Community Corner

Woman Seeks Live Kidney Donor; Increased Break-Ins Tied to New State Law?

Here are some top Patch headlines not far from Roswell.

- Sandy Springs Patch

Violent crime has dropped more than 40 percent since the Sandy Springs Police Department started in 2006, but recent stats show property crime is up 35 percent, said Chief Terry Sult during a town hall meeting, Thursday.

Sult cited the struggling economy and the Criminal Justice Reform Act that was passed last spring by the Georgia Legislature. 

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“The Act puts the focus on violent criminal offenders, keeping them in jail with the funds that are available to the state,” said Sult. “What that means is those who commit property crimes are not higher priority for incarceration.”

Suwanee Woman Seeking Live Donor for Kidney Transplant - Suwanee Patch

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A Suwanee woman has cleared one hurdle in her quest for a kidney transplant, but she and her family are hoping for more help.

Jennifer Wilkes, whose family operates Wilkes Meat Market in Suwanee, has been accepted into Piedmont Hospital's transplant program, according to her mother. Jennifer Wilkes, a Parkview High grad, has been undergoing dialysis for three days a week since being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease in 2009.

Wilkes' mother, Judy Wilkes, noted in an email that Jennifer has been accepted into the Piedmont donor program. However, unless a live donor is tested and discovered, Jennifer Wilkes would have to go on the hospital's "deceased donor" program.

Jennifer Wilkes is four years down on that list, her mother said, which would not be good for her chances at survival. So a plea and search for a live donor is under way. .

Angry Ex-Boyfriend Pursues Man During Vehicle Chase - Dacula Patch

A man reportedly told police his desire to fight and harm his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend led to an extended vehicular pursuit through Buford.

Gwinnett County Police were dispatched to the Red Lobster on Buford Drive near the Mall of Georgia after a Loganville man called to report that another man had chased him and struck the rear of his vehicle.

According to the Loganville man, he was almost to his girlfriend’s house on Skylar Ridge Drive in Buford when he saw the woman’s ex-boyfriend pull into the driveway. The Loganville man said he quickly turned his vehicle around and drove away to avoid a confrontation with the man, later identified as Maurice Bell, 43, of Decatur*.

Bell reportedly spotted the Loganville man and began following him in his Hummer H3. The Loganville man told police Bell followed him down Bart Johnson Road, up Hamilton Mill Road and onto South Bogan Road. Bell allegedly followed the man onto Buford Drive and continued his pursuit until the intersection of Buford Drive and Mall of Georgia Boulevard where he struck the back of the Loganville man’s vehicle before fleeing the scene.

The Loganville man led the officer to a yard at the corner of Hamilton Mill Road and South Bogan Road to point out the tracks caused when both vehicles drove in circles in the grass multiple times before continuing down South Bogan.

“[The Loganville man] stated that during the chase he was in fear for his life and thought Bell was trying to kill him,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.

- Snellville Patch

By now, we've all heard about the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that resulted in the deaths of four Americans. It was the first in a series of riots and protests that swept through a big chunk of the world, including Pakistan, Sudan and Egypt.

At first, we were told that the riots were in response to a video that depicted Islam's Prophet Muhammed as a depraved child molester and womanizer. Others, like Sen. John McCain, said it had nothing to do with the movie but were the result of a premeditated attack sponsored by a terrorist organization. In other words, terrorism.

The question is, was it preplanned or spontaneous?

The White House continued to assert that it was spontaneous and tied to the film, despite claims by Libyan officials and others saying otherwise. Presidential candidate Romney has jumped on the confusion, saying that President Obama doesn't want to "level with the American people," or "come clean" about what really happened, according to ABCnews.com.

Most recently, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated unequivocally that it was a terrorist attack, the man behind the movie has been arrested for probation violation, (he wasn't supposed to have access to the internet and was originally arrested for bank fraud), and the U.S. has reduced staff significantly in Libya after warnings that more demonstration may be scheduled for Friday, Sept. 28. .


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