Search on for Leesburg Woman

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are seeking the public’s help in connection with the disappearance of a 28-year-old Leesburg woman.

Christy Maria Jackson of 129 Flat Ridge Court in Leesburg was last heard from last Wednesday afternoon shortly after 4 p.m. She was at her residence on the phone with a relative when her phone went dead. The relative said that right before the phone went dead, Jackson had told her a man was standing outside her residence. She also said the man, whom she said was white, may be driving a white Cadillac.

Jackson was gone when deputies arrived at the home a short time later. Deputies found signs of a struggle inside the home. Both of her vehicles were still at her residence.

Jackson is Black, 5’ 4” tall and weighs 135 pounds. She had moved to Leesburg from Hampton in Henry County about two years ago.

Agents from the GBI’s Americus Office are assisting in this investigation.

Anyone with information on Jackson is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff's Office at 229-759-6012 or the GBI tip line at 800-597-TIPS(8447).

Falcons Clip Chargers, Win 8th Game of Season

The Atlanta Falcons stayed one game back of the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South with a 22-16 victory in San Diego Sunday afternoon.

Michael Turner returned against his former team and helped lead the Falcons to their eighth win of the season against four defeats. San Diego, meantime, is a very disappointing 4-8 with four games remaining.

Turner rushed for 120 yards against his ex-mates, while rookie QB Matt Ryan tossed a pair of touchdown passes.

Atlanta will travel to division rival New Orleans next Sunday.

Hawks Nearly Blow Lead, Top Wizards on Road

Al Horford's three-point play with 12.4 seconds left in the game helped lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-98 victory over host Washington this evening.

Atlanta, which led by 17 points at one point in the third quarter, got 21 points from Mike Bibby in the victory.

The Wizards had tied the game at 98 with just over a minute remaining, before Horford secured the victory.

UPDATE: Greenbriar Mall Shooting Injures 2

A shooting this afternoon at Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall left two people injured.

According to authorities, gunfire broke out following an argument between three people. Police were said to be looking for the shooter who fled the scene.

Police said the victims were a male and a woman in her late teens, with the woman reportedly being pregnant. The injured were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

The mall is located at 2841 Greenbriar Parkway S.W.

Georgia Tech Tops Georgia, 45-42

Georgia Tech ended a seven-game gridiron losing streak to Georgia Saturday afternoon with a 45-42 victory in Athens.

The Yellow Jackets had last won in the series back in 2000 in Athens.

Raptors Top Hawks North of Border, 93-88

Toronto got 30 points from Chris Bosh to post a 93-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Friday evening in Toronto.

The Raptors held the Hawks to 15 points in the third quarter en route to the victory. Mike Bibby paced Atlanta with 24 points.

Atlanta will host Memphis Wednesday evening (Dec. 3) at 7 p.m. at Philips Arena.

Attorney Sentenced in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Mary Reagan, 41, of Alpharetta, has been sentenced to serve almost five years in federal prison for her role in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme. Reagan pleaded guilty in July 2008 shortly before she was to go to trial, and agreed to assist the government in the prosecution of the scheme.

Reagan was sentenced to four years, nine months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Reagan was also ordered to pay full restitution of over $4,000,000 and an exact amount will be determined by the court at a later date.

According to investigators and information presented in court: From mid-2004 through June 2006, Reagan was an attorney, doing business as The Reagan Law Group, closing millions of dollars of fraudulently inflated mortgage loans being provided to unqualified straw buyers. Reagan was the attorney responsible for representing the mortgage lenders at the closing table. When the loans closed, Reagan instead transferred millions of dollars of the inflated loan proceeds to her co-conspirators by falsifying closing documents, such as the HUD-1 settlement statements, and concealing from the lenders the true recipients and purposes of payments made in connection with the closing.

Reagan also reportedly concealed from the lenders that the unqualified straw buyers did not make sizeable down payments required by lenders as a condition of closing. On one property, Reagan reportedly falsified title work and other documents to conceal from a lender that the property was already encumbered by two mortgages at an inflated price, ensuring that the lender's security interest in the property was worthless.

Falcons to Meet Chargers Team in Need of a Win

The Atlanta Falcons will not take the San Diego Chargers lightly this Sunday, knowing that the 4-7 Chargers are desperate for a victory. The teams kick off Sunday afternoon in San Diego at 4:05 p.m. EST.

The contest will be a homecoming for running back Michael Turner, who originally served primarily as a blocking back in San Diego for running back LaDanian Tomlinson.

It is Turner, however, who is getting the carries these days in Atlanta, leading the NFL with 251 carries, while the Falcons themselves are second in the league in rushing. Turner rushed for four TD's and 117 yards in last weekend's 45-28 victory over division rival Carolina.

Meantime, rookie QB Matt Ryan out of Boston College passed for 259 yards last weekend to lead the Falcons to their seventh win of the season. Atlanta is currently one game back of Carolina and Tampa Bay in the NFC South.

San Diego, meantime, comes into the game at 4-7, but still alive in the weak AFC West, sitting two games behind the Denver Broncos with five to play. The two teams meet in the season finale on Dec. 28 in San Diego.

The Chargers dropped their seventh game of the season last Sunday night in a 23-20 loss to Indianapolis.

Atlanta leads the all-time series with San Diego 6-1.

Search on for Woman Missing Since Monday Night

Investigators are seeking the whereabouts of Laneeka Varnado, 22, who has been missing since late Monday.

According to authorities, Varnado's family said the woman went to an event at the Georgia International Convention Center and did not return. She was last seen driving a 1999 Silver Mercedes with Georgia plates ASK 6592. Varnado is 5'5", and weighs 105 pounds.

Anyone with information about the missing woman is asked to contact the Paulding County Sheriff's office.

Milinavicius Gets Pair of Life Sentences in Killings

Rolandas Milinavicius got the news on Wednesday and it wasn't good.

The former East Point auto dealer was convicted of murdering a pair of his employees in the summer of 2007, resulting in two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 10 years.

Milinavicius, 40, of Alpharetta was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The victims, Marytnas Simokatis, 28, and Inga Contreras, 25, were found shot to death at the dealership and had reportedly asked for raises less than a month before being killed.

Hawks Top Bucks 102-96

Atlanta Hawks 102, Milwaukee Bucks 96
	Nov 26 1 2 3 4 T Bucks 24 24 19 29 96 Hawks 28 20 23 31 102

Search Continues for Missing Brunswick Pastor

The search continues for a Brunswick pastor who disappeared last week during a fishing trip.

According to authorities, Jimmy Byars, pastor of the Southside Baptist Church, went fishing last Friday and has not been heard from since. It is believed he may have been along the Altamaha River inland from the Atlantic Ocean.

Byars, 50, was reportedly last spotted buying bait at a store before heading out to fish.

Dawgs, Yellow Jackets Battle Saturday Afternoon

With different things on the line, the Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets renew their gridiron rivalry this Saturday in Athens at 12 p.m.

With Georgia out of the national title picture hunt, and Georgia Tech out of contention for the ACC title, there is still much to be played for when the longtime rivals hook up.

Georgia has captured seven in a row in the series with Tech, leading the all-time series by 59-38-5.

Both teams come into the contest ranked in the Top 20, with Georgia at number 13 and Tech at number 18. The Bulldogs, the pre-season number one, sport a 9-3 record, including a loss to top-ranked Alabama, while Tech roles in at 8-3, fresh-off a win over Miami of Florida last week.

Tech ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense at 270.8 yards per game, while the Bulldogs are giving up 23.8 points per game on the season, ranking 10th in the SEC. Georgia has allowed an average of 167.4 yards on the ground in their last five contests.

Coach Pleads Guilty; Sentencing in Child Sex Case

James Huskey pleaded guilty today to being the individual running what prosecutors tabbed one of the most notable child porn series worldwide.

A former private tennis coach in the city of LaFayette, Huskey is looking at a possible 70 years in prison and a fine of $750,000. He reportedly produced videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl, while sometimes wearing a Mardi Gras type mask.

Prosecutors accused Huskey of sexually assaulting a minor and posting increasingly violent photos and videos of him and the girl - which authorities have dubbed the "Tara" series - on Internet sites. The girl is reportedly now nine years old.

Elsewhere, Carl Mitchell Hooper, 29, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., has been sentenced to serve more than 15 years in prison on a charge of transporting a Georgia minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

According to authorities, through his brother, who lived in a trailer park in Walker County, Georgia, Hooper met the girl, 13, who lived in the same park. Shortly after she turned 14, Hooper reportedly developed a sexual relationship with her.

At the time, Hooper was on probation for statutory rape but had failed to register as a sex offender. On June 15, 2006, the day after Hooper learned that an arrest warrant had been taken out based on his failure to register, he took the 14-year-old victim to a motel in Tennessee.

The next day, Hooper took his victim to Jacksonville, Florida. The Jacksonville Police found them sleeping on the beach at night and asked Hooper for identification. Hooper showed his Tennessee driver’s license, and a check revealed that Hooper was wanted for abducting the victim. Hooper reportedly told the police that he knew that the victim was 14 years old, and he added that he believed that having sex with her was “okay” because she was pregnant with his child.

Hooper has been in custody since his arrest in Jacksonville.

Vick Pleads Guilty to Dogfighting Charge

Michael Vick's fall from NFL stardom continued on Tuesday, as the one-time Atlanta Falcons star QB pleaded guilty in Sussex, Virginia to a state dogfighting charge.

With the plea, Vick may be eligible to exit prison early and return to the NFL.

Vick, 28, also pleaded not guilty to a count of cruelty to animals, but that charge was dropped under his plea deal.

The former Virginia Tech star received a three-year suspended sentence — far less than the maximum of 10 years he might have faced.

Palin to Campaign for Chambliss in Senate Battle

Alaska Governor and former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin will campaign this coming week in Georgia for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), who is fighting to hold on to his Senate seat.

"I was thrilled when I got the call that Gov. Palin would be able to make the trip to Georgia to campaign with me the day before the runoff election," Chambliss said in a statement.

Palin will attend a fundraiser Sunday night and then appear at multiple campaign stops Monday in hopes of rallying the GOP base.

Chambliss won a plurality of the vote on Election Day three weeks ago, but state law mandates the winner to grab 50 percent plus one vote.

As a result of the inclusion of a third-party candidate, Chambliss fell just shy of that threshold, forcing a runoff between him and Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

Authorities Make Arrest in Arson Cases

Authorities in DeKalb County reported the early morning arrest of Jeffrey Tremaine Sprowl, 21, of Stone Mountain, who is under investigation for allegedly setting a number of suspicious fires during a 12-hour period Sunday and early Monday.

According to fire investigators, the fires began around 4 p.m. Sunday. The latest fire early Monday morning took place at a day care center. Another fire heavily damaged a hair salon, while a third fire damaged an auto dealership. There were no injuries and no cars suffered damage.

In one of the other suspicious fires, the Indian Creek Baptist Church suffered heavy damage, but there were no injuries.

Arthur J. Gallagher Purchases Roswell Agency

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced that its subsidiary, Risk Placement Services Inc., acquired Continental Special Risks Inc., in Roswell, Georgia.

Founded in 1984, Continental Special Risks is a wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent. They provide excess and surplus property/casualty coverage including professional and general liability, commercial package and property, and other specialty insurance products and services for their retail insurance agent clients throughout the Southeast.

Robert Schacher, Donna Schacher and their associates will continue to operate out of their current location under the direction of Joel Cavaness, president of Risk Placement Services Inc.

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