"She just thought we'd won a contest for some free tickets but in reality I had set this all up."
A CENTRAL GEORGIA FAMILY GOT A SURPRISE THEY WON'T SOON FORGET... DURING WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY AT TURNER FIELD.
GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US..
I'M FRANK MALLOY..
AND I'M LEAH JOHNSON..THIS IS EYEWITNESS NEWS AT 11.
ONE LOCAL AIR FORCE FAMILY RECEIVED A REUNION THEY'LL NEVER FORGET.
WE TALKED TO THE FAMILY FROM CENTERVILLE ABOUT THEIR SUPRISE REUNION IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS AT TURNER FIELD.
IT'S A STORY THAT COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART.
MASTER SERGEANT DAVID SIMS EMBARKED ON A MISSION TO SUPRISE HIS FAMILY.
A MISSION HE KEPT SECRET SINCE FEBRUARY WHILE SERVING A TOUR OF DUTY IN AFGHANISTAN.
SOT: As time grew closer I got more and more excited about it.
DURING THE BRAVES GAME AT TURNER FIELD MONDAY... MONTHS OF PREPARATION WITH THE HELP OF THE BRAVES AND THE AIR FORCE FINALLY PAID OFF.
SOT: Master Sergeant David Sims: "Everyone cheered for them... then they played my message that I had pre-recorded... which they thought was live via satellite. In the message of course I said... "You know I can't wait to be home with you in fact wait just one minute"... and then I walked off camera and then walked out on the ball field. Of course they saw me... and I saw them. We all ran towards each other and the hugging and kissing commenced."
HIS WIFE ROBIN AND THEIR FOUR CHILDREN HAD NO IDEA ABOUT HIS EARLY RETURN HOME.
SOT: All they knew is that they had free tickets to the game.
ROBIN SAYS SHE HAD MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT BEING ON TV AND SURPRISED IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF FANS.
SOT: I was happy to see him and I wanted to strangle him for doing it in such a way. I don't like surprised usually and that's a lot of people to see that intimate homecoming.
THE SUPRISE WAS A PART OF THE HOMETOWN HEROES EFFORT SPONSORED BY THE BRAVES.
BUT ACCORDING TO HIS WIFE... MASTER SERGEANT SIMS IS ALWAYS FULL OF SURPRISES.
SOT: The last time he deployed and came home a couple of weeks early and arranged it with some friends of his to drop him off and he came home in a Christmas present in the back of a truck.
AFTER LIVING OUT THEIR 15 MINUTES OF FAME...THIS FAMILY SAYS THEY NOW JUST LOOK FORWARD TO SPENDING SOME WELL-DESERVED QUALITY TIME TOGETHER.
SIMS SERVED A 6 MONTH TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN... ON A NATO INSTALLATION.
HE SAYS HE AND THE FAMILY IS PLANNING A TRIP TO TEXAS TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
A JUDGE TODAY DENIED BOND FOR THE FORMER WARNER ROBINS PROBATION OFFICER ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS GIRLFRILEND.
RUSSELL HOLT FACES MURDER CHARGES IN THE DEATH OF 27-YEAR-OLD JESSICA WOLFE.
HE CAME INTO THE COURTROOM DRESSED IN SLACKS AND A BLAZER.
OFFICERS REMOVED HOLT'S HANDCUFFS AND STOOD BY HIM THROUGHOUT THE HEARING.
THE COURTROOM WAS PACKED...AS HOLT'S ATTORNEY FRANkLIN HOGUE QUESTIONED THREE WITNESSES ABOUT WHY HOLT SHOULD GET BOND.
THE JUDGE SAYS IT WAS A CLOSE CALL...BUT HE DENIED BOND BECAUSE OF CONCERNS THAT HOLT MAY BE A FLIGHT RISK....OR CONTACT WITNESSES.
Franklin Hogue, Defense Attorney: We're very disappointed that Mr. Holt was denied bond by the court today. But we put our best foot forward, I couldn't do any better in presenting a case for the judge for bond.
THE COWETA CIRCUIT PROSECUTOR WHO'S HANDLING THE CASE....AND JESSICA WOLFE'S FAMILY.... DECLINED TO COMMENT AFTER THE HEARING.
THE JUDGE SAYS HE MAY CONSIDER BOND AGAIN...AFTER A GRAND JURY HEARS THE CASE NEXT WEEK.
MACON POLICE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS IN THE DEATH OF A 23-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF THREE.
AS PART OF THAT SEARCH - THEY WANT TO TALK TO THE VICTIM'S BOYFRIEND.
GREGORY RICE SAYS HE WENT LOOKING FOR HIS DAUGHTER CANDACE YESTERDAY AFTER NO ONE COULD REACH HER.
HE SAYS SHE DIDN'T ANSWER THE DOOR... SO HE CALLED POLICE.
AN INCIDENT REPORT SAID THEY FOUND CANDACE'S BODY ON THE FLOOR IN HER LOCKED BEDROOM... COVERED WITH A QUILT.
SO FAR POLICE HAVEN'T REVEALED HOW SHE DIED....
... BUT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HER BOYFRIEND... BOBBY FORDHAM.
HE'S CONSIDERED A PERSON OF INTEREST... BUT POLICE WON'T SAY IF HE'S A SUSPECT.
FORDHAM IS ABOUT SIX FEET TALL... 165 POUNDS... WITH A GOATEE AND SIDEBURNS.
POLICE SAY HE MAY HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CASE.
RICE'S STEP MOTHER SAYS FORDHAM IS CANDICE'S LIVE-IN BOYFRIEND.
ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE CASE....CAN CALL MACON CRIMESTOPPERS... AT 1-877-68-CRIME. AGAIN THAT'S 1-877-68-CRIME.
PAUL BALES...THE MILLEDGEVILLE MAN FIGHTING THE FLESH EATING BACTERIA....COULD FACE MORE SURGERY ON HIS LEFT LEG.
DOCTORS REMOVED HIS LEFT LEG JUST BELOW THE KNEE ON WEDNESDAY.
PAUL BALE'S SON...MIKE TALKED TO US ABOUT HIS FATHER'S CONDITION.
HE SAYS DOCTORS ARE TRYING TO REMOVE THE REST OF THE BACTERIA...BUT THEY'RE SEEING A LOT OF REDNESS AND INFECTION ON HIS LEG.
MIKE SAYS DOCTORS MIGHT AMPUTATE MORE OF HIS DAD'S LEFT LEG.
HE ALSO TELLS US THAT HIS FATHER IS ON A LOT OF MEDICATION.
Mike Bales, Dacula: I asked him the other day if he was aware of the operation and he really just didn't answer me. Um, so I wanted to see what his state of mind was. So we're trying to figure what state he's in, he's going to have a CT scan possible today or tomorrow, just to rule out any possiblity that he had a stroke. BALES CONTRACTED THE BACTERIA ON MAY 2ND AFTER CUTTING HIS LEG ON A BOATING RAMP NEAR HIS HOME IN LAKE SINCLAIR.
MITT ROMNEY HAS WON THE RACE FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION... WITH HIS VICTORY IN TONIGHT'S TEXAS PRIMARY.
THE FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR HAS ENOUGH DELEGATES TO CLAIM HIS PARTY'S NOMINATION.
DANIELLE NOTTINGHAM TELLS US MORE..
nats
MITT ROMNEY GREETED SUPPORTERS IN LAS VEGAS TUESDAY, BUT IT WAS IN TEXAS THAT HIS CAMPAIGN HIT THE JACKPOT. ROMNEY WON THE TEXAS PRIMARY, GIVING HIM MORE THAN THE 11-HUNDRED-44 DELEGATES NEEDED TO CLAIM THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION.
SOT - Romney, Pipe 3 18:35:45
"We need presidents who understand how the economy works. Day to day, small business, middle size business, big business. I do. I want to use that experience to get us to work again."
ROMNEY VISITED LAS VEGAS FOR A FUNDRAISER WITH DONALD TRUMP, WHO ENDORSED HIS CAMPAIGN EARLIER THIS YEAR.
SOT - Trump from 2/2/12
"Mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp. He's not going to allow bad things to continue to happen."
TRUMP'S ABILITY TO RAISE BIG MONEY WILL LIKELY HELP ROMNEY BUILD HIS WAR CHEST FOR NOVEMBER. BUT TRUMP CONTINUES TO COURT CONTROVERSY, BY QUESTIONING PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CITIZENSHIP.
STANDUP BRIDGE:
THE WHITE HOUSE IS SLAMMING ROMNEY FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF 2008 G-O-P NOMINEE, JOHN MCCAIN. MCCAIN REPEATEDLY DEFENDED THEN-CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA TO SUPPPORTERS WHO CALLED HIM FOREIGN-BORN, AND A MUSLIM.
THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING: "IF MITT ROMNEY LACKS THE BACKBONE TO STAND UP TO A CHARLATAN LIKE DONALD TRUMP BECAUSE HE'S SO CONCERNED ABOUT LINING HIS CAMPAIGN'S POCKETS, WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE KIND OF PRESIDENT HE WOULD BE?"
FOR NOW, ROMNEY WILL EARN CASH AND CAMPAIGN AS THE PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE... HE WILL BE OFFICIALLY NOMINATED IN AUGUST, AT THE G-O-P CONVENTION IN TAMPA.
AFTER CLINCHING THE NOMINATION... THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING HE WAS "HONORED: AND "HUMBLED" TO HAVE WON ENOUGH DELEGATES TO CLAIM THE NOMINATION.
LEGENDARY GUITARIST DOC WATSON DIED TODAY..
THAT'S ACCORDING TO HIS MANAGER WHO SAID WATSON PASSED AWAY AT A HOSPITAL IN WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA..
MANY CONSIDERED THE BLIND, AWARD-WINNING FOLK MUSICIAN A GUITAR PLAYING LEGEND..
HIS ALBUMS EARNED SEVEN GRAMMY AWARDS AND HE RECEIVED THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE GRAMMYS IN 2004..
DOC WATSON WAS 89..
>> Ben Jones talks with Brad from Quality Computers about what to use to back-up your computer <<
IT'S GREAT HANG UP DAY HERE ON EYEWITNESS NEWS.
AND SOME DRIVERS SAY CELL PHONES AND SIX SPEEDS... JUST DONT MIX.
A STUDY BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION SHOWS MANY PEOPLE DONT FEEL SAFE USING THEIR PHONES WHILE DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION.
BUT THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO SAY THEY HAVE TALKING AND SHIFTING GEARS DOWN TO A SCIENCE.
CAPTAIN CHARLIE GUNNELS WITH THE BIBB COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE SAYS HE USUALLY SEES MORE DISTRACTED DRIVERS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A STICK SHIFT.
they've got their head all scrunched down on a cell phone holding it in place trying to shift gears with one hand and drive with the other, yes you can tell, it's quite comical at times but most people get used to it. we would suggest a hands fee if you've got a manual transmission.
GUNNELS SAYS THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOESN'T KEEP STATISTICS ON THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS IN MANUAL VERSUS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CARS.
YOU CAN JOIN THE GREAT HANG UP AND PLEDGE TO GIVE UP THE PHONE WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING.
JUST VISIT 13WMAZ DOT COM... AND LOOK FOR THE PLEDGE UNDER THE "FEATURES" TAB.
YOU'LL FIND THE LINK TO SIGN THE PLEDGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.... FIRST MORNIN COMES YOUR WAY AT 5 A-M.
THE NEWS IS ALWAYS ON AT 13WMAZ DOT COM.
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN IS NEXT.
HAVE A SAFE NIGHT EVERYONE.