2 Teens Die in Sandy Plains Road Crash

The victims were Sprayberry High School graduates who were attending Georgia Perimeter College.

Two teenagers were killed in East Cobb early Sunday morning when the car in which they were riding crashed into a brick sign and caught fire. Sgt. Dana Pierce of the Cobb Police Department said the victims were Stephen Nolasco, 19, and Matthew Bennett, 18, both of Marietta. The accident occurred around 3:20 a.m., when a silver 2001 Volvo S60 Nolasco was driving northbound on Sandy Plains Road apparently lost control, according to Pierce. He said the car then crossed into southbound lanes before slamming into a brick sign at the intersection of Kinjac Drive. The car caught fire after the collision, killing Nolasco and Bennett, Pierce said. WSB-TV reported Sunday afternoon that Nolasco and Bennett were Sprayberry High School graduates and …

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News Nearby: Pair Guilty of Abuse, Sex Crimes Against Woman, 82

Here are headlines from around the region for Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013.

A Cartersville man and woman accused of abusing and sexually assaulting an elderly woman were deemed guilty Monday in Bartow County Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney Mickey Thacker said. A jury found Mark Steven Kent, 52, guilty of aggravated sodomy and sexual battery after his co-defendant, Thelma Helen Riddle, 59, pleaded guilty to abusing an elderly person and testified against Kent in a deal with prosecuting attorneys. Read more on Cartersville Pattch. A Creekview High School drama and English teacher has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault following allegations that he conducted a sexual relationship with a student. Matthew Tamanini, 31, of Canton, allegedly had the affair with the 16-year-old student…

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Marietta Woman Killed in Crash

A Christmas Eve accident raised the holiday traffic death total to 13, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

A two-car collision in the Smyrna area late Christmas Eve took the life of a Marietta woman and sent four other people to the hospital with minor injuries. Cobb Police said Luca Kostic, 46, was dead on the scene after the car in which she was riding was struck by another car on Smyrna Powder Springs Road. Police said poor weather conditions, including very dense fog, contributed to the accident. Visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch for more on this story. A total of 13 people have died in holiday traffic accidents since Friday, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The holiday travel period ends at midnight Tuesday.

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Cobb Motorist Dies in I-75 Crash

The two-vehicle accident shut down southbound traffic near Delk Road Monday afternoon.

An Acworth motorist died in an accident that shut down southbound traffic on Interstate 75 south of Delk Road in Cobb for a time on Monday afternoon. Cobb Police Spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said that Fatma E. Shalaby, 24, of Acworth, was pronounced dead at the scene. Pierce said Shalaby was driving a Nissan Sentra southbound on I-75 near the Terrell Mill Road overpass around 1:50 p.m. when the vehicle lost control on the wet road and struck a Dodge pick-up truck pulling a double-axle trailer. The truck jacknifed and struck a guardrail near the emergency shoulder while the Nissan hit an inner median wall before stopping, according to police. The driver of the truck, Danny Cox, 37, and a passenger, Marion Cox, 33, both of Screven, Ga., were …

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Funds Sought for Children of Accident Victims

Ryan and Jessica Lombardo, killed over the weekend in an East Cobb crash, did not have life insurance.

Donations are being sought to assist the children of an East Cobb couple killed over the weekend in a truck crash. Ryan and Jessica Lombardo, who died in the accident early Saturday on Paper Mill Road, did not have life insurance for their three children -- a son, 15, and daughters 6 and 5 -- according to The Marietta Daily Journal. The report said donations may be made at any branch of the Bank of North Georgia in care of “The children of Ryan and Jessica Lombardo fund." The Brumby Elementary School Foundation also has set up an account to accept donations on behalf of the Lombardo children.

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Two Killed in East Cobb Crash

A pickup truck left Paper Mill Road early Saturday morning and struck several trees.

An East Cobb couple died early Saturday morning in a single-vehicle accident on Paper Mill Road. Cobb Police spokesman Officer Michael Bowman said Ryan Lamar Lombardo, 40, and Jessica Lombardo, 35, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Bowman said the accident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, when the white Ford F-150 truck Ryan Lombardo was driving westbound on Paper Mill Road near Sibley Forest Road left the road as he was negotatiating a curve. The truck struck three trees before coming to a rest on its roof, said police, who indicated that the vehicle was traveling faster than the posted 35 mph speed limit. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the accident took place near the Lombardos' home and that they were the …

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I-285 Crash Site Closed Sunday Morning

Police are closing off eastbound lanes near the Powers Ferry overpass as they continue investigating Thursday's deadly accident.

If your driving plans have you traveling eastbound on Interstate 85 east of Interstate 75 Sunday morning, you'll need to find a detour.  Cobb Police said Friday that they will be shutting down all six lanes in the vicinity of the Powers Ferry Road overpass as they continue investigating a multiple-vehicle accident on Thursday that killed one man and injured another motorist.  Cobb Police Spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said the closures will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday. An unidentified man was killed in the crash, which shut down the eastbound lanes for several hours during rush hour.  Police haven't released the victim's name as they notify his next of kin. Enio Tejada, 50, of Lawrenceville, is being treated at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in …

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Motorcylist Dies in East Cobb Crash

A 12-year-old boy remains hospitalized after a Thursday evening accident off Lower Roswell Road.

The driver of a motorcycle that collided with a van on an East Cobb residential street on Thursday has died, while a young passenger on the bike is being treated for his injuries. Cobb Police said Vishal Jitendra Patel, 35, whose hometown was not disclosed, was pronounced dead this morning by WellStar Kennestone Hospital authorities. His passenger, a 12-year-old boy, was taken to Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Police said the motorcyle carrying Patel and the boy was heading north on Shawnee Lane near Pawnee Drive around 6:45 p.m. Thursday. A Toyota Sienna van attempting to turn left onto southbound Shawnee Lane from Pawnee Drive was struck on the driver's side by the …

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Deadly Crash Shuts I-285 in Cobb

All eastbound lanes of I-285 were closed for several hours at the Powers Ferry Road overpass after an accident near I-75.

All eastbound lanes were reopened to traffic shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday. Cobb Police have confirmed one fatality and one injury, but have not released any names. The afternoon commute near the intersection of Interstates 285 and 75 is never a good one, and today a deadly accident has made traffic problems even worse.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that fatalities are involved in a multiple-vehicle wreck in the eastbound lanes of I-285 near I-75 and the Powers Ferry Road overpass in Cobb County. Fox 5 is reporting that at least one person is confirmed dead.  All six eastbound lanes of I-285 are closed in that area, and the newspaper indicated that Georgia DOT cameras showed a number of emergency vehicles at the accident …

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Lassiter Graduate Dies in Accident

Ryan Aschenbach, 18, was killed following a Saturday crash on Trickum Road in Northeast Cobb; three others were hospitalized.