News Nearby: Woman Dies After Hit by Own Car; GBI Investigates Police Chief

Woman Struck by Own Vehicle Dies – Canton-Sixes Patch

Mary Cantrell, the 69-year-old woman who was flown to Grady Hospital in Atlanta after she was struck by her own vehicle on Wednesday, has died.

"The victim was taken off life support and was pronounced as dead at 3 p.m.," Det. Candy Worthy of the  said in an email this afternoon. "Her injuries were consistent with generalized massive trauma to the head and body. Our prayers are with her family."

At about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, Cantrell's Jeep Liberty "had some issue with the emergency brake," Worthy said in an earlier email to Canton-Sixes Patch. For more on this story, visit Canton-Sixes Patch.

– Oconee Patch

Ivy Merck, 24, has been reported as missing by the Camden County Sheriff's Office. Merck is a UGA graduate and is originally from Camden County.

Merck lives and works in the Athens-Clarke County area but is believed to have been in Camden County recently. .

– Dunwoody Patch

Dunwoody Democrats have a chance to see President Barack Obama's acceptance speech in person at next week's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.

The DeKalb Democratic Party sent out this message Thursday night.

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO CHARLOTTE AND BE THERE IN PERSON FOR THE PRESIDENTS"S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH?
 

Everyone who is at Manuel's Tavern or the Bibb County Democratic Party by noon is eligible for two tickets. Arrive early if you want, but it won't give you a better chance to win. Just be there by 12 noon! .

– Cumming Patch

There is still no end in sight to the Cumming-Forsyth County water war following an hour-long called meeting of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Thursday that ended without a vote on the issue.

A 25-year contract that governed the price and amount of water the city sells to the county expired in May and the city has threatened to cut off the county's raw water supply if a new contract isn't signed by Oct. 1. Cumming Mayor Ford Gravitt said the city will continue to sell the county treated water at a rate of $2.50 per 1,000 gallons, but will not sell raw water at the old rate of 10 cents per 1,000 gallons without a signed contract.

Chairman Jim Boff and Commissioner Todd Levent say the city signed a "bullet point" agreement in May that would have resolved the matter but the city reneged on the deal. .

– Peachtree Corners Patch

A small sinkhole has developed on Engineering Drive Thursday causing the Georgia Department of Transportation to close a portion of the road.

"Engineering Drive from Spalding Drive to SR 141 is closed for drainage repairs," said a GDOT spokesperson. "The detour route will be Spalding Drive to SR 141 to Engineering Drive and the reverse."

According to GDOT, it will be two weeks before the road is reopened to traffic. .

GBI seizes financial records in probe of Clayton police chief – AJC.com

GBI and Clayton County investigators seized financial records detailing pay police Chief Greg Porter received during his previous part-time job with the local DUI court. Porter is being investigated by the state for theft by deception and making false statements related to his off-duty work.

“This is a crime scene,” a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent said Thursday when visitors tried to enter the Clayton County Finance Department.

Several hours later two GBI agents and an investigator from the Clayton district attorney’s office left the county office building with two boxes of documents. They later took another two boxes from the location where the county’s archived records are stored.