Shooting in a Doctor’s Office leaves one victim and suspect on the loose
Featured News, Featured Stories, News January 26, 2021
UPDATE: The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Matheson Cove Road is open to traffic. Use caution in the area.
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Authorities are confirming reports of a shooting in a medical facility in the city of Hiawassee. Public statements from the Hiawassee Police Department confirmed the shooting and also confirmed one victim.
Hiawassee Police said, “We are currently working a domestic related shooting at the Chatuge Regional Hospital Rehabilitation and Wellness Clinic on River St.”
According to police, the suspect originally left the scene in a black 2003 Ford Ranger (NC tag FKN8148) Now, police have updated their information saying that the suspect’s vehicle has been located in Hayesville. However, the suspect is not in custody. That suspect is reported to be Jason Matheson.
Police have stated that the suspect is “ARMED and DANGEROUS.” According to Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson, he supported the police in their initial response and worked alongside them in the city. Henderson said, “We arrived on the scene and informed the Chief up there that we were there to assist in any way that we could to help him with the situation.”
Henderson noted that they were only present to assist in the situation as the Hiawassee Police and Chief Paul Smith. FYN also reached out to Chief Smith for details and is awaiting his response.
FYN has learned that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations has become involved as well. According to the police statement, the sole victim of the shooting has been transported to another hospital for treatment.
Clay County Sheriff’s deputies blocked off Matheson Cove Road and asked residents of Matheson Cove Community to remain indoors once they located the suspect.
Hiawassee man arrested for threatening Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Featured News, Featured Stories, News January 11, 2021
WASHINGTON DC – The North Georgia man, Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr, attended the Capitol Hill riots on Wednesday and allegedly sent hostile text messages about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
CNN obtained the arrest warrant from the FBI. In the warrants, the agency charged Meredith with written threats and possessing an unregistered firearm and ammunition.
The alleged text said that Meredith was thinking of “putting a bullet in [Pelosi’s] noggin on Live TV.” He also allegedly told the text recipient he went to DC with a plethora of ammunition, according to court documents.
Other alleged texts quote Meredith as predicting that “many in our country will die” and further threats and slurs against Pelosi. The FBI statement of facts also claims that Meredith sent a photo in black face couple with the message, “I’m gonna walk around DC FKG with people by yelling “Allahu ak Bar” randomly.”
According to the FBI, Meredith was staying at the Holiday Inn in Washington and allowed agents to search the room, phone, truck, and trailer. After obtaining a warrant, they found a Glock 19 nine-millimeter pistol, a Tavor X95 assault rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the trailer.
Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith told the AJC they were aware of Meredith and he recently moved to Hayesville, North Carolina. Meredith moved to Hiawassee from Atlanta.
All of Meredith’s social media accounts have been taken down. He is one of 120 identified rioters that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. Since the event, Pelosi and government officials on both sides of the aisle have called for the resignation of President Trump. The Speaker plans to introduce articles of impeachment today, Monday, January 11, 2021. If impeached, President Trump could not run again in four years and would lose a certain amount of presidential protections.
Feature image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Towns tenth in the nation for new COVID-19 cases
Featured, Featured Stories, News January 8, 2021
HIAWASSEE, Ga – Hiawassee Mayor Liz Ordiales attended a Georgia Municipal Association conference call where Emory doctors and CDC officials warned Towns County and Georgia COVID-19 numbers were trending in the wrong direction.
“Georgia’s below the national average in testing. They’re higher than the national average in positive cases – 120 percent higher than we were in April,” Ordiales explained. “The rural counties are the worst hit.”
Towns County was ranked number 10 in the nation for increases and bad results and number one in new COVID-19 hospitalizations. In the last week, Towns confirmed 62 new cases with a positivity rate of 17.8 percent. The target rate for COVID-19 is five percent.
Chatuge Regional Hospital is currently full. Ordiales asked everyone to be careful because there’s no room at the hospital. The ICU and regular rooms are booked at Union General Hospital. Georgia hospitals are facing three issues: space, stuff, and staff. All three are running low.
“Their biggest concern now is they’re going to have to place less care on folks, “Somebody who is 90 who is sick do they really transport them because they have nowhere to take them.”
Emory and CDC condemned the vaccine rollout, stating that some vaccines in the state were wasted due to the lack of people available to receive the vaccine. As of Tuesday, 95,706 Georgians had taken their first COVID-19 shot. Both Pfizer and Moderna are a two-shot vaccine.
Follow the guidelines of gatherings of no more than 50 people and six feet of separation urged the local hospitals.
Election and qualifying fees were approved for the 2021 elections.
Hiawassee also paid off the remaining balance for a $1.2 million loan with a 4.375 interest rate. The city had paid $850,000 in interest with 18 years left on the loan. Hiawassee saved approximately $500,000 in interest.