WGAA 1340AM Cedartown

Elijah Joseph Ingram

A second man sought in the alleged assault of a Rockmart man is now in custody. According to Polk County Police, 17 year old Elijah Joseph Ingram of 215 Cochran Ridge Road in Dallas is accused of aiding 21 year old William Harings of 85 Floyd Mountain Circle in Rockmart in the January 15 assault. Dockets indicate Ingram faces charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated battery, pointing or aiming a gun at another, terroristic threats and acts, theft by taking, possession of a firearm or knife in the commission of a crime, criminal damage to property in the second degree, burglary and aggravated assault. Police arrested Ingram Wednesday after it was learned that a second man could have been involved in the incident. Ingram is currently in the Polk County Jail, along with Harings who was arrested shortly after the incident. Harings and Ingram allegedly went to the victim’s residence and began to beat a man. The suspects then dragged the man out into the woods while continuing to assault him. Harings left before police arrived and was believed to be heading toward Paulding County. Polk County Police initiated a traffic stop on Haring’s vehicle where he was arrested without incident.

A former Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in November was sentenced in federal court Thursday. According to reports, 43 year old Kenneth Lane Gravett of Cedartown will serve five years probation for falsifying an insurance claim in order to pay off a debt. Gravett will serve the first 10 months confined to his home with electronic monitoring, according to U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Vining Jr. Gravett reportedly used the insurance proceeds to pay off the delinquent loan on his motorcycle and on Dec. 4, 2008, another co-conspirator sold the motorcycle to an FBI informant for $1,500. He then reported the theft to his insurance carrier American Modern Select Insurance Company, mailing the fraudulent police report to the company, reportedly in order to obtain funds to pay off the motorcycle. Gravett was ordered to pay back $12,517.02 and was ordered to immediately pay a special assessment of $100 to the government. Vining said if he could not pay the total amount to the insurance company for the fraudulent claim, he would have to pay it back in installments of $300 a month.

Brenda Lee Craig

A Rockmart man who suffered a gunshot wound from a domestic dispute with his wife has been moved out of the intensive care unit and into a regular hospital room. According to reports, 35 year old Brenda Lee Craig of an Elm Street address in Rockmart allegedly shot her husband late Monday night. A Polk County Jail docket report indicates that Craig is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery under the Family Violence Act. Police say she is alleged to have shot her husband with a .380 pistol at the Saddlebrook Apartment Complex. The husband, Douglas Craig, was transported to an area hospital where he was placed in the intensive care unit. Polk County Police initially responded to the call.

CMS 8th graders at the real estate booth at Wednesday's "Reality Fair" at Rockmart High School.

The Polk School District’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Department held their second annual “Reality Fair” for Polk County’s 8^th grade students. Students were given a paystub representing a month’s wages from a job. They then visited booths depicting housing, insurance, groceries, utilities, and other living expenses. The students would have money deducted from their check to pay for real world expenses to show them the costs of living. The fair was held in the upper gym at Rockmart High School on Wednesday. Polk School District CTAE Director Katie Couch says that the success of the CTAE program lies with the teachers and support from the school district. Cedartown Middle School 8^th graders participated in the event Wednesday morning and Rockmart’s 8^th graders took part in the fair in the afternoon.

Flood waters from the Big Spring turn Biggers Field into a small pond

Several inches of rain have fallen over the past 48 hours in Cedartown and several area streams and creeks are flooding. According to reports, areas of Cedar Creek in Cedartown have crested and spilled over into yards, roadways, and driveways. Early this morning, Furnace Street was still covered in water where the Big Spring runoff runs under the road. In Rockmart, Euharlee Creek turned Seaborn Jones Park near downtown into a vast lake. Gauge measurements indicate nearly 3 inches of rain fell Sunday in Cedartown. Rockmart received 2.97 inches at their weather station in just 24 hours. If you see water over your driveway or road, do not cross in your car. It only takes a little water to stall an engine. Forecasters call for high wind gusts today and high 40′s for temperatures in the afternoon.

Jonathan Deffal Davis

A Cedartown Police officer arrests a Cedartown man on drug possession charges. Reports indicate that 20 year old Jonathan Deffal Davis of an East Ellawood Avenue address was walking down Davenport Street when a police officer drove up and detected the smell of marijuana. When the officer began to question him, he attempted to flee the scene. The patrolling officer then caught the suspect and found a bag of suspected marijuana. Once at the Cedartown Police Department, the officer conducted a search of Davis and found a small baggie of suspected crack cocaine on his person. Davis faces one count of felony possession of cocaine, one count of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and one count of misdemeanor obstruction of an officer.

A Cedartown woman was arrested after trying to take something from Wal-Mart without paying for it. According to reports, 26 year old Chrystal Yvonne Graham of a Collard Valley Road address in Cedartown allegedly took items from the store totaling $163. Loss prevention employees observed Graham hiding several jewelry items in her purse and then checking out without paying for the concealed items. Police then arrested Graham and transported her to the Cedartown Police Department for booking procedures.

A Buchanan man was injured Wednesday after several teenagers assaulted him. According to reports, 19 year old Jesse Lee Hicks of Buchanan was waiting to pick up a female friend from an Olive Street address, when three juveniles came to the home and verbally confronted him and then began to beat him up. The three teens left Hicks with several cuts and abrasions, along with breaking his windshield on his vehicle. Polk County Police interviewed the female inside where she stated that she called Hicks to come pick her up because she and her boyfriend were having a fight. The boyfriend was arrested by police on battery charges. Police released the boyfriend to his parents at the police station and they also released the young girl to her parents’ custody. The homeowner at the Olive Street address gave her a verbal trespass warning not to return.

Shanna Detweiler

More details have been released regarding a middle school teacher in Paulding County accused of molesting a 14 year old male student. According to the Paulding County School District, 40 year old Shanna Detweiler, a science teacher at Austin Middle School in Dallas, is charged with child molestation and sexual battery. Detweiler was arrested Tuesday and posted a $4,050 bond Wednesday evening. The boy’s mother, who lives on the same street as Detweiler, told police her two sons were spending the night at Detweiler’s home when the incident occurred, according to the report. Sharon Roper of the Paulding County School District says she is no longer in the classroom.

A Bartow County 911 dispatcher has been arrested on theft charges. According to officials, 26 year old Terri Hartness is under arrest and charged with one count of felony computer theft. Investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also say that 24 year old Timothy Allen Keown was also arrested and charged with the same crime. GBI officials say that the charges stemmed from inappropriate use of a computer at the Bartow 911 center, accessing private information for illegal use. Keown is currently jailed at the Gordon County Jail on unrelated charges while Hartness is being questioned by officials and remained in Bartow County Jail as of late last night. The GBI, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun Police Department and the Georgia Crime Investigation Center all worked together on this case.