Area briefs: ribbon cutting in Oconee Co, missing child search in Gainesville

There is an afternoon meeting of the Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission, a 4 o’clock session at the Park Services Complex on Pound Street in Athens.

Today is a ribbon cutting day in Oconee County. A 4 o’clock ceremony in Watkinsville marks the opening of the Oconee County Schools Instructional Support Center.

A Winder man is in the Barrow County jail, arrested after a weekend SWAT standoff. Police say 50 year-old Patrick Cole holed up in a home in the Calgary Downs subdivision in Winder, armed with a pistol. Cole surrendered after seven hours and is facing charges that include aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.

A Maysville man is facing burglary charges in Lula. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says 32 year-old Dustin Hightower is accused of breaking into storage units that were burglarized back in April. Hightower was arrested by deputies in Dawson County. He was, at last report, being held without bond in the Hall County jail.

The search for a missing Gainesville girl continued through the weekend, with now $20 thousand in reward money offered for information that leads to the safe return of Mariah Perez. The 12 year-old was last seen May 29 and reported missing the next day. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

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