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Newton County Schools under preventative lockdown
ncs
Evan Newton
Updated: Sep 4, 2024, 7:23 PM
Published: Sep 4, 2024, 5:28 PM

UPDATE:

The lockdown has been lifted, according to Newton County Schools' social media accounts. The school system is now operating on a normal schedule and extracurricular and after-school programs will continue as normal.

NEWTON COUNTY – Newton County Schools (NCS) is under a preventative lockdown, according to official social media accounts.

This comes as a response to the tragic shooting that occurred today in Barrow County at Apalachee High School, just 40 miles away from Newton County. Multiple reports have confirmed that two people were killed during the shooting and four have been injured as of 1:25 p.m.

According to the NCS social media post, this lockdown is being taken “as an exercise of extreme caution,” with no indication there is an active threat on any NCS campuses.

This means that no person will be permitted to enter or leave any school buildings. Increased law enforcement presence have also been added on all campuses.

This is an ongoing story. Check back for more updates at covnews.com.
April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB
Kate Verity
Published: Apr 4, 2025, 10:29 PM

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.