Barrow News-Journal

01/08/2025

APALACHEE STUDENT ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF WEAPON ON CAMPUS

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office arrested a student at Apalachee High School on Wednesday afternoon after receiving reports of a weapon on campus.

School Resource Officers and school administrators acted swiftly, securing both the student and the firearm without incident. According to the Barrow County School System, no threats were made during the event.

The incident occurred amid growing public criticism that the district is not doing enough to secure schools and ensure student safety. Concerns have been raised in recent months about the effectiveness of current security measures.

In a statement, the school system assured families and staff that additional details regarding the incident would be provided Wednesday evening.

In response to the arrest, the Barrow County Board of Education has scheduled a special called meeting for Thursday, Jan. 9, at 4 p.m. The board plans to enter an executive session to review policies related to weapons in schools.

Further updates are expected following Thursday's meeting.

12/17/2024

🎄🎅🏻☃Winder's 75th Annual Christmas Parade🍭🍬🍭

12/15/2024

🛒🎁🛍 SHOP WITH A HERO 2024 👮👮🏿‍♂️🚓

The holidays came early for over 50 local kids during Saturday’s annual Shop with a Hero event. With first responders as their shopping buddies, they picked out gifts and made memories to last a lifetime. 💙

11/19/2024

MAN FOUND DECEASED NEAR HAL JACKSON PARK IN WINDER

A man was discovered deceased on a sidewalk in downtown Winder early Monday morning, according to the Winder Police Department (WPD).

A passerby flagged down an officer outside the WPD at approximately 6:55 a.m. The passerby reported she was on the way to drop off her child at school when she saw a person lying on the sidewalk near Park Avenue and East Candler Street.

An officer responded to the location and found a man lying on his back on the sidewalk across from Hal Jackson Park.

As he approached the man, the officer reported his chest was not rising or falling, indicating he was deceased. The man’s shirt was raised to his ni**le line, and his pants were slightly below his waist. There were no visible injuries or signs of blood at the scene, and the man’s head was resting on a backpack.

Emergency medical personnel covered the body with a sheet at 7:11 a.m., crime scene investigators arrived shortly after 7:30 a.m., and the deputy coroner took custody of the body at approximately 8:40 a.m.

The man was a known homeless local. His identity and cause of death have not been disclosed as investigators work to identify his next of kin.

09/07/2024

"Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve to push on remains strong. We are Barrow Strong." - Mayor of Winder Jimmy Terrell.

https://www.mainstreetnews.com/barrow/news/winder-vigil-honors-lives-lost-in-apalachee-shooting/article_731cebd0-6cba-11ef-a4cb-97b030b6f105.html -source=login

09/04/2024

https://www.mainstreetnews.com/barrow/news/shooter-in-custody-at-apalachee-high-school/article_c7af9d52-6ace-11ef-acfd-479d824a6d20.html

12:30 p.m.:

09/02/2024

FOOTBALL PHOTOS: Winder-Barrow narrowly fell to East Forsyth, 34-30, in a hard-fought battle Thursday night. The Bulldoggs (2-1) are set to face the undefeated Jaguars (3-0) at Seckinger Friday night.

07/30/2024

CHILD MOLESTATION RING BUSTED IN WINDER, SIX IN CUSTODY
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), with the assistance of several law enforcement agencies, executed early morning search warrants Tuesday, leading to the arrests of six individuals on charges of child molestation. The investigation, which spanned several months, focused on allegations of abuse occurring at 243 Englewood Road over approximately five years.

The suspects are identified as:

• Paul Andrew Bean, 32, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation, so**my, aggravated sexual battery, cruelty to children and in**st. Bean was apprehended at The Whits Inn in Loganville.

• Ashley Nicole Neese, 22, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation and cruelty to children. Neese was arrested at 121 Hunter Road in Jefferson.

• Kavin Eugene Neese, 55, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation, false imprisonment, aggravated sexual battery and cruelty to children. Neese was taken into custody at 276 Nathaniel Drive in Jefferson.

• Jerry Lee Neese, Jr., 24, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and cruelty to children. Neese was arrested at 121 Hunter Road in Jefferson.

• Keith Allen Neese, 57, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation and aggravated sexual battery. Neese was arrested at a Waffle House at 7415 Spout Springs Road in Flowery Branch.

• Felisa Michelle Bailey, 50, of Winder: Charged with multiple counts of child molestation and cruelty to children. Bailey was also arrested at the Waffle House in Flowery Branch.

The investigation began when a total of four juveniles disclosed the allegations of sexual abuse to forensic interviewers following their removal from the home last year by the Department of Family & Children Services (DFCS), according to a press release from BCSO.

Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith commended the collaborative efforts of the agencies involved in bringing the suspects to justice. “I want to thank the Loganville Police Department, and the Jackson County and Hall County Sheriff’s Offices for their assistance in getting these suspects behind bars,” said Smith. “The effort to arrest these suspects simultaneously at four different locations required incredible coordination between our deputies and law enforcement partners.”

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to uncover further details. Additional charges are anticipated.

07/01/2024

❗TRAFFIC ALERT❗
Athens Street is currently closed to traffic due to a tree in the roadway. Lanes are blocked between Horton Street and Beulah Street.

06/20/2024

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 – Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators located and safely recovered Maria Gomez-Perez, of Gainesville, in Dover, Ohio, on Thursday, July 25. Further details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=812984740970992&set=a.204077371861735

𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 - 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄
𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐳-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞

As the investigation into the disappearance of 12-year-old Maria Gomez-Perez of Gainesville enters its third week, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥’𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 $𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎. All of the reward money has been contributed by business and community members who wish to remain anonymous.

Sheriff Gerald Couch extended his appreciation for the ongoing community support of law enforcement efforts to bring Maria home.

“As I said last week, someone in the community has that single clue or one piece of information that could lead to finding Maria. I am hopeful the increased reward will prompt that person to come forward,” Sheriff Couch said. “Meanwhile, our personnel remain vigilant in their investigation.”

To date, investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), in partnership with other local, state and federal law enforcement officials, have fielded 142 tips in Maria’s case. Many of those tips have been vetted with negative results; others remain under investigation.

HCSO reminds community members who are on the lookout for Maria that the girl’s general appearance may have changed in the last three weeks. Those who are searching on their own should be very cautious and not conduct their own investigations into Maria’s disappearance. Individual searches could be dangerous for citizens and for Maria as well. 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒇’𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 (770) 503-3232 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕@𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚.𝒐𝒓𝒈. 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 911 𝒐𝒓 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 911/𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒕 (770) 536-8812. 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔.

Follow this link for the updated flyer:

https://www.hallcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/13203/LATEST-Flier-missing-GOMEZ-PEREZ-85x11

06/20/2024

06/04/2024

04/27/2024

Welcome to Barrow County, Dr. LeDuff!

After an extensive process to identify the next superintendent of the Barrow County School System (BCSS) announced Friday the Barrow County Board of Education (BOE) has named Dr. Dallas LeDuff

04/11/2024

🚧 STORM DAMAGE ON SIMS ROAD 🚧
Power crews are on scene to replace utility poles and power lines damaged on Sims Road between Hwy. 53 and Buena Vista. Use caution when passing through the area.