Employees of CSX Railroad discovered a body near the Lowndes-Brooks County line off Highway 84. It was along the flow of the Withlacoochee River where the body was found and officials say that an autopsy will be performed by medical examiners at the GBI Crime Lab in Macon. Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk reported that the body appeared to be that of a white male and that the body had already begun decomposing.
Law enforcement officials in Moultrie made multiple drug arrests this week; one occurred at a business address and the other two were at private homes. Those arrested included Joey Ybarra, Elizabeth Avery, Edwin Hernandez, Marcus Mancil, Shaun Bonner, Julie Flowers and Gary Hiers.
Nicholas Ward was taken into custody after his suspicious behavior alerted law enforcement that something was amiss. A Thomasville/Thomas County Narcotics/Vice agent who was in the process of serving a warrant noticed that Ward was attempting to hide something in his trousers. A traffic stop was enacted and Ward was found to be in possession prescription drugs but had no prescriptions.
Investigators with the Valdosta Police are probing the details surrounding the death of a teenager. The case is being treated as a homicide. The body of 19 year old Zachary Bulter was found Wednesday evening at a Baytree Road apartment. His body was taken to Macon for an autopsy, and officials report that narcotics may have been involved.
Life plus 30 years in prison was the sentence handed down in the case against Debrentis Overstreet. He was one of seven people involved in the death of Fitzgerald Georgia Lottery winner Craigory Burch last year. Overstreet was found guilty of felony murder and 13 other violations in June. Nathaniel Baker had already received a life sentence and Wayan Jordan two life sentences plus 15 years. Trial dates for the other defendants have not been scheduled.
Crack cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, a loaded gun and cash were found when Douglas police responded to the residence of Brandon Carter age 24. What they thought was a physical confrontation turned out to involve guns. Carter attempted to flee but was captured in the doorway of his residence.
Violators of the law in Valdosta will find that even the cost of committing petty crimes in the area are going up. Though fines in Valdosta remain some of the lowest in Georgia the cost of a reckless driving offense will go up to $500. Driving under the influence will cost violators $1,000.
For nearly a decade, Valdostans have been capturing the beauty of our community through the lens of the beholder. On Monday, July 17, Mayor John Gayle will announce the winners of the 9th Annual Valdosta People’s Choice Photo Contest at an Awards Reception, from 5-7 p.m., at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts. The event will also celebrate the musical talents of Nya, Kaden and Brooklynn Johnson, who were featured on the June 7 airing of Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots.” The young acapella trio, accompanied by their parents, will open the awards ceremony with the song they sang for their nationwide debut. Mayor Gayle will publicly recognize the Johnson’s for their accomplishments before revealing the people’s choice photo awards. The July 17 Awards Reception is free and open to the general public. For more information, call the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts at 229-247-2787 or the city’s Public Information Office at 229-259-3548.
According to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, as of June 30, 2017, 65 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty this year, increasing 30 percent over the 50 officers killed in the same period last year. Traffic-related incidents are the leading cause of officer fatalities so far this year claiming the lives of 26 officers, increasing 24 percent, compared to 21 deaths during the same period last year. Firearms-related fatalities were the second leading cause of officer deaths, with 23 officers killed thus far in 2017. This represents a 10 percent increase over the 21 officers killed in firearms-related incidents during the same period last year.Georgia and New York lead all states with five officer fatalities.
