UPDATE: Athens homicide victim identified
Note: A previous version of this story misidentified the apartment complex at which the shooting occurred. A corrected version is below. We apologize for the error. Athens-Clarke County Police investigate a Thursday homicide: a man was killed at the University Oaks Apartments off West Broad Street in Athens. From the ACCPD... On June 13th at 12:11 pm, ACCPD responded to a Shots Fired call from the University Oaks apartment complex at 2360 West Broad Street. David Burnette (51, black male) was found deceased in his apartment in the complex. ACCPD’s initial investigation suggests that Burnette was shot. ACCPD detectives are actively investigating this incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Sgt. Shaun Barnett, 706-613-3330, ext. 479, Shaun.Barnett@accgov.com or Det. Mike Carroll, 706-613-3330, ext. 292, Michael.Carroll@accgov.com. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this incident - call 706-705-4775. A Hall County man is charged with making terrorist threats after allegedly smashing a woman’s windshield and threatening to set the vehicle on fire: 31 year-old Eric Rider (pictured above) was booked into the Hall County jail. A 34 year-old Gainesville man is arrested and charged in connection with what prosecutors say was a nationwide insurance fraud scheme: Beau Wilson was arrested at his home in Hall County. Investigators say he was part of an operation that illegally netted more than $120 million. There was lotta pot confiscated in Gwinnett County, where police say a traffic stop on I-85 near Buford netted 70 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $200,000: Gwinnett Police say three suspects—all from Charlotte North Carolina—were arrested and are being held without bond. A prison guard in northwest Georgia is arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle marijuana into the lockup in Chattooga County. La'Keshia Thomas was a Lieutenant at Hays State Prison in Trion. Now she is facing a long list of federal charges. Investigators say Thomas was paid to sneak contraband into the prison for gang members on the inside. The 39 year-old was arrested at her home in Rome.
Firefighters in Jackson County are investigating this week’s fire, a blaze that destroyed a 12 year-old house in Commerce. They say the people who owned the home were not there at the time of the fire. The blaze burned the home on Laura Lane in Commerce. There is no word yet on the cause of the fire. From the Jackson Co Fire Dept… Fire Investigators with the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office are currently searching for information regarding a June 11th house fire in Commerce. The fire occurred shortly before 3:00 A.M. Tuesday morning. The home, located at 179 Laura Lane in Commerce, Georgia, was completely destroyed by the blaze. The one-story (with basement), wood-frame residence was 12 years old and about 1700 square feet at the time of the fire. When emergency personnel arrived on scene, the structure had already collapsed into the basement. The occupants of the residence were out of town when the fire occurred. The fire is undetermined, but still under investigation at this time. The fire has not been ruled arson, but anyone with knowledge about this fire should call the Arson Hotline at 1‐800‐282‐5804. Rewards are offered of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist(s). Calls are taken 24 hours a day and callers can choose to remain anonymous. Investigators with the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office are assisting the City of Commerce Fire Department and the City of Commerce Police Department with this investigation.
Woman says brand-new SUV exploded just days after she bought it
An Athens woman says she could have been killed when her brand new SUV exploded just days after she bought it. Kaitlyn Schaefer told Channel 2's Audrey Washington she and her friends were in Buckhead when the Hyundai Tuscon she'd bought just four days earlier started to smoke and exploded. Schaefer said she and her friends only had seconds to get out. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it left Schaefer shaken. 'We could have died,' she said. Schaefer said she and her parents bought the SUV just a few days earlier with only 300 miles on it. But when she drove to her friend's Buckhead home on Tuesday, she noticed problems right away. 'We noticed there was smoke coming from the front tires,' Schaefer said. Schaefer said the car jolted and the lights started to flicker, so she and her friends jumped out. Schaefer called the dealership, and she said a representative told her to go back and press the SOS button. Schaefer said when she did, 'There was an explosion underneath the hood.' Video shot after the fire started shows the white SUV engulfed in flames. The fire was so intense that the SUV partially melted onto the pavement. Washington dug into records on Hyundai Tuscons to see if the same thing has happened to any other SUVs. According to the Center for Auto Safety, there's no recall for the 2019 Hyundai Tuscon. There were, however, recalls for the 2011-2013 models due to oil leaks that could cause non-crash fires. TRENDING STORIES: Jury sentences father to death for killing his 5 children Road rage leads to teen being attacked, dragged down busy road, police say Creepy creature in home security video may look like Dobby, but probably isn't In November, Channel 2 Action News covered a rash of reported engine fires in vehicles, including the 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe, but not the Tuscon. Hyundai sent Washington a statement that said, in part: 'As soon as we became aware of the vehicle fire, Hyundai contacted the customer to take care of them and make arrangements to inspect the vehicle. We are taking this incident very seriously.' Schaefer said she's still working to get everything resolved with the dealership and her insurance company, but she said once she gets her money returned, she doesn't plan to buy the same make and model of SUV. In the meantime, she's just thankful to be alive. 'It could have been the worst day,' Schaefer said.
