Georgia

Suspect in Georgia student’s death arrested multiple times since illegally entering U.S.

Published

2 years ago

February 26, 2024

Suspect in Georgia student’s death arrested multiple times since illegally entering U.S.

Rosie Manins
| Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The suspect charged in the death of nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the University of Georgia campus has been arrested by federal and local authorities in multiple jurisdictions since unlawfully entering the country in 2022, authorities said. There was a bench warrant for his arrest stemming from an earlier incident at the time of Riley’s death, records show.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Sept. 8, 2022, after unlawfully entering the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Sunday. The agency said that it lodged a detainer after its Enforcement and Removal Operations unit in Atlanta encountered Ibarra on Friday following his arrest on murder charges.

More: Police questioning ‘person of interest’ in death of Georgia nursing student

On Oct. 27, 2023, Ibarra, 26, and his brother Diego Jose Ibarra, 29, were issued citations after being accused of shoplifting and given information about a pre-arrest diversion program, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police report. Local authorities allege about $200 worth of clothing and food was stolen from a Walmart, records show.

The brothers, from Venezuela, had been separately apprehended by U.S. border patrol agents near El Paso, Texas, and released to New York pending adjudication of their asylum claims, authorities said.

The Athens Walmart incident occurred about a month after Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested in New York and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child and a motor vehicle license violation.

A bench warrant was issued for Jose Ibarra’s arrest on Dec. 20 after he failed to appear in court, records show. He was arrested in Athens by University of Georgia Police on Friday and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of Riley.

The body of Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was found Thursday in a wooded area near UGA’s intramural fields after she went for a run and didn’t return home. Investigators believe she died from blunt force trauma. Jose Ibarra’s arrest warrant, obtained by the AJC on Monday, said Jose Ibarra committed aggravated battery against Riley by “disfiguring her skull,” and concealed her death by “dragging the victim to a secluded area.” The crimes occurred between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, the warrant states.

Diego Ibarra was also apprehended Friday and charged by federal prosecutors with possessing a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card.

In a statement to the AJC on Monday, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said its officers don’t have immediate access to immigration status governed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“The general process of identifying and removing non-citizens with criminal or pending criminal charges arrested by state and local law enforcement agencies is handled during the booking process by the law enforcement agency responsible for the jail,” the department said. “In our jurisdiction, that is the Clarke County Jail.”

A complaint in a Georgia federal court states that Diego Ibarra was apprehended by U.S. border patrol agents in late April 2023. He was processed for immediate removal from the United States, but claimed a credible fear of returning to Venezuela and was released to New York pending adjudication of his claim for asylum.

Venezuelans are given special immigration status by the Biden administration as millions flee political repression and poverty.

Diego Ibarra has not applied for or lawfully obtained a permanent resident card, the complaint states.

Reports from Athens-Clarke County Police indicate Diego Ibarra first came to the attention of local officers when he was arrested in late September. Police say he was driving 80 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone while under the influence of alcohol and without a license. He told the arresting officer he’d consumed seven beers, records show.

Two days later, Diego Ibarra was charged with criminal trespass stemming from a domestic incident, records show. In December, records show he was charged with shoplifting from the same Walmart a second time.

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Georgia

A council meeting is called in a small Georgia town whose mayor fired the entire police department

Published

12 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

A council meeting is called in a small Georgia town whose mayor fired the entire police department

COHUTTA, Ga. (AP) — The town council in a small north Georgia mountain community called a special meeting Friday evening to discuss reinstating the police department after the mayor fired the chief and all the officers.

The notice for the meeting, posted outside the Cohutta Town Hall, says the council will also consider a request for the mayor’s “immediate resignation.”

Another sign posted earlier this week in the town of about 930 people announced that the police department had been dissolved “per Mayor Ron Shinnick.” It told people who need help to call a non-emergency county number.

The jobs of the chief and about 10 officers were terminated as of Wednesday morning. Exact reasons haven’t been shared publicly, and townspeople are hoping to get some answers at Friday’s meeting.

Shinnick said he took action because of some comments officers posted on social media. The now-former Sgt. Jeremy May said it involved a complaint that he and other officers had raised about the mayor’s wife Pam Shinnick, who had served as the town clerk.

“This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly believe that,” May told WRCB-TV. “We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs.”

The now-former Cohutta Police Chief Greg Fowler told WRCB that he couldn’t comment in detail as the officers were clearing out the police department and removing equipment from the building this week. The mayor told the station he’s not sure what will happen next.

Phone calls and emails left Friday by The Associated Press for Shinnick and the town’s attorney were not immediately returned.

With no police officers working, the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said in a brief statement that deputies will help the townspeople if they need it. Cohutta, just south of the Tennessee line, is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta.

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Georgia

If Georgia Democrats want to win the governorship, we must let Republicans in

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

If Georgia Democrats want to win the governorship, we must let Republicans in

Opinion

Former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has the best shot at defeating the GOP in November’s general election.

Democratic candidate for governor Geoff Duncan walks in to file paperwork to run for election at the Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

By Michèle Taylor – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

42 minutes ago

I was fresh out of college when I worked on my first presidential campaign for the Democratic candidate in 1988.

Over the years, I have worked on campaigns across Georgia and the nation. I have served as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee’s national finance committee and as our country’s United Nations human rights ambassador under President Joe Biden.

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Biden and Obama both evolved in their political positions

Ambassador Michèle Taylor is a lifelong Democrat who served in the Biden administration. She is a professor of the practice at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. (Courtesy)

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Duncan showed he is willing to fight against Trump

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Georgia

Injured US military veterans find relief and awe swimming with a whale shark at Georgia Aquarium – The Boston Globe

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Injured US military veterans find relief and awe swimming with a whale shark at Georgia Aquarium – The Boston Globe

ATLANTA (AP) — Swimming with manta rays, giant groupers, and even a whale shark brought joy and excitement to a group of injured U.S. military veterans who got to experience the healing power of water and wildlife at the Georgia Aquarium.

The swim Wednesday at the aquarium in Atlanta also gave the U.S. service people who are part of the Wounded Warrior Project a much needed respite from their recovery and the stresses of life. The organization works with injured and wounded veterans and their families.

“It gives them, you know, 30 or 40 minutes to just relax,” said Jason Bush, manager of the aquarium’s Military Salute program, which once a week brings members of the armed forces to swim or dive with marine animals.

Quentin Collins, with the Wounded Warrior Project, prepared to swim at the Georgia Aquarium.Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

A person took a video of the participants with the Wounded Warrior Project swimming at the Georgia Aquarium, on Wednesday.Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

“Whether it’s swimming in the water or scuba diving in particular, you’re weightless,” he added. “So physically, it takes away even for a moment physical pain that you feel when you’re on land.”

The military veterans snorkeled or swam with the giant whale shark, Yushan, stingrays, and a variety of other marine animals. After being rescued from a Taiwanese fish market several years ago, Yushan is the only whale shark in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, according to aquarium officials.

“They go in nervous and they come out saying it’s the best experience they’ve had in their life,” Bush said.

William Mund, a U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, said the water helps with his blood flow. His swim with the whale shark was a “once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he said.

U.S. Army Col. Quentin Collins was wounded twice in Iraq – once by a mortar and then a second time when he drove over an improvised explosive device. Collins, who is paralyzed, said his favorite part was “surfing” with the whale shark.

Lee Menzies, with the Wounded Warrior Project, swam on Wednesday.Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Antwain D'Angelo Vaughn — Antwain D’Angelo Vaughn “Dee” with the Wounded Warrior Project participated in the Veterans Immersion Program on Wednesday.Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

“Actually, its wake pulled me with it,” a joyous Collins said. “So I was swimming forward and the next thing I know, I’m going backwards and I realized the whale shark is right below me.”

Quentin had not been in the water since 2020 because of his injuries. His son, Ian Collins, got to witness his it.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see my dad being able to enjoy things he couldn’t anymore,” he said. “It’s a great thing to see.”