Police arrested six people Tuesday and seized drugs, weapons and cash while searching two houses in Savannah’s Cuyler-Brownville neighborhood.

The raid by the Savannah-Chatham police department’s Central Precinct Tactical Investigation Unit officers, Crime Suppression Units from the Central and Islands precincts and the SWAT team culminated a long-term investigation into illegal activity in the two houses, said Julian Miller, metro police spokesman.

Those detained and later arrested and charged included:

• Shavar Levert Spence, 30, trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (four counts), possession of a firearm during commission of a crime, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, and possession of a controlled substance MDMA (Molly.)

• Blanche Renee Spence, 49, trafficking in cocaine and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

• Eurasia Shareka Shantell Williams, 24, trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance MDMA (Molly.)

• Akilah Laquana Colonel, 21, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

• LaJordan Christopher Johnson, 21, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

• Corinthian Lamar Colonel, 17, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

“This was a significant operation,” said Central Precinct Capt. DeVonn Adams. “The goal was not only to halt the sale of dangerous drugs but to protect this neighborhood. Those involved in drug operations like this also are involved in violent crimes and we found enough weaponry to inflict serious harm to a large number of people. The neighborhood is safer with these people, these weapons and these drugs off the street.”

SWAT officers surrounded and stormed the houses on the 2400 block of Harden Street and the 600 block of West 41st Street at 6 a.m. after determining that sales of marijuana, cocaine and the hallucinogens crystallized MDMA and Molly (Ecstacy) were being sold, Miller said.

The six occupants of the Harden Street house were initially detained then charged after TIU agents found drugs, handguns, semi-automatic weapons and a sub-machine gun, ammunition, various plastic baggies, body armor and tactical scope, scales and cellphones, Miller said.

Metro Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin said the TIU operation is indicative of what the public can expect from the department as it steps up its effort on street level drug sales and the violence that accompanies it.

Tuesday, just after 7 p.m., The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registry Tracking Unit working in conjunction with the United States Marshal’s Task Force was able to capture sex offender Daniel Counts, said Gena Bilbo, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. 

Counts had been listed as an absconder since January.

Counts was captured in Milbank, South Dakota. It was through the wonderful partnership forged with the citizens of the community that we were able to capture Counts, said Bilbo.

Law Enforcement received many anonymous calls in reference to Counts by concerned citizens who wished to aid in his capture.

Search registered sex offenders in the Coastal Empire.

Local narcotics agents on Tuesday arrested a Savannah man they say had about 10 ounces of marijuana with an estimated street value of up to $3,500.

Also seized were items commonly associated with marijuana distribution and more than $7,700 in cash, said Gene Harley, spokesman for the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.

CNT agents arrested Jyanza Green, 32, on several felony charges after they and members of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit executed a search warrant in the 200 block of Pine Grove Drive, Harley said. Charges CNT brought against Green include possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

Green was taken to the Chatham County jail and was denied bond Wednesday.

CNT’s investigation into Green began in December following information received from the sheriff’s office, Harley said. During a sheriff’s office operation, deputies received information Green was on federal release and possibly selling marijuana throughout Chatham County in areas including Georgetown and Pooler, Harley said.

CNT was familiar with Green after he was federally prosecuted following a CNT drug investigation. With the assistance of federal probation officers, CNT confirmed Green was transitioning between federal prison and probation, was registered at a residence on Pine Grove Drive and was wearing an ankle monitor. Green was set to be placed on federal probation in February. During the course of the investigation, undercover CNT agents made multiple purchases of marijuana from Green, who bragged about his previous federal arrest, Harley said.

Police last week charged a Pooler couple with first degree cruelty to children and said they kept one of their sons shackled to a bed when he wasn’t at school.

Daniel Bruce Kendzierski Jr., 37, and Christine Marie Kendzierski, 30, were arrested Jan. 15 after Pooler police performed a welfare check on their South Rogers Street home. They were following a tip from concerned residents whose child attends school with one of the Kendzierskis’ children.

Daniel Kendzierski was also charged with false imprisonment, another felony.

An officer met with the parents of a schoolmate of one of the Kendzierskis’ children at the Pooler police department Jan. 15, and they said their son was worried that a classmate was in danger. They showed police a photo of a child who had “obvious bruises, scratches and numerous marks on or about his face,” according to a police report, and said their son told them his classmate had been beaten by his father the night before for escaping from handcuffs.

Police then spoke to the concerned couple’s son, who told them the Kendzierskis’ son asked for help on the bus earlier in the day. He told police he had given the alleged victim handcuff keys a day earlier to help him, because apparently his parents put him in handcuffs every night.

The schoolmate told police that Kendzierskis’ son was “scared he was going to die one day from everything,” according to the report.

Police then went to visit the Kendzierskis on the 1100 block of South Rogers.

Officers reported that the inside of the home was in disarray, with a lot of trash and clutter. Police asked to speak to the alleged victim outside. He told police the family moved to Pooler from north Georgia in August, and his father and stepmother decided to punish him by cuffing him to the bed. He said he was handcuffed to his bed most of the day and night. He was only allowed to have the shackles removed to go to the bathroom, shower and sometimes eat in the bathroom or the living room, according to the report.

The alleged victim told police he received one meal a day, sometimes two.

He showed police bruises on his wrists, ankles, ribs, shoulders, stomach and face that he said were “beatings” he received from his dad for escaping from the shackles the night before. He said he was tired of being tied up and beaten, according to the report.

The child took police to his room, where they saw a stained mattress on a bed frame with no sheets. Shackles were attached to the frame at the foot of the bed, police reported.

The child told police that his legs were slid through the metal bars then shackled together so he could not slip his legs back through the bars. He showed police bruises on both ankles.

Also according to the report:

Daniel Kendzierski told police his son was being handcuffed for disciplinary reasons, described the child as “out of control,” and said no other types of discipline worked. Christine Kendzierski told police she’d had the shackles for more than 10 years, that she was punished the same way when she was younger and that she thought it was OK.

Daniel Kendzierski admitted to police that he got into a physical confrontation with his son the night before, that he “might have” struck him in the face and other parts of the body, and that the child “tends to fall on the floor and cover up when he is getting beat” and does not put up much resistance.

The Kendzierskis said they’d been cuffing the child to the bed for months, but they didn’t think it was hurting him.

A second child, the first one’s brother, told police he was forced to watch the shackled child and was responsible for feeding him.

Multiple juveniles in the home told officers that the first child had been living in confinement since August without any blankets or pillow on the bed.

The adult Kendzierskis told police they didn’t feel there was anything wrong with their disciplinary actions. They also said they knew that the child could die if some type of emergency, such as a fire, took place in the residence. They told police they would have gotten the other five children out first then gone back for the one shackled to the bed.

There were six children in the home. Police called the state Division of Family and Children Services and all were relocated that day. Both Kendzierskis were taken to the Chatham County jail, where bonds were set.

Police have arrested a third person in the ongoing homicide investigation into the death of a North Carolina man whose body was found near Georgetown late last month.

Army Spc. Bradley Bates, 22, turned himself in to authorities in Bulloch County on Monday and was transferred the next day to the Chatham County jail, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman. Bates is charged with murder, malice murder and possession of a firearm/knife in committing a crime.

Bates is a military policeman at Fort Stewart.

“Fort Stewart officials are fully aware of the arrest and allegations regarding Spc. Bates, and have been cooperating very closely with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department on this investigation,” said spokesman Kevin Larson.

On Saturday, metro police homicide detectives had arrested 23-year-old Kevin Da Palmer and 20-year-old Genevieve Elizabeth Meeks, both of Savannah, on the same charges Bates faces.

Additionally, Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team agents, working in conjunction with the metro police investigation, also charged Palmer and Meeks with possession of marijuana more than an ounce, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance (hash oil) and possession of tools for the commission of a crime, Miller said.

The investigation by violent crimes detectives had been ongoing since the body of William Fredric Whitsett was found near Ga. 204 just west of King George Boulevard on Dec. 23, Miller said. An autopsy revealed Whitsett was shot.

Whitsett was found by phone company workers at a construction area that morning, according to a police report.

Nineteen young Savannah business leaders were recognized Wednesday night for their selection to the ranks of the 2015 Generation NEXT: Savannah’s Rising Stars of Business.

For the fifth year in a row, Business in Savannah and Savannah magazine have joined forces to profile the area’s under-40 leaders who have distinguished themselves by their professional achievements and philanthropic service within Savannah and the Coastal Empire.

This year’s winners were honored during a celebration at Belford’s Seafood & Steaks at 315 W. St. Julian St. in City Market.

This year’s honorees:

• Cassie Beckwith, Hansen Architects.

• Josh Brooks, J.T. Turner Construction.

• Brent Burroughs, Burroughs Heat and Air.

• Jessica Deloach, Bernard Williams and Co.

• Rachel Fields, HunterMaclean.

• Jeffrey Heinz, Kaufman-Heinz.

• James William Hitch, Pan-Am Dental Inc.

• Ruel Joyner, 24e Design Co.

• Benjamin W. Karpf, Bouhan Falligant LLP.

• Kevin Lawver, Kodestars and Lynxsy.

• Stephen S. Leonard, Hancock Askew & Co. LLP.

• Quentin Marlin, Ellis, Painter, Ratteree and Adams LLP.

• Amanda Montford, Savannah Drywall Supply Inc.

• Marianne Ganem Poppell, Johnnie Ganem Wine and Package Shop.

• Morphia Scarlett, Healthy Savannah.

• Casey M. Schivera, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty.

• Eric Sharpe, Digital Doc.

• K. Lynn Tootle Jr., Gro-Masters Inc.

• Justin VanderBrink, Rives E. Worrell Co.

Winners of the 2015 Generation NEXT: Savannah’s Rising Stars of Business are featured in the January/February issue of Savannah magazine as well as the Jan. 21 issue of BiS.

ABOUT THE PUBLICATIONS

Business in Savannah (BiS) and Savannah Magazine are both publications of the Savannah Morning News.

The BiS section is included daily in the Savannah Morning News, and the monthly BiS has been published since July 2009. An enhanced, corresponding website with responsive design was launched recently at

businessinsavannah.com.

The bimonthly Savannah magazine (

SavannahMagazine.com) has been published for 25 years and is Savannah’s premier city magazine dedicated to covering Savannah’s unique cultural identity, including fashion, food, home and events.

The city of Savannah is joining forces with Georgia Power this week on a project to improve the streetscape and reduce tree-related problems on Savannah’s eastside.

On Wednesday, city and Georgia Power crews began removing 18 sweet gum trees on Harmon Street between Anderson and Waldburg streets and replacing them with 24 crape myrtles.

The sweet gums interfere with power lines, requiring regular maintenance to trim and cut back limbs, said Gordon Denney, interim director of the city’s Park and Tree department.

The crape myrtles will require less maintenance and create a more attractive streetscape, Denney said.

Once the trees are removed, the Savannah Youth Council will help plant the crape myrtles, which is expected to take place in mid-February, he said.

Savannah-Chatham Metro police will be operating radar hot spots along the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway.

Police remind drivers there is zero tolerance for speeding in school zones.

Read the obituaries.

Mr. George Aitken, Beaufort, SC

Dorothy Mae Barnes-Pelote, Savannah, GA

Mr. Philip Clifton Boggs, Savannah, GA

Mr. Abraham Brantley, Varnville, SC

Mr. Jessie Ezra Bush, Hazlehurst, GA

Mr. Willie Edon Cooper, Sr., Baxley, GA

Debra Sue Davidson, Claxton/Metter, GA

Yvonna Jean DeLoach, Claxton, GA

Mrs. Rebecca Polite Edwards, Savannah, GA

Betty Jane Eichenlaub, Savannah, GA

Mr. John Chritopher Ferreira, Falmouth, MA

Mr. Billy Joe Head, Savannah, GA

Mrs. Rubye F. Jenkins, Savannah, GA

Mrs. Helen S. Jones, Claxton, GA

Mr. Hamp Jurell Mackey, Glenwood, GA

Jontae Manor, Newport, VA

Mrs. Amy McDuffie-Sutton, Savannah, GA

Mrs. Gracie Thomas Moore, Savannah, GA

Mr. Jimmie W. Moore, Kite, GA

Mr. Richard Nizzi, Stillwell, GA

Sue Owen Peeler, Macon, GA

Mr. Simuel Franklin Postell, Jr., Savannah, GA

Mr. David Praylo, Savannah, GA

Mrs. Carole Tyler Rea, Garden City, GA

Mrs. Ruby Lee Jordan Robinson, Sylvania, GA

Alice Neville Seeburg, Beaufort, SC

Mr. Edward Smith, Savannah, GA

Emilie F. Stanley, Savannah, GA

Mr. Hubert Terrell, Hubert Community

Patricia Walker, Savannah, GA

Mr. Henry M. Westberry, Bloomingdale, GA

Mrs. Bettye A. Williams, Savannah, GA

Margaret Maria Woodcock, Charleston County

ATLANTA — Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 6.9 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.2 percent in November, The Georgia Department of Labor announced today. The rate in December of 2013 was 7.4 percent.

“We ended the year with our rate dropping below seven percent for the first time since last April,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “And, this was the first time in eight years that we’ve had job growth in December.”

The rate declined as holiday hiring boosted Georgia’s job total to 4,196,400, the highest level since 4,202,100 at the beginning of the recession in December 2007. Employers added 900 new jobs in December, up from 4,195,500 in November. Retail trade, warehousing and transportation, industries associated with holiday hiring, accounted for virtually all of the job growth.

“I’m especially pleased that we had very strong 2.7 percent over-the year job growth, which gave us our largest December-to-December growth since 1999,” Butler said. “And, when we look at the various sectors, we had four that grew by more than three percent – professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, construction, and trade and transportation.”

Georgia added 108,200 jobs since December of 2013, up from 4,088,200, with private industry accounting for 98.5 percent of the growth.

The over-the-year job gains were in professional and business services, 32,900; trade, transportation and warehousing, 26,800; leisure and hospitality, 18,900; education and health services, 10,900; manufacturing, 6,700; construction, 4,900; information services, 2,800; other services, 2,000; government, 1,600; and financial services, 1,000.

There were 57,510 new claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed in December. Of that number, 27,868, or 48.5 percent, were temporary claims filed mostly in textile manufacturing and construction due to seasonal layoffs. Additional temporary or partial claims were filed in administrative and support services and accommodations and food services.

Overall, new claims, including seasonal and other layoffs, were up by 102 percent from 28,465 in November. However, they were down by 12.7 percent from 65,889 in December of 2013. Most of the over-the-year decline came in manufacturing and construction.

Savannah-Chatham police joined Wayne County’s Sheriff’s Office in the search for 85-year-old Merrill “Jean” Dubberly, an Alzheimer’s patient who has been missing for more than 48 hours.

After following multiple leads, metro’s Central Precinct officers have been unable to find Dubberly, said Eunicia Baker, police spokeswoman.

Dubberly is a white male, standing 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 185 pounds. He has blue eyes and gray hair. He was last seen in Wayne County wearing a gray derby hat, dark blue Carhartt jacket, blue jeans and silver-rimmed glasses. He wears silver watches on both wrists.

Anyone with information on Dubberly’s location should call 911 immediately.

Chatham County health inspection scores for restaurants, bars and other food services have been updated through today.

Search our database by name, city, grade or date of inspection to find scores.

Health inspection scores provided by the Chatham County Health Department. For questions about the scores, contact the department at (912) 356-2160. Scores are updated monthly.

Jail bookings from Jan. 21–20 for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted.

Click through this slideshow to view photos and information obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department. All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

Find previous jail bookings at http://savannahnow.com/booked.

Open house showings in Savannah, Richmond Hill and other communities this weekend (Jan.24-25) are now posted. 

Click here to view a slideshow of photos featuring house descriptions, prices, locations and links to a full listing with open house times.

Savannah-Chatham police say a man was shot on the city's east side Thursday afternoon.

A man in his early 20s showed up at the W.W. Law library on East Bolton street about 4:30 p.m. suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He told officers he had been shot a few blocks away, on the 1100 block of East Park Avenue, said police at the scene.

He was taken to Memorial University Medical Center with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening.

Violent crimes detectives and forensics officers were investigating. 

No further information was immediately available.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020.

Calvary boys and girls sweep Montgomery Co.

Senior AJ Keene scored 14 points, dished out three assists and had four steals to help lead the Calvary Day boys basketball team to a 71-54 win over visiting Montgomery County on Thursday.

Tyrone Riley, who has committed to play football at Kentucky, had 10 points and 13 rebounds and Robert Heyward contributed 15 points for the Cavaliers, who improved to 9-9 on the season. Shaw Robinson led the Eagles with 16 points.

CALVARY DAY 71,

MONTGOMERY COUNTY 54

MONTGOMERY COUNTY (54)

Troupe 2, Manning 2, Shaw Robinson 16, Jahleel Wilson 10, White 9, Coglin 5, Rouse 4, Harvey 4, Hollis 2.

CDS (71)

AJ Keene 14, Baham 9, Tyrone Riley 10, Robert Heyward 15, Donaldson 6, Elton 2, Bell 7, Jenkins 8.

Halftime—MC 29-27. Records—CDS 9-9. MC 6-10.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

CALVARY DAY 55,

MONTGOMERY COUNTY 20

Abigail Lewis scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Calvary.

Catie Thomas added 11 points and Nyjah Parker had seven points and eight rebounds.

Sharanda Johnson had 10 points for Montgomery County.

CALVARY DAY (55)

Turner 4, Magwood 5, Rice 6, Abigail Lewis 15, B. Porter 4, Q. Porter 3, Catie Thomas 11, Parker 7.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY (20)

Meriman 1, Miller 3, Sharanda Johnson 10, Brown 4, Robinson 2.

Halftime—CDS 32-9. Record—CDS 16-2.

An accident has closed Abercorn Street at Stephenson Avenue in both directions.

Motorists should seek alternate routes.

Jail bookings from Jan. 22–23 for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted.

Click through this slideshow to view photos and information obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

Find previous jail bookings at http://savannahnow.com/booked.

Robbery detectives from the Savannah-Chatham police department are seeking help from the public in identifying a male who robbed the Burger King on MLK Boulevard on Monday and locating the SUV used in his getaway.

The black male, wearing a burgundy hooded sweatshirt and black basketball shorts, entered the restaurant on the 600 block of MLK about 9:30 p.m., produced a gun and forced a cashier to empty the cash drawer, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

He left with another black male in a yellow, newer model Nissan Xterra.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with police anonymously.

The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts has released salaries for fiscal year 2014 for public school employees.

Search our database by name, title or school board to discover pay for employees in Chatham, Bryan, Bulloch, Effingham and Liberty counties. 

All information provided by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts.