Spalding SO Has An Accused Russian Drug Dealer In Custody

On August 4th, Jonathan Vandekerkhoff, aka” The Russian”, was taken into custody by the United States Marshal Service on outstanding warrants stemming from an investigation into a major drug trafficking organization that effected the Griffin-Spalding County area. 

The investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s West Metro Drug Enforcement Unit, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations and CAGE units, and the AtlantaCarolinas HIDTA DEA Task Force. 

According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, “In the early part of 2020, Investigators with the Spalding County Special Operations Unit began receiving bits of information about a major source of methamphetamine distribution that supplied a number of dealers in middle Georgia including Spalding County and the city of Griffin. During their initial investigation, it was learned that the source known to his clients as “The Russian”, was living in Atlanta while coordinating deliveries of methamphetamine, heroin and GHB across the state. Additional information was received about “The Russian” that led us to believe that he was also tied to fentanyl distribution, weapons, and violent crimes. Because of the broad area he was supplying, we contacted the GBI’s West-Metro Drug Enforcement Office and asked them to partner with us and take the lead in the investigation.” 

“As the investigation grew, the DEA came to the table with more information and additional resources regarding Vandekerkhoff. Because of the combined effort between the GBI, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, and the DEA-HIDTA Team, we were able to disrupt and begin dismantling his operation. During the course of this investigation and the execution of various search warrants, we recovered over 16 pounds of methamphetamine, trafficking amounts of heroin, and approximately 21 firearms.” 

“Without our strong working relationships with the GBI, HIDTA, the United States Marshal Service, and others, this operation would have been very difficult to pull off. Because everyone involved worked together and put in a tremendous amount of time and effort, we were able to shut “The Russian” down and stop his threat to our local community and many other jurisdictions. Right now we are continuing to track down leads and search through records to locate more people that were involved in his network, gather more evidence, and try to determine if the substances he was distributing are tied to any fentanyl related deaths or overdoses that we and other agencies have encountered.” 

“In addition to the Agencies already mentioned, we also assisted and supported by the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder and her staff, Sheriff Gary Long and the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the Riverdale Police Department, the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Sheriff Stacy Nicholson and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, the Atlanta Police Department, Sheriff Pat Lebat and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the DEA Special Response Team, and the Georgia State Patrol. Each one of these agencies were able to bring essential resources to the investigation and we all worked together to stop a main source of illegal narcotics to the area.” 

“Reaching out and working jointly with the GBI, DEA, and other agencies was the key to the success of this operation. These folks were willing to assist when asked, and the citizens of Spalding County should be proud of the teamwork that led to this arrest. I am thankful that our friends and colleagues were willing to help when we called, and we look forward to helping them and other agencies across the state of Georgia when needed or when their investigations lead them in our direction.” 

“He thought he was untouchable, well, he just got touched. He was well-known in this part of the state, we want it to be well known that he is over, and he is being held in the Spalding County Jail without bond. He is now facing the possibility of Federal indictment. When they come for him, he won’t be hard to find, he’ll be right here.

Griffin Woman Murdered

On July 30th at 11:23 am, the City of Griffin Police Department, Uniform Patrol Division officers responded to 623 E. Solomon Street, apartment 4 in reference to a person shot. 

Officers arrived on scene and located an unresponsive female with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. Preliminary reports indicate that a dispute between neighbors turned from a verbal altercation to violence. 

JaDestiny Lee a 24 year old female succumbed to gunshot wounds on scene despite the efforts of emergency medical personnel. Devin Simpson has been arrested and charged with murder with other charges pending. This investigation is still active and ongoing. Anyone with information that would assist investigators in this case are encouraged to contact Inv. Richard Powell at 470-771-3097 or rpowell@cityofgriffin.com.

4th Of July Safety Tips From Spalding County Fire Department

This weekend, as many families and individuals celebrate the Fourth of July, the Spalding County Fire Department would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to practice safety in everything they do. In addition to barbeques and parades, many will choose to use legal fireworks as another form of entertainment. While we firmly believe that the safest way to enjoy fireworks is by attending a professional show, here we’ve outlined a few tips to help ensure that everyone remains safe and enjoys their holiday.

• Make sure the area is clear of people, houses and other combustible material 

• Never allow young children to handle fireworks. Older children should only use with adult supervision 

• Wear appropriate eye protection 

• Never light them indoors 

• Maintain a safe distance after lighting 

• Never attempt to reignite malfunctioning fireworks 

• Always have a means of extinguishing any unexpected fires (fire extinguisher, garden hose, etc.) 

• Soak both spent and unused fireworks in water before discarding 

It’s also important to remember that sparklers may not always be as safe to use as they may seem. Modern sparklers burn at around 1000-1200 degrees and account for a high number of fireworks emergencies annually. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), children under the age of five accounted for nearly half the total number of injuries from misuse of these devices. To prevent these type incidents, we recommend considering using glowsticks instead as a fun, safe alternative that greatly reduces the risk of injury. 

Also, as mentioned earlier, many families will also be partaking in the great American pastime of outdoor grilling to celebrate the holiday as well. Below, we’ve listed a few tips to serve as guidelines for best practices when it comes to grilling safety. 

• Only use your grill outside. Keep it at least 3 feet from siding, deck rails and eaves. 

• Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the grill area 

• Keep your grill clean by removing excess grease or fat buildup both inside and outside of the grill 

• Never leave your grill unattended. 

• Always have a means of extinguishing any unexpected fires (fire extinguisher, garden hose, etc.) 

• If using charcoal, when you are finished grilling, let the coals cool completely before disposing in a metal container. 

• If using a gas grill, always open the lid before lighting 

For more information and resources visit www.spaldingcounty.com or call the Spalding County Fire Department at 770-228-2129.

Griffin Shooting And Robbery

On June 15th at approximately 2:00 pm, a Griffin Police officer was on patrol near 403 W. Taylor Street. The officer observed what appeared to be an altercation between several males which included an exchange of gunfire. Before the officer could stop and contact the individuals, all parties fled the area in their respective vehicles. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop which led to a brief pursuit. The pursuit ended shortly near the intersection of N 12th St and W. Solomon Street after the officer lost contact with the vehicle/s due to heavy traffic on the roadway. 

A few minutes later, Spalding WellStar Hospital reported that someone had brought a male to the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Investigation revealed that the male with the gunshot wound was involved in the altercation observed on West Taylor Street. Investigative activity and video obtained from a business in the area led to the recovery of the vehicle involved and the identity of all individuals. 

Those arrested and charged as follows: 

Deangelo Johnson, age 32 of Griffin, was arrested for Robbery by Sudden Snatching, Battery, Affray, Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Participation in Criminal Gang Activity. Investigation revealed that Johnson had just recently been released from prison, having served time for Armed Robbery. 

Delshon Pearson, who is also the shooting victim, age 29 of Griffin, has been charged with Robbery by Sudden Snatching, Battery, Affray, and Participation in Criminal Gang Activity. Pearson was out of jail “On Bond” at the time of the shooting for Aggravated Assault and Cruelty to Children. 

Jamarcus Prather, age 32 of Griffin, has been charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault, Affray, Criminal Damage to Property, Reckless Conduct, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime. 

Warrants are pending for a fourth suspect: 

Jamaurius Ponder, age 25, who is still at large. At the time of the shooting incident, Ponder was out of jail “On Bond” for gang-related charges.

Griffin Man Shot And Killed By Officers Following Chase

A Griffin man was shot and killed by Lovejoy police officers following a chase that started in Clayton county and ended at the intersection of Birdie Road and US 19 north in Spalding county.

Twenty nine year old Stephen Neil Weigand of Griffin pointed a gun at officers when he exited the vehicle and was shot multiple times by police, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Weigand hit at least one car as he was leaving a restaurant in Jonesboro at 2:45 am Saturday morning. He was stopped by a Clayton county police officer and struck the officer in the face as he was attempting to handcuff him. Weigand jumped back into his car and headed south on Tara Boulevard with Lovejoy officers in pursuit.

Spalding county officers set up a road block at Birdie Road, just north of Griffin and forced Weigand to stop. No officers were injured, the incident is under investigation by the GBI.

Burglary Arrest In Spalding

On Wednesday May 19th, marked units from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary in progress at a residence on Yamacraw Road. 

Hannah Sikes

Sheriff Darrell Dix, “The homeowner, who was away from home, was alerted when the security cameras at her residence detected motion. The system sent pictures to her phone and when she saw the 2 suspects in the pictures she immediately called the Spalding County 911 Center. As units arrived on scene they began to set up a perimeter to try to contain the suspects. We deployed one of our HAWK drones along with one of our K-9 units in the area to begin a ground search. At the same time, we were able to distribute photos of the suspects that had been provided to us by the homeowner on social media.” 

“Shortly after the photos hit social media, we received a tip that the female suspect in the picture was Hannah Sikes (W/F 29 years of age) and that she lived at an unknown address on Tomochichi Road. Based on that information and in-house records searches, Investigators were able to obtain information that linked the suspect to the address of 753 Tomochichi Road. When investigators and uniform deputies arrived at the residence they located Sikes and the male suspect from the photos and identified him as Lonnie Harper (W/M 39 years of age). They recovered the clothes that they were wearing in the pictures.” 

Lonnie Harper

“Both were taken into custody and are currently being housed in the Spalding County Jail. They have been charged with burglary and are awaiting their first appearance hearing.” 

“These arrests were made possible by the camera system the homeowner used that gave her the ability to quickly notify us that someone was at her residence then forward us very clear pictures of the suspects. This allowed us to get marked units and investigators on scene and in the area quickly, and accurate information out to the public via social media. These facts, coupled with citizens and deputies working together led to the tip that resulted in the arrest of both suspects. Great work by everyone involved.” 

If you do not have access to social media but want to stay informed of what is going on in Spalding County you can subscribe to receive our Nixle alerts by texting Spalding to 888-777. You will receive lookouts, traffic crash information, and severe weather alerts. There are no adds or junk texts. This is a free service provided by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.

Spalding SO Makes Arrest In Phone Scam

Sheriff Darrell Dix, “On Wednesday February 3, 2020, I was contacted by Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee about a family member of a Baldwin County resident who had been the victim of a phone scam. The elderly victim, who is a Florida resident, had sent a total of $24,000.00 to the scammers before her family learned of it and stopped it. 

The scam that worked on the victim in this case was that a male called the victim and identified himself by name as her grandson. He gave her the story that he needed her help to get out of jail after being in an accident and being charged with DUI and other traffic offenses. He told the victim that his bond was $8,000.00 and he needed it in cash. Another male called the victim posing as a bail bondsman and requested the money for her grandson’s bail, where to send it to, and how to send it. The victim gathered $8,000.00 in cash, and it was delivered via UPS to an address on Ray Street in Griffin. 

The following day the male posing as her grandson called again and said that a victim of the crash had died and that he needed an additional $16,000.00 in cash for bail on the new charges. The female victim once again bundled the cash and sent it via UPS to the same Ray Street address. While working jointly with the victim’s family and UPS staff, Spalding County Investigators were able to have the package tracked and intercepted. 

Once it was secured and in our custody we created a fake package and had one of our Special Operations Investigators pose as the UPS delivery person. When he started across the yard at the Ray Street address he was met by a Hispanic female who pulled up in front of the address in a minivan. The female approached the Investigator, verified who the package was intended for, signed for it, and took custody of it. As she started to walk away she was arrested by our surveillance team. 

The female arrested has been identified as Ruth Garcia, H/F, 42 Years of age. She has been charged with Theft by Deception and Conspiracy to Commit Fraud. She is currently residing in the Spalding County Jail. We were unable to locate the original $8000.00, but we have the $16,000.00 secured and we are waiting for the victim’s family members to pick it up and return it to her. We are still following leads in this case to work as far up the food chain as we can on this scam. 

We don’t know if we will be able to identify other victims or recover any of their assets as we move forward but we are going to do all we can to track it down. We are asking that everyone be aware and make others aware of these and other scams. If someone calls with a story needing money please take the time to get the information from the caller and try to verify their story. If they say they are calling you from a jail, independently get the phone number to the jail they say they are at, call it, and ask if your loved one is there. 

This same type of scam also happens regarding hospitals where victims get calls saying that a loved one needs treatment, and it can’t be done until money is paid up front. Also, please remember that nobody is going to send you money if you have to pay money to them first. Many times people who fall victim to scams are left feeling embarrassed, and this shouldn’t be the case at all. 

Scammers are professionals who know their jobs and have very convincing stories with information they are able to find about their victims. This information is often learned by scammers from social media posts by the victim, family members, or friends, and they manipulate it to create their victims. 

If you have elderly family members, other family members, or friends who you have concerns about potentially falling victim to scams, please sit down with them and have a conversation about scams and how they operate. 

If you need information on preventing scams or how to not fall victim to scams, you can call the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office at 770-467-4282 and ask to speak to Major Mike Morris. If requested, we will come to your church, group meetings, or gatherings, and conduct presentations on scam awareness and prevention.”

GRIFFIN PD MURDER INVESTIGATION

Murder Investigation On Wednesday, December 9th at approximately 4:15 p.m., officers with the Griffin Police Department responded to a report of a deceased person in a wooded area near the intersection of Beck and English Streets. 

Investigators determined that the victim, Pierre Parrish, 20 years of age of Locust Grove, Georgia had been in the location for several days and that he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds which caused his death. 

After conducting numerous investigative activities non-stop throughout the night a suspect was identified and arrested. The suspect has been identified as Cedravious Wilkerson, 17 years of age of Griffin. Wilkerson is currently being held at the Spalding County Jail and will face Malice Murder charges as well as Gang Act charges. Investigators believe that both the suspect and the victim were members or affiliates of the same gang identified as “Sex Murder Money”, a subset of the Bloods street gang. 

Investigators are still actively following up on leads and developing information. The Griffin Police department anticipates the arrest and prosecution of others related to this case but this facet of the investigation continues to develop. This incident is yet another example of the dangers of this gang lifestyle which has resulted in another senseless death.

Spalding Elections Supervisor Responds To Resignation Request

Marcia Ridley, Spalding County Election Supervisor, responded to calls for her resignation today by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the Spalding county legislative delegation including Sen. Marty Harbin, Rep. David Knight and Rep. Karen Mathiak.

Ridley stated that she and her staff worked to resolve the voting machine malfunction and ensure all Spalding County residents retained their right to vote, she denies allegations that she acted outside the law.

Raffensperger stated Tuesday in a press release that emergency ballots should have been used when Spalding County voting machines failed to work on Election Day and that Ridley possibly acted outside the law in using provisional ballots.

“The mission of the Spalding County Board of Elections and Registrations is to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised. The reality is that at 7:05 am on election day, our system was not working, and we made a decision to utilize provisional ballots as required by law to address this emergency situation. Upon notification of the problem, a Dominion representative provided us with an access code that allowed the poll manager to access the system which allowed voters to cast their ballots. The decision to utilize this process was made according to the law promulgated by the Secretary of States in emergency situations. Later, Dominion sent their Technicians to all precincts in Spalding County to resolve the system issues.”

Ridley denies the allegation she made a false statement regarding the malfunction of Dominion voting machines and claims there were irregularities in the lawsuit filed by Mathiak and Knight that resulted in the extension of poll hours.

“The assertion that I spread a false rumor concerning the system malfunction is baseless. In fact, members of the Spading County Legislative Delegation filed a lawsuit to extend the voting hours of the Spalding County polls and cited a problem with the voting machines. The lawsuit was never formally served on the Spalding County Board of Elections and I was not summoned to court to testify,” Ridley said. “Our office has requested the Georgia Secretary of State to investigate the legality of the lawsuit and resulting order to extend the voting hours at all Spalding County polls.”

Ridley denied recanting any statement concerning the voting machine malfunction and referred to a later statement regarding the issue.

“In reference to public comments made concerning a purported glitch during the 2020 Presidential Election, the Spalding Country Board of Elections and Registrations was initially told that there may have been a software update performed on the night before election day. I was informed that Dominion would be investigating to determine the cause of the computer malfunction that required our poll managers to utilize their access cards to allow voters to cast a ballot. Dominion completed their investigation and has assured us that no system can be updated remotely without the knowledge of Dominion. My office verified the data that was sent relating to the absence of an update by reviewing the Poll Book voter log files which indicated that the last voter file update to the pollbooks was done after the completion of Early Voting, on Saturday the 31st of October. Therefore, the investigation by Dominion has ruled out the possibility of an update on the night before the 2020 Presidential Election and Dominion stated that their Representative mis-spoke. As relates to the malfunction of the machine, it is still being investigated.”

Ridley’s included a statement from Spalding County Board of Elections Chairman Margaret Bentley.

“The board will convene an emergency meeting on December 2, 2020 to discuss this issue, but I can personally state that Director Marcia Ridley has my full support and I have no intention of asking for her resignation. This election had the largest turnout in the history of Spalding County with 30,250 voters casting their ballots on election day, early voting, and absentee ballots. Our staff handled the emergency with the utmost level of professionalism in a county that saw over 65% of the electorate casting their ballots for President Trump.”

State Officials Call For Resignation Of Spalding Election Supervisor

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the Spalding County legislative delegation - Sen. Marty Harbin, Rep. David Knight, and Rep. Karen Mathiak – are calling for the resignation or termination of Spalding County Elections Supervisor Marcia Ridley following serious management issues and poor decision-making during the November 3 general election.

“County elections officials are responsible for ensuring the voting process is smooth and efficient and must take responsibility when they fail,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “Georgians statewide waited on average just 3 minutes on Election Day but poor decision making in Spalding County denied those voters a quick and reliable voting experience. The serious management issues we saw in Spalding County on Election Day demonstrate that new leadership is needed to uphold election integrity there.”

Georgia’s November elections saw record turnout, record absentee ballot requests and ballots cast, and record early, in-person voting. On Election Day, voters cast their ballots in just 3 minutes statewide on average.

In Spalding County, however, voters faced mismanagement and poor decision-making that put the integrity of their vote at risk. Spalding County faced issues early in the morning getting their voting systems up and running on Election Day. If voting machines are not operating normally, county elections superintendents have been trained to use a number of workarounds to allow voters to cast ballots using the Ballot Marking Devices like all other voters. Additionally, if that is impossible, which was not the case in Spalding County, Georgia law instructs county elections superintendents to conduct voting in those locations on emergency ballots, which are scanned immediately like other ballots cast in person on Election Day.

In Spalding County, none of that was done. Instead of using one of the many workarounds built into the system or using emergency ballots as required by law when the equipment is not working, Spalding County Elections Supervisor Marcia Ridley instructed elections workers to use provisional ballots, which are processed differently than regular ballots. This violated established election process and possibly, Georgia law.

Additionally, when asked about the issues faced in Spalding County on Election Day, Ridley claimed an “update” made to the voting system on the night before Election Day caused problems with the machines. No such update had been made nor had the voting machines been touched for days before the election.

By spreading this baseless and thoroughly inaccurate rumor, Ridley greatly harmed election integrity in Georgia and provided talking points for those looking to undermine elections in the Peach State.

Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections. It was the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 16 days of early voting (which has been called the “gold standard”), and no-excuse absentee voting. Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation, seeing the largest increase in average turnout of any other state in the 2018 midterm election and record overall, early, in-person, and absentee-by-mail turnout during the November 2020 elections.

HUD Secretary To Visit Spalding County

U.S Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan will tour Spalding County with HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. and Spalding County Commissioner Eddie L. Freeman Tuesday morning.

The group will be at the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park on Patterson Road at 8:45 am.