Man charged with violating sex offender law
A Barrow County man is arrested in Hall County: 39 year-old Endrick Torres is accused of violating Georgia’s sex offender law. Torres, who is a convicted sex offender, leases a business on the square in downtown Gainesville. Gainesville Police say his donut shop is within 1,000 feet of places where children congregate. That’s against the law in Georgia. From WSB TV... A man who sold ice cream to kids from a sidewalk store seemed nice and friendly but was hiding a dark secret: He is a registered sex offender. Endrick Joseph Torres, 39, was arrested on charges related to violating the Georgia sex offender law. Torres owned and operated the business Love Is All You Knead, an ice cream and doughnut shop, within downtown Gainesville. Channel 2's Tom Regan spoke to the building owner, who is so angry about what happened that he shut down the store. Claude Tatro said Torres pulled the wool over his eyes when he leased space to open his shop in December. “The pitch was to have an attraction for the square that would bring in some customers,” he said. Police said Torres used a fake name and forged identification when he signed the lease. He spent the next seven months serving ice cream and treats to parents and kids. No one knew that the smiling ice cream man had a dark past that Tatro learned of only last week after getting a tip. “We found out he was a registered sex offender in the state of Georgia and that he was convicted of such in the state of New York,” he said. 'It was an invitation to his modui operandi. This is how he would operate, I'm sure.' Police said the sex offenses involved groping of a young girl. Tatro alerted police and set up a meeting with Torres and his sister to talk about unpaid back rent and his lease. “I acceded to her request and arranged to have him apprehended at that time,” Tatro said. Police showed up at the store and arrested Torres. Tatro said Torres may have interacted with children, but he doesn’t believe he abused any. He said he’s glad Torres is off the streets. “This guy was manipulating the trust of people. He deceived the entire community,' Tatro said. Customers told Regan they're stunned by Torres' arrest. 'That's weird. We saw him opening the place,' said resident John Montgomery. Police said among other things, Torres broke the law that says a convicted sex offender can't be within 1,000 feet of a child learning center. Torres remains in jail.
ACCPD makes arrests in two cases thanks to community tips
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department released the following statement on June 19, 2019: Over the last week, with assistance from the community, our officers have arrested suspects committing property crimes. On June 18th, a resident of Katydid Drive called to report several males removing flat screen televisions from a neighbor’s house. The resident described the suspects and their vehicle. Officers responded to the area and located the vehicle which had wrecked on Old Hull Road. Three occupants fled the vehicle but were later apprehended. On June 12th, officers were dispatched to an Entering Auto in progress at 490 Barnett Shoals Road. The caller described the suspects and the vehicle they had entered. ACCPD made contact and detained one juvenile suspect at the apartment complex and the second juvenile suspect was apprehended at a later date. ACCPD would like to thank the officers for their quick response as well as the citizens that called and identified the suspects. “We appreciate the citizens for being vigilant and serving as the eyes and ears of the department in both these incidents,” said Captain Jerry Saulters of our Criminal Investigations Bureau. “These two examples showcase the partnership that’s needed between the ACCPD and the community. We remind citizens that by working together, we can reduce crime and make Athens-Clarke County a safer community. If you see something, say something.”
Georgia isn't holding its presidential primary on Super Tuesday
A date has been set for Georgia’s presidential primary election. Channel 2’s Aaron Diamant learned it will be on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. BREAKING: Just confirmed. Date set for Georgia’s presidential primary: Tuesday, March 24, 2020. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/Xh8GKNt1dK — Aaron Diamant (@AaronDiamantWSB) June 19, 2019 “I know it sounds like it’s a huge window of time, but it’s not,” Channel 2 political analyst Bill Crane said. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office is still in the process of selecting one of at least four bidders on a $150 million contract to replace Georgia’s aging voting machines. The new system will use touchscreen voting machines that print out paper ballots. The biggest test for local election leaders is how thousands of poll workers handle the change. “It’s going to be a complete rewrite of the training as far as training on the equipment and how it works,” Cobb County elections director Janine Eveler said. TRENDING STORIES: Georgia woman dies after being bitten by rattlesnake Teen, 4 others accused of killing best friend after being ‘catfished' by Indiana man Teen critically injured after running from police, family questions officer's actions The Georgia primary was held on Super Tuesday -- the first Tuesday in March -- in each of the past two presidential election years. The new date puts Georgia’s primary weeks after other key states. “Moving outside of that will somewhat diminish Georgia’s role in the nominating process; however, Georgia will still play a significant role for many reasons,” Crane said. “This new date puts into play the opportunity for a lot of the candidates, who make it through the first round to spend time in Georgia,” Ted Terry, Democratic Party of Georgia first vice chair, said. A member of the secretary of state's team said they expect to name the winning bidder for the new machines in early July. The Democratic candidates running for president include Former Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Steve Bullock, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Former Rep. John Delaney, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Kamala Harris, Former Gov. John Hickenlooper, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Miramar, Florida Mayor Wayne Messam, Rep. Seth Moulton, Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang. President Donald Trump officially kicked off his Republican reelection campaign Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida.
