STAFF REPORT :::

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office has arrested four men in recent narcotics cases.

The first occurred June 26, the result of a traffic stop.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, a deputy of the Uniform Patrol Division conducted a traffic stop on a black Nissan Altima on Old Atlanta Road. As deputies approached the vehicle, they noticed what they described as the strong smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The driver was identified as Kierra McCrary-Hatcher and the passenger was Christopher Ladontae Macwell.

Officials say as Hatcher was speaking with deputies outside the vehicle, she allegedly reported that when the patrol unit’s blue lights were activated in reference to the traffic stop, Macwell began shoving narcotics in her pants.

“As she was telling the deputies her story she began retrieving the bags from her pants and gave them to the deputies,” Dix said. “While he was being questioned, Macwell confirmed the story of Hatcher and admitted ownership of the narcotics that he had placed in her pants.”

Macwell, age 20, of 104 E. McIntosh Road, was arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of a synthetic narcotic with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and violation of probation.

The second case occurred at approximately 10:45 p.m. June 25, when members of the Special Operations and CAGE units arrested three men at 1112 George Circle were arrested on narcotics and other charges.

During a search of the George Circle residence, agents allegedly recovered trafficking amounts of powder cocaine and Ecstasy along with over an ounce of marijuana.

Arrested was Jeff Lamar Martin, age 39, of 1006 Beck St. Apartment A, who was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, trafficking cocaine, possession of Ecstasy, possession of Ecstasy with intent to distribute, trafficking Ecstasy and possession of drug related objects; Jadaquis Noble, age 17, of 1020 E. Broadway St., who was charged with possession of marijuana less than one ounce; and  Eddaryn Fletcher, age 20, of 1121 Briarcliff St., who was charged with felony violation of probation out of Pike County.

“All of these Deputies and Investigators did an outstanding job on these cases. I’m proud of them, and all the hard-working employees across the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in every division,” Dix said. “All of them do a great job to clean up our streets and make our community safer every day.”

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The city of Griffin has lost $802,499.29 in two separate online transactions that officials say were fraudulent.

Griffin Police Department Master Patrol Officer Chip Johns on Friday, June 28, responded to city offices located at 100 S. Hill St., where he met Chuck Olmstead, an official of the Finance Department.

“He (Olmstead) stated that a company they use for the water treatment facilities (PF Moon) sent an email requesting an account change and needed to update information. Everything looked accurate on the email so the information was exchanged,” Johns reported. “The first transaction went through on June 21 for $581,180.51 (reference case #19-005312). The second transaction went through on June 26, 2019 for $221,318.78. It was found later that the email address used was not the correct email. He stated that SunTrust believes they can recover the money in the next few days.”

According to Olmstead, the CoG Information Technology Department is also involved, attempting to trace “the source of the fake email,” Johns said.

Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith now reports the money has not been recovered and that the investigation of this alleged fraud is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“We have not (recovered the money). We’re still working with banking groups that are involved in it, and we’re working with the FBI, who is investigating the fraud, and we’re just waiting on additional information,” Smith said.

Asked if this alleged fraud is believed to have been perpetrated domestically or internationally, Smith said, “Well, we don’t know where it originated, so the FBI was the group we felt was better able to assist, and they’ve agreed to investigate.”

Smith said city employees, though unable to determine the source of the emails, continue to assist investigators in any way possible.

The alleged fraud was discovered Friday, June 26, when the Finance Department was contacted by the vendor – PF Moon.

“The actual true vendor called wanting to know where their payment was, and we told them we’d already paid them. They said they hadn’t received it, so we went back and looked,” Smith explained. “Once we discovered there was a slight differentiation in the emails, that’s when we learned what had happened.”

Smith said he and other local officials believe someone may have hacked an external system to obtain the information used in these incidents.

“We thought someone had hacked the vendor’s system, and we still suspect that. We received an electronic invoice that appeared to be from a vendor we do business with. Whoever fraudulently sent that invoice knew that we did business with that company, knew the project done by this company and the cost of that project,” he elaborated. “They knew the invoice amounts in relation to the project worked on. We feel like for them to know all that information, someone had to have gotten into the vendor’s system, so I guess that’s what needs to be investigated by authorities – how they got ahold of that information in order to send the fraudulent invoices.”

When asked if anything had seemed suspicious about these invoices or the request for updated banking information, Smith said, “It’s not that unusual. I mean, no. People change banks and change methods of payment, so it wasn’t anything that jumped out at anyone. People change banks.”

In addition to the FBI criminal investigation, city officials are reviewing the incident to determine if all internal policies and procedures were followed.

“It’s a vendor we do business with every day and have for years. It appeared to be a legitimate invoice. We’re looking into that,” he said.

Smith said he remains hopeful, but is uncertain if the money will be recovered.

“There’s more than one bank involved, so there’s got to be coordination between all the banks. Our bank wants to recover our money, but other banks are involved, too – where the money has been and where the money is at this point.”

Smith confirmed the city of Griffin does have insurance, but it has not been determined if it may be claimable should the funds be unrecoverable.

“We have insurance and the insurance company has not given us a definitive answer as to whether this is a covered event or not. Hopefully – we have our fingers crossed – that we’ll be able to get our money back.”

STAFF REPORT :::

Two men have been arrested by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in connection to a burglary of the Chevron convenience store located at 3200 High Falls Road.

According to a press release issued by the Sheriff Darrell Dix, deputies of the Uniform Patrol Division responded to that location at approximately 3 a.m. July 10 in reference to a burglar alarm call.

Authorities say deputies saturated the area after discovering a front window on the store was broken, but no suspects were present.

Crime Scene Investigator Andrew Degler was one responding deputy. While en route, Degler reported observing two men walking near Mangham Road, which runs directly beside the store.

Degler said as they were walking, they were attempting to flag down vehicles. The deputy also located an SUV parked on the side of Mangham Road.

Degler notified UPD deputies, who soon located the pair of men who were identified as Dominique Raphael Akins, age 23, of 2348 Beech Ave., Macon, and Tyejuan Maurice Taylor, age 25, who claimed to be homeless.

After on-scene interviews were conducted, Akins and Taylor were transported to the Sheriff’s Office for further questioning.

“Tyejuan Taylor immediately refused to answer questions, however glass particles found in his shoes said a lot for him,” Dix said.

Authorities say during his interview, Akins admitted to investigators that he and Taylor drove to Spalding County to “hit a lick,” and that he had parked the SUV and activated the emergency flashers to make it appear their vehicle was disabled while they were away from it committing the burglary.

“When they returned to their vehicle after committing the burglary, the battery was dead because Akins forgot and left the radio on. The combination of the radio being left on and the flashers activated at the same time just killed it,” Dix said. “That led them to try and flag down vehicles, so they could get out of the area. Unfortunately for them, CSI Degler was driving an unmarked vehicle and they tried to flag him down.”

Akins and Taylor have been charged with burglary, and Taylor is facing additional charges of false name and date of birth after allegedly attempting to conceal his identity to prevent investigators from learning he is wanted on additional charges in other counties.

STAFF REPORT :::

A bomb threat Friday morning resulted in Rehoboth Road Middle School being placed on a Level 2 lock down.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, the Griffin-Spalding County School System reported the incident.

“We want to make you aware of an incident that occurred this morning. Rehoboth Road Middle School received a bomb threat via an electronic device. The school was placed on a level 2 lockdown, meaning all school entry points were secured, and all students and staff remained in their classrooms. A sweep of the school was conducted, and the school was cleared. All students and staff are safe and have resumed normal operations,” the statement read.

Dix said his agency is working jointly with RRMS staff and GSCSS administration to investigate the incident.

“Rehoboth Road Middle School staff, Griffin Spalding County School Administration, and the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office are working jointly in this investigation to determine the source of the threat. These threats are not taken lightly by anyone. The sources of such threats will be prosecuted at the highest level the law allows up to and including Federal prosecution if possible,” Dix said. “We are asking that parents have conversations with their kids that are students in our school system and explain to them that what they may see as a ‘prank’ is a serious violation of the law that creates a panic especially considering recent events that have occurred at schools and elsewhere across the nation. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, and they will be prosecuted.”

STAFF REPORT :::

A juvenile has been arrested and charged in connection with the bomb threat that resulted in the Aug. 9 Level 2 lock down of Rehoboth Road Middle School (RRMS).

Officials have identified the suspect as the same juvenile male arrested during the 2018-2019 school system for making multiple threats against numerous schools.

After Friday’s threat was received, administrators of the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCSS) notified the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office. SCSO personnel and RRMS staff searched the school, and the GSCSS Instructional Technology Department (IT) immediately began tracking the source of the threat.

According to a joint press release issued by the GSCSS and Sheriff Darrell Dix, the tracking determined the threat had come from within the school system.

Information provided by IT staff resulted in deputies responding to A.Z. Kelsey Alternative School where the suspect was taken into custody less than two hours after the threat was made.

“The suspect taken into custody was the same individual that was taken into custody for a series of threats called in to schools across the county last school year. Due to his age, the court system was limited in what they could do to him as punishment. By order of the court, he was restricted from using electronic devices of any kind and could not attend any school in the system other than the alternative school until given permission by the court. It appears that in this case he used a school system device to log in and send the threat, then immediately logged back out,” Dix said. “After he was taken into custody, he was carried in front of Juvenile Judge Ben Miller who ordered that he be detained until a hearing for him could be set up. He has been in a juvenile justice facility since Friday afternoon awaiting his hearing.”

GSCS Superintendent Jim Smith said he is pleased with the response from all involved that resulted in such a quick resolution.

“For me, the real story is the rapid and effective response of the Rehoboth Road Middle School staff, Griffin-Spalding County Schools’ IT Department, and the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in unraveling the threat so quickly. The Griffin-Spalding County School System will continue to partner with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in doing all we can to keep our schools a safe environment for students, parents, and staff,” Smith said. “For the safety of everyone, we are asking all families to please take this opportunity to talk to their child about the danger and consequences of making threats, as well as using electronic devices inappropriately that could cause disrupt the learning environment.”

STAFF REPORT :::

A man described as “suicidal” was shot and killed Wednesday night by a Spalding County deputy.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, deputies responded to a call of a suicidal man sitting in a vehicle at Wyomia Tyus Park at approximately 8:52 p.m. Upon arrival, the vehicle was located and deputies found it occupied by a white male fitting the description provided.

While crossing the parking lot on foot, the deputies began clearing people from the area.

Authorities say when the deputies got to the vehicle’s side window to speak to the man, he raised his handgun and fired a shot.

Deputies then retreated and returned fire, striking the suspect.

Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster pronounced the man dead at the scene.

“We immediately notified the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, they responded to the scene, and are conducting the investigation into this incident. I also contacted District Attorney Ben Coker who personally responded to the scene along with his investigators. There were multiple witnesses to the incident who have been interviewed, and it was also captured on body cam. The names of the Deputies involved, and the suspect will be released by the GBI as the investigation continues,” Dix said. “We always want to make the attempt to de-escalate these situations, however in incidents such as what these Deputies faced last night, the suspect did not allow that to happen. Based on his sudden actions and what the Deputies saw, it forced them to make a split-second decision, contain the incident, and protect the people in the park and themselves.”

STAFF REPORT :::

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the death of 33-year-old Neil Bond was an apparent suicide.

The GBI investigation was requested by Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix after an officer involved shooting that resulted when deputies responded to a 911 call reporting Bond had made a suicide threat.

According to a press release issued by GBI Director of Public Affairs Nelly Miles, preliminary information indicates that at approximately 9 p.m., Spalding County E911 received an emergency call in reference to that suicide threat.

Deputies David Porter and Nicholas Gatlin responded to Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park located at 1301 Cowan Road, and located Bond sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck, which was parked forward into a parking space facing away from Porter and Gatlin.

The two deputies approached Bond’s truck from the rear, and as they were instructing civilians to get out of the area, Porter and Gatlin heard a single gunshot coming from Bond’s truck.

At the time, Porter and Gatlin believed that Bond had shot at them or a civilian.

Porter and Gatlin subsequently returned gunfire towards Bond. Bond was struck once by the officers’ gunfire.

A GBI autopsy of Bond has been conducted and preliminary findings are that Bond died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No officers or civilians were injured during this incident.

The GBI will continue its independent investigation and upon its completion, the case will be provided to Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

A high speed chase resulted in the apprehension of two men in connection with the Friday afternoon armed robbery of the Griffin branch of Regions Bank located at 327 W. Taylor St.

Officers of the Griffin Police Department Uniform were dispatched to a report of an armed robbery at the bank at 1342, and the first officer arrived on scene one minute later.

GPD Public Information Officer Lt. Daniel Jett said the incident took place in the bank’s parking lot.

“Three black males pulled up in a vehicle and a Brinks truck was doing a refill on the ATM. They got out of the vehicle with a shotgun, and the Brinks truck driver retreated,” Jett said.

He explained that automatic teller machines contain individual containers – canisters or drawers – with different denominations of currency.

“They took one of them and then they fled the scene,” Jett said. “That’s when the county (Sheriff’s Office) spotted them and a chase ensued.”

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said the pursuit and search for the suspects ultimately involved more than a half dozen law enforcement agencies.

“In the pursuit, one of my units got behind them on Arthur K. Bolton Parkway. I called (Butts County) Sheriff Gary Long and they responded, but were not able to get to 75 before the guy turned northbound. My deputy stayed behind the car and was trying to keep up with them. The bad guy car was in excess of 120 miles per hour. As they continued northbound, the Henry County P.D. and Henry County S.O. became involved in the pursuit, but they lost contact with the vehicle somewhere around the 218 exit,” Dix said. “A McDonough P.D. unit found the (suspect) vehicle in the area adjacent to O.B.’s Barbecue, and the suspects fled from the vehicle. The Henry County P.D. and S.O. set up a perimeter, and we had STAR flying over the area. Two of the suspects were immediately taken into custody.”

Dix said the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit arrived at the same time as the K9 unit dispatched by Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill.

The Clayton County K9 unit located a third individual, but according to Jett, a GPD detective ruled him out, determining he was uninvolved in the armed robbery.

With two in custody, Jett said the third suspect from the bank robbery and a fourth individual are still being sought.

“There were three that did the robbery and a fourth that drove a getaway vehicle. The original robbery took place in one vehicle. They drove about two blocks away to where a second vehicle with a driver was waiting, so there were two vehicles and four suspects involved,” he said, adding that this is preliminary information as the investigation is active and developing. “My detectives are still interviewing people and reviewing video from local businesses, plus we’re trying to review video in Henry County.”

Authorities do not yet have an estimate on the amount stolen in the incident.

“We’re still waiting on Brinks and Regions Bank to give us the exact amount,” Jett said.

The two suspects apprehended in McDonough have been transported to the Griffin Police Department for questioning.

STAFF REPORT :::

The Spalding County Animal Shelter is participating in a Clear the Shelter event tomorrow.

This nationwide event is being hosted by NBC and Telemundo, who are partnering with hundreds of animal shelters across the country.

The local Clear the Shelter event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Spalding County Animal Shelter located at 208 Justice Boulevard.

The Spalding County Board of Commissioners has agreed to waive the adoption fee on all animals adopted during this event.

Discounted prices will also be offered on spay and neuter services, rabies vaccination and micro-chipping of the pets.

For additional information on this event, please visit or call the Spalding County Animal Shelter at 770.467.4771.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

An early morning single-vehicle wreck in western Spalding County Tuesday morning claimed the lives of two young men – William Sliger, age 19, and Austin Dakotah Garner, age 20, both of Griffin.

Trooper Ashley Williams, of the Georgia State Patrol-Griffin Post, said the wreck involved a 1999 Chevrolet Corvette and occurred at approximately 5:11 a.m. on State Route 92, one-half mile east of Vineyard Road.

“The driver was negotiating a curve to the left. The (vehicle’s) estimated speed was above the posted speed limit. He was headed westbound. He crossed the center line, but continued to travel eastbound. He continued on across the eastbound lane onto the south shoulder, rotating counterclockwise. At this time, the vehicle began to overturn, and overturned twice,” Williams said. “After the second rotation, the vehicle struck a tree. It rotated off the tree, continuing westbound, coming to a final rest facing south.”

Asked if he knew the estimated speed the vehicle was travelling at the time of the wreck, Williams said, “The SCRT actually removed the vehicle’s computer and they’re downloading to get the actual speed, but it’s going to be up there.”

Both Sliger and Garner were unrestrained and ejected from the vehicle, and were deceased at the scene.

From the office of Spalding County Superior Court Clerk Debbie Brooks:
Jury service for the week of Aug. 26, 2019, has been canceled.
If you received a jury summons for this week, you are released from jury service.
This is for the week of Aug. 26, 2019, only.
For additional information please call the Spalding County Clerk’s Office at 770.467.4746.

STAFF REPORT :::

A search warrant executed by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrests of three, two of whom are suspected of committing the Wednesday night armed robbery of Ringgold’s Store located at 4243 Jackson Road.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, shortly after 9 p.m. Aug. 21, two men entered Ringgold’s Store, demanded money, took the female clerk’s backpack and then left the store.

The event was recorded on the store’s surveillance system.

SCSO investigators and Crime Scene Unit arrived, reviewed the video and released photographs depicting the suspects.

Investigators noted one suspect pushed open a glass door with his bare hand, leaving fingerprints that were lifted from that portion of the door, officials say.

“Those fingerprints were processed through our AFIX machine which compares fingerprints to known fingerprints that have been entered by law enforcement agencies across the nation. A match to the prints was found, and the suspect was identified as Lend Byrd Jefferson. In searching our local records, we were able to find where deputies had encountered him on several occasions while on different calls for service. It was also learned that he had an extensive criminal history in Florida including a 4-year prison sentence for armed robbery,” Dix said. “We knew through his encounters with deputies that the suspect had given a Spalding County address. A warrant was issued for his arrest for armed robbery and yesterday deputies and investigators went to the address located at 2547 Locust Grove Road, arrested Jefferson, the second suspect identified as Drevoisier Brown, and executed a search warrant on the residence. During the search we located the clothing they were wearing during the robbery, the firearm that was used, the store clerk’s backpack, her purse, checkbook, and driver’s license, currency, marijuana, a trafficking amount of methamphetamine, MDMA, scales and packaging materials. This residence itself is less than a mile from the store that was robbed.”

Also located at the residence was a young female believed to be a victim of human trafficking. After speaking to investigators, she was taken into protective custody.

Authorities say that part of the investigation is continuing, and more charges are expected in relation to her presence at the home.

Those arrested are:

Lend Byrd Jefferson, age 25, who is charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of MDMA, possession of MDMA with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute;

Drevoisier Brown, age 23, who is charged with armed robbery possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with Intent to distribute, trafficking MDMA, possession of MDMA with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and

Raven Doby, age 23, who is charged with cruelty to children, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, trafficking MDMA, possession of MDMA with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

“These arrests are the result of the hard work these investigators put in. The arrests came less than 24 hours after the robbery was committed. We are still looking into additional charges due to their gang affiliations both here and in Florida, and their possible involvement in human trafficking,” Dix said. “Based on their extensive violent criminal histories, and other evidence, there is no doubt in my mind that Jefferson and Brown are criminal predators who even though they had served time for violent crimes, proved that they had no regard for the safety of the community or the law. I am proud of the work my investigators did in this case and I’m proud of all the men and women of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office and the hard work they do every day.”

All three suspects are currently being held in the Spalding County Jail.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Griffin Police Department investigation of a Monday night shooting remains ongoing.

Officers of the GPD Uniform Patrol Division were dispatched at approximately 8:42 p.m. to the Dollar General located at 1665 W. McIntosh Road in reference to a report of a person shot.

One man – Jonah Wilson – sustained a gunshot wound to the right hip. He was reportedly in the area of Sunnyside Pediatrics, located at 1661 W. McIntosh Road, at the time he was shot.

Wilson was initially transported by ambulance to the emergency room of WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital before being transported to Atlanta Medical Center.

Authorities say Wilson’s injuries are non-life threatening.

Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division and Crime Scene Unit also responded to the scene.

According to Officer Jonathan Fincher, statements were obtained from four witnesses, and evidence – including a half-dozen 9 mm shell casings and one 9 mm – was recovered from the scene.

The window of Sunnyside Pediatrics was also struck by gunfire, but the office was closed and unoccupied.

The investigation into this aggravated assault is active, with leads being followed.

STAFF REPORT :::

The Spalding County Board of Commissioners is seeking to increase the 2019 General Fund property taxes to be levied by 6.81 percent over the rollback millage rate.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County, the Board of Tax Assessors is required to annually review the assessed value for property tax purposes of taxable property in the county. When the trend of prices on properties that have recently sold in the county indicate there has been an increase in the fair market value of any specific property, the Board of Tax Assessors is legally required to redetermine the value of such property and increase the assessment. That is called a reassessment.

When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia law requires a rollback millage rate be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s new digest that the previous year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.

The budget tentatively adopted by the Spalding County Board of Commissioners requires a millage rate higher than the rollback millage rate. Therefore, before the Spalding County Board of Commissioners may finalize the tentative budget and set a final millage rate, Georgia law requires three public hearings be held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on the increase.

Those three public hearings will be held at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 16, and 9 a.m. Sept. 20, in room 108 of the Spalding County Courthouse Annex located at 119 E. Solomon St.

All concerned residents may attend and speak at these public hearings.

STAFF REPORT :::

Spalding county officials are advising residents that the fire at the city of Griffin transfer station may result in delays at the county’s refuse collection centers.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County, the city’s transfer station is utilized for the disposal of household garbage and recyclables from many of the county’s refuse collection centers. Due to the transfer station closure, the county will now have to transport refuse directly to either the Pine Ridge Landfill or the Lamar County Landfill.

This change is expected to drastically impact the turnaround time for emptying compactors at the county’s collection centers, therefore residents are being advised they should anticipate delays when visiting the centers.

County officials are also asking residents to limit visits to the collection centers on Saturdays due to the schedules of the Pine Ridge and Lamar County landfills – Lamar County does not accept commercial or county waste on Saturday and Pine Ridge closes at noon. Once the compactors at a county collection center fills up on Saturday, there will be no place to empty them.

Authorities say Spalding County will make every effort to accommodate residents during this time and request patience and cooperation while the city’s transfer station is out of service.

STAFF REPORT :::

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recovered nearly all of the $802,499.21 stolen from the city of Griffin during a June 2019 cyberattack.

According to a press release issued by the city of Griffin, $789,065.16 was recovered by the FBI, and of the remaining $13,434.05 deficit, the city will pay a $10,000 deductible and be reimbursed the balance of $3,434.05 by the city’s Cyber Crimes insurance policy.

“More than 40 municipalities have been victims of cyberattacks this year and unfortunately we were one of them. Due to the quick action on the part of our employees and the diligent work of the FBI, we were one of the few municipalities to recover our assets without significant loss,” said Griffin City Manager, Kenny Smith.

It is the goal of every organization to prevent a cyberattack. However, should an organization find that they have been targeted, the FBI recommends taking swift action.

“When the City of Griffin fell victim to the Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme, they took the best possible action they could have taken by notifying the FBI immediately,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of FBI Atlanta. “Because of that quick action, our cyber squad was able to investigate and work with a team of private and public partners, ultimately recovering the majority of funds for the City. The FBI takes the BEC threat very seriously and we are working diligently to identify these perpetrators and dismantle their organizations.”

For the past few years, the city of Griffin has been providing ongoing awareness training, as well as technical prevention methods to combat cyberattacks. The city is committed to continuing these efforts to prevent future cyber crime occurrences.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The GRIP, through a series of Open Records requests (ORRs), has obtained public records establishing that Griffin Police Department Chief Michael F. Yates fabricated and released to some media outlets a document falsely identifying Will Holloway Sanders as the father of former Griffin police officer Matthew Lee Boynton.

Sanders, who has been an outspoken critic of Yates, played a key role in the criminal investigation that resulted in Boynton being charged with two felonies – false statements and writings and violating his oath of office.

Sanders denies there is any truth to Yates’ paternity allegation.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
The following articles provide an in-depth review of the history that preceded the fabrication and release of this document:
BREAKING NEWS: GPD Officer Matthew Boynton arrested, charged with two feloniesM
Matthew Boynton: The evidence and investigation that led to his arrest
Matthew Boynton criminal case no billed by grand jury
GPD releases citizens’ personal Facebook records
____________________________________________________________________________________________

A second document comprised in part of the components of Yates’ document was on May 29 released in response to an Open Records request submitted to the city of Griffin by CNN/HLN Producer Kyle Peltz.

After learning of this document’s existence, The GRIP on July 22 submitted an ORR for that same document.

Teresa Watson, the executive secretary of City Manager Kenny Smith, as well as a designated assistant Open Records officer, responded July 25, denying production of the document.

“The City of Griffin has no public record responsive to ‘an official copy of the attached document that was previously produced to Kyle Peltz, CNN or HLN,’” Watson said.

Additionally, although it had not been requested, Watson also reported the city would not produce any public records pertaining to the document’s origin.

“We decline public disclosure for the origin of the hard copy that was provided, which you already have, based on Georgia Code Annotated §50-18-72(a)(3) Exception of certain records, ‘Except as otherwise provided by law, records compiled for law enforcement or prosecution purposes to the extent that production of such records is reasonably likely to disclose the identity of a confidential source, disclose confidential investigative or prosecution material which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or persons, or disclose the existence of a confidential surveillance or investigation,'” Watson stated.

The GRIP objected to the city of Griffin’s preemptive refusal to produce any records associated with the document’s origin as a violation of the Georgia Open Records Act, which permits only limited redactions, not the stance taken by Griffin officials resulting in the broad withholding of all records.

In response to The GRIP’s objection, the city of Griffin produced four records – a photograph of Matthew Boynton identified as Boynton.png, a photograph of Sanders identified as sanders.png, a screen shot of a private Facebook message identified as chat.png and a Word document composed of those three elements identified as will.docx.
Although the origin of those components was not then produced, a later Open Records request did establish that those four records were in a folder on Chief Yates’ computer desktop. Once a disc containing those records was obtained, Yates’ work process was identified.

According to the metadata obtained from the disc, Yates fabricated the original document identifying Sanders as Boynton’s father hours after the close of business on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 – the night before Thanksgiving.

The document was created by Mike Yates at 8:22 p.m. and saved at 9:02 p.m., and the three images used to create that document were saved the same night – sanders.png at 8:30 p.m., chat.png at 8:31 p.m. and boynton.png at 8:53 p.m.

The original source of the Facebook private message remains unknown as city officials refuse to release that information, but The GRIP has identified the origin of the photographs of Boynton and Sanders Yates used. Both were procured from the mobile version of the 11Alive website, specifically from an article posted only a few days prior, Nov. 16, 2018.

That story, Trigger: Over and Out, written by 11Alive investigative reporters Brendan Keefe and Jessica Noll, in part addressed Sanders’ allegation that Yates had targeted him for retaliation after he obtained and turned in the physical evidence that resulted in two felony charges being brought against Boynton, who, at that time, served as an officer with the Griffin Police Department.

The 11Alive report may be seen in its entirety at:
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/trigger-over-and-out/85-8ab82530-da07-492b-9a3c-c20d5e7f50b3

Asked the obvious question – are you Matthew Boynton’s father – Sanders responded emphatically, “Absolutely not.”

Sanders said that is a question never asked of him by Yates.

He asserts that the fabrication and release of this document is the continuance of Yates’ ongoing “history” of retaliation against him and others.

“This document would align perfectly with Yates’ past behavior in Jonesboro, Ark., which was a personal vendetta against a local reporter that ultimately led to his resignation,” Sanders said. “Chief Yates’ history confirms he will use any means necessary to silence his critics.”

The GRIP confirmed that Yates did not authenticate the private Facebook message he used in the document, and Sanders said he does not recall that specific message, nor is he able to authenticate it himself.

“I have no way to authenticate that message since I have completely deleted my Facebook account,” he said. “I deleted it because I did the right thing. I did everything I was supposed to do – I took the bag (of evidence) up there – and they went through months of my private messages because I did the right thing. I did exactly what I thought I was supposed to do.”

The private Facebook message Yates used does not identify both alleged parties to the conversation. It instead indicates an unidentified party asked, “Exactly what is your relationship with Matthew’s Mom. (sic) You fathered a child with her?”

in response, a profile identified only as “Will” responded, “Matthew is my son.”

The unidentified party replied with a thinking emoji and the statement, “Oh, really? I bet that makes a strange family reunion.”

The “Will” response was a laughing with streaming tears emoji.

When asked under what circumstances he may have responded in that manner, Sanders said, “If I would have sent that response, it would have been as complete sarcasm to an absurd question. I have no relationship with Matthew Boynton.”

The sole difference between the document Yates created the night of Nov. 21, 2018, and the document that was ultimately released to some media outlets was a fourth component – an altered excerpt from one of Sanders’ private messages obtained by Lt. Karen Yancy when a search warrant was served on Facebook as part of the Boynton false statements criminal investigation.

That private conversation involved Sanders and Benjamin Thiel, who discussed Boynton’s mother, who is named Jenny McDaniel, and a second woman named Jennifer Maddox.

“Jennifer Maddox and I do have a child together,” Sanders explained.

Asked if Jennifer Maddox is Boynton’s mother, he said, “No, she isn’t.”

When asked if that private conversation pertained to two different women with similar first names – Jennifer and Jenny – Sanders responded, “Yes, and obviously whoever created this document knew we were talking about two different women because they intentionally edited out parts of the conversation to make it appear that Jenny and Jennifer are the same person.”

Sanders said his experiences with Yates have left him with a different perspective for the future.

“Even if I am an eyewitness to a murder, I will never do anything to help any police agency again. Ever,” he said. “Chief Yates will never be held accountable for any of his actions, whether they’re legal or illegal.”

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: For more than two years, Griffin Police Department Chief Mike Yates has demanded The GRIP Publisher Sheila Mathews submit all questions in writing, but Mathews, viewing that requirement as contrary to journalistic standards, as well as the GPD Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), declined to do so. However, Yates has now so significantly revised the GPD SOP relating to media relations that there is no longer any alternative but to defer to his longstanding demand.
Therefore, Mathews submitted the following questions in writing on Thursday, Sept. 5, and Yates’ response was received the same date.

Chief Yates,
In accordance to the revisions you have made to the Griffin Police Department Standard Operating Procedure Chapter 29 Public Information/Media Relations policy, I respectfully submit the following questions, and I request your responses by noon Monday, Sept. 9.

The GRIP: Three individual components – a photograph of Matthew Boynton identified as boynton.png, a photograph of Will Holloway Sanders identified as sanders.png and a screenshot of a Facebook private message identified as chat.png – were used to fabricate a document identified as will.docx, which identified Sanders as Boynton’s father. What was the source of those three components?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: Who obtained those three individual components?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: Were any of those components provided by a confidential informant? If so, which were provided by a CI? In what format was it produced?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: Why was the component identified as chat.png not authenticated before being disseminated to some media outlets?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: The document identified as will.docx was fabricated well after business hours on Nov. 21, 2018, the night before Thanksgiving. Where did you fabricate that document?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: How did that document later come to be in a folder on your Griffin Police Department computer desktop?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: Those three components – boynton.png, sanders.png and chat.png – were later used to fabricate a second document that contained a fourth component, an excerpt from the private Facebook messages of Will Holloway Sanders that were previously obtained by your agency via a search warrant served on Facebook. Who fabricated that second document?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: The fourth component of that second document that was obtained via a search warrant served on Facebook was evidence in a criminal case – the Matthew Boynton false statement case. Prior to being used as a component in the second fabricated document, that evidence was edited. Who altered that evidence prior to its use in that capacity?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: A fabricated document identifying Will Holloway Sanders as the father of Matthew Lee Boynton was placed in the Boynton false statement criminal case file. Who placed that document in that file?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: Why were these two documents fabricated months after the Matthew Boynton false statement criminal case had been closed?
Yates: No response.

The GRIP: What relevance to Boynton false statement criminal case did these fabricated documents hold?
Yates: No response.

While Yates did not answer any of the questions submitted in writing according to his demands, he did respond with the following email:

Ms. Mathews,
In accordance to the revisions made to the Griffin Police Department Standard Operating Procedure Chapter 29 Public Information/Media Relations policy (which has little change or effect from the previous policy), we respectfully decline to answer the below questions as it is discretionary as to how we respond to questions regarding closed and/or active investigations, false allegations and rhetoric, or confidential sources of information. Additionally, you have been provided an opportunity, through your myriad of open records requests, all the material relevant to your below questions which you have either failed to pay for and pick up or failed to comprehend; we are not required to do your work for you.
For clarity, am I to understand from your questions that you are alleging that the statement/Facebook message regarding Will Sanders was not originally created by Will Sanders?
As to the dissemination of the material to other parties, we simply responded to requests made through the Georgia Open Records Act as required and, as you well know, this act opens the material to anyone.
Regards,
Mike Yates

Additional articles related to this issue will be forthcoming.

STAFF REPORT :::

Four inmates of the Spalding County Jail have graduated from the Serve-Safe food service program.

Designed to teach potential restaurant employees the skills needed to safely and properly prepare food in a commercial setting, the Spalding County Jail program was carried out by Aramark Food Company.

“The program was sponsored by the Aramark Food Company who provides our inmate meals, at no cost to the inmates or the county,” said Sheriff Darrell Dix. “Each of the inmates volunteered for the 9-week program that includes a testing process to graduate and obtain the certification. Yesterday we had a graduation ceremony where family, friends, Aramark representatives, and Sheriff’s Office employees could attend and taste some of the foods that were prepared by the graduates. These men worked hard and now have a marketable skill that will hopefully get them going in the right direction.”

Clarence Nance, the Aramark food service director for the jail, is pleased with the partnership with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are pleased to partner with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office in providing the Serve-safe program. I had the opportunity to work with the guys who went through this first class and I am proud of each of them and their accomplishments. They worked very hard to obtain this goal. We also look forward to the start of the next class that is slated to begin September 18, 2019,” Nance said.

“This class would not have been possible without the partnership of Aramark and the staff of the Spalding County Jail that was coordinated by Lieutenant Treasa Dumas-Jackson. We are proud of all involved and look forward to expanding this program,” Dix said.

Lashonda Thomas mug shot courtesy of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

A 15-year-old Griffin High School student and his mother, 35-year-old Lashonda Thomas, will face charges of disorderly conduct after an alleged verbal altercation on school grounds.

According to the incident report filed by Griffin Police Department Cpl. Chris Webb, Thomas was called to the school because her son was allegedly in violation of the dress code.

Webb said the juvenile had been previously warned not to wear pants with holes, and Friday morning, was approached by a staff member who again addressed with him the dress code violation.

“(The student) stated to that staff member, ‘Stop f*cking with me.’ (The student) then spoke with Assistant Principal Simmons about the violation as he called Simmons a b*tch,” Webb reported.

Webb said that when Thomas arrived and was in the GHS main office, she stated, “They always harassing my son.”

Webb said he attempted to explain the dress code issue to Thomas, but she and her son allegedly “became irate,” and were escorted from the building.

The officer said the juvenile male continued to use profanity and became aggressive.

“I pulled my tazer (sic) from its holster and followed both subjects out of the building. As both subjects were leaving the building, (the student) and his mother used profanity as they were approaching their vehicle. I could hear Lashonda say, ‘Let them have that s*it,’” Webb said. “Lashanda continued to use profanity as I approached her and told her that one more profanity (sic) word would get her locked up.”

Webb said Thomas and her son both continued to use profanity.

“I asked Lashonda Thomas for her identification as she was slow to provide so I asked for it again. I ran her information through dispatch as well as her vehicle tag number,” Webb said. “I then arrested Lashonda Thomas for disorderly conduct.”

A juvenile petition was charging the student with one count of disorderly conduct was also obtained, Webb said.

Griffin-Spalding County School System Executive Director of Communication and Partnerships Kimberly Willis Green said Central Office officials were notified of the incident by school staff.

“That incident was handled at the school. We were notified (by the school) that an incident had occurred,” she said. “The incident that occurred this morning was an isolated incident in terms of the parent coming to the school and causing a disruption in the learning environment.”

Green added, “Our priority is to ensure the safety of all our students and staff.”

STAFF REPORT :::

A Friday afternoon shooting that wounded one person is being investigated by the Griffin Police Department.
According to a press release issued by GPD Public Information Officer Lt. Daniel Jett, officers responded at 2:02 p.m. to a report of a person shot in the 400 block of N. 8^th Street.
In addition to the GPD, personnel from Griffin Fire-Rescue and WellStar Spalding Regional Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene and rendered aid to the victim, who authorities are not identifying.
Detectives of the GPD Criminal Investigation Division are pursuing leads.
No additional information is being released at this time.
The GRIP will follow this developing story and report additional information as it becomes available.