HELLO EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR JOINING US.... I'M LEAH JOHNSON..
OUR TOP STORY AT SIX... THE MAN WHO ADMITTED TO SHOOTING AND KILLING TRAYVON MARTIN IS IN POLICE CUSTODY AT THIS HOUR.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE A-P SAYS THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR IN THE CASE HAS CHARGED GEORGE ZIMMERMAN WITH SECOND DEGREE MURDER.
WE ARE WAITING FOR THE PROSECUTOR TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT RIGHT NOW.
ZIMMERMAN... A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH VOLUNTEER... ADMITTED TO SHOOTING AND KILLING THE 17-YEAR-OLD... BUT SAYS HE WAS ACTING IN SELF-DEFENSE.
WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THIS STORY... COMING UP TONIGHT ON THE C-B-S EVENING NEWS.
ACCUSED MURDERER STEPHEN MCDANIEL SITS IN THE BIBB COUNTY JAIL TONIGHT.. AND THAT iS LIKELY WHERE HE'LL STAY.. FOR NOW.
HE'S ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS NEIGHBOR AND FELLOW MERCER LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE... LAUREN GIDDINGS.
BIBB COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE PHILIP BROWN GRANTED BOND AT 850-THOUSAND DOLLARS.. BUT ALSO SET SOME STRICT CONDITIONS.
CANDACE ADORKA JOINS US NOW FROM THE EYEWITNESS NEWSROOM TO EXPLAIN THOSE CONDITIONS.
CANDACE... WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE JUDGE'S ORDER?
FIRST... MCDANIEL MUST WEAR AN ANKLE MONITOR AT ALL TIMES.
THAT WILL BE SUPERVISED BY THE BIBB COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE... OR SOMEONE APPROVED BY THE SHERIFF.
SECOND.. MCDANIEL MUST STAY AT HIS PARENTS' HOME IN LILBURN... UNLESS HE'S TRAVELING TO COURT OR MEETING WITH HIS LAWYERS.
THIRD.. MCDANIEL CANNOT BE ALONE WITH MINOR CHILDREN "UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES." FOURTH.. HE CANNOT USE OR POSSESS ANY ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICE.. SUCH AS COMPUTERS OR CELL PHONES.. EXCEPT TO CONTACT HIS PARENTS OR LAWYERS.
AND LASTLY.. MCDANIEL CANNOT USE OR POSSESS ANY WEAPONS.
ACCORDING TO THE BOND ORDER.. JUDGE BROWN ALSO QUESTIONED WHETHER THERE IS ANY WAY TO ENSURE THAT MCDANIEL IS NOT ALONE WITH CHILDREN AND DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO CELL PHONES OR COMPUTERS.
JUDGE BROWN REQUIRES MCDANIEL'S ATTORNEYS TO SUBMIT A MONITORING PLAN FOR APPROVAL BEFORE HE CAN RELEASE MCDANIEL.
I SPOKE WITH ONE OF MCDANIEL'S ATTORNEYS FRANNK HOGUE MINUTES AFTER HE READ THE JUDGES ORDER... HERE'S WHAT HE SAID.
"i expected a high ammount possibly even higher than the ammount we asked for but not 8 times higher than we asked for."
HOGUE SAYS IT WOULD BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE MCDANIELS TO AFFORD THAT BAIL... SO THEY PLAN TO TO FILE A MOTION THAT ASKING THE JUDGE TO RECONSIDER THE AMOUNT.... AND ASKING FOR ANOTHER HEARING.
THAT IS ONE CONCERN THE JUDGE RAISED IN HIS ORDER.
"I didn't anticipate that, I had no reason to think anyone would think he was a danger to them. I'm confident we will be able to produce that evidence because they've been his siblings since... the oldest one is 11, and there's no evidence he ever harmed them, mistreated them, did anything to expose them to danger."
HOUGE SAYS THEY WILL WORK TO FILE MOTIONS BY FRIDAY.
HE SAID AFTER THIS BOND CASE IS SETTLED... THEY WILL TACKLE MCDANIELS OTHER CHARGES... WHICH INCLUDE 30 COUNTS OF CHILD SEX EXPLOITATION....FOR ALLEGEDLY POSSESSING PORNOGRAPHY.
BIBB COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY GREG WINTERS SAYS.. HE IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT MCDANIEL MAKING BAIL AND MEETING THE CONDITIONS OF THE BOND BECAUSE HE STILL FACES THOSE CHILD ENDANGERMENT AND BURGLARY CHARGES.
MCDANIEL'S LAWYERS HAVE NOT YET ASKED FOR BOND ON THOSE COUNTS.
LEAH?
WE SPOKE WITH LAUREN GIDDINGS' MOTHER BY PHONE TODAY AFTER THE JUDGE MADE HIS DECISION.
KAREN GIDDINGS TOLD 13WMAZ SHE'S NOT CONCERNED ABOUT MCDANIEL GETTING OUT OF JAIL BECAUSE OF THE OTHER PENDING CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
SHE SAYS SHE'S SATISFIED THAT D-A WINTERS' OFFICE IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PROSECUTE THE CASE.
FORMER HOUSTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY KELLY BURKE JOINS US NOW TO GIVE HIS TAKE ON TODAY'S DECISION.
- Why was Stephen McDaniel eligible for bond?
- Is that typical for a prosecutor to miss that 90 day window in a deathy penalty case?
- Why would that happen?
-Does he need separate bond on other charges?
-Is the bond amount appropriate, given the circumstances?
- Do you think an appeal to lower the bond amount will be successful?
- Winters assured the family McDaniel will not be released. What's your opinion?
MACON MAYOR ROBERT REICHERT CONTINUED HIS PLAN TO TEAR DOWN ABANDONED BUILDINGS.
THE PROPERTIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH HIS FIVE BY FIVE PLAN... ARE PART OF THE ONE HUNDRED ON THIS YEAR'S LIST FOR DESTRUCTION.
JENNIFER MOULLIET TAKES YOU TO THE DEMOLITION SITE.
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MILTON MITCHELL SAYS MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AGO HE CALLED THIS BUILDING HOME.
"it was wonderful then"
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NOW ITS AN ABANDONED APARTMENT COMPLEX JUST BLOCKS FROM MERCER UNIVERSITY DRIVE AND PIO NONO AVENUE.
"Well nobody lives there right now it's all messed up it's a hazard."
JOANNE SALTER SAYS SHE HAS MANY MEMORIES FROM HER OLD HOME.
"I had my son with me and we all played hop-scotch together."
THE CHALK HAS LONG BEEN FORGOTTON... AND THESE APARTMENTS... VACANT FOR YEARS.
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NOW THE CITY'S CLEAN UP PROGRAM WHICH TARGETS A FIVE BLOCK AREA IN JUST FIVE WEEKS PUT MITCHELL AND SALTER'S OLD HOUSE ON THE LIST FOR DESTRUCTION...nats
ONE OF OVER FOUR HUNDRED ON THE MAYOR'S LIST.
"We're paying attention to every area of the city and we're trying to revitalize neighborhoods, restore hope and wholeness to neighborhoods and make them decent places to live, work, and play."
HE SAYS HE PLANS TO DESTROY ONE HUNDRED CONDEMNED BUILDINGS EACH YEAR... AND HAS ALREADY DEMOLISHED TWENTY-SEVEN SINCE JANUARY.
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THE MAYOR AND SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS CELEBRATED A STEP TOWARDS REVITALIZING MACON.
"This is a victory for us in our ongoing war of blighted property."
MAYOR REICHERT SAYS HE HOPES THE CLEAN-UP BRINGS HOPE AND HEALING TO THE PEOPLE OF MACON.
JENNIFER MOULLIET 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> THE CITY IS WRAPPING UP ITS FIRST ROUND OF PROJECTS IN REICHERT'S FIVE-BY-FIVE PROGRAM.... WHICH FOCUSES ON CLEANUP WORK IN ONE CITY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR FIVE WEEKS.
NEXT UP... IS WARD FIVE IN NORTH MACON.
THE HEAD OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION SAYS THE PARTY SHOULD UNIFY BEHIND MITT ROMNEY AS THE G-O-P NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT.
THOSE REMARKS CAME THIS MORNING... AFTER RICK SANTORUM'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE RACE YESTERDAY.
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR BOB McDONNELL SAYS REPUBLICANS SHOULD FOCUS ON THE BIG PRIZE... WINNING THE PRESIDENCY.
SANTORUM'S DEPARTURE APPARENTLY LEAVES THE PATH TO THE NOMINATION OPEN FOR ROMNEY.
SO TODAY'S 13WMAZ DOT COM WEB POLL ASKS... WOULD YOU BE SATISFIED WITH MITT ROMNEY AS THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT?
RIGHT NOW 49 PERCENT OF YOU SAY YES...
AND 51 PERCENT SAY NO.
CAST YOUR VOTE... VISIT 13WMAZ DOT COM AND LOOK FOR THE QUESTION ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOMEPAGE.
CONDITIONS ARE RIPE FOR WILDFIRES IN GEORGIA...
TODAY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR MOST OF THE STATE.
JUDY LE TALKED TO A CENTRAL GEORGIA FIRE RANGER ABOUT THE THREAT.
SMOKEY BEAR KNOWS BEST...ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES.
SOT CRUTCHFIELD: 430 it's just a fire in someone's backyard. debris burning is a main cause of wildfire. people burning brush piles in the yard and let it get out. they're not watching it close enough and it gets out adn it keeps building and building and it takes off 451
LOW HUMIDITY...HIGH WINDS...AND NO RAIN...
50 fires will spark a long way on a day like today 51
THIS KIND OF WEATHER KEEPS THE STATE FORESTRY COMMISSION BUSY...THAT INCLUDES HOWELL CRUTCHFIELD, THE CHIEF RANGER IN JASPER AND JONES COUNTIES.
STANDUP: 10 in april, crutchfield says there has been about 7 wildfires in jasper and jones county. this one was put out yesterday. the wild fire consumed 14.25 acres of land 22
FARMERS WITH A BURN PERMIT HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH TO START A CONTROLLED BURN.
BEFORE FLAMES RUN FREE...CRUTCHFIELD RECOMMENDS TAKING PREVENTATIVE STEPS...
SOT: 218 when you're doing outdoor burning, make sure to have a water hose haNDy. you got something there and don't leave it. stay with it 226
IN A BRUSH FIRE...RAKING THE AREA CLEAN IS THE NEXT BEST THING TO DO.
CRUTCHFIELD SAYS HE EXPECTS ANYWHERE FROM 100-150 WILD FIRES THIS YEAR. SO FAR THE COUNT IS 70.
JUDY LE...13 WMAZ...EYEWITNESS NEWS.
THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL LAST UNTIL TOMORROW.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF THERE'S A WILDFIRE NEAR YOU.
PUT TOGETHER A DISASTER SUPPLY KIT...
KEEP HOUSEHOLD ITEMS ON HAND THAT COULD BE USED TO FIGHT FIRES... LIKE A RAKE AND AN AXE
ALSO...MAKE AN ESCAPE PLAN...AND KNOW THE WILDFIRE HISTORY IN YOUR AREA.
FOLKS HEADING SOUTH ON I-75 OR WEST ON I-16 IN BIBB COUNTY MAY RUN INTO A FEW EXTRA DELAYS TOMORROW AND FRIDAY.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PLANS TO CLOSE ONE LANE ON 75 SOUTH BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 173 AND 171.
THAT'S JUST NORTH OF THE BASS ROAD EXIT... TO JUST SOUTH OF IT.
ONE LANE OF 1-16 WEST BETWEEN MILE MARKER FOUR... AND THE I-75 SPLIT WILL ALSO CLOSE.
THE LANE CLOSURES WILL LAST FROM 8 A-M UNTIL 4 P-M EACH DAY WHILE CREWS WORK ON REPAIRING GUARDRAILS.
THE D-O-T SAYS CREWS WILL MOVE FREQUENTLY IN THESE AREAS... AND URGE DRIVERS TO USE CAUTION.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.... WE'LL BE BACK TONIGHT AT 11.
BUT REMEMBER...THE NEWS IS ALWAYS ON AT 13WMAZ.COM !
THE EVENING NEWS IS UP NEXT... WITH MORE ON THE TRAYVON MARTIN CASE... AND THE CHARGES AGAINST GEORGE ZIMMERMAN.
HAVE A SAFE NIGHT EVERYONE.