UGA student killed in overnight wreck in Atlanta

A University of Georgia student was killed overnight while driving his car on I-20 just west of Atlanta. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 20-year-old William Whitaker, of Carrollton. Whitaker was driving in the westbound lanes on I-20 when a tractor trailer crashed with two cars in the eastbound lanes. Debris from the wreck was sent into the westbound lanes, striking two vehicles, including the car driven by Whitaker,  who died on the scene.  The driver of the truck has been identified as Mario Polier, 53, of Hialeah, FL. He now faces numerous misdemeanor charges including second degree homicide by vehicle  

DDS worker arrested in Hall Co, SWAT standoff ends in Barrow Co

A Gainesville man is in the Hall County jail, facing charges that include child molestation. There are also 76 counts of identity fraud for 25 year-old Estaban Olivas. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says Olivas, who worked at the Department of Drivers Services office in Gainesville, had more than six dozen drivers licenses with other people’s photographs and information on them; most from Georgia, one from Massachusetts. The child molestation arrest comes from a warrant issued by police in Oakwood.  Three people are behind bars after a SWAT standoff in Barrow County. The four-hour siege happened at a home in Hoschton, where deputies were trying to serve an arrest warrant on 24 year-old Jacob Shelton of Gainesville. Also arrested after hours of negotiations were 24 year-old Johnny Madwell of Flowery Branch and 19 year-old Anna Damewood of Gainesville. There were no injuries reported.

Athens Congressman loses committee post

Congressman Jody Hice, the Walton County Republican who represents Athens in the US House, has lost his spot on the House Armed Service Committee, apparently because he did not vote for Congressman Kevin McCarthy to be the GOP Leader in the House.  Hice’s exclusion is a sign he made enemies among GOP leaders, who exert control over committee assignments and reserve the right to punish members of their party who they don’t see as team players.  The move comes two weeks after Hice voted against Kevin McCarthy to be speaker on the House floor. He was among the handful of Republicans who instead supported former Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan.