GEORGIA — Sixteen people have been arrested following a months-long racketeering investigation targeting a drug trafficking organization operating across multiple North Georgia counties, authorities said. The operation, dubbed “Operation Silent Hand,” was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) in coordination with federal and local law enforcement agencies. According […]

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ga. — The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, along with agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) ARDEO unit, executed search and arrest warrants in Franklin County on Wednesday morning, resulting in three arrests. According to the sheriff’s office, authorities executed a search warrant at 70 No Name Road in Canon. During the […]

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a Dawson County woman who has been reported missing. According to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Diaja Benson of Dawsonville was reported missing after leaving her home in Dawson County on February 14, 2026. Officials said Benson was initially believed to be […]

JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. – Investigators in Jackson County have filed additional charges against two individuals previously arrested in connection with a four-year-old child’s alleged cocaine overdose. According to posts from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, February 23, Sheena Dawn Shumake, 35, and Joshua Tyler Shumake, 33, are now facing charges of possession of […]

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ga. – The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Thursday who was wanted in South Carolina on numerous outstanding warrants, including charges related to the solicitation of a minor. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies received information on February 26, 2026, regarding a subject wanted out of South Carolina for multiple warrants. […]

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ga. – A routine traffic stop in Franklin County last week resulted in the arrest of two men and the seizure of approximately 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said that on February 24, 2026, at approximately 8:27 p.m., a deputy conducted a traffic stop after […]

GILMER COUNTY, Ga. – The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a fraudulent “toll violation” notice that has been widely shared on social media in recent days. According to a public alert issued by the sheriff’s office, officials have received multiple reports over the weekend and again Monday regarding a document titled “Notice […]

CLAYTON, Ga. — A Rabun County High School employee has been arrested on multiple child sex crime charges following an investigation by the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office. According to a press release from Sheriff Mark Gerrells, the agency’s Criminal Investigations Division obtained arrest warrants for Ashleigh Wilson, 26, of Clayton. Wilson was booked Feb. 26 […]

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. — A Fannin County man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after a Cherokee County jury convicted him of trafficking more than a kilogram of methamphetamine. Ricky Dwight Wright, 39, received the sentence Wednesday following a trial in which jurors deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before returning a guilty verdict […]

PRESS RELEASE – On February 10, 2026 Erwin Vanegas, a 22 year old man from Rossville, pled guilty to Malice Murder for the murder of 71 year old Robert White on December 5, 2024 in the Catoosa County Jail. Chief Judge Brian M. House sentenced Vanegas to serve life in the Georgia Department of Corrections. […]

PRESS RELEASE – On February 10, 2026 Joseph Mays, a 34 year old man from Griffin, Georgia, pled guilty to Malice Murder for the murder of his girlfriend Jamie Wiley, a 36 year old Michigan woman. Mays and Wiley, who had only been dating for a few short months, were living in Wiley’s camper at […]

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Public Safety Commercial Vehicle Division alerted the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) to a suspected heavy equipment theft ring believed to be targeting a location in Forsyth County. According to authorities, the scheme involved a suspect contacting a tow truck company and directing the driver to a […]

BANKS COUNTY, Ga. – The Hall County School District confirmed Friday afternoon that a Chestatee High School Spanish teacher arrested last week on rape and child molestation charges in Banks County is no longer employed by the district. Felipe Esteban Nunez, 32, of Gainesville, had been employed at Chestatee High School since September 2024. He […]

PRESS RELEASE – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King announced today that Jorge Matilde Gonzalez, 35, of Cartersville, Georgia, has been arrested in connection with a residential fire in Calhoun, Georgia. On December 9, 2025, investigators from the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner assisted with a fire investigation at 704 Greenbriar […]

PRESS RELEASE – Two males and one female have been arrested following an investigation into a report of shots fired at a residence in Toccoa yesterday, February 18, 2026. At approximately 12:48 p.m., Stephens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a report of shots fired and a physical altercation at a residence on Skyline […]

PRESS RELEASE – Sunday morning, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a report of a stolen vehicle from a residence on Providence Lane near Freedom Drive in Martin. At approximately 8:50 a.m., an individual contacted Stephens County 911 claiming their Dodge Durango had been stolen overnight. Deputies responded to the residence to take a report […]