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ZEBULON - Pike County Sheriff’s Office investigators have continued to gather information and evidence in regards to the death of a juvenile earlier this month at 14777 Highway 19.
The facts of the case have shown that three juveniles entered a commercial property without permission from the property owner. While inside the facility, the juveniles attached a chain hoist to the bumper of a truck in order to lift the front of the truck off of the ground.
The chain was hooked to the bumper of the truck, and it was during this time that the metal bumper gave way to the weight that was placed on it. The truck then fell and struck the juvenile.
The Medical Examiner’s Office at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has advised investigators that the manner of the juvenile’s death is consistent with the aforementioned sequence of events and evidence currently obtained.
Investigators have been in contact with the District Attorney’s Office as to the progress of the investigation and the findings as they are developed. On Wednesday, April 15, the criminal charges were upgraded by investigators with the Department of Juvenile Justice to involuntary manslaughter for the 12 and 14 year old juveniles.
This case remains open and under investigation any further developments will be relayed when appropriate.
[Note from the Editor: The original article and all updates are below.]
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ZEBULON (UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF THE PAGE) - At 4:16 p.m. today Pike County Sheriff’s deputies and emergency medical personnel responded to 14777 Highway 19 in reference to a person trapped under a vehicle.
Upon arrival a juvenile male was found to be under a vehicle with severe trauma. Two other juveniles were inside the business, Middle Georgia Water Systems, along with the injured person.
The injured juvenile was transported by EMS and was later pronounced to be deceased at the hospital.
The remaining juveniles indicated they were inside the business working on vehicles. It was determined that the three juveniles had committed a burglary to enter the premises.
These two juveniles have been charged with burglary, criminal damage to property, entering auto, and reckless conduct.
This cases remains under investigation, further details will be released when possible.
[Note from the Editor: Pike County Times has learned that two of the juveniles are from Spalding County, and the other is from Pike County. The ages of the two surviving juveniles is 13 and 14 years of age. The deceased juvenile was from Spalding County and was 14 years of age.]
[Note from the Editor: Pike County Times has learned that the ages of the two surviving juveniles is 12 and 14 years of age.]
[Note from the Editor: This article was updated on 4.8.21 with the following information.]
Pike County Times followed up with Major David Neal of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office on this case today. It was advised that this is an ongoing investigation first of all.
Second, Major Neal advised that investigators are dedicated to completing a fair and impartial investigation into the unfortunate death of this young man and that the Sheriff’s Office has been in constant contact with the District Attorney and her office.
“We are awaiting a full medical examiner’s report for the GBI Crime Lab,” he said.
After answering Pike County Times’ questions, Major Neal closed the interview by saying, “We will present our findings to the District Attorney upon completion of our investigation.”
Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! Click here for more. Please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper!
If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!