Georgia
2 inmates charged with murder escape from Georgia jail
Calling 911: What you need to know
Calling 911 is for emergencies only, but what counts as an emergency?
Authorities in Georgia asked for the public’s assistance on Monday, Feb. 9, after two inmates facing violent crime charges escaped from jail over the weekend.
Two inmates escaped custody from the Sumter County Jail at around 9:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 8, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The Sumter County Jail is located in Americus, Georgia, a small city about 139 miles south of Atlanta.
The inmates, identified as Ricky Martin, 20, and Kentravious Holmes, 21, were being held on multiple charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery, according to the sheriff’s office. The escape prompted a widespread search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, and authorities released a be on the lookout, or BOLO, alert for the inmates on the morning of Monday, Feb. 9.
Authorities did not immediately release details on how the inmates escaped, but Sheriff Eric Bryant told local television station WALB that investigators were “still following up on different things that we’re finding inside the building.”
The sheriff added that it appears that there was “some type of mechanical failure with the locking system” at the facility, according to WALB.
During a news conference on Monday, Feb. 9, Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said the inmates were spotted in a stolen vehicle by license plate cameras, WALB reported. One of the inmates has family and other potential contacts in Albany, Georgia, a city about 38 miles south of Americus, Persley said.
It was unclear if escaped inmates were still in the area. Authorities have asked anyone with information on the inmates and their whereabouts to call 911 or contact the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and the Albany Police Department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment on Monday, Feb. 9.
Escaped inmates were arrested in connection with separate shootings
The sheriff’s office described Martin as 5 feet, 4 inches in height and weighing about 120 pounds, with “un-twisted dreads.”
Holmes was described as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing about 155 pounds, “with un-twisted dreads, and multiple tattoos on his face and neck, including a ‘$’ sign, a broken heart, and ‘Baby Kay’ over his right eye,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Martin was booked into the Sumter County Jail in February 2025 after he was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He was arrested in connection with a shooting in Americus that left two dead and another injured.
At the time, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said local police responded to a shooting on Feb. 8, 2025, and discovered multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Peyton Brielle Roberts, 5, died after being transported to the hospital, while a 19-year-old, later identified as Jotavis Roshon Leverette, died from his injuries at a hospital.
Holmes was arrested in May 2025 and transported to the Sumter County Jail, according to the Americus Police Department. He was accused of fatally shooting 21-year-old Amon Kevone Harvey in April 2025, WALB reported at the time.
Recent jailbreaks across the United States
The escape in Georgia comes after three inmates fled from a county jail east of Atlanta in December. The three inmates, including one charged with murder, were captured about a day after their escape.
Earlier that month, another Georgia inmate escaped from custody at a hospital and used ride-hailing services, including an Uber ride, to evade sheriff’s deputies. The inmate, identified as Timothy Shane, 52, was captured after about three days in Covington, Georgia, a small city outside Atlanta, authorities said.
On Dec. 19, authorities arrested the last of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail in early December by removing mortar and concrete blocks from a degraded part of a wall.
In June 2025, a former Arkansas police chief, convicted murderer and rapist Grant Hardin, was recaptured after a 12-day manhunt. Hardin had escaped from prison disguised as a guard and made it only a mile from the facility before he was found.
Earlier in the year, 10 inmates brazenly escaped from a New Orleans jail. Authorities said the inmates fled through a hole in a cell wall after ripping away a toilet and sink unit on the morning of May 16, 2025.
Most of the escapees were caught in the weeks after, and since then, multiple people have been charged with helping the inmates escape or stay on the run. The final inmate was recaptured Oct. 8 in Atlanta, nearly five months after the escape.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and N’dea Yancey-Bragg
Georgia
Ga. lawmakers propose changes to state’s early voting process
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – State legislators are considering more changes to Georgia’s voting law, proposing a new bill that would alter the way early voters cast ballots.
State Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming, introduced SB 568 this week. The proposal would assign early voters to one precinct in their county. Currently, voters can cast early votes at any precinct in their county.
It would also move early voting to a hand-marked paper ballot system, where voters use a pen to mark their selections, instead of the currently used touchscreen system.
“So that we would not have to print so many permutations at the paper ballots, we would assign voters to an early voting location,” said Dolezal. “Most people are going to vote to the at the early voting location closest to their home anyway.”
The bill was immediately met with backlash from democrats as a barrier to the vote.
“I have no idea how voting on a piece of paper, marking it down with your pencil in any way suppresses the vote,” said Dolezal. “For most counties out of, you know, 140 call it out of 159, they just have one location.”
Dolezal’s proposal would also require local clerks to publicly post their entire voting rolls ahead of elections.
“Making public every single voter who is qualified to vote is to some extent, a little bit of an invasion of privacy for each individual voter,” said state Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-Atlanta). “We need to have trust in our election officials to run those elections.”
It’s the latest change the legislature has proposed to Georgia’s voting system.
“You have dirty, dirty voting rolls, you’re going to have dirty elections,” Dolezal said.
The bill would also shift responsibility for voter challenges from the counties to the State Elections Board. In addition, it would also move the threshold for an automatic recount in the state from a 1.5% margin to 2%.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Georgia
No. 3 Georgia to Host Top-Ranked Auburn for Regular Season Finale – University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia fell at Auburn 14-6 to wrap up the fall slate of their season. The overall record against the Tigers currently stands at 31-31, including a 13-7 record in Bishop.
During their National Championship run in the 2024-25 season, the Mane Dawgs faced off against Auburn on three separate occasions. Georgia was victorious at home, 11-9, before falling on the road, 11-8. In the quarterfinals of the NCEA National Championships in Ocala, the Bulldogs stunned the second-ranked Tigers, 13-4, en route to their eighth National Championship title.
Georgia returns to action following a trip to Blythewood, South Carolina, to take on the third-ranked Gamecocks.
Top-ranked Auburn travels to Bishop after hosting No. 4 SMU at home the prior weekend. The Tigers defeated the Mustangs 13-7 and swept all four MOP honors.
Following the conclusion of the meet, Georgia will honor their seven seniors for their dedication and contributions to the program.
The meet will be streamed on SECN+ at https://gado.gs/e7v, and live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/e7w.
HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
JOIN OUR MANE DAWGS FUND: Mane Dawgs Fund contributions make a direct impact in supporting our student-athletes and equines at the Georgia Equestrian program. A gift to the Mane Dawgs fund helps provide resources such as equipment upgrades for our student and equine athletes, travel assistance, and enhance overall team experiences. Contributions to the Mane Dawgs provide benefits such as membership gifts and information about upcoming special events. Click here for more information.
Georgia
Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will be paid equally in 2026 after receiving raises, according to an Athens Banner-Herald report.
Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are coming off a second consecutive SEC championship season and College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal appearance.
lliw ot eht eht ees .nosaes nosaes deviecer yap raey-eno noillim noillim edam tsal esaercni sih eh morf rof noisnetxe tcartnoc dna a oboB 6202 )%64( 2.2$ 305.1$
saw ot tes suoiverp rep ekam ni ni sih ,noisnetxe tcartnoc .yluJ ,oboB 6202 306.1$
.raey htiw ,raey-eerht eht eht taht yldetroper rep evisneffo noillim noillim si ni diap-tsehgih rotanidrooc tcartnoc segareva a sieW CES s’USL .rJ eilrahC 5.7$ 5.2$
hcihw saw pot ot emit driht eht eht eht eht s’noitan ni eh sah seog rof rof tsilanif tsilanif .hcaoc reerac neeb ,drawa tnatsissa a a s’tI selyorB s’oboB oboB .drawA 5202
eerht eht eht gnitrats .sretrats htxis ,gnirocs deknar kcabretrauq stniop rep evisneffo esneffo wen noitan enil ni ni ni ,emag raey-tsrif gnirutaef dniheb gnigareva dna dna na ehT notkcotS CES rennuG ’sgodlluB 1.23 ht82
gnitov rednu siht eht htneves .nosaes ni dehsinif noitcerid yhporT notkcotS namsieH s’oboB
enoz htiw saw deit deit nwod-driht driht eht eht eht gnirocs der yalp egatnecrep egatnecrep egatnecrep fo noitan noitan noitan ni ni ni ni ni .)slaog nwod-htruof rof rof dleif noisrevnoc noisrevnoc ,gnillac tub dna dna ,osla AGU s’oboB dn23 ,02 ht01 )057. snwodhcuot( 51(
lliw pu ot nosaes noillim noillim tsal og morf tcartnoc osla s’nnamuhcS .)%01( 2.2$ 300.2$
ot taht taht gnitrats tes deviecer esiar ylsuoiverp ylsuoiverp noillim ekam ekil dedulcni mih dah dah rotalacse esualc a a ,nnamuhcS yluJ ,oboB .1 301.2$ 000,001$
sdray siht eht eht dnoces gnidne-nosaes ,nosaes gnirocs deknar stniop stniop rep noitan ssol ni ni ni ni ni ,emag retrauq-htruof neve esnefed dna dna gniwolla gniwolla retfa a CES .snaelrO elO weN ssiM aigroeG 374 ,43-93 02 75.71 ht01
.raey htiw ot raey-eerht eht taht taht noitisop rep diap noillim si ni tsehgih evisnefed rotanidrooc tcartnoc hcaoc deveileb eb segareva a lliW ’saxeT pmahcsuM 8.2$
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology7 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics7 days agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT