Suspected Child Molester Caught

A man wanted on child molestation and sexual battery charges has surrendered at the Paulding County sheriffs office. The man, 30-year-old Jerry Fagen of Paulding County, surrendered on Sunday. Authorities accuse Fagen of abusing his 8-year-old stepdaughter. The 8-year-old and her 1-year-old brother were located on Saturday in Arizona with their mother. No charges have been filed against the mother, Casey Fagen. In Arizona, Maricopa County sheriff's spokesman Doug Matteson said Saturday that the girl was found in Youngtown, about 15 miles northwest of Phoenix, on Friday night with her head shaved, possibly to hide her identity.

(Associated Press)

Search Continues For Missing Family

The search continues tonight in Paulding County for a suspected child molester. Authorities say 30-year-old Jerry Lee Fagan disappeared with his family last month. Authorities believe Fagan fled with his wife and her two children after one of the children reported the alleged abuse to teachers. Fagan may be traveling in a red Ford Taurus SES with a Georgia license AST7861.

(Associated Press)

Georgia's fastest-growing counties

Paulding County, near Atlanta, was the third fastest growing county in the nation in 2007. Census estimates rank 23 Georgia counties among the top 100 fastest growing. Paulding County had more than 50,000 housing units in July 2007, up 72 percent from April 2000. Henry County was the sixth fastest-growing county in the nation. Forsyth County was seventh. Also in the Top 25 were Newton, Fannin, Cherokee, Barrow and Jackson counties.

State Patrol leads motorist crackdown in north Georgia

Starting today, the Georgia State Patrol will be joined by other state and local agencies to begin a 90-day crackdown on speeders and intoxicated drivers. The launch of "Operation Rolling Thunder" this morning involves a rolling roadblock in Bartow County--between the Red Top Mountain exit on Interstate-75, north past the Cartersville Main street exit. There will be day and night traffic stops during the 90-day period for seat belt checks as well. The crackdown is targeted for Bartow and Paulding counties, as officials say they are two of the deadliest in the state for traffic accidents.

Paulding Co. official among plane crash victims

Post Commissioner Hal Echols (Courtesy Paulding Co.)

(Updated: 8pm, 01/01/08)

A twin-engine plane crashed Friday as it tried to land amid low fog at a small airport in northwest North Carolina, killing all six people on board, officials said.

The FAA says all six aboard died, including John Wesley Rakestraw, the owner of the plane and a pilot.

Others aboard the aircraft were identified as Frank Ruggiero, Steve Simpson, Hal Echols, Robert Simpson and Tony Gunter.

The Georgia governor's office says RaKestraw, Simpson and Echols were prominent Georgia Republicans. Rakestraw was the CEO of Blue Sky Airways in Dallas, Georgia, which owned the plane. Steve Simpson was a developer and Echols a county commissioner in Paulding County.

"Gunter worked for Raker Construction, Butler was with the Georgian Bank and Rogerrio worked for the Facility Group," according to Paulding County.com.

The craft was en route from Cedartown, Ga. to Meadows of Dan, Va., officials said.

Stephanie Conner, a Surry County emergency services shift supervisor, said investigators had confirmed there were no survivors. No one on the ground was hurt, said Warren Woodberry, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

(Andy Matthews/AP)

The King Air C90A split in half after falling into a grassy area between two homes near the Mount Airy airport around 11:30 a.m., the Surry County Sheriff's Office said.

The passengers were on their way to Primland, a hunting and golf resort about 25 miles north of the Mount Airy airport.

"The hunting resort van was actually waiting for them, and he was the only person who saw the plane come out of the clouds," according to airport manager Kelvin Boyette.

A woman who identified herself as a Primland resort manager but declined to give her name said the company had no comment.

The plane — the only one scheduled to land at Mount Airy on Friday — missed its approach and may have been trying to circle back for another attempt before it crashed, Boyette said.

"There was a really low fog, it was raining a little bit and an occasional sleet pellet. But visibility was more than a 2 1/2 miles," he said.

The plane is registered to Blue Sky Airways in Dallas, Ga., according to FAA records. One of the men on board was identified by his cousin, Ronald Rakestraw, as John Rakestraw, a pilot who owned a construction company that had the same address listed on the plane's registration.

(with The Associated Press)

Paulding County toughens water restrictions

Paulding County has taken another stringent step in trying to combat effects of the drought. Its commissioners late Monday afternoon wiped-out watering exemptions for landscaping and car wash businesses that do not recycle water. Homes and businesses are now under orders to cut water-use by 10-percent, or face surcharges on their bills. Also, Paulding commissioners approved fines for first offenders of watering violations.

Two more Georgia counties ban all watering

The list of Georgia counties that have now enacted total outdoor watering bans has grown by two. Officials in Cobb and Paulding counties have announced the new restrictions-—no outdoor watering anytime, anywhere. Cobb officials say they are being proactive in taking steps now to preserve water supply for future use. Similar total watering bans are in place in Jackson, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Douglas, and Carroll counties.

The drought is severely affecting two lakes in north Georgia. Lake Allatoona in Cherokee County north of Atlanta is more than 12 feet below its normal level. Lake Lanier in the Gainesville-area is getting to a point that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates it may reach low levels not seen since the 1950’s.