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VOLUME 25, NUMBER 37
DECEMBER 27, 2019
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Voices of Faith Ministries showers single mom with donations after rats destroyed her furniture
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ennice Lovelace and her 8-year-old daughter received an outpouring of support from her church family, Voices of Faith Ministries, after the congregation learned that rats had destroyed all of her furniture at People Self Storage on Salem Road in Covington. Lovelace put her furniture in storage for six month after losing her home when her hours were cut at UPS, where she worked. When she got back on her feet, she found that her furniture was ruined while in storage. Three days before Christmas, congregation members at the church’s Stone Mountain and Conyers campuses showered Lovelace with an abundance of donations and offers to help her set up her two-bedroom apartment. A long line formed during all three of the church’s worship services. “This is a woman who has been very faithful. She never stop coming to church and praising the Lord, in spite of all that she was going through. She
The Toney Valley Civic Association in District 3 received the Ernest Prather Community Award, which was accepted by Barbara J. Mobley.
21st Annual Tree of Love assists needy families, celebrates community champions
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department store, also honors community champions. “We look forward to giving back to the community and helping the least of these by providing presents to those who may not otherwise receive anything for Christmas,” Johnson said. “We also salute those who have given throughout the year through various projects and initiatives.” This year, the Toney Valley Civic Association in District 3 received the Ernest Prather Community Award, which was accepted by Barbara J. Mobley. The 37-year-old civic association hosts various fundraisers such as its Black & White Mask Ball, held in October, to raise funds to support the nonprofit’s annual student scholarship awards, Neighborhood Watch and Safety,
24 men indicted in “Operation Interception” child sex sting
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SEE DONATION page 7
eKalb County District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson served more than 500 needy children this holiday season through his annual Tree of Love celebration, and honored community champions who are making a difference in the lives of others. Johnson’s program, in its 21st year, assists children in foster care, as well as low-income and singleparent households. Community residents and others buy Christmas presents for the families after picking their names from the Tree of Love. The gifts are presented to the families on the Saturday before Christmas during a holiday program that includes music, entertainment and greetings from elected officials. The program, held at The Gallery at South DeKalb mall, outside Macy’s
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Votin’ In The Valley, Toney Valley clean-ups, Breakfast with Santa, The Toney Voice newsletter, Toney Elementary School partnerships through donated books, community garden, staff and administration recognition and other projects. Joseph Little received the Lou Walker Citizen Award for his commitment in volunteering for 17 years in District 3. Johnson said Little helps recruit other volunteers and “comes early and stays late” for events and community activities. Johnson also paid a special tribute to his mother, the late Diana M. Johnson, who passed away in 2017. Johnson said he used his own personal money to fund the award in his mother’s memory because he appreciated the sacrifice that she made in
SEE TREE page 7
DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted 24 men for allegedly soliciting minors for sex in connection with a multi-jurisdictional undercover operation that took place in early 2019. The suspects charged in the “Operation Interception” sting range in age from 20 to 55 time of the crime. The men were charged with at least one count of Utilizing an Electronic Device to Seduce, Solicit, or Entice a Child, in separate indictments returned by Grand Jurors this month. Other charges included Human Trafficking, Criminal Attempt to Commit Aggravated Child Molestation, and Obscene Internet Contact with a Child. The charges against the defendants stem from a five-day undercover operation based in Brookhaven beginning January 30, 2019 through Super Bowl weekend in Atlanta. According to the investigation, the men contacted decoys online, believing they were 14-year-old children, and either engaged in sexually explicit conversations with them and/or distributed obscene photographs to them. Many traveled to Brookhaven with the intent of meeting a child for sex. They were instead arrested by undercover agents after arriving at the designated meeting location. The operation was coordinated by the GBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Brookhaven Police Department. Following indictment, the defendants will be scheduled for arraignment and later, trial. The cases are being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children (SECAC) Unit, which conducted an extensive preindictment investigation. The list of the defendants and the charges on which they were indicted are outlined as follows:
See Defendant chart on page 7