Grand jury indicts two for sex crimes
By Elizabeth Billips lizbillips@yahoo.com

A Superior Court grand jury indicted 18 defendants, including two men accused of sex crimes against children.

James Lewis Wright, 28, of Girard was arrested in January after an 8-year-old reportedly told her mother that Wright had been climbing into her bed at night and touching her private parts. The original report indicated that the molestation had been going on for more than a year and that Wright had been plying the child with "treats" for being good.

Wright was indicted on one count of aggravated sodomy and four counts of child molestation.

Waynesboro resident John Fitzgerald Herrington, 35, was also indicted on sex crimes, all related to an incident that occurred on Jan. 10.

According to the incident report, Herrington allegedly went to a 15-year-old's home and offered her money to show her "body parts."

The girl said he pushed money into her pockets, fondled her and told her to perform sexually explicit acts.

When the phone rang, the victim was able to scare Herrington away by pretending that her mother was about to pull up in the driveway. After that, he reportedly stayed around the house for approximately 30 minutes, peeping into the windows.

Herrington was indicted for sexual battery, peeping tom and criminal attempt to commit child molestation.

The grand jury also indicted a twice-convicted burglar who'd been out of prison just two days when he allegedly robbed Taylor's Barbecue, then Burkehaven Corner Store.

Kamorrow Montay Colbert, 21, was indicted on 10 charges including four counts of armed robbery and weapons charges.

According to the original incident report, two men rushed into Taylor's Barbecue at closing time Nov. 30 and forced one employee onto the floor. They robbed him, then robbed a female employee and ordered her to empty the register.

A third employee, who unknowingly walked in on the holdup, was pushed against a wall, while a fourth employee remained in the back, not realizing that his fellowworkers were being robbed.

Six days later, Colbert allegedly robbed Burkehaven Corner Store at gunpoint. Police investigators initially connected the two robberies with a blue bandana the gunman wore during both holdups.

The grand jury cleared a Sardis man of forgery. Tracey Devette Dixon Jr. had been arrested for forgery in the first degree in December. The jury returned a "no bill" in his case, which normally indicates a lack of sufficient evidence.

Fourteen other defendants were indicted on felonies, including:

• Murray Cates: aggravated assault;

• Michael Deon Ceaser: armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

• Marquis Dylan Crawford Sr.: burglary, false imprisonment, battery (family violence), criminal trespass (two counts), theft by taking and cruelty to children in the third degree;

• Alfred Heath Jr.: armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime;

• Joseph Bernard Hughes: aggravated stalking, burglary, interference with a 911 call, two counts of battery (family violence), cruelty to children in the third degree and obstruction of a law enforcement officer;

• Willie James Hughes: trafficking in cocaine and violation of the Georgia Window Tint Law;

• Cortavious Johnson: terroristic threats, battery (family violence) and simple battery (family violence);

• Jasmine Manekas: obstruction of a law enforcement officer (three counts), terroristic threats (two counts) and obstruction of a law enforcement officer;

• Christopher Glenn Marsh: possession of a controlled substance, possession of a prescription drug not in original container, obstruction of a law enforcement officer (three counts), driving with a suspended license (two counts), driving under the influence of drugs, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding, violation of the Georgia Open Container law and no headlights;

• Anton Ahmad Smith: obstruction of a law enforcement officer, cruelty to children in the second degree, cruelty to children in the third degree (two counts) and battery (family violence);

• Billy Rashaun Smith: aggravated assault (two counts), fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, failure to stop at a stop sign, passing in a no passing zone, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, driving without a license, speeding, reckless driving, operating an unregistered vehicle and failure to obey an authorized person directing traffic;

• Florence Hunter Smith: forgery in the first degree (eight counts);

• Tommy Lee Staley Jr.: theft by taking, cruelty to children in the second degree, cruelty to children in the third degree (two counts), battery (family violence) and criminal trespass;

• Helen Turner: criminal attempt to obtain a controlled substance by fraud; and

• Deandre Demetrive Wesby: burglary, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.