Governor Kemp Appoints New Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Governor Brian Kemp appointed Chris Hosey to serve as Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

“Chris has dedicated his career to protecting the people of our state as a proud member of law enforcement,” Kemp said in a Saturday statement. “With over 35 years of experience at the GBI, he brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and skill to this role. I’m confident he will bring the same level of commitment to the job that he has shown throughout his years of service.”

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Atlanta Police Say 35 Detained, 23 Arrested after Mob Attacks Officers, Destroys Construction Equipment

The Atlanta Police Department said 35 people are in custody after a violent mob attacked police officers and destroyed construction equipment at the site of the proposed law enforcement training center.

Police said Sunday “a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers.”

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President Biden Awards Georgia 2020 Election Worker Ruby Freeman and 11 Others with Presidential Citizens Medals

Ruby Freeman, the notorious election worker who was caught on surveillance video engaging in highly suspicious activity during the 2020 election in Atlanta, Georgia, was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House on Friday.

During a White House ceremony recognizing the 2nd anniversary of the January 6 riot, Biden honored Freeman, her supervisor daughter Shaye Moss, and ten other individuals.

The White House portrayed Freeman as voting rights heroine who had suffered cruel right-wing harassment in the aftermath of the election.

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Georgia Taxpayers Could Foot a $400K Bill for New Election Equipment in Coffee County

Georgia taxpayers could be on the hook for $400,000 worth of new election equipment for Coffee County after individuals illegally accessed voting equipment.

The state is sending the county 100 ballot marking devices, 100 printers, 21 poll pads, 10 precinct scanners, and new flashcards and thumb drives. County election officials will receive the equipment in time for installation and testing before voting starts.

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Governor Kemp Appoints New Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director

Governor Brian P. Kemp (R) announced on Monday he has tapped Mike Register to replace Vic Reynolds as the newest Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

“Mike [Register] has a strong track record of strengthening public safety and protecting Georgia’s communities,” Governor Kemp said.

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Former Augusta Commissioner Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison After Conviction for Falsifying Records

The former Augusta District 4 Commissioner, Sammie Lee Sias, 67, of Hephzibah, faces up to 20 years in federal prison after he was found guilty by a U.S. District Court jury of record falsification and making a false statement to a U.S. agency by the Southern District of Georgia on Friday.

“Former Commissioner Sias knew his handling of sales tax funds was under investigation, and he deleted thousands of electronic files within hours of a federal order requiring him to provide those files,” U.S. Attorney David H. Estes said. 

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Georgia Guidestones Partially Destroyed in Apparent Explosion

An apparent explosion has partially destroyed the Georgia Guidestones, a mysterious landmark in Elbert County.

“The GBI and Elbert County Sheriff’s Office are investigating an explosion that destroyed the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton, GA,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. “The preliminary information indicates that unknown individuals detonated an explosive device at around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6th.”

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Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr Picks Head of State Gang Prosecution Unit

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has hired Fulton County Deputy District Attorney, Cara Convery, to head the state’s first Gang Prosecution Unit, per a Wednesday press release from the Office of the Attorney General.

“Cara Convery has established herself as a force in the field of criminal gang prosecution and is a proven leader in Georgia’s legal community,” Carr said.

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Raffensperger Says He Referred More Than 1,600 Georgia Election Cases for Possible Prosecution

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he referred more than 1,600 cases of potential non-citizens attempting to register to vote in Georgia to local prosecutors and state investigators.

The secretary of state referred the cases to the State Election Board, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and local prosecutors. The announcement comes weeks after Raffensperger said the state completed the first citizenship audit of the state’s voter rolls.

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Georgia Officials Say the First Year of the State Crime-Fighting Unit Has Been a Success

Georgia officials say the first year of the Multi-Agency Crime Suppression Unit’s operations has been a resounding success, and they vow to continue efforts.

The unit launched amid a rise in violent crime and illicit street racing in Georgia, conducting its “first wave” on April 9, 2021.

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Voter Integrity Bill Passes Georgia House on Crossover Day Deadline

A voter integrity bill meant to provide more oversight on election day passed the Georgia House of Representatives just hours before its Tuesday Crossover Day deadline. 

HB 1464 gives the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) jurisdiction to investigate election fraud without invitation from the Secretary of State, who oversees elections.

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Gubernatorial Candidate David Perdue Proposes Election Law Enforcement Division for Georgia

Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue on Thursday proposed creating what he called an Election Law Enforcement Division that would investigate alleged violations of the state’s election laws. Perdue, in a statement, said Election Law Enforcement Division officers would have the authority to make arrests.

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Influential Georgia State Senator Urges Audit of Surveillance Tapes at Ballot Drop Boxes

An influential Georgia state senator, who is running for lieutenant governor in 2022, says he believes states like his own that used drop boxes to collect absentee ballots last year should audit the surveillance video tapes that were installed at the voting locations to ensure no shenanigans occurred.

“All those drop boxes that were sent throughout Metro Atlanta, you can’t police them if you wanted to, so it just made it ripe for bad actors to game the system,” Republican state Sen. Burt Jones told Just the News in an interview this week.

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Former Oconee County, Georgia Teacher Sentenced for Child Pornography

Federal officials have sentenced a former Oconee County middle school teacher to prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. This, according to a press release that staff at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia published this week.

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David Ralston Proposes New Resources to Fight Atlanta’s Crime Problem

GA David Ralston

Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) this week proposed spending $3 million in additional state law enforcement resources to fight Atlanta’s worsening crime problem. This, according to an emailed press release.

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Georgia Nonprofit Owner Arrested for False Statements After Allegedly Letting Criminals off the Hook

A Marietta man has been charged after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said his Atlanta-based nonprofit was scamming the criminal justice system. 

“On Thursday, February 25, 2021, Derek ‘Al’ Sneed, age 39, was arrested in Marietta and charged with one felony count of false statements and writings,” GBI said in a press release. 

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Fulton County District Attorney Requests to Be Removed from Rayshard Brooks Case

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking another prosecutor to assume the case due to her predecessor’s conduct. Willis requested removal of her office from prosecuting former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe in a letter to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is also requesting to reassign another case involving six Atlanta Police Department Officers alleged to have used excessive force.

According to Willis, the county’s previous district attorney, Paul Howard, reportedly used video evidence from Brooks’ case in a campaign ad. Willis claimed that the act may have violated Georgia Bar Rule 3.8(g) by not “refraining from making extrajudicial comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused.”

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Major Flaws in Georgia Secretary of State’s ‘Audit’ of Absentee Ballot Signature Matching in Cobb County

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is not responding to questions about major flaws in his office’s “audit” of Cobb County absentee ballot envelope signatures counted in the November 3 presidential election, the results of which were announced in a press release last week.

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Georgia’s GOP Calls Out Secretary of State Raffensperger’s Failure to Update, Secure the Voter Registration List

As of the first day of early voting for the runoff election, Georgians haven’t received an updated voter registration list.

The Republican Party of Georgia issued a press release posing seven questions about the list pertaining to the upcoming runoff election.

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