Archived News

Man to serve 25 years for murder of 11-year-old

A Chamblee man was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for the 2010 murder of an 11-year-old boy.

Alexander Sidloskas, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to 50 years, with 25 to serve, for the murder of Nicholas Sheffy, who was shot while he slept. Sidloskas, who pleaded guilty to the murder, was sentenced by Judge Daniel Coursey Jr.

“Nicholas was murdered when gunfire erupted through the Sheffey’s home window, while he slept in his bunk bed. This was a heinous and senseless act of violence that claimed the life of an innocent 11-year-old boy,” said District Attorney Robert James. “My office works diligently to prosecute gangs here in DeKalb County. This sentence should send a loud and resounding message that violence in DeKalb will not be tolerated.”

Evidence presented at Sidloskas’ sentencing hearing showed that while he was not present at the time of the homicide, he participated in the planning of it. Additional evidence at the sentencing hearing indicated that the attackers had targeted another individual and that Sheffey was an unintended victim of the shooting.

Sidloskas’ guilty plea leaves defendants Stedmun Anthony and Cody Bauer in the pending murder case. The charges in the indictment include murder, aggravated assault and numerous violations of Georgia’s anti-gang act. 

DeKalb public library staff members win national grants

Staff members at DeKalb County Public Library have won two grants for special programs at library branches this summer and fall.

Mia Buggs, a youth services librarian at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch, and Veronica Winley, branch manager at the Lithonia-Davidson branch, are the recipients of the 2012 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant at Kent State University. Only one such grant is awarded to librarians each year.

The grant is available for projects that raise awareness through literature to honor diversity. Buggs and Winley received $1,000 for their project “When Tribes Meet: The History of Black Native Americans.” The project is a day-long program of book discussions, storytelling, crafts and cultural activities for all ages to explore and illuminate the history of Black Native Americans. It is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur.

Candace Ushery, a youth services librarian at the Salem-Panola branch, was one of 40 winners of a $1,000 Teen Summer Internship Program Grant sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association. Funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, a division of the Dollar General retail chain, the grant offers teens an opportunity to learn about and take part in the important work libraries do. Ushery said the grant will provide two-month internships for three to four students during June and July at the Salem-Panola branch, 5137 Salem Road in Lithonia.

Jobs bus visits Covington Library

DeKalb’s Mobile Career Center, also known as the county’s “jobs bus,” will be stationed at the Covington Library, 3500 Covington Highway in Decatur, on Thursday, May 31, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The mobile unit supports the ONE DeKalb Works initiative by providing work readiness services and putting DeKalb County residents back to work. It provides residents with essential services, including job search assistance, adult workshops and training, resume writing, and interviewing tips. Businesses are also able to use the mobile unit for recruiting, pre-employment screenings, interviewing and training.