City of Stone Mountain Faces $50M Suit

An attorney in Decatur has filed a $50 million class action civil lawsuit against the city of Stone Mountain, Mayor Patricia Wheeler, City Manager Barry Amos, and Police Chief Chancey Troutman, claiming illegal use of the police department’s speed detection devices, or laser. 

According to the lawsuit, filed by attorney Jennifer Watts on Aug. 9, for a period of three months, the city failed to comply with the following statute (O.C.G.A. 40-14-4): 

No law enforcement agency may use speed detection devices, unless the agency possesses a license in compliance with Federal Communications Commission rules, and unless each device, before being placed in service and annually after being placed in service, is certified for compliance by a technician possessing a certification as required by the Department of Public Safety. Read more...

Acworth Inmate Found Dead at Jail

Police are investigating the death of an inmate at the Acworth Detention Center who was found dead Saturday morning.

An officer noticed the unresponsive white male lying on his bed inside his cell at about 7:30 a.m. Read more...

Dive Teams Continue Search for Drowning Victim

Divers from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Search and Recovery Team are continuing search efforts for a 44-year-old man who is believed to have drowned in Lake Lanier just after midnight Saturday.

The team’s activity will be limited to sonar searches only because of heavy weekend boat traffic in the area, which creates hazardous dive conditions. Crews will mark likely sonar targets for closer inspection when dive operations resume. Read more...

Former GSU Soccer Player Shot, Killed

Atlanta police say they found the vehicle believed to be involved in an accident that resulted in the shooting death Sunday of a former Georgia State University soccer player.

Ayokunle Lumpkin, of Kennesaw, was shot during a confrontation on Milton Avenue in Chosewood Park.

The shooting occurred at roughly 1:45 a.m. with Lumpkin suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. The 23-year-old was transported to Grady Hospital and was later pronounced dead. Read more...

Teacher in Sex Case Denied Bond Again

Almarcus Dewayne Thomas, the Tucker math teacher indicted on multiple sex crime charges earlier this year, has again been denied bond and will stay in DeKalb County jail until his trial begins.

DeKalb County Superior County Judge Gail Flake refused bond last week on the grounds that Thomas, 42, "might try to intimidate a witness," Fox 5 reports. Read more...

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