Rossville man charged with DUI after crashing into mobile home
♦ The group recruits industry and manufacturing.
The Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority recently met in Fort Oglethorpe and reassured everyone that unemployment was down and development up across North Georgia.
The authority is under the leadership of Jeff Mullis, a state senator from Chickamauga who represents Walker, Dade, Catoosa and Chattooga counties and works to recruit and steer new industry and manufacturing to the area.
By promoting the area’s workforce, its tax credits, and its educational, environmental, recreational, and cultural assets, the addition of a major industrial player in any of the four counties will be felt economically across the entire Northwest Georgia region, Mullis said.
The authority works closely with site selectors from across America and overseas. Site selectors for a given area such as Chicago or New York, for example, are brought to the area and spend a half-day in each of the four counties visiting and examining available sites such as industrial parks and gathering information on which to make their site selection choices.
Mullis also reported on economic trips he has taken to China and other nations and reported that questions and discussions often focus on the tariffs issue. He reminded everyone, however, that such economic ventures were not funded by local taxes.
NWGAJDA works closely with the Academy for Economic Development, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and other agencies to be sure that Northwest Georgia is getting its fair share of new economic ventures. One of the most promising areas for local government, especially rural governments, is the investment in broadband internet service, an investment that will reap economic benefits and profits for decades to come.
As a quote on the home page of the authority from “View from the Top Investment Profile, Site Selection” magazine, says: “Georgia’s upper left-hand corner offers superior accessibility, stunning vistas and a work force primed for the manufacturing renaissance.”
A Rossville man landed in the Catoosa County jail over the weekend after he allegedly drove while under the influence of drugs and crashed into a mobile home, police say.
According to the Georgia State Patrol Post 5 in Dalton, Andrew Whitis of Rossville was arrested Saturday morning, Oct. 13, on charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane.
Whitis was taken to Catoosa County jail and was subsequently released on bond.
Early Saturday morning, officials say Whitis lost control of his vehicle, traveled off the roadway, and struck the mobile home.
The crash occurred in the 600 block of Lakeview Drive in Rossville.
Officials say no one was injured as a result of the crash.
Fort Oglethorpe police officer suspended; GBI searches officer’s residence
A Fort Oglethorpe police officer is caught up in a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) case and was placed on leave Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 16, officials say.
Law enforcement agencies converged on a Sage Brush Lane residence in Rossville as part of the GBI investigation.
Fort Oglethorpe Police Chief Mike Helton said the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
Helton says the GBI searched the officer’s residence, with assistance from the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department.
Helton did not name the officer or specify the allegations of the case.
He defer any further comment to the GBI agents working the case.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lindsay Marchant with the GBI’S Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit wasn’t at liberty to say much about the case, but did specify that no one was arrested in the case as of yet.
“It’s an ongoing investigation,” Marchant said. “The officer is not the only person residing in the home, and there were no arrests made.”
Helton said the officer will remain on leave until the investigation is completed.
“The Fort Oglethorpe police have been and will continue to be fully cooperative with the GBI as they proceed in their investigation,” Helton said.
Vehicle dolly stolen from Rossville storage facility
A vehicle dolly was recently stolen from a storage facility on Lafayette Road in Rossville, police say.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, the theft occurred around the first of Oct., but deputies weren’t made aware of the incident until Oct. 9.
The victim told police that he parked the car dolly on the lot of the Allsize Storage lot at 1644 Lafayette Road on Sept. 28, and then noticed the equipment missing on Oct. 2.
“He described the dolly as blue with creamcolored ramps,” Lieutenant. Anthony Lawson said. “The left ramp has a dent at the bottom.”
Detectives were informed that Allsize Storage does have video surveillance on the property to assist with the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the theft or the stolen property is encouraged to contact Detective Tim Busby with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at 706-935-2424.
Thousands in materials stolen from Catoosa County building
A recent burglary on the property of a Catoosa County furniture store has resulted in the theft of thousands of dollars worth of tools, equipment, and building materials, police say.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, a man called police on Oct. 3 claiming that some of his property was stolen from a barn he rents from the owner of Linderman’s Furniture.
The victim told police he arrived at the building to find that several tools, scaffolding, and building materials had been stolen.
Deputies didn’t find any signs of forced entry, but the witness admitted that the building had been left unlocked.
The total value of the stolen property is estimated to be in the $4,000 range.
Anyone with information about the burglary or the stolen property is encouraged to contact Detective Alan Miles with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at 706-935-2424.
More than $2,000 in tools stolen from Ringgold home being renovated
More than $2,000 worth of tools was recently stolen from a Catoosa County home being renovated, police say.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, the theft occurred at the end of September in the 1600 block of OoltewahRinggold Road.
The Sheriff’s Department was called about the ongoing theft on Oct. 2 after the victim realized multiple items missing over the course of several days.
The residence is unoccupied while renovations are taking place, which is why there were so many tools on the property.
Several hand tools, saws, drills, a ladder, nail gun, and an air compressor were stolen during the ordeal at a total estimated value of $2,490.
Detectives did find signs that a back door had been forced open to gain entry into the house.
Anyone with information about the incident or the missing property is encouraged to contact Detective Michael Tinker with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at 706-935-2424.
Handgun stolen from trunk of Ringgold vehicle
A handgun and other items were recently stolen from the trunk of a Ringgold vehicle just off Chapman Road, police say.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, the theft was reported Oct. 6 after a resident of Elm Drive discovered the property missing from his vehicle.
The man told police he went to get a band-aid from his medical kit and realized his backpack containing the medical kit was missing.
A third-generation Glock 19 .9mm handgun was also in the backpack that was taken, reports show.
The victim estimated the total value of the stolen items to be approximately $600, and was able to provide the serial number information from the handgun to police.
Anyone with information regarding the theft or the stolen property is encouraged to contact the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office at 706-935-2424.