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UGA alert stemmed from car tied to murder investigation: Oconee Sheriff

Authorities in neighboring Oconee County said the vehicle spotted by UGA police was tied to the July 16 murder of Joseph Jackson.

ATHENS, Ga. — Investigators in a neighboring county say a campus alert at the University of Georgia was related to an ongoing murder investigation.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, UGA Police spotted a vehicle on Wednesday related to their investigation into the murder of Joseph Jackson earlier in the month. 

The vehicle was found near the State Botanical Gardens, about three miles from downtown Athens. As police searched the area near South Milledge Road, they warned locals to stay clear of the garden.

The sheriff's office said the suspect they were searching for was not in the vehicle and there is no reason to believe that person is now anywhere on UGA's campus.

Credit: Oconee County Sheriff's Office
Quentin Dunston, left, and Akhemu Dunston

Just after 4 p.m., UGA said through its primary Twitter account that the danger at the location was over and that "there is no ongoing threat to the community."

Police aren't naming the person they are still looking for, but did announce the arrest of two men in connection with the July 16 murder. Brothers Akhemu and Quentin Dunston of Athens were taken into custody on Tuesday. Additional arrests are expected, Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said in an online statement.

"We have apprised Jackson's family of the current developments, and we ask that their privacy be respected," the statement concluded.

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