Graduation ceremonies for the fifth graders at Peachtree Academy in Covington were interrupted for some people when they reportedly witnessed a guest throwing her toddler to the ground and slapping him.
Several witnesses contacted authorities and reported that a woman brought a 2-year-old boy (approximately) to the graduation ceremonies, then removed him for a period from the ceremony, threw him on the ground outside the gym and slap him in the face. Witnesses also said she was “fussing” at the child, but were too far away to hear the conversation.
The woman then brought the child back into the graduation, where other witnesses reported seeing a red mark across his face. According to reports, the boy “clung” to his mother for a bit, before getting back up and running around the bleachers.
Initially, the director of Peachtree Academy was contacted, who told witnesses to call the Department of Family and Children Services in Rockdale County, where the fifth-grade student (whose mother was reportedly slapping the toddler) lived. The witness told officers that Rockdale County DFACS “was not helpful,” so she contacted the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, which referred her to the Covington Police Department.
By the time officers arrived, only witnesses to the incident remained, including grandparents (and legal guardian) of the child who was graduating, a bus driver and a guest who attended the graduation. Newton County DFACS was contacted and advised of the incident.
Don’t fall for the scams
A 52-year-old reportedly fell for the still-popular Nigerian scam and lost $6,940.
The man walked into the Newton County Sheriff’s Office western precinct Tuesday and reported that he met a woman online and she told him that her father had left her 100 kg (or $3 million) in gold and she needed money to get it out of storage and pay storage fees. He said the woman told him that when she got the gold, she was coming to Georgia and they would date and “see how it went.”
The victim reportedly sent the woman $6,400 in six different Western Union transactions between April 7 and May 22.
He said that the woman had sent him pictures of paperwork online, stating the gold was stored at City Storage and
Finance Company in Nigeria, and that he would provide that information to investigators.
Don’t drink and drive
A Covington man was charged with DUI and failure to stop after reportedly driving underneath a fence and then hitting a master meter vault at the Newton County Water Authority early Monday morning.
A judge will determine at a later date if Courtney Terrell Gilbert, 27, will have to pay for damages. According to Mike Hopkins with the Water Authority, the master vault costs roughly $40,000 brand new.
While the entire vault isn’t destroyed, there are several fractures in the top portion. They are waiting for specialists to advise on what is and isn’t salvageable.
