Regional Roundup: Two Drown in Lake Lanier, Multi-State Police Chase, and Grill Fire Damages Trailer

-- Loganville-Grayson Patch

The Gainesville Times is reporting that the two people who drowned in Lake Lanier Saturday were a Lawrenceville father and his stepson. Authorities reported that the bodies of Jose Alfredo Benitez, 40, and Carlos Amaya, 14, of Lawrenceville, were recovered Saturday night. They had disappeared underwater in the area of Mountain View Park off of Browns Bridge Road.

According to reports, the teen became distressed earlier in the day while trying to swim across a cove. They both drowned when his stepfather came to his aid.

– Cartersville Patch

A multi-state, high-speed chase ended in Cartersville when a suspect in a Kentucky homicide shot himself.

The chase began in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and had continued south on Interstate 75. Bartow County Sheriff’s Office deputies became involved when the chase entered the county about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The suspect’s vehicle reached speeds up to 120 mph during the chase. The pursuit ended after law enforcement officials used stop sticks and the P.I.T. maneuver. The driver was air lifted to a regional hospital in a Life Force helicopter following a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

I-75 was partially shut down for three hours as a result of the incident.

-- Barrow Patch

A weekend fire caused by a charcoal grill displaced a family of five. 

Communication officers with received a 911 call at 3:18 a.m. Saturday, April 14, 2012, reporting a fire at 852 Briscoe Mill Road in Bethlehem. 

“Upon arrival firefighters found the home heavily involved in fire,” Interim Battalion Chief Heath Williams said in a news release. “Due to the amount of fire, firefighters had to make an aggressive attack from outside of the home.”

The trailer was heavily damaged as a result of the fire, and the American Red Cross responded to assist the family of five that was displaced as a result of the damage to the home.