Arnold Ray Akins recovering from heart attack

   Former Bulloch County sheriff Arnold Ray Akins, 69, is recovering at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah after suffering a heart attack Tuesday.
    Akins spoke from his hospital bed Wednesday and said he had been preparing to attend the funeral of a friend when the heart attack occurred. “ It was pretty tough,” he said. “I had to change my direction.”
    Akins was first taken to East Georgia Regional Medical Center Tuesday, then transferred to Savannah, where he will be closer to his cardiologist, he said. Akins said he appreciates the concern and prayers that have been conveyed by friends and others.

Trooper: Darien man dies in crash after falling asleep

   A Darien man apparently fell asleep at the wheel Tuesday evening and died in a crash after his truck left the roadway, according to Georgia State Patrol Trooper First-Class Brian Scott.
    Donald Ray Parsons, 50, Darien, was traveling on Interstate 16 around 7:33 p.m. Tuesday when his 2004 Ford F250 “ ran off  the roadway, entered the median, and struck a railing,” he said.
    After impact, the truck became airborne and struck the pillars and railings of the Nevils- Groveland Road overpass, he said.
    Parsons’ truck overturned several times  before coming to rest, ejecting Parsons, he said. Parsons and the vehicle came to rest in the median.
    Scott said speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash, adding that there was no evidence of braking and Parsons may have fallen asleep at the wheel. He was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.