CRIME & SAFETY

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Columbus authorities have recovered a body from the Chattahoochee River in south Columbus. According to Fire Chief John Shull, the department received reports of a body spotted in the river around 5 p.m. He says people in a boat saw the body in the water and contacted 911.

35-year-old Kevin Abernathy was jailed on November 19th after threatening his girlfriend with a gun on Victory Road. When officers arrived on the scene, they spoke with witness Jabril Fagan, who stated that Kevin pushed Lagail Smith to the ground, pointed a gun at her, and said, “I’ll blow you and them.” At that point, Mr. Smith ran outside in fear and called 911. He described the gun as black with a flash style under attachment. Police recovered a black FN 509 pistol with a laser-light combo from under a couch cushion. According to Kevin, everyone in the house had been drinking when an argument started, so he went to get his gun to leave the apartment.

People with liver or heart disease “don’t walk around with a brain bleed in the head,” a medical examiner said when asked about natural causes for such bleeding.

The Russell County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public’s assistance in locating the owner of an abandoned utility trailer. According to a statement from police, a utility trailer was left on the grounds of Swords Creek Elementary School. The trailer is currently disabled, the statement said. “If anyone...

“He was in the fight of his life,” Michael Simmons’ attorney said of his client’s struggle with Christopher Williams, who died days later.

MUSCOGEE COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL) – The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of three after collaborating with multiple agencies while conducting arrest and search warrants leading to the recovery of various narcotics, firearms and cash. According to the MCSO, on Wednesday the sheriff’s office helped the U.S. Marshals Services Task Force in arresting Anthony […]

UPDATE 11/29/2023 4:17 p.m.: Causes for the Fleetwood Drive housefire from this morning are still under investigation, according to Columbus Fire and EMS Chief John Shull. Shull confirmed to WRBL there were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the fire, however damage to the property was significant. The couple which lived in the […]

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The MCSO arrested a validated gang member on multiple drug and gun charges. According to officials, on Wednesday, November 29, MCSO’s Special Operation Unit and assistance from the Ft Moore Southern Field Office (CID) Proactive Investigation Unit, conducted a search warrant in Muscogee County for validated gang member Joshua Phillip Carter. He was taken into custody without further incident.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – The Columbus Police Department said that CPD’s Special Operations Unit has made successful strides during the holidays, to ensure a safer community for Columbus locals. According to CPD, during the holiday season, officers have been visible and active in problematic areas; making over 400 citizen contacts, issuing 62 state and city […]

Footage from Alex Paxton’s dive camera recorded his yelling “I’m stuck!” as his left arm was sucked into a pipe. Though he had an oxygen supply, he could not inhale, and suffocated in minutes.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - It it the time of year when house fires increase sparked by things like space heaters and electrical overloads. Fire officials say now is a good time to make sure smoke detectors are working properly to help keep you and your family safe. Two families in...

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The three men convicted of killing two Columbus teens after shooting into a Dodge Sedan at Wilson Apartments two years ago learn their fate. Rodderick Glanton, Terrance Upshaw and Homer Upshaw were sentenced Wednesday, November 29, for the deaths of Saiveon Pugh and Jessie Ransom. In...

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Authorities ask for the public’s help in identifying multiple suspects in a shooting that happened near Steam Mill Road in Columbus. According to the Columbus Police Department, the incident occurred on Nov. 21 in the 500 block of Claradon Avenue. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a house that had been hit several times by gunfire. Two people, including an elderly man, were in the home.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - A Columbus woman arrested on theft and fraud related to reported crimes at Sports and Imports Foreign Car Sales and Repair Shop, remains in the Muscogee County Jail without bond. 59-year-old Sama Moore was in recorder’s court Monday. She pleaded not guilty to five counts of...

Each defendant spoke before his sentencing, and each apologized to the victims’ families. “I’m just sorry that any of this had to take place,” one said.

UPDATE: According to CPD, Barnard was located in good health. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The Columbus Police Department is asking for the public’s help with finding a missing man. Jacob Barnard, 19, was last seen on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. around the 4200 block of Ridgefield Court in Columbus, according to police. Barnard was last […]

The defendant was also wanted for arrest on 18 additional felony charges, including malice murder, according to the DOJ.

ATLANTA, Ga. - Thanksgiving Day was a lethal one across Georgia, with eight traffic deaths – including five in one accident. On Thursday morning, the Georgia State Patrol worked a fatality in Perry, Henry County police worked a fatality on I-75 North in McDonough, and Columbus police also worked a fatality.

The victim died in the hospital day after he was hit by a car on Columbus’ Whittlesey Boulevard.

This week in Phenix City, Alabama, there were two incidents that impacted the safety of the community. The first incident involved a fatal crash between a motorcycle and a car, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old and minor injuries to the car's driver and passenger. The second incident was a shooting that took place on Gauntt Road, where a 30-year-old man was shot in the abdomen. A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting. Both incidents are currently under investigation.