Georgia Briefs — April 2, 2016

Vet falls 1,600 feet to his death in Georgia parachuting accident

THOMASVILLE (TNS) — A retired master sergeant in the U.S. Army was killed Thursday when he tried to parachute 1,600 feet from a 2,000-foot television tower in southwest Georgia, according to the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office and multiple media reports.

The body of 37-year-old Brandon Jackson was found in an area of mostly rugged terrain after he attempted to climb the WTLH-TV transmitting tower — one of the tallest structures in Georgia, according to media reports. The tower is located about 237 miles south of Atlanta.

Officials were able to find Jackson’s body with the help of neighbors who offered ATVs to aid in the search.

His parachute was found in nearby tree limbs.

Two men allegedly with Jackson when he made the jump were arrested in the incident. Tom Baker, 26, and Miles Daisher, 46, face criminal trespassing charges, authorities said.

Georgia school board approves new science standards

ATLANTA (TNS) — The Georgia board of education voted to approve new science standards for public school students, in the state’s first overhaul of science in a decade.

Five members of an advisory committee for state Superintendent Richard Woods, including K-12 educators and college professors, praised the changes.

“The revision is well-done. It builds on previous standards,” said Jo Farrell, a retired science teacher and now Curriculum and Assessment Director for Thomasville City Schools. “And it is updated for current science knowledge.”

The unanimous approval by the school board Thursday came in stark contrast to another vote on standards, this time for social studies. Woods tweaked the proposal of his social studies advisory committee, and some complained of meddling, causing the board of education to postpone a decision, perhaps until they meet in May.

Father admits beating 2-year-old son for swearing at him

ATLANTA (TNS) — A 23-year-old Douglas County man, accused of killing his 2-year-old son, said the toddler called him the “b-word,” which enraged him, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Courtney Chauvez Craig confessed to beating his son in anger, the station reported.

King Davis, 2, of Louisiana, was visiting his father March 1, when he was found unresponsive in Craig’s Millwood Park apartment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Adults in the apartment called 911, but the toddler was dead when officers arrived.

Craig was taken into custody because of the suspicious nature of the death, police said.

“Coming out of the shower, the child called him a b***h, and while he was aware of the child’s language in the past, he didn’t take kindly to the child using that term to him. Also he refused to go to sleep and that angered him more,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Investigator Jay Davies.

Physical evidence showed the boy had bruises on his torso and abdomen, Davies said.

Cemetery vandals dug up grave, left shovels, empty bag of chips

ATLANTA (TNS) — Vandals who trashed a 200-year-old North Fulton cemetery left evidence behind—two shovels and an empty bag of potato chips, police said on Thursday.

Headstones were knocked over and a coffin was left exposed at the Power Family Cemetery, which is located behind the Dunwoody Point Apartments, according to a Sandy Springs incident report.

John Morris, a maintenance worker for the Dunwoody Point apartment complex, found the damage last Wednesday, Channel 2 said. He called 911 and recorded the damage he found using his cell phone camera.

“It disgusts me. And [I’m] angry that someone would go in and desecrate a cemetery like that,” Marie Power Frazier told Channel 2 Action News. “You’re supposed to respect the dead.”

Many of Power Frazier’s family members are buried in the cemetery, according to Channel 2.

“My grandfather was buried in 1915 and my dad took it over,” she said.

Frazier told the station that she hopes police catch those responsible. She also told them it wasn’t the first time the cemetery was vandalized. “They’ve broken in, they have burned things. There’s been trash, beer cans where they had parties,” she said.