Gov. Deal on Kemp-Abrams race: 'It should be over'
Gov. Nathan Deal isn't holding back his thoughts about the ongoing saga involving the race for Georgia governor. When Channel 2's Richard Elliot asked him about it, he said he was only a spectator but added that if there are any problems with the elections, he thinks Georgia should address them, not the federal courts. It was a confusing morning at the state Capitol as Stacey Abrams supporters and Democratic leaders had some difficulty coordinating their news conferences. However, they said that was nothing compared to the confusion some voters had during the election. They want more ballots counted and believe Abrams is close to forcing a runoff. TRENDING STORIES: Kemp's lead shrinks, Abrams to file new lawsuit Kemp calls Abrams' refusal to concede 'a disgrace to democracy' Kemp vs. Abrams: Georgia governor's race by the numbers Republican candidate Brian Kemp’s people sent Elliot an email about an hour ago reiterating their belief that the election is over. They believe Kemp won and they are accusing Abrams’ people of reporting fake vote totals and of holding desperate news conferences. When it comes to this election, right now, there’s no end in sight. [PHOTOS: Several protesters arrested in election protest at Capitol] Elsewhere at the Capitol, a Senate public safety committee is looking into the arrest of a state senator during a vocal protest on Tuesday. Elliot spoke with state Sen. Nikema Williams, who said, 'Never did I imagine that my day would end up with me being in jail.' Williams appeared alongside fellow Democrats and Abrams supporters at the news conference earlier in the day. 'I’m being arrested because I refused to leave the floor of a body that I serve in,' she said at the time of her arrest Tuesday. A total of 15 people were arrested for allegedly causing a disruptive protest without a proper permit while the House was still in session. Police charged Williams with what is essentially disorderly conduct, and after spending five hours in jail, she was released. 'While I do regret that Capitol police made the decision that I think was unlawful to arrest me, I don’t regret standing with my constituents. I don’t regret standing up for what I know was fair and just and right,' she said. Elliot asked Deal about the protests and the arrests. He didn’t want to comment on Williams’ arrest but he said he didn’t think the protestors should have been demonstrating loudly inside the Capitol without a permit. 'We have the entire Liberty Plaza that was dedicated to the purpose of people who wanted to do lawful demonstrations, and that was available. It was raining, but it was still available,' he said.
60-year-old woman found dead in home; Investigators call death suspicious
Authorities in Gwinnett County are investigating a 60-year-old woman’s death. Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas has learned police were called to the woman’s home on Stone Mountain Street in downtown Lawrenceville Wednesday afternoon. The woman was found dead inside by her brother around 3:30 p.m. when he and neighbors couldn't get ahold of her all day. Police are calling her death suspicious and a homicide investigation has been launched. Thomas is at the scene working to learn more information about this developing story. WATCH Channel 2 Action News RIGHT NOW for updates. TRENDING STORIES: PHOTOS: 15 arrested during election protest at state Capitol 4 women wore banned hoodies inside mall to 'prove a point' about racial profiling More children getting sick from rare illness leaving many paralyzed, CDC says Woman goes to Mexico for cheap nose surgery, comes home in a coma Thomas was told that the woman lived at the house alone but was known as very friendly in the neighborhood. 'She was the nicest lady and nicest neighbor,' one woman told Thomas. Neighbors have been showing up at the scene remembering the woman. 'I used to go up there and cut her grass sometimes. Whoever did this, they should be ashamed of themselves,' Kevin Brass told Thomas. Video from the scene shows yellow crime tape surrounding the woman's home. There are also several police cars with flashing lights. Thomas arrived shortly after detectives and watched as they carried evidence bags from the front porch.
Man escapes jail, stops for pancakes, gets busted again … with his mom
A man is back behind bars after his mother helped him escape from jail and then they stopped for pancakes on their way home. The Heard County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen that Joshua Gullat was working his cleaning detail of mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms at the county jail when he slipped out a door. Gullat, who was serving time for burglary, slipped out a side door around 11:30 p.m. on Monday to a getaway car that his mother, Kathy Pence, was driving. Investigators say earlier that night, Gullat made a phone call instructing his mom about where to pick him up. TRENDING STORIES: Student stabbed during fight at metro Atlanta high school, witnesses say Judge to make potentially significant ruling on Georgia absentee ballots Flash Flood Watch in effect for Georgia; Several more inches of rain expected 'And it just so happened, during that phone call, she was being stopped by the city of Franklin, because she ran a stop sign,' Heard County Sgt. Dan Boswell told Petersen. Detectives listened to the call, which the jail records, and then talked to the Franklin police officer who pulled over Gullat's mother to learn what she was driving. Investigators told Petersen that they tracked Pence's cellphone to a Coweta County IHOP restaurant, where they found mother and son in a booth. 'He said they were sitting at the table eating. He was sitting with two of his kids at the table. His mom, him and two of his children,' Boswell said. Detectives say the children are now with their mother. Meantime, deputies say Gullat was about to be transferred to a work-release program. Instead, he will likely face more jail time, along with his mother.
