A local man that was injured in a boating accident early Saturday morning is reported to be currently in good condition at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

At approximately 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 7, Decatur County Emergency Medical Service personnel and Sheriff’s deputies responded to Hale’s Landing, located on the Flint River in southwestern Decatur County, to attend to the injured man, 49-year-old Rusty Hatton of Seminole County.

Hatton told Georgia Department of Natural Resources Ranger Tony Cox he was riding in a fishing boat with a friend near the Faceville Landing when the boat struck something in the water, said Sgt. Greg McMillan of the Sheriff’s Office. Hatton was thrown out of the boat and as a result, his leg was badly cut by the boat’s motor propeller, Sgt. McMillan said.

Two nearby people who were fishing at the time, James and Cleo Braswell, helped rescue Hatton from the water—getting him into their boat and taking him back to the landing.

Hatton was initially taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital in Bainbridge and later transferred by ambulance to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. EMS personnel requested the help of an emergency medical helicopter due to the extent of Hatton’s injuries, but several regional services told E-911 they were unable to take off due to early morning fog, according to McMillan.

Hatton and his companion were scouting out the location of turkeys for the upcoming turkey hunting season when there boat stuck an object beneath the water—throwing him from the boat, said his brother, Bennie Hatton, on Monday.

Bennie Hatton said Rusty Hatton was wearing a life jacket and the kill switch for the boat’s motor when the accident occurred. The injured Hatton is currently awaiting reconstructive surgery on his knee that was severly injured by the boat’s propeller, his brother said.

House fire occurs south of Attapulgus

Firefighters responded to a house fire Sunday evening at 130 Campbell Drive, located off of Highway 309 South, south of Attapulgus.

Decatur County Fire and Rescue firefighters as well as area volunteer firefighters from Fowlstown, Faceville and Attapulgus responded to the fire at approximately 5:45 p.m. on Sunday and found the double-wide trailer ablaze, said Chief Charlie McCann.

McCann said it appeared the fire began at the rear, north end of the home. He said a female resident of the home was inside asleep when the fire occurred and neighborhood kids awoke her by knocking on her door after seeing the fire.

Firefighter fought the fire, which caused extensive damage to the floor and roof of the home, for well more than an hour, said McCann.

Arrest made in gang related violence

Bainbridge Public Safety officers arrested 16-year-old juvenile on Monday in connection with a suspected gang-related assault and robbery that occurred on March 6.

According to incident reports, on Friday, March 6, a 15-year-old student told police he was walking from the Taco Bell on Shotwell Street to Bainbridge Mall Cinemas when he was approached by a group of young black and white males all wearing black shirts. He said one of the white males he recognized from school struck him in the back of the head and knocked him to the ground. While on the ground he was repeatedly kicked and punched in the head by the group and his cell phone was stolen.

A short time later, BPS officers located a group of black males that were described in the report as wearing almost identical black shirts, taking them into investigative custody and transporting them the theater to be identified by witnesses. The victim did not identify the men as his attackers.

On Monday, March 9, Peter Michael Davis, 16, of 851 MLK Jr. Drive in Bainbridge, was arrested by investigators in connection with the incident, according to a BPS booking report. Davis was charged with aggravated assault, robbery and criminal street gang activity.