SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: A 78-year-old man was critically injured Thursday when he was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot behind Ryan’s Steak House. According to Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones, a vehicle was backing out of a parking place when he struck the elderly man. “He hit his head on the asphalt. […]
Elderly man critically injured when struck by vehicle in parking lot
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Chief Tommy Jones, Firefighter Jeremy Cousson, Griffin, Griffin Fire-Rescue, Life Flight, spalding county
GPD executes series of search warrants associated with Reece’s Open Freight Crate; one arrested for theft by receiving
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Griffin Police Department on Wednesday executed a series of search warrants in connection to an alleged property theft case involving Reece’s Open Freight Crate located 330 E. Solomon Street. The initial search warrant in the case was conducted at the business, where three individuals were taken into custody. Two additional […]
Sale of hospital will reduce tax digest
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Griffin-Spalding County Hospital Authority has entered into a memorandum of understanding that will result in Spalding Regional Hospital being purchased by WellStar, a non-profit entity. As such, WellStar will not pay property taxes, resulting in a total local tax digest decrease of $750,241.47. Based on 2015 information from Spalding County […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: budget, city of Griffin, Griffin, Griffin Spalding County School System, millage rate, spalding county, Spalding Regional Hospital, tax digest, WellStar
Open Box Freight owner faces multiple narcotics charges
STAFF REPORTS ::: Matthew Brian Lane, age 36, of 2784 Beeks Road, Williamson, the owner of Open Box Freight located at 1420 Meriwether St., has been arrested by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office on numerous felony charges. According to Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, agents of the SCSO Special Operations Unit on Friday, Dec. 18, […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: crime, Griffin, Matthew Brian Lane, methamphetamine, narcotics, Open Box Freight, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Special Operations Unit, trafficking
Sheriff’s Office operation results in closure of Open Box Freight
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office on Monday conducted an operation resulting in the closure of a local business, Open Box Freight. The GRIP contacted Sheriff Wendell Beam for information, but he declined to comment, stating only that he will issue a press release later this week. The GRIP asked Beam to […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Griffin, narcotics, Open Box Freight, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Special Operations Unit
Sheriff’s Office seeking public’s assistance in locating woman
STAFF REPORT ::: The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 30-year-old Christine L. Ruschmeier, also known as Christine Green. Ruschmeier is a white female standing 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde hair, but she changes her hair color to red, blue and […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Christine Green, Christine L. Ruschmeier, Griffin, law enforcement, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office
City of Griffin now prohibits aggressive panhandling
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The city of Griffin Board of Commissioners has approved an ordinance prohibiting aggressive panhandling. As specified in the ordinance,“solicitations for immediate donations of cash, food or other things of value in an aggressive manner” is now a criminal offense in Griffin. City officials made clear this ordinance is in response to […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: aggressive panhandling, Board of Commissioners, Chief Steve Heaton, City Manager Kenny Smith, First Amendment, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, panhandling, spalding county
GPD officer credited with saving distraught woman’s life
STAFF REPORT ::: Cpl. Chris Wilson, of the Griffin Police Department Uniform Patrol Division, is being credited with saving the life of a distraught woman. On Dec. 4, Wilson was dispatched to the Ellis Bridge Road in reference to a woman believed to be attempting suicide by jumping off the bridge. Upon arrival, Wilson found […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: body camera, Cpl. Chris Wilson, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, law enforcement, rescue, spalding county, suicide
GPD: GHS “shoe” fight was not unprovoked attack
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Officials of the Griffin Police Department say all four Griffin High School students videotaped fighting in a boy’s restroom Monday, Dec. 7, were voluntary participants. According to Lt. Mike Natale, of the Office of the Chief, the four GHS students fought over a false allegation of stolen shoes. He said the […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Burglary, fight, Griffin, Griffin High School, Martinius Carr, robbery, shoes, spalding county, YouTube, zero tolerance
GBI declined Sheriff’s request to investigate, identify The GRIP’s confidential source
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The GRIP has confirmed that the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 30 requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) conduct a criminal investigation to identify a confidential source who has provided information to this publication. Following the receipt of information from a confidential source, The GRIP has since Sept. 30 […]
GPD search warrant nets four arrests
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Griffin Police Department Special Investigations Unit, with the assistance of the Power Squad and Uniform Patrol Division, on Friday, Dec. 11, executed a search warrant resulting in four arrests and the seizure of narcotics. The warrant was executed at 362 N. 19th St. Apartment G in the Pleasant Valley Apartments. […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Agent Travis Wick, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, narcotics, search warrant, spalding county, Special Investigations Unit
Three victims of fatal Saturday night fire identified
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Three Griffin residents lost their lives Saturday night in a residential structure fire at 220 Day St. According to Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones, fire units arrived on the scene at approximately 10:05 p.m. and found the home fully-involved with flames showing through the roof. Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster has […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Andrew Foster, Chief Tommy Jones, fatal fire, Griffin, Griffin Fire-Rescue, Griffin Police Department, Mary Fears, spalding county, Terry Jones
Sheriff’s Office narcotics operation raises questions: Part II
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Upon receipt of information from a confidential source pertaining to a November 2012 operation conducted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, The GRIP began compiling information utilizing public records available through Georgia’s Open Records Act. In response to The GRIP’s initial Open Records request seeking information on this […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: GPS tracker, Griffin, narcotics, operation, Sgt. John Corley, ShadowOps, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Special Operations Unit, The GRIP
Sheriff’s Office arrests mother, daughter for meth trafficking
STAFF REPORT ::: According to Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, the Special Operations Unit on Thursday, Dec. 3, arrested two women – a mother and daughter – on charges of trafficking illegal drugs. The two suspects were identified as 55-year-old Sarah Ponce, of 88 Sims Cemetery Road, Franklin, and 36-year-old Carrie A. Ornelas, of 7735 […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: arrest, crime, Griffin, methampetamine, narcotics, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Special Operations Unit, trafficking
Sheriff Wendell Beam issues press release in response to The GRIP article
STAFF REPORTS ::: Recently Sheila A. Mathews published an article in the GRIP which indicated members of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office engaged in an illegal narcotics investigation in 2012. This incident is not involved in a current litigation process; therefore I am at liberty to respond to Sheila A. Mathew’s article. In November 2012, […]
Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: GPS tracker, investigative report, John Corley, Sheila Mathews, Sheriff Wendell Beam, spalding county, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Special Operations Unit, The GRIP
The GRIP 