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Police are investigating the collision of a bicycle and an SUV that left a Savannah woman dead Sunday morning. Theresa Mae Moultrie, 56, was pronounced dead at Memorial University Medical Center after the 10:16 a.m. crash.

"She was attempting to cross West Bay Street southbound at Tuten Street when she rode in front of a 2003 Dodge Durango driven by a 32-year-old Rincon man," police say.

Officers of the Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department continue to investigate.

The roll out of body cameras throughout the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department entered its second phase Friday when training classes were scheduled in the Downtown Precinct.

"More than 60 of the high-tech devices were to be distributed to officers below the rank of sergeant and six Canine Unit officers," police say. "Before they can take them to the streets, officers must complete a four-hour course on their use."

“This is a continuance of the department’s commitment to have body cameras functioning throughout SCMPD by SPRING,” said Metro Training Director Gary Taylor. “The police department and the City of Savannah Information Technology department have been working together on this goal and the progress has been better than we expected. By pacing ourselves through distribution by precincts, we are learning as we proceed and we are available any time a question arises.”

Police say officers wearing the body cameras have reported a positive reaction from the public.Two cameras had been purchased by neighborhood associations in anticipation of the project.

Videos from the cameras "are uploaded to the independent site Evidence.Com and cannot be edited by the officer or anyone in the department," police say.

Police and agents of an FBI task force identified a second suspect in a second homicide Thursday morning after arresting a murder suspect from New Jersey.

Ranig Deishon White, 27, was arrested this morning by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Central Precinct Crime Suppression and Canine officers and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crimes Task Force.

"Officers were observing an apartment in Yamacraw Village this morning when White left on foot to walk to a convenience store where he was arrested," police say.

At the apartment, officers identified a second man in the area as Howard Cornell Perry, 27, also wanted in New Jersey on a second, unrelated homicide. Perry, is a Bloomfield, NJ., man wanted for murder in a Nov. 8 shooting of a woman in Newark.

He has been sought since Jan. 2, after the second of two other suspects had been arrested. Perry was considered armed and dangerous by New Jersey authorities.

Both men were transported to the Chatham County Detention Center to be held for extradition. New Jersey authorities are in route to Savannah to continue the investigation.

Residents in the Olin Heights/Ardsley Park area "teamed up with saturating police officers to effect the arrest of three juveniles Wednesday night," police say.

Residents near East 54th and Battey streets noticed three 14-year-old males attempting to enter a white BMW sedan about 8:45 p.m. and called 9-1-1. "Then they took note of the descriptions and direction of travel and advised responding officers from the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department," police say.

Central Precinct Patrol officers, a Metro canine unit officer and SCMPD helicopter Eagle 1 that had been involved in a training operation nearby, secured the area and pursued the teens on foot.

"One was wearing an ankle monitor from a previous arrest and another had removed a monitor assigned to him. None of the suspects live in the area," police say.

“Entering auto complaints have been an increasing concern in these neighborhoods for the past few weeks and residents responded appropriately,” said Capt. DeVonn Adams, commander of the Central Precinct.

“They talked to each other and used social media sites to warn each other to lock their cars, take their valuables or put them out of sight, and pay close attention to who is doing what near their homes. When they saw something suspicious, they called 9-1-1 and advised officers of what they had seen. The result was the arrest of three suspects.

“But, it doesn’t end here. We don’t know how many of the cases these young men had been involved in and there is always someone to take their place. Continued cooperation will help control the criminal element.”

All three juveniles were charged with criminal trespass and obstruction by fleeing. Other charges are pending against the teen who had removed the monitor.

Bob Dylan performs at the Johnny Mercer Theatre at 8 p.m. Tuesday April 14. Tickets go on sale Friday Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.

The show is all ages and ticket prices are $55 and $85.
Tickets available at the Savannah Civic Center Box Office, online at etix.com, or charge by phone (800) 351-7469.

Investigations are underway "after two men escaped serious injury in shooting confrontations Sunday night," police say.

One man was transported for treatment of a gunshot wound and a second was detained by arriving officers at 10:20 p.m. after multiple shots were fired on the 800 block of West 44th Street.

Lavontae Untrail Wilson was stopped in a vehicle speeding away from the scene and Jesse William Benton was transported for treatment after the shooting. Wilson was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and contempt of court. Benton was charged with false statements and writings. Both are 26 and have extensive arrests records with Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police.

Other suspects are being sought.

Responding Central Precinct Patrol officers "found an expanded crime scene in which several cars had been hit. Detectives are investigating the possibility that Benton exited a parked vehicle when someone began firing at it. Wilson took the wheel and was stopped by officers responding to the shots," police say.

Dominique Fludd, 26, drove himself to a hospital after he was shot in a domestic altercation between two women on the 200 block of West 39th Street. The 6:22 p.m. altercation was "between two women with whom another man who was at the location has had children," police say.

Police Chief Joseph H. “Jack” Lumpkin Sr. pointed to the two situations as examples of the dangerous behavior he is asking the community to help police prevent.

“Multiple shots were fired in each situation in which anyone could have been injured,” Lumpkin said. “This reckless disregard for others and such senseless activity should not be endured by these neighborhoods. We must work together to address them.”

Detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a Savannah man "at a house he was renovating on Barnard Street near Victory Drive Friday night," a police spokesman says.

The man died after being transported a hospital following the shooting near Barnard and West 43rd streets. Investigators continue to seek the victim's next of kin.

"Central Precinct Patrol officers responded to the shooting call at 10:44 p.m. to find the deceased man and his roommate at the residence," police say.

"The roommate was interviewed and released early this morning, after telling police that the victim was robbed by a black male who fled the scene after shooting the victim."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with police anonymously.

Former Savannah/Chatham Metro Police Chief Willie C. Lovett was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison, seven and a half years, for his conviction in gambling and extortion charges. He was also fined $50,000.

Lovett, 65, resigned office in September 2013 as news spread of a sexual harassment allegation against him by a married female officer. The federal charges followed shortly thereafter. He was found guilty in November 2014. 

University of Georgia researchers are "hoping to find a consistent way to record the marine debris—particularly pieces of plastic—crowding Georgia's beaches as part of an effort to find a solution for the growing problem," says the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Marine Extension.

Marine debris has been washing up on Georgia beaches and uninhabited islands for years. Combating the issue starts with figuring out how big it is, and a new two-part study from the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography published online in the Marine Pollution Bulletin finds that marine debris reporting can improve if it becomes standardized.

"The problem right now is this: A volunteer group goes out and records the weight or volume of the marine debris collected. However, volunteers don't often record the specific square feet measured or the contents of the debris," a spokesman says. "Due to a lack of report standardization, researchers often can't compare the marine debris, especially plastic fragments, reported by different groups."

"We've seen plastic usage go up dramatically," said study co-author Dodie Sanders, a marine educator and outreach coordinator for UGA Marine Extension, a unit of the Office of Public Service and Outreach. "It's an important 21st century global issue. We need to learn more to better understand the issues of marine debris."

The study's lead author Richard F. Lee, professor emeritus with the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, agrees.

"Plastic debris is created on land and then it goes into rivers, flows into the ocean and washes up on land," he said. "We've found that plastic debris ends up not only on populated beaches, but on inaccessible islands as well. We've found plastic everywhere on the coast."

The first part of the study gathered debris from 20 sites along Georgia's coast, including Tybee, Cumberland and Ossabaw islands. The debris was reported from volunteer organizations like Clean Coast, which hold monthly beach and marsh cleanups in Georgia.

"The volunteer groups reported the weight of the debris, though we didn't know the exact amount of plastic," Lee said. "Based off the volunteer information we received, we did a follow-up study to more precisely measure the marine debris in a fixed location and period of time."
The total collected debris ranged from 180 to 1,000 kilograms. The levels of plastic debris differed at each site over the course of the study, though plastic was consistently among the mix. Found plastic included plastic bottles, wrappers, food utensils and fragments of fishing gear.

Sanders spearheaded the second part of the study, where she and students collected plastic debris from Skidaway and Wassaw islands over a period of two years.

"While Dr. Lee did data analysis, I did some of the field work," Sanders said. "We picked the two islands in the second part of the study because they were accessible sites where Marine Extension often takes students for marine education."

For the fieldwork, Sanders and students visited the islands each month. They took inventory of what kinds of plastics were on specific areas of the coast.

"On about a monthly basis, I would take students to learn about debris and tally all the items on the islands," Sanders said. "We took areas of 200 meters by 40 meters and recorded the items found. We also used GPS units to mark what areas we had done."

The students, many of them in middle and high school, came from all over Georgia to assist. As part of Marine Extension, Sanders regularly teaches visiting students about marine life. When students volunteered to clean up, she tried to emphasize the issues surrounding debris.

"The bulk of the plastic comes from land," Sanders said. "When people think of marine debris, they think of the ocean. I try to emphasize watershed concepts—what happens upstream ultimately gets downstream."

"It can take years for plastic to degrade," Lee said, adding, "80 percent of the plastic found at Wassaw turned out to be fragments. The fragments then spread and can have a number of environmental effects."

Sanders says that since plastic debris is everywhere on the coast, it has to be addressed and reported efficiently to reduce its effects.

"There are proactive and reactive approaches to the issues of marine debris, and both are important," she said. "We've been reactive so far by picking up debris. The proactive approach is our role in educating the public and researching the negative impacts of marine debris."

"New information on the reported attack on a Florida couple on Bay Street Monday morning has Metro Police investigating the possibility of charges against the reported victims," a police department spokesperson says.

Video footage obtained from a Bay Street business on Thursday "seems to indicate that Corey Walters, 38, of Riverview, FL., instigated the confrontation that required medical treatment for him," police say.

Angel Little, 36, initially told Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police "the couple had been attacked, beaten, kicked in the head and face and robbed by five to six males who left in a maroon sports sedan. The video refutes most of the couples’ account of what started the conflict as well as the extent of their participation," police say.

According to police, the video shows Walters walking away and returning to confront two men standing on the sidewalk. "The confrontation increased between the men after Little walked up with her dog. It appears from the video she attempted to get between the men as her boyfriend struck one of them," police say.

"Other men, possibly those first identified as the assailants, approached to break up or join in the affray that crossed Bay Street several times before Walters was left lying on the sidewalk."

Robbery detectives continue to seek witnesses and the group of males to sort out discrepancies. They are described as being in their early 20s, clean shaven with short, groomed haircuts. They also are trying to identify the two men who were initially confronted by Walters.

Police continue to ask that anyone who may have been in the area of Bay and Bull streets about 2:15 a.m. and may have seen the confrontation to help provide information. They also are asking anyone who might know the participants to come forward.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with police anonymously.