Latest Georgia news, sports, business and entertainment

CHILD SHOT-MOTHER CHARGED

Police: Atlanta woman charged with shooting 4-year-old son

ATLANTA (AP) — Police say an Atlanta woman has been charged with shooting her 4-year-old son, who was found wounded in their apartment.

Multiple media outlets report that 41-year-old Patricia Todd was charged with aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and cruelty to children in connection with the shooting Tuesday.

Police say responding officers discovered the boy that morning after receiving a 911 call. Police say the child was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Police say detectives found a gun in the home during a search.

Todd was jailed in Fulton County and it was not immediately known if she had an attorney. Her first court appearance was scheduled Wednesday.

MOBILE HOME FIRE

SW Georgia woman escapes mobile home fire through window

(Information in the following story is from: WALB-TV, http://www.walb.com/)

CAMILLA, Ga. (AP) — A southwest Georgia woman says she escaped a fire that swept through her mobile home by crawling out a bedroom window.

WALB-TV reports firefighters in Camilla extinguished the blaze Tuesday night but conceded the home was a total loss because of smoke and water damage.

Nera Kelly says she was home alone when she heard a noise that turned out to be flames shooting from the hallway. She said she had to crawl through a bedroom window to escape the fire. Then she called 911.

Firefighters are still investigating to determine what caused the mobile-home fire. Camilla Fire Chief Jaime Sullivan says authorities suspect the fire started in Kelly's car and spread to the home.

MILLEDGEVILLE MAYOR

Newcomer appears to beat ex-mayor in Milledgeville election

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Milledgeville voters appear to have chosen a political newcomer to be their next mayor, though a recount of the ballots may be needed to say for sure.

Unofficial results of a special election Tuesday showed first-time candidate Gary Thrower defeating former mayor Floyd Griffin Jr. by just 35 votes. Griffin said he plans to ask for a recount.

A special election was called after Milledgeville Mayor Richard Bentley resigned in February. He was arrested on charges of insurance fraud a month later.

Griffin had appeared to be the front-runner going into the election Tuesday. In the first round of voting June 16, Griffin won 45 percent of the vote to Thrower's 33 percent in a three-way race that was forced into a runoff.

FIREFIGHTERS-OVERTIME DISPUTE

Augusta offers settlement to firefighters in overtime suit

(Information in the following story is from: The Augusta Chronicle , http://www.augustachronicle.com)

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Augusta commissioners are proposing a settlement with firefighters who have sued the city saying they're owed overtime pay.

The Augusta Chronicle reports commissioners voted Tuesday to offer $58,455 to the group of approximately 85 firefighters who filed a class-action lawsuit last October. The firefighters say they weren't paid the appropriate overtime rate for extra hours worked to maintain their certification as paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

The proposed settlement comes to about $688 per firefighter.

Tracy Arther, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and vice president of Augusta Professional Firefighters Association, said firefighters involved in the suit are reviewing the settlement offer but have not decided whether to accept it.

LANDSCAPING THEFT

Thieves steal equipment worth $28,000 from Athens business

(Information in the following story is from: Athens Banner-Herald, http://www.onlineathens.com)

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Police say thieves stole a pair of trucks and landscaping equipment worth a combined total of more than $28,000 from an Athens business.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports the theft at LO Automotive occurred over the weekend. A 2006 GMC box truck and a 1994 Chevrolet pickup were both stolen, along with riding lawn mowers and other expensive landscaping tools.

Athens-Clark County police recovered the GMC truck Sunday after it was used to smash into a grocery store in nearby Madison County. Sheriff's Lt. Jimmy Patton said it appears the thieves tried to use the truck to break into the store, but they fled after an alarm was triggered.

The second stolen truck and the landscaping equipment are still missing.

CHILD SHOT-MOTHER CHARGED

Police: Atlanta woman charged with shooting 4-year-old son

ATLANTA (AP) — Police say an Atlanta woman has been charged with shooting her 4-year-old son, who was found wounded in their apartment.

Multiple media outlets report that 41-year-old Patricia Todd was charged with aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and cruelty to children in connection with the shooting Tuesday.

Police say responding officers discovered the boy that morning after receiving a 911 call. Police say the child was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Police say detectives found a gun in the home during a search.

Todd was jailed in Fulton County and it was not immediately known if she had an attorney. Her first court appearance was scheduled Wednesday.

HOT CAR DEATHS

Fire officials offer tips to prevent child heat stroke

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Officials in Gwinnett County are reminding parents and caregivers to be vigilant and check the backseat of their vehicles for children before locking the doors and walking away.

Gwinnett County fire officials say children should never be left alone in hot vehicles. Parents and caregivers should also lock their doors to make sure children don't climb into hot cars on their own.

Officials say parents and caregivers should create reminders to look in the backseat of their cars, especially if they're not following their usual morning routines. Officials say citizens should never hesitate to call 911 if they see a child alone in a hot car.

Fire officials said in a statement that nearly 10 hot car deaths have been reported across the country this year.

ONLINE SAFE ZONES

Selling that sofa online? Think about going to the cop shop

BOSTON (AP) — More than 100 police departments nationwide provide space in their lobbies or parking lots where people who've made deals to sell merchandise online can know police are only feet away if something goes wrong.

A few departments began offering safe zones two or three years ago. Their popularity exploded this year after several high-profile killings as deals made on Craigslist were carried out.

In January, a couple who said they wanted to buy a 1966 Mustang were shot in McRae, Georgia, allegedly by a man who answered their ad.

Michele Velleman has sold a Zumba dance fitness kit, a cellphone and a table online and made the transactions at the police station in her town of Georgetown, Massachusetts.

Most police departments don't get involved in the transactions. But in Fulshear, Texas, police will check databases of stolen goods for anyone who requests it.