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Woman goes 'crazy' at gas station
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A Decatur woman reportedly went "crazy" at a gas station Monday.

A report from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was dispatched to the Texaco Food Mart, 3633 Salem Road, in reference to a damage-to-property call.

Dispatch notified the deputy that a customer was inside the store, "going crazy." When the deputy arrived, he took Leneka McNeal, 22, into custody without incident.

A clerk told the deputy that McNeal was yelling at other customers and became angry with them. The clerk also said McNeal started throwing items and damaging products.

McNeal was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing/damage to property. She was taken to the Newton County Jail.

Hotel guest leaves bill, damages

A man who stayed at the Covington Lodge reportedly damaged some air-conditioning units and left an unpaid balance for his stay there.

A report from the Covington Police Department said an officer responded to the Covington Lodge on City Pond Road on Dec. 14.

An employee told the officer that while cleaning the room of a tenant, later identified as Richard English, staff noticed the AC unit had been tampered with and its coils had been removed.

The employee and the hotel manager showed the officer the coils that were found in the room.

The employee said that in another hotel room where English had stayed previously, it was discovered that the AC unit wasn’t working when another guest rented the room.

According to the report, hotel staff found shavings from the AC unit on the floor, along with pipe fittings and other AC coils that did not match the units used at the hotel.

The employee told the officer that a few days earlier, English was escorted off the property by police because he had refused to leave after reportedly not paying his bill.

English stayed at the hotel Nov. 20-Dec. 13, the report said, and has an outstanding balance of $120.50 for his hotel stay. The damage to the AC unit reportedly totaled about $700.

April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.