By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Charges filed in shooting incident
Placeholder Image

The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is charging three people in connection with a May 23 incident where a 13-year-old boy was shot after he and his 14-year-old cousin where in someone else's house.

Shortly before 8 p.m. deputies responded to a residence on Go Cart Road on a report of a burglary in progress and a person shot. The investigation revealed that the two teenagers entered someone's property on Go Cart Road without the owner's consent.

The property owner, Irvin Helmey, 73, of Guyton, approached the property with a firearm and demanded them to surrender. A 13-year-old came from out of the house and fled across the street when a shot was fired and he was struck.

The child suffered non-life-threatening injuries and his 14-year-old cousin, who remained inside, was not harmed.

According to the ECSO, after a thorough investigation where all parties were interviewed to include witnesses, charges were warranted for the teenagers for criminal trespass and for Helmey, who has been arrested for aggravated assault. The Effingham County Sheriff's Office has conferred with the district attorney’s Office, and this case will be presented to a grand jury.