A Hinesville man led deputies from three counties on a chase at speeds reaching nearly 150 mph April 24 along Interstate 95 and Glynn County streets before eventually being arrested in Long County A McIntosh County Sheriff’s deputy clocked a blue Dodge Charger at 92 mph at around 10 a.m on April 24 near mile-marker 51 as the vehicle erratically changed lanes and drove recklessly a McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office report said “As I closed in on the vehicle near the 39 mile marker of I-95 the vehicle began gaining speed and changing lanes using the shoulders to pass vehicles,” the deputy wrote in the report cut across traffic and into the Strike Zone parking lot where he made a loop around the store before returning to Spur 25 He then ran red traffic lights before turning around at the Glynco Parkway traffic signal and returning to the northbound red light at Exit 38 the driver began doing a burnout and drove directly at the front of my patrol vehicle causing me to swerve in order to avoid a collision,” the police report said The driver then got back on I-95 heading south where he reached speeds greater than 140 mph before getting off at Exit 29 and heading north again Glynn County Sheriff’s deputies took over the chase at Exit 29 McIntosh and Glynn County deputies pursued the vehicle north on I-95 and into Long County where deputies there took over the chase and put out stop sticks in an attempt to stop the driver Long County deputies lost sight of the Charger briefly It was located a short time later on Wilder Road in Long County after the driver attempted to flee on foot Walthourville police caught up with the driver Smith told a McIntosh County deputy while being taken to jail that he had tossed a weapon in the woods while he ran but he was unable to locate the weapon again Smith also told the deputy while being transported to jail that he was sorry and told him why he ran Smith continued to ramble on about prior charges and other things going on in his life at the time,” the report said All campuses will move to remote operations on Tuesday (1/21) and Wednesday (1/22) due to potential winter weather Alert Center Business Innovation Group (BIG) Office of Research The Hinesville Business Incubator opened in December 2023 and Georgia Southern University partnered and received additional funding from the Economic Development Administration to construct this state-of-the-art building directly across from the Liberty Campus The Hinesville Business Incubator is the third incubator managed by the Business Innovation Group (BIG) at Georgia Southern University The Hinesville Business Incubator is focused on helping our military and veteran families of Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield who are interested in starting or growing their own business enterprises The incubator operates on a membership model offering private offices Membership includes access to office space and shared equipment training programs and educational workshops Join our community! Contact: Catherine Blake | 770-883-1117 | cblake@georgiasouthern.edu 62 East Main Street • Suite D, Statesboro, GA 30458 • Georgia Southern University • P.O. Box 8153-01 • 912-478-0872 • BIG@georgiasouthern.edu Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHINESVILLE, Ga. (WTOC) - Hinesville Police have arrested and identified Joel Leggette as a suspect in their investigation of a Pineland Avenue homicide early Thursday morning. police went to a Hinesville apartment complex in the 900 block of Pineland Avenue in reference to an unresponsive male police said they found Ward suffering from a stab wound He later died of his injuries at a local medical center Hinesville Police said Leggette has been taken into custody in connection with Ward’s death They emphasized that while an arrest has been made “this remains an active and ongoing investigation Additional arrests or charges may be forthcoming.” An iconic chain is continuing to increase its footprint in Georgia Wawa is celebrating the opening of its Hinesville location Limited edition t-shirts will be given to the first 100 customers There will also be a charitable "Hoagies for Heroes" hoagie-building competition between local first responders Those interested in attending should RSVP by emailing celebrations@wawa.com The Hinesville Wawa is at 824 East General Stewart Way Love is in the air: This Savannah restaurant is a top 100 romantic spot in the country. Doors open at the Hinesville Wawa at 8 a.m and the grand opening ceremony is at 8:30 a.m Wawa is a chain of elevated convenience stores with a variety of foods like pizza and submarine sandwiches It's particularly popular in the northeast As of Feb. 10, Wawa's locator map shows three open locations in Georgia in Jesup Wawa plans to build and open at least 26 stores in Georgia Some other cities reportedly getting a Wawa include Albany Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHINESVILLE (WTOC) - After a false social media post circulating online made claims that several local officers were killed and that a serial killer is on the loose— Hinesville Police Department wants people to know that the post is a hoax and there’s no threat to the public “A Facebook notification that indicated that there were three officers that were killed in Hinesville and the serial killer was most likely responsible for that,” said Tracey Howard “And of course obviously we knew that that didn’t take place.” He says the post started with a Facebook user with the name Keisha Brandy posting in a local online sales group What started as a false post about a serial killer “Within a short amount time was able to determine that it was a hoax thread,” said Howard He says it’s not his first time running into issues like these though This takes him back to posts that went around about a specific color van that people claimed were in the neighborhood “Crimes associated with people in a panel van,” said Howard “It took with people and got spread all around to where these two ladies that live in a mobile home park in Hinesville thought they saw a kid around the vehicle then saw the vehicle leave and so we were putting all of our resources in to looking for a potentially kidnapped child to only find out that it was also a hoax.” Here’s a few tips that HPD says you can use to detect scam posts like these: (WTOC) - According to documents obtained by WTOC the Baymont by Wyndham and Motel 6 Hinesville have been named in connection to two federal sex trafficking suits According to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia Savannah Division This suit is against the company that owns the hotel filed on behalf of a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted and sold to be a sex slave back in 2015 The civil suit said Jay Shree Maa Durga Inc. has owned and managed the Baymont by Wyndham Hinesville hotel located at 733 Veterans Parkway was repeatedly sex-trafficked by two men known as “Big Head” and “T” while at the Baymont hotel The suit alleges that the 16-year-old initially met the two men at a Walmart in 2015 She left the store with the pair and smoked marijuana with them Case documents say that the marijuana was believed to be laced with another drug that left the teenager unconscious When she woke up the 16-year-old was inside of a hotel room handcuffed to the bed She was then allegedly forced to use drugs that put her in unconscious states and was repeatedly sexually assaulted by various “Johns” while at the Baymont hotel Case filings report that the traffickers used a portion of the money made from the commercial sex acts to book hotel lodgings for the next night They also allegedly paid for the use of the Defendants WIFI network which they would use to post advertisements for the 16-year-old to perform sexual acts Cleaning staff were not allowed in the room where the teenager was kept instead the traffickers or the 16-year-old would ask the Baymont Staff for towels and sheets multiple times a day hotel staff were not allowed into the room like constant dirty sheets and towels with “excessive bodily fluid and blood on them” found in the rooms and daily rented rooms by the same trafficker attorneys say the hotel’s owner should have known something was wrong Staff said they observed that the teenager was malnourished wore very high heels and revealing cheaply made dresses and had very specific housekeeping requests as mentioned above Hotel staff also said they observed a constant stream of male visitor’s entering the room at one time and only staying a short amount of time Case filings said the venture impacted interstate commerce for multiple reasons including purchase and use of cleaning supplies from out of state use of credit cards and internet to post online ads for commercial sex acts and more reasons that must be proven at trial The civil action case alleges that the Defendant “knowingly benefited” from the trafficking and says through a direct and proximate result of the Defendants acts and omissions caused the victim substantial physical Another civil action case filed October 23 Attorneys said Kishanvb Hospitality, LLC owned and managed the Motel 6 in Hinesville located at 213 General Screven Way Hinesville from August 2020 through April 2021 when the victim an 18 to 19-year-old girl referred to as J.S. was repeatedly sex trafficked at the Motel 6 by Shaquan Graham met Graham through mutual friends when she was 17-years-old and still attending high school Graham learned that she had run away from home and offered to help her Graham then told her she would be working as a prostitute and that he was her pimp to use drugs which caused her to fear for her life During this time Graham himself raped the victim she was also reportedly sexually assaulted hundreds of times while at the Motel 6 by various “Johns.” He used a portion of the proceeds from the commercial sex acts to book the next night’s lodgings He also paid for the hotel’s WIFI to post advertisements for the victim to perform sex acts Case filings said that Graham would not let the staff clean the room where the victim was performing commercial sex acts would ask for towels and sheets multiple times a day Motel 6 staff said they observed that the victim was malnourished Staff said they observed victims and traffickers being steered to certain parts of the property and only given in rooms to what is referred to as the “prostitution wing.” These observed signs are listed in the filings as the Defendant helping to hide the trafficking from the police and others who may report it The civil action case alleges that the Defendant “knowingly benefited” from the trafficking and says through a direct and proximate result of their acts and omissions caused the victim substantial physical the Plaintiff’s request actual damages and amounts to be shown at trial They are also requesting punitive and treble damages be imposed upon each Defendant WTOC is in the process of speaking with both hotels law enforcement and will provide updates as they become available If you or someone you may know is being trafficked, you can call the National Human Trafficking hotline toll free at (888) 373-7888. To report a suspected human tracking in Georgia you can call the 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842. You can also click here for more information on how to get help for victims of human trafficking The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan The WIC Buddy Program and Breastfeeding Peer Counselors of the Liberty County Health Department are hosting a Baby and Kids’ Clothing Swap on March 27 in the parking lot of the Liberty County Health Department at 1113 East Oglethorpe Hwy in Hinesville You are not required to be a WIC participant to attend the clothing swap – everyone is welcome It is preferred that you come with clothing to trade Any unclaimed items at the end of the swap will be donated to Gabriel’s House Other Public Health Topics Read Our Newsletter Health Departments Environmental Health Offices Administrative Offices Public health websites by Heideldesign Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email Multiple requests daily for towels and linens This is the evidence that an Atlanta attorney says should have alerted two hotel owners in Liberty County that their properties were places where sex traffickers allegedly coerced teenagers into prostitution according to two civil suits filed in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of Georgia recently against the Baymont by Wyndham Hinesville provide a rare window into a scourge that top Georgia leaders including first lady Marty Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr have pledged to eradicate in Georgia: the horrific abuse of teenagers and vulnerable women forced into prostitution The cases were brought under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act which allows victims to hold responsible those who knowingly profit from human trafficking and who should have known that trafficking was taking place additional counts involve the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act The hotel owners deny any knowledge of the allegations and the plaintiffs who have provided evidence against both the alleged traffickers and the hotels where they were held captive are asking the court to protect their identities for fear of retaliation even if the alleged perpetrators appear to be unrelated The Baymont by Wyndham case names the company Jay Shree Maa Durga alleging its staff knew a 16-year-old girl was being held against her will by sex traffickers in June 2015.  Rajan Patel of Hinesville is the company’s registered agent Southern District of Georgia Magistrate Judge Christopher L Ray has ordered the company to appear by Nov and gave it 14 days from the time of appearance to respond to the plaintiff’s request to protect her identity Rajan Patel told The Current he received notice by mail on Tuesday and that he plans to turn over the suit to his insurance company because “they have lawyers.” “Big Head” and “T,” at a WalMart “while still attending high school.” The complaint alleges she went with them to a house and smoked marijuana “laced with some other drug that rendered B.S she was inside of a hotel room and handcuffed to the bed.”  allegedly kept the teen drugged up and “continually sold” her “as a sex slave to buyers at the Baymont,” using the hotel’s wi-fi to advertise the girl was available “to perform sex acts because of those advertisements.” The money allegedly went to more nights and wi-fi access The men also allegedly refused to let housekeeping clean the room but they or the girl would request clean sheets and towels several times a day and the hotel staff “always complied.”  despite several red flags that the child was being trafficked: malnourishment a steady stream of men coming in and out of the room multiple room rentals and re-rentals paid for in cash and “large numbers of used condoms in the rooms.” the victim and her traffickers were “steered to certain areas of the property and only given room in a particular wing of the property such that the Defendant was aiding in hiding the trafficking from police and others who might report it to the police and was thereby furthering the venture.” based on “numerous reasons including the sale and use of condoms the purchase and use of cleaning supplies from out of state the use of credit cards to post online advertisements through websites for selling the [teenager] in commercial sex acts the use of the internet to post sex advertisements the use of interstate highways to transport Plaintiff to the hotels by her Traffickers (and their associates) Rajan Patel denied any knowledge of sex trafficking at his hotel (“That’s completely wrong Nothing is happening at my hotel,” he said) and repeatedly stated that the alleged victim was “just trying to get some money.” Rajan Patel also repeatedly blamed the woman for not having called the front desk and letting them know she was being trafficked as she alleges in the suit Asked whether such suits were common in his business “I’ve been in business since 2008 and it’s the first time I’m receiving this type of mail.” He denied knowing “Big Head” or “T.”  and she’s in a room and some things,” Rajan Patel said “Why she don’t complain the police or at front desk if she – because we don’t go to the room sometime so we don’t know what’s going on inside the room If something happen and they do sexual things she should have called the cops that time.” The Current asked Rajan Patel whether he knew sex traffickers often beat up and prevent their victims from using the phone or leaving the room she should have known some kind of way she need to do something,” he said controls whether the housekeeper can enter the room He also said he didn’t think it unusual that J.S.’s room allegedly had asked daily for multiple linen and towel changes Rajan Patel also said his hotel had posted signs about sex trafficking.  “You can talk to the Hinesville P.D,” he said We don’t have any sexual things or any drug people The Current has filed a Georgia Open Records Request for police reports dating from the time of the alleged incident the judge ordered the company to answer by Thursday The only person listed on corporate filings is Viralkumar Patel.  The complaint alleges that “[f]rom approximately August 2020 through April 2021 – a eighteen- to nineteen-year-old girl – was repeatedly trafficked for sex at the Motel 6 by Shaquan Graham.” The Current has not found any trafficking charge or conviction against Graham also acknowledged that “We have no notice of a trafficking conviction” against Graham allegedly met Graham while she was a 17-year-old high school student ran away from home and told Graham “she would be his girlfriend.” The complaint says Graham allegedly promised to help J.S. as a sex slave to buyers at the Motel 6,” where he was “sexually assaulted hundreds of times… by various ‘Johns.’” Graham is alleged to have used the money from J.S.’s forced sexual encounters to rebook the room and to pay for wi-fi access to advertise J.S filed by the Atlanta law firm Freeman Mathis Gary had been trafficked or that its wi-fi had been used to sell her body.  who is representing the plaintiffs in both cases told The Current that he has filed similar suits around metro Atlanta but that these cases are his “first attempt at holding hotels responsible” in the Savannah area Stoddard said he did not know whether the cases were part of any coordinated effort but noted the “extremely laissez-faire attitude” of hotel owners he’s dealt with in sex trafficking cases Hinesville Police Chief Tracey Howard said he was aware of only one case of child sex trafficking in Hinesville in which the FBI called trying to track down a 15-year-old girl “In that particular situation,” Howard said “we went and looked for that female at specific locations and throughout the city is “zero….They’re very isolated in nature,” and they come in “from another tip We did have one guy several years ago that was either a former soldier or soldier that was believed to have been involved [with] a juvenile.” Howard said the person in question “was not proven to be a young person To try and prevent children from falling into the hands of sex traffickers “we take immediate response on every listed runaway juvenile Howard said the Hinesville Police Department does not have a sex crimes unit “just because of the size of our detective division We do have detectives that have specialized and additional training in the investigation of sex-related crimes involving children and/or adults.”  The department does take part in an annual training called Traffic Jam, he said, but HPD generally only works such cases with other agencies and those are mostly related to the national  Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force “Sometimes we will get notification of information that there’s a perpetrator working in the area that’s either downloading because the GBI is also heavily involved with ICAC.” At the state level, in 2019, Carr created the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which focuses on minors who are being trafficked for sex the HTPU “has secured 50 criminal convictions and rescued and assisted nearly 200 victims.” It does so in cooperation with federal criminal prosecutors communications director for the state attorney general’s office told The Current in an email response we see victims sold between 5-10 times per day which is why the Unit continues to pursue buyers (those purchasing a child for sex) as well as sellers In one case involving an underage victim (who was previously reported as missing from Missouri) the Unit has so far convicted 12 different people for their involvement in her trafficking Carr’s office, while Atlanta-based, is “working to expand our footprint to provide additional assistance across the state,” Murray said, adding that the AG’s office has taken part in training for Georgia educators on “how to recognize the signs of human trafficking and file a report.” If you or someone you know is being trafficked call the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733 (BEFREE) The Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia’s hotline is 866-363-4842 (866-END-HTGA) This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Current Robin is a reporter covering Liberty County for The Current GA. She has decades of experience at CNN, Gambit and was the founder of another nonprofit, The Clayton Crescent. Contact her at robin.kemp@thecurrentga.org solutions-based investigative journalism without bias fear or favor with clear focus on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia GPB is committed to bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia across the country and around the world.  Your support makes this possible.  Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service (WTOC) - Two Hinesville hotels are facing federal lawsuits after attorneys said teenagers were sex trafficked in each hotel The lawsuits claim it all happened inside Hinesville’s Baymont by Wyndham and Motel 6 some of what you will read will be graphic These two hotels are about one mile away from each other The lawsuits claim an incident at the Baymont by Wyndham involved a 16-year-old in 2015 and the incident at the Motel 6 involved an 18- to 19-year-old starting in 2020 as the community begins to process that a teenager may have been sexually assaulted hundreds of times in their own neighborhood A community in shock after learning about claims of sex trafficking at a Hinesville Motel 6 in 2020 and 2021 these are our babies,” said Damete Doughty attorneys said an 18 to 19-year old girl was brought to the Motel 6 by a man who beat and raped the teenager while selling her as a sex salve where she was sexually assaulted hundreds of times Attorneys said the man would use the motel’s Wi-Fi to post advertisements that the teenager was there and would use money from the sex acts to purchase stays at the motel As attorneys filed federal lawsuits on the teenagers' behalf against the motel’s owner should have known the teenager was being trafficked for sex at the motel They said motel staff should have also known something was wrong as the teenager appeared malnourished large numbers of condoms and sex toys were found in the rooms and dirty sheets with blood on them were left behind teenagers working in the area are shocked something like this could have happened so close it could’ve been me,” said Razalynn Daniels who works near Motel 6 “Hearing it happen so close to where I work is terrifying.” Parents are forced to grip the reality that their kids could have been in danger my friends' kids or something like that,” said Brandon Holden who also works near Motel 6 this is just one of the sex trafficking cases we’re currently following out of Hinesville For a full look into both incidents, click here (WTOC) - Two Wawa’s have opened in the city of Hinesville The first one is at the intersection of E.G Miles Parkway and Veterans Parkway on the west end of Hinesville The second one is at the intersection of Oglethorpe and General Stewart on the east (WTOC) - The Hinesville Police Department is now looking for the public’s help in identifying multiple individuals Police said the individuals are involved in several recent crimes HPD shared an image of the individuals on a social media post If you recognize these people or have any further information you can contact the Hinesville Police Department at 912-368-8211 option 9 (WTOC) - UPDATE as of 2/17/2025: In a social media comment the Hinesville Police Department said there are no updates in the location of 18-year-old Jadiyus James Williams “We sincerely thank you for your concern and assistance in our efforts to locate Jadiyus Despite some reports claiming he has been found Please rely solely on official updates from the Hinesville Police Department for accurate information.” 17 a social media comment asked for any updates on Williams location ORGINAL STORY: The Hinesville Police Department needs help in location 18-year-old Jadiyus James Williams He was last seen in the area of Pineland Avenue If you have any information on his whereabouts please contact your local 911 center or the Hinesville Police Department (WTOC) - UPDATE: The Hinesville Police Department says Tyjai Walthour has been located and is safe The Hinesville Police Department is searching for a missing 12-year-old boy 12-year-old Tyjai Walthour was last seen on Thursday in the 500 block of Forsyth Drive in the Governor’s Quarters neighborhood off W The Hinesville Police says Tyjai was known to be riding on a 4-wheeler He is about 5′2″ tall and weighs about 100 pounds If you have any information on Tyjai’s whereabouts please call Hinesville Police at 912-368-8211 option 9 Hinesville City Council members held a moment of silence at the start of their April 3 meeting in recognition of Fort Stewart’s four 3rd Infantry Division soldiers who died during a deployment to eastern Europe The four crew members of a M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle perished as their track sank into a bog near a Lithuanian training area They had been dispatched to retrieve a vehicle that had become immobilized The soldiers who died as a result were Staff Sgt I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family friends and fellow service members mourning the tragic loss of four soldiers in Lithuania,” Hinesville Mayor Karl Riles said “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Raider Brigade 3rd Infantry Division and entire Fort Stewart community during this difficult time we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who are grieving Hinesville stands with you now and always.” and other NATO allies worked to find the vehicle under more than 14 feet of water and six feet of mud Lithuania held a dignified departure ceremony for the remains of the four soldiers with thousands of Lithuanians lining the streets to pay their respects The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division and were on a nine-month deployment to Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve The headquarters unit for the rotation is the 1st Armored Division expressed his deep sorrow and solidarity with the families of the four soldiers Knutson-Collins was the father of five children Franco was the father of a 6-month-old and Duenez had a 2-year-old son “They were loved and respected by their peers and their leaders alike,” said Maj “We know that nothing we can do will replace that permanent hole in their families’ lives We want to express to them they will remain a part of our Army family for the rest of their lives.” Taylor said he was awestruck with the support from the Lithuanian government and people “They spared no resource to bring to the site,” he said “The support from the Lithuanian leadership has been incredible Anything we wanted from this government was available to support this operation.” Taylor also thanked Polish and Estonian armed forces assets that were used in the recovery process The vehicle was continuing to sink in the mud and had Lithuanian special forces divers not located it during continued dives in the middle of the night it likely would have sunk and never been found Three of the missing soldiers were found with the vehicle Estonian canine teams and ground-penetrating radar directed searchers to the spot of the fourth missing soldier “This reminds how important our allies are how important alliances are and how close and permanent our relationship is with the Lithuanian people,” Maj “I am awestruck with what you have done for our nation Gofundme pages have been established for each of the soldiers (WTOC) - The Hinesville Police Department has identified a missing juvenile HPD posted on Facebook about a missing child between 4 to 5 years old who was last seen wandering in the 300 block of Welborn St Officers say that during the investigation officers discovered that the caregiver (no relation the child) who was entrusted with watching the child was extremely intoxicated and had passed out This allowed the child to leave the residence The caregiver has since been arrested and is now facing criminal charges