DNA ties man to 2011 rape
Floyd Earnest YoungbloodDALTON, Ga. - Police in Dalton, Ga., have charged a Tunnel Hill man with raping a homeless woman in December 2011 after DNA tests connected him to the crime, according to a news release.
Floyd Earnest Youngblood, 45, of 3762 Chattanooga Road in Tunnel Hill, was arrested Tuesday on charges of rape, sodomy and making false statements to law enforcement officers, Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier said in the release.
Frazier said the rape happened Dec. 16, 2011, shortly after 6:30 p.m.
The victim told investigators she met Youngblood near Providence Ministries, where she'd been camping. She said he offered to let her stay at his apartment for the night so she could be warm and dry.
He walked with the woman to a storage building behind Bryman's Plaza near downtown Dalton and forced her to have sex with him, according to the release.
Police interviewed Youngblood based on the description given by the woman and witnesses who saw him at Providence Ministries, and he agreed to give a DNA sample, the release stated. Police also found he had the woman's cellphone.
Man charged in eatery assault
A man suspected of assaulting the manager of the Dalton Steak 'N Shake last month turned himself in to police Tuesday, according to a news release.
Larry Bruce Mitchell, 66, of 1701 Willow Oak Lane, surrendered after seeing a report and surveillance picture of the incident in area media, Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier said in the release.
Frazier said Mitchell was in the restaurant on West Walnut Avenue about 1 a.m. Sept. 29. He walked up to the front counter demanding to see a manager and complaining about poor service. When the manager approached him, Mitchell hit her in the face with a stack of papers, believed to be restaurant coupons, before walking out, the release stated.
Mullis named citizen of year
CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. - State. Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, was named Walker County's 2012 Citizen of the Year at the Walker County Gala.
Mullis, first elected in 2000, is in his sixth term representing the 53rd District. He has been recognized by Georgia Trend magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People in Georgia.
He is executive director of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority.