. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a stabbing report in Rainsville January 7, 2024. A deputy located Pennington walking down the road close to the residence deputies were dispatched to. The deputy noticed blood on Pennington’s hands with him stating, “I think I killed my mom and dad”. The deputy then went into the residence where an elderly male and female were located with multiple stab wounds. Both victims were transported to a local hospital.
Food is the theme for weekend events being held around Chattooga County. Coming up tomorrow, the City of Summerville and Summerville Main Street will be hosting their annual Chili and Brunswick Stew Cook-off at the historic Summerville Depot. The event features a top prize of $500 for the team with the best chili or Brunswick stew and offers attendees the opportunity to sample the stew and chili with the purchase of a $5 wristband. Also tomorrow, the Chattooga Masonic Lodge will be having a Hobo Supper sale featuring down-home Southern food. The pinto bean, cornbread and fried potato fundraiser is $8 a plate and will be happening at the lodge on Millican Street in Summerville. Also tomorrow, the Subligna Community Center fundraiser will be taking place. BBQ lunches will be served for $10 each and all of the proceeds go to the upkeep of the Subligna Community Center – the sight of the old Subligna School. More details about all these events can be found on the Community Calendar page of this website.
Some people in small, rural communities like Chattooga County scoff at the idea of active gangs perpetrating crime in our area. However, law enforcement says that not only is gang activity prevalent – it is also extremely dangerous. The most active gang in North Georgia is the all-white Ghostface Gang. Members of this gang are heavily involved in drug activity and have been involved in numerous violent crimes. Two of the gang’s members were arrested this week in Floyd county in connection with a 2022 crime. Thirty-four-year-old Dustin Earl Cotton of Cedartown and forty-one-year-old Scotty Joel Venable of Rome supervised the crimes that were committed by two other gang members. One member held the victim while the other struck the victim in the body and head with a metal object. Cotton and Venable are charged with aggravated assault, participation in criminal street gang activity, false imprisonment, and battery. The Ghost Face Gangsters started inside Georgia’s prison system and spread into communities primarily in Georgia and the Southeast.