Community Corner

Fire Displaces Family of Five, Taxi Driver with Five Passengers Charged with DUI and Executive Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $1.1M

A look at top stories from Patch sites across Georgia.

Family of Five Displaced Due to House Fire — Lawrenceville Patch

A family of five has been displaced due to a fire that completely destroyed their Lawrenceville home.

While no injuries were reported, the family's two cats have not been located since the fire broke out, according to Gwinnett County Fire spokesman Lt. Colin Rhoden.

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The blaze appeared to have originated in the basement of the two-story single-family home, and fire crews battled the flames from the inside and outside.

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Find out what's happening in Barrowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

Taxi Driver Gets DUI with 5 Passengers — Cartersville Patch

A taxi driver who allegedly drove off both sides of the road and nearly hit two cars was servicing five passengers when he was arrested and charged with DUI.

Osvaldo Cruz, 29, of Mac Johnson Road in Cartersville, was driving a blue 1998 Honda Odyssey when Tuesday at 3:15 p.m., he caught the attention of a deputy on patrol, according to the Bartow County Sheriff's Office incident report.

Read more on Cartersville Patch.

 

Deputies Looking for Man Who Allegedly Exposed Himself to Child — Canton-Sixes Patch

Cherokee Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a local neighborhood after a 10-year-old girl reported a man had exposed himself to her, authorities say.

According to a Sheriff's Office statement, the girl said she had just gotten off her school bus at around 4:15 p.m. Thursday in the Twin Pines subdivision off of Kellogg Creek Road when a man allegedly exposed himself and made inappropriate comments to her. The girl said she screamed and ran home.

Visit Canton-Sixes Patch for more on this story.

 

Woodruff Arts Center Executive Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $1.1 Million — Midtown Patch

Ralph Clark pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling more than $1.1 million from the Woodruff Arts Center while serving as its facilities director, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Clark, 42, of Ellenwood, Ga., could go to prison for up to 10 years and receive a fine of up to $250,000 when U.S. District Judge Julie E. Carnes sentences him Aug 7. 

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Arrest Made in Shooting That Killed 2-Year-Old — Cascade Patch

The Atlanta Police Department has two suspects in custody who are believed to be the shooters in a November drive-by that took the life of a 2-year-old girl and wounded her 1-year-old brother.

According to Officer John Chafee, "investigators were able to ascertain probable cause to issue warrants for Montez Thompkins (21) and Jeremy Thompkins (23)." 

Police say the two suspects fired into a home located at 2201 Polar Rock Place, where the two children were sleeping next to their grandmother.

Cascade Patch has additional details.


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