Newsbreak

VCBOE Retirees

With a total of 281 years in education, 11 individuals will enter into retirement from the Vidalia City Schools when this term is completed.

At the May meeting of the Board of Education, each personnel were recognized by their respective principal, but before their time in the spotlight, Superintendent Dr. Sandy Reid offered accolades and read a poem that she had penned especially for the occasion.

"Some people work a job; some people leave a legacy. That's what teacher do," Dr. Reid said. "Although they may not physically walk the halls anymore, their spirit will forever be here in the lives they've touched in students and colleagues."

Entering the retirement phase are Sissy Anderson with 30 years; Ann Harper, 25.5 years; Nancy Keener, 29 years; Mia Farrow, 30 years, Eddis Kirkland, 30 years; Leslie Seabury, 15 years; Rhonda Williamson, 30 years; William Harn, 28.5 years, Patricia Howard, 10 years; Kathy Riekof, 15 years; and Elizabeth Taylor, 38 years.

Details: Written by Kathy Hilt; Category: Newsbreak; Published: 20 May 2025; Hits: 464

***BELOW IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM TOOMBS COUNTY SHERIFF JORDAN KIGHT ON TUESDAY MORNING****

The Toombs County Sheriff's Office has received information stating that escaped inmates are in Toombs County.

THIS IS NOT TRUE. We have verified with local and state agencies.

PLEASE shelp stop the rumors from causing public panic.

Details: Written by Kathy Hilt; Category: Newsbreak; Published: 20 May 2025; Hits: 620

To find out what's going on in the community and beyond, listen to Straight Talk with Wilson Johnson this Thursday, May 22nd at 8:05 am on Newstalk WVOP 105.3 FM. Wilson's guests this week will be John Sharpe of the Southeastern Early College and Career Academy and Dana Brown of the Greater Vidalia Chamber of Commerce.

Details: Written by Jeff Raiford; Category: Newsbreak; Published: 19 May 2025; Hits: 5462

On Sunday, May 18, 2025, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested by the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a shooting incident.

Preliminary information indicates that on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at around 11:30 p.m., Tattnall County deputies responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at a home off Baxter Durrence Road. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the bodies of four deceased individuals from an apparent murder-suicide.

Three additional residents, including a six-month-old baby, were located at the home and were not injured.

The deceased victims have been identified as:

• Veronica Quevedo Torres, age 51

• Leslie Johana Marrufo Torres, age 24

• Edilberto “Eddie” Marin-Torres, age 18

Octavia Chihuahua Castro, age 42, was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The bodies will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Pooler for autopsies.

Details: Written by Kathy Hilt; Category: Newsbreak; Published: 19 May 2025; Hits: 1235

An eight-count indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of Georgia charging 30 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and related firearm and drug trafficking crimes.

According to court documents and statements in court, SMM members and associates engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM members killed one member who wanted to leave the gang and attempted to kill another by repeatedly stabbing him for alleged homosexual activities while in jail. SMM members profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, throughout the Savannah metropolitan area. They also made money participating in sophisticated fraud schemes targeting federal COVID-19 relief and unemployment benefit programs that resulted in intended losses of over $850,000.

“As alleged, the Sex Money Murder gang, a derivative of the nationally known Bloods gang, brutally enforced its purported rules, killing a 19-year-old member, and engaged in rampant drug trafficking and federal program fraud to enrich themselves,” said Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc on our streets and prison systems and exploits programs meant to support vulnerable populations are dismantled. Thank you to every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that came together to dismantle this criminal enterprise.”

“Today’s indictment is an important step in ending gang violence on our streets and in our prisons,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia. “My office will continuously work with our law enforcement partners to ensure public safety.”

“The violence and crime this gang committed across our region contributed to an epidemic in our nation.” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families who suffer because of this gangs’ activities. The FBI works with our law enforcement partners every day to crush violent crime in Georgia and our nation.”

“This case demonstrates the relentless coordination and commitment among our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal enterprises like Sex Money Murder,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). “ATF is proud to have played a critical role in targeting the illegal firearms and narcotics trafficking that fueled this gang’s deadly reach both inside and outside prison walls.”

“This indictment represents a significant step forward in our continued efforts to dismantle violent criminal enterprises operating within Georgia communities and correctional facilities,” said Director Chris Hosey of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). “The GBI remains committed to working alongside our federal, state, and local partners to hold gang members accountable and protect the safety and wellbeing of all Georgians.”

“The use of contraband cell phones as a tool to carry out gang activity and other crimes from behind prison walls will not be tolerated and we are proud of our Agents for their role in assisting our law enforcement partners in stopping these individuals from jeopardizing the safety of the public and the operations of our facilities,” said Commissioner Tyrone Oliver of the Georgia Department of Corrections. “This indictment is a great example of partnerships at every level, ensuring the job of public safety remains paramount.”

According to court documents, on Feb. 24, 2020, Byron Hopkins and other SMM members intercepted a young victim a few hours after he stepped off his school bus. They drove him to a rural residential neighborhood where Hopkins shot him to death. The victim had reportedly expressed a desire to leave the gang after accusing Hopkins of having sexual relations with a minor female who became pregnant. To lure the victim, his, “big brother” in the gang – a person he trusted – sent him a text message claiming there was an important gang meeting he needed to attend. Believing this, the victim willingly got into the vehicle, unaware he was being taken to the site of his execution. This is just one example of SMM’s deadly violence against a member that questioned authority or violated gang rules.

According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM is a subset of The Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM members, including inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including murders, attempted murders, attempted robberies, drug trafficking within and outside of GDOC facilities, and wire and bank fraud. Seven of the defendants allegedly committed or ordered the charged crimes from prison.

If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison or death for the murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm in the commission of a murder; up to life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; up to 30 years for the wire fraud conspiracy; and up to 20 years for the conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Georgia Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Georgia State Patrol, Hinesville Police Department, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, Chatham County Police Department, Chatham Couty Counternarcotics Team, Savannah Police Department, McRae-Helena Police Department, Police Department, DeKalb Police Department, Brunswick Police Department, and Richmond Hill Police Department.

Trial Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Pennington III for the Southern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.

The indictment is a result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. The OCDETF mission is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task force approach. OCDETF synchronizes and incentivizes prosecutors and agents to lead smart, creative investigations targeting the command-and-control networks of organized criminal groups and the illicit financiers that support them. Additional information about the OCDETF Program may be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.