GBI investigating death at Forsyth County Jail

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. –The GBI is investigating the death of a 63-year old inmate at the Forsyth County jail.

Rhett Anderson of Cumming was arrested Nov. 13 on a warrant for Failure to Appear Probation Violation. He was housed in the medical unit on detox protocols. Deputies observed Mr. Anderson sleeping during the 2:28 a.m. watch tour.

At approximately 2:50 a.m., jail deputies responded to the medical unit for an unresponsive inmate.  The nurse within the jail, along with deputies performed life-saving measures as EMS was called. A short time after EMS arrival, the inmate was pronounced deceased.

Anderson suffered from multiple medical issues. The body was transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to conduct an investigation.

Ralston calls for GBI investigation into Fulton County elections

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Richard Barron election investigation

ATLANTA, Ga – Elected officials are taking aim and Fulton County and its elections director Richard Barron, following new details regarding the 2020 election.

Today, Speaker of the House David Ralston (R – Blue Ridge) released the letter he sent to Fulton Elections Director Richard Barron. In the letter, Ralston requests Barron ask the GBI to investigate November 2020 election. He cited the mounting allegations against Fulton County as his reasoning behind the need for an investigation.

ralston

Georgia Speaker of the House of Representatives David Ralston

“Recently, media reports have surfaced which call into question the way in which Fulton County conducted, counted and audited the November 2020 Presidential Election. These reports have been accompanied by video and other evidence which is part of on-going litigation and requires thorough examination and explanation. Given the seriousness of this situation and the possible repercussions for our state and nation, it is time we have an independent investigation – once and for all – of the way in which Fulton County conducted, counted and audited the November 2020 Presidential Election,” Ralston wrote.

 

Raffensperger calls for Barron’s firing

Throughout the week, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-Ga) has issued several tweets, and last month, he held a press conference in front of headlines concerning Fulton’s lengthy history of election problems.

primary Raffensperger georgia lawsuits

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Most recently, a report of the double-counting of 200 absentee ballots came to light after the new voting law made it public.

“Fulton County’s continued failures have gone on long enough with no accountability. Rick Barron and Ralph Jones, Fulton’s registration chief, must be fired and removed from Fulton’s elections leadership immediately. Fulton’s voters and the people of Georgia deserve better,” one of Raffensperger’s tweets read.

Earlier this year, the Fulton County Elections Board voted to fire Barron, but the commissioners rejected the termination.

Another tweet stated, “Long before November, I had been working to get Fulton to clean up their decades of election mismanagement.  Restoring confidence in our elections should be a bipartisan concern. Fulton County’s poor elections management is making that impossible.”

Raffensperger’s also gone on record urging Republicans to take “the lead on election regulation reform” and that the SOS assigned monitor found “significant management issues.”

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts (D – Fulton) described Raffensperger’s call to fire Barron and Jones as a “sell out to conspiracy theorists.”

“His ultimate goal is based on the provisions of Senate Bill 202, he would like to take over the elections in Fulton County, that is not going to happen, period,” Pitts told Fox 5 Atlanta.

Under the Election Integrity Act (SB 202), the Secretary of State’s Office does have the authority to take over a county’s elections process if numerous instances of problems are documented. The Department of Justice is currently suing Georgia over the bill on the grounds that it violates voter’s civil rights.

Read the entirety of Ralston’s call for an election investigation below:

UPDATE: GBI releases statement on officer-involved shooting in Forsyth County

Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

Forsyth, GA (June 24, 2021) – On Thursday, June 24, 2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an officer involved shooting at a residence off of Dahlonega Highway in Cumming, Georgia.

The early investigation shows that a woman called 911 asking for help.  Officers responded to the scene and positioned themselves in a location to observe the nature of the scene.  Once there, officers heard shots fired.  The officers were able to locate a man, identified as Yonatan Aguilera, age 40, of Cumming, GA, who ultimately pointed a firearm in the direction of a woman at the scene of the incident.  Aguilera fired at least one round in the direction of the woman into the ground.  A deputy fired at Aguilera, striking him multiple times.  Deputies rendered aid to Aguilera, but he died at the scene. The woman did not sustain any injuries.

No officers were injured in this incident.

The GBI will continue its independent investigation  Once completed, it will be provided to the Bell Forsyth District Attorney for review.

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