Deputy charged in shooting case
MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. - A Meigs County deputy has been charged with shooting at his stepfather, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Bradley Collins, 35, of Spring City, Tenn., was indicted by the Rhea County grand jury on one count of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment, the release stated.
TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said the incident happened Sept. 23, 2012. Collins went to his sister's home on Old Stage Road in Spring City on a report she had been assaulted by her father.
Collins arrived to find his sister safe and that his stepfather, Randall Lee Copeland, had returned to his own home next door, Helm said.
Collins told investigators Copeland had a rifle in his hands and refused to put it down, so Collins fired twice at him but missed. However, nearby homeowners were outside when Collins fired, and 12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor asked the TBI to investigate the incident, Helm said.
Collins was booked into the Rhea County Jail on a $10,000 bond Wednesday.
EMC offers aid to storm victims
CALHOUN, Ga. - The North Georgia Electric Membership Corp. is offering its support to customers who are rebuilding after the Jan. 30 tornado that struck Gordon and Bartow counties.
Victims may visit EMC's Calhoun office at 1128 Wall St. to discuss their situation with a member service specialist, according to a news release.
EMC also has distributed an information packet in those areas hardest hit by the storm. The packet includes information on how to replace important documents such as birth certificates, driver's licenses and passports.
Those whose homes were damaged can call the EMC help line, 706-272-7510, for assistance with reconnecting electric service.
State schedules two executions
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Georgia officials on Tuesday ordered February execution dates for two inmates, a day after the state Supreme Court upheld a switch to a new drug used in lethal injections.
The Georgia Department of Corrections said that Warren Lee Hill's date has been set for Feb. 19 and Andrew Allen Cook's for Feb. 21.
A legal challenge by Hill's lawyers to the state's new injection protocol kept the state from carrying out any death sentences since last summer. The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for executions to resume when it rejected a challenge by Hill's lawyers to the state's switch from a three-drug mixture to a single drug.