Habersham County, GA

A 2-year-old boy suffered serious head injuries when he fell from a moving vehicle in northern Habersham County. According to state troopers, the child fell from a Toyota Tacoma driven by 37-year-old Sarah Ernst. They identified the passengers in the vehicle as Elias and Amundsen Ernst. GSP did not specify the name of the injured child but says paramedics airlifted him to Scottish Rite Medical Center in Atlanta with serious head injuries.

The Cornelia Police Department has released dashcam video showing the moment an officer rear-ended a stopped vehicle on GA 105/Cannon Bridge Road in Demorest. Two teens were in the SUV that was hit. No serious injuries were reported, but the crash disabled both vehicles. The rear-end wreck occurred around 5:30...

Jeramy Ray Chastain, 32, of Dahlonega has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the 2020 malice murder of Alecia Stover in southern Habersham County. Superior Court Judge Russell W. Smith imposed the sentence Wednesday, not quite a week after Chastain was found guilty in a jury trial, according to District Attorney George Christian.

Two men are in custody after a high-speed chase that ended in Clarkesville Thursday. Tallulah Falls Police Chief Tonya Elrod attempted to stop a black BMW 325i for traveling 75 in a 45-mph zone on Ga. 15/U.S. 441 in the Rabun County portion of that town. The car failed to...

Georgia voters turned out in record numbers to cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s May 24 partisan primary. Through Thursday, May 19, more than 700,000 people voted —a 180% increase from the same point in the 2018 primary election and a 149% increase from 2020. More ballots were cast...

MedLink Georgia held its Annual Awards Banquet to celebrate the hard work of its employees over the last year and to recognize employee service awards and the 2021 employees of the month. During the banquet, MedLink Georgia CEO Dave Ward presented awards for Medlink Provider of the Year, MedLink Employee of the Year, and MedLink Health Center of the Year.

Habersham County work crews will close a section of Pardue Mill road next week to replace a storm drain. The northeast section of the road nearest Highway 115 will be closed to all thru traffic from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Monday, May 23. The county says the replacement...

Four-thousand people are expected to descend on Clarkesville this weekend for the city’s 60th annual Mountain Laurel Festival. On Saturday, May 21, the event runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in historic downtown Clarkesville. The day’s events include a parade, arts & crafts, music, cars, and food. Also, there will be a plant sale from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Mauldin House garden located at 458 Jefferson Street. And, at 3:45 p.m., Volunteers for Literacy of Habersham County will host its 11th annual VFL Duck Race on the Soque River at Pitts Park, just off the Clarkesville Square.

Editor’s Note: On May 17, 2022, a Cornelia police officer was involved in a rear-end collision on Cannon Bridge Road. The following press release regarding that crash was issued Wednesday afternoon, May 18, by the Cornelia Police Department:. On 05-17-2022, Officer Eric Palmer, was reporting for his night shift...

A Clarkesville woman was injured Wednesday when she pulled into the path of an oncoming semi on GA 365, troopers say. Habersham County Emergency Services transported 35-year-old Amber Maner to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with minor injuries. The truck driver involved in the wreck, 23-year-old Evan Pickell of Tabor City, North Carolina, was not injured.

The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a rear-end collision involving a Cornelia police vehicle and SUV. The accident happened at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 4200 block of Duncan Bridge Road. The male officer, who has not been identified, was driving westbound on Duncan Bridge Road when...

If you’re a fan of Law & Order, you’ve seen multiple episodes about police officers who’ve been involved in critical incidents and are personally struggling with what happened. Invariably, the officers refuse help and rail against the system for making them feel as though they have mental issues.

A convicted felon sentenced to life for his part in the murder of a Habersham man is now appealing that ruling. William Douglas Downer was sentenced to life after he was indicted in the 2012 murder of Larry Hill of Cornelia. Downer was one of two men charged with murder...

A late-night crash Sunday on GA 365 near the Habersham/Stephens County line sent five people to the hospital. Among the injured were two young children, one of whom was airlifted as a precaution. According to the Georgia State Patrol, around 11:30 p.m., a Toyota Camry rear-ended a Honda CRV that...

The Georgia State Patrol reports a 4-year-old was airlifted for medical care and four others were transported by ambulance after a wreck on Ga. 365 near Rock Road in Habersham County late Sunday. Stephens County initially received reports of a serious rear-end collision about 11:30 p.m., but when emergency personnel...

Habersham Central's Jack Rowe highlighted the Raiders Class 6A golf tournament run with a fourth-place overall finish on Tuesday at Jekyll Island Golf Club. Rowe shot a two-day total of 145, 1-over par, to finish tied with Cambridge's Clay Taylor. Carrollton's Caleb Wall captured the state title with a 3-under 141. Wyatt Brackett from Dalton finished one stroke off the leader in second.

Habersham County Sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in a weeks-long investigation into a string of catalytic converter thefts across the county. Deputies picked up Michael Seth Jones at his residence in the 200 block of Madison Street in Clarkesville on May 14. He’s the main suspect in the theft of dozens of catalytic converters, most of which were stolen from vehicles left overnight in church parking lots.

There are now just five days left to cast your ballot ahead of Georgia’s May 24 primary. Advance voting week begins Monday, May 16, and runs through Friday, May 20. Polls at the Habersham North Precinct in Clarkesville will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. There is no advance voting at the Habersham South Precinct.