Bainbridge - Shortly after noon Tuesday, Everett ‘Bubber’ Barber heard strange noises outside. Being disabled, he was just able to see out the window but saw enough to know there was a problem.

Barber saw two men taking things out of what was once the family country store at the corner of Spring Creek and Bubber Road. He called his brother, Phillip, and told him what was happening and described the truck the two were traveling in.

The two sped off in a pick-up truck and headed for town on Spring Creek Road. On his way, Phillip spotted the truck at the bypass with items that he knew were his in the truck bed.

Phillip Barber immediately turned around and went directly to the sheriff’s office and reported what was happening. Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Singleton immediately responded to the scrap yard on Dothan Road, with Phillip not far behind.

The items had already been unloaded and two vintage 1950 seed planters had already been crushed. Phillip Barber identified the two men who had taken the items, and the specific items at the scrap yard as those stolen from his family’s storage building.

Shazam Footman and Daniel Knight, Jr. were arrested, and according to Investigator Terry Phillips, will be charged with burglary. Decatur County Sheriff ’s CSI were called to the scene to gather evidence.

Blakely - Former Edison police officer and longtime Blakely police officer J.D. Kopki has been indicted on two misdemeanor charges stemming from a November 2009 shooting death of a suspect.

A Calhoun County grand jury indicted Kopkie August 6 for reckless conduct and involuntary manslaughter in connection with the November 6, 2009, officer-related shooting that ended in the death of Chad Pierce.

According to the indictment, Kopkie is accused of “consciously disregarding a substantial risk that his act would cause harm and endanger the safety of other persons...by discharging his firearm several times into and at the vehicle occupied by Chadwick Pierce.

Pierce was shot to death following a highspeed chase from Edison to Arlington where he wrecked his Chevrolet Avalanche at the intersection of Palmer and Wood Valley Roads.

Mike Lewis, special agent in charge of the GBI, which investigated the shooting said Kopkie fired after Pierce was seen reaching toward the glove box of the truck as officers tried to get Pierce to exit the vehicle. No gun was found inside the vehicle.

Cairo - A Valdosta State University student from Cairo was killed early Friday in a tragic accident in Remerton.

James “Jake” Leonard Elkins Jr. was struck by a train shortly after 2 a.m. Friday. Physicians with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab conducted an autopsy and have ruled the 19-year-old’s death accidental, not suspicious, according to Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson. Cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma.

Both the train’s engineer and conductor told Coroner Watson they were traveling about 35 mph when they saw Elkins lying between the tracks and attempted unsuccessfully to stop the train in time. Watson said he simply didn’t know why he was on the tracks.

The track where Elkins was found is between the intersection of Baytree Road and Lankfordd Circle in Remerton, a small city surrounded by the city limits of Valdosta.