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Seatbelt violations lead to drug arrests in Covington
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Alvin Wilson and Rhea Cyrus

COVINGTON, Ga. – A man and woman from Covington lost some of their independence Tuesday when they were stopped for not wearing seatbelts and drugs were found in the car.

According to a Covington Police Department incident report, Sgt. Gene Nugui and Officer Austin Knight were dispatched to assist the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) with a traffic stop at Washington Street and Turner Lake Road a little after 5 p.m. July 4.

When they arrived at the scene, Nugui and Knight met with Trooper W. Grier who advised he had conducted a traffic stop on a 2014 Nissan Altima because the driver Alvin Wilson, 24, and the passenger Rhea Cyrus, 22, were not wearing seatbelts.

According to the report, as Grier approached the vehicle, he detected a strong odor of marijuana. Because of the odor, Grier conducted a search of the car and reportedly found a black nylon bag behind the passenger seat that contained two plastic bags which appeared to contain a pound each of marijuana and three smaller bags containing a mixture of powder and crack cocaine.

According to the report, Wilson and Cyrus were transported to the Newton County Jail charged with the seatbelt violation, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

 

 

Newton County jury finds Covington man guilty of felony murder
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson - photo by Courtesy of the Newton County Sheriff's Office

NEWTON COUNTY – On Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Shane Alexander Robinson of Covington was found guilty of killing Charles Edward Stanley III over three years ago.

The Newton County District Attorney’s Office released that a jury deemed that Robinson was guilty on three charges: Felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On March 5, 2022, sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight, Robinson shot an AR-style firearm at a vehicle that Stanley was driving along Harvey Wood Drive. According to the District Attorney’s release, Robinson fired the weapon 13 times into the vehicle, killing Stanley.

According to a previous report by The Covington News, an arrest warrant stated that Robinson “grabbed his AR-15 (rifle) and drove” from his home to Harvey Wood Drive to “scare” Stanley.

“When Charles was backing up, Shane admitted to firing several rounds at the vehicle,” the 2022 warrant stated. “Furthermore, Shane also initially stated that he fired rounds at the vehicle as it was driving away.”

Robinson initially faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unauthorized discharge of firearms within 50 yards of the public highway, and reckless conduct. It is not clear if some of these charges were dismissed.

Sentencing is set for a later date, which has not been announced. A co-defendant’s case is still pending.