Georgia News Briefly

Ex-deputy facing more charges

COLUMBUS (TNS) — Two more women pulled over by then-Harris County Deputy Thomas Carl “Tommy” Pierson have accused him of sexually inappropriate conduct, leading to a 12-count indictment against the former law enforcement officer a third woman accused of sexual assault last February.

A Harris County grand jury has indicted Pierson on one count each of aggravated sodomy, sexual battery, false imprisonment and tampering with evidence; two counts each of stalking and sexual assault on a person in custody; and four counts of violating his oath as a public officer.

Pierson was arrested May 6. After the alleged sexual assault, investigators backtracked his traffic stops to contact other women he pulled over to see if he exhibited similar conduct. When Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley learned of the allegations, he asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to pursue the case. Pierson, 38, was fired from the job he’d held 16 months. He previously had worked as a jailer in Muscogee County.

Teen charged in shooting death

COLUMBUS (TNS) — A 15-year-old boy was charged as an adult in connection with the Sunday night shooting on North Cary Street that killed 25-year-old Quentin D. Williams, according to a news release from the LaGrange Police Department.

Authorities said Jerry Carston, the accused, was arrested around 11 p.m. Monday at his Revis Street home. He faces one count of murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a person under 18 and participation in criminal street gang activities.

Carston was transported to a Youth Detention Center after being booked into the Troup County Jail, according to police.

Authorities said they responded shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday to the area of 51 North Cary St. to check on a gunshot wound victim. Upon arrival, they found Williams lying on a sidewalk in the same block as his home with multiple gunshot wounds.

He was transported to Well Star Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Bank robbery suspect arrested

COLUMBUS (TNS) — A suspect was nabbed about 30 minutes after the Wells Fargo bank on Milgen Road was robbed early Tuesday, Columbus police said.

Curtis D. Huling, 41, of Columbus was taken into custody about 10 a.m. on the back side of Carver Park on Courtland Avenue, police Lt. John McMichael said. He was charged with armed robbery, possession of firearm during the commission of a crime and theft by motor vehicle.

Huling is held without bond in the Muscogee County Jail for a 9 a.m. Wednesday hearing in Recorder’s Court.

McMichael said a man entered the back about 9:30 a.m., stood in line and handed the teller a note. Claiming he was armed, the man took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled. He went to the parking lot and entered a 2015 Ford Mustang, a vehicle reported stolen.

Officers found the vehicle abandoned near the park before locating Huling on Courtland Avenue. He was taken into custody without incident.

Man arrested after SWAT standoff

ATLANTA (TNS) — A man was arrested early Tuesday after allegedly holding four children and a woman inside a northwest Atlanta apartment for nearly three hours, police said.

Officers had just left the apartment in the 1000 block of Hollywood Road when police responded to a report of a screaming woman in the same location about 1:20 a.m.

“On arrival, officers were advised a male had taken a gun from a vehicle and entered the apartment,” Atlanta police Officer Kim Jones said. “Officers were able to see a woman and children inside the apartment.”

The woman was unable to open the door, but officers were able to speak to her and the man, identified as Michael Hubbard.

Hostage negotiator Summer Benton got Hubbard to agree to leave the apartment and let the woman and children exit, Jones said.

“The female advised there was no gun involved and they were just having an argument,” Jones said.

No one had any visible injuries.

Hubbard was charged with battery, cruelty to children and obstruction of an officer, police said.

Atlanta home prices still rising

ATLANTA (TNS) — Atlanta’s home prices were up an average of 6.3 percent during the past year, better than average gains across the country, according to a much-watched national survey released this morning.

However, the averaging of prices continues to mask a problem at the lower end of the market, especially in metro Atlanta, say some experts.

Atlanta’s price hike beat the 4.4 percent gain nationally, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index, a calculation based on a three-month average.

Atlanta prices also rose more than the 5.2 percent average for the nation’s 20 largest metro areas. Among those 20, Atlanta was the ninth-strongest increase, said Case-Shiller.

“Home prices continue to appreciate across the country,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones.

For the month, Atlanta prices were up 1.27 percent, according to Case-Shiller.

The economic fundamentals continue to support the real estate market, Blitzer said. “Overall, housing is doing quite well. In addition to strong prices, sales of existing homes reached the highest monthly level since 2007 as construction of new homes showed continuing gains.”

The overall national gain for the year was 5 percent, the same as last month.

The Case-Shiller composite for the nation’s 20 largest metros showed prices up 5.2 percent for the year, a deceleration from the 5.4 percent reported a month ago.

The national index has risen at a pace of 5 percent or more for seven consecutive months, Blitzer said.