Alta Spells - Southeast Bureau News Editor
Alta Spells
Southeast Bureau News Editor
Alta Spells is the bureau news editor for the Southeast region where she works with correspondents and producers to coordinate news coverage.
Latest
Alex Murdaugh failed a polygraph test, breaching his plea agreement, US government says in court filing
Mar 29, 2024
Alex Murdaugh failed a polygraph test administered as part of the plea agreement for the disgraced former attorney’s raft of financial crimes, violating the deal, which required his truthfulness, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday.
Florida teachers can discuss sexuality and gender identity in some classroom settings, legal settlement clarifies
Mar 12, 2024
Florida education officials and a group of LGBTQ advocates and families reached a legal settlement Monday that clarifies the scope of a statute referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, spelling out that students and teachers are allowed to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, as long as it is not part of formal instruction.
Fulton County faces ransomware attack by ‘financially motivated actors,’ but county elections still on track
Feb 15, 2024
Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County, which includes parts of Atlanta, said Wednesday that “financially motivated” hackers appeared to be behind a ransomware attack that has disrupted key county services for weeks.
Fulton County government outage: Cyberattack brings down phones, court site and tax systems
Jan 30, 2024
An ongoing cyberattack against Georgia’s Fulton County, which includes parts of Atlanta, has brought some of the government’s systems to a standstill, halting access to court filings, tax processing and other services.
‘Armed and dangerous’ suspect accused in triple shooting that left 1 dead is in custody, police say
Jan 6, 2024
A suspected gunman is in custody after a triple shooting Friday morning in suburban Atlanta, leaving one person dead, according to authorities.
Mississippi police officer who shot 11-year-old boy in his home while responding to a 911 call reinstated after suspension
Dec 22, 2023
The Board of Aldermen of a Mississippi town voted nearly unanimously to reinstate a police officer who shot an 11-year-old boy inside his own home earlier this year, the officer’s attorney told CNN.
YSL RICO trial delayed until January 2024 after defendant was stabbed at Atlanta jail
Dec 12, 2023
A Georgia judge on Tuesday recessed the racketeering trial against alleged members of Young Slime Life, or YSL – a street gang Fulton County prosecutors say is led by Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug – until the new year, after one of the co-defendants was stabbed in jail.
Defendant in gang case involving rapper Young Thug stabbed at Atlanta jail
Dec 11, 2023
Shannon Stillwell, one of the defendants in the YSL trial was stabbed overnight at the Fulton County Jail, according to Natalie Ammons, with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
Officer initially hit woman in face before viral video showed second officer repeatedly striking her, police say
Nov 18, 2023
Police in North Carolina confirmed an officer who was involved in an initial encounter with a woman who was then seen on video getting struck 17 times by a second officer hit her in the face, but claimed the woman assaulted him first.
Georgia State Supreme Court upholds six-week abortion ban
Oct 24, 2023
The Georgia State Supreme Court upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban in a ruling Tuesday morning.
Georgia corrections officer killed by inmate using homemade weapon, officials say
Oct 2, 2023
A corrections officer at a south Georgia prison was killed Sunday after an inmate allegedly attacked him “from behind with a homemade weapon,” the state department of corrections announced in a news release.
South Carolina attorney general asks for state investigation into Alex Murdaugh jury tampering allegations
Sep 7, 2023
South Carolina’s attorney general has asked a state law enforcement agency to investigate claims of jury tampering during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial this year, officials said Thursday.
Fifth person charged in Montgomery boat dock brawl is man who wielded chair, police say
Aug 13, 2023
A fifth person involved in the brawl along the Montgomery, Alabama, riverfront last weekend has turned himself in, police said Friday.
Fourth person charged in connection with brawl at Montgomery riverfront dock
Aug 11, 2023
A witness says a racial slur was used before a brawl Saturday at a riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, according to a court document.
Arrest warrants issued for 3 men in massive fight at Montgomery riverfront dock
Aug 8, 2023
Arrest warrants have been issued for three men involved in the chaotic brawl at a riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday that was captured on video and involved an array of punches, a chair to the head and several people in the water.
Montgomery police issue warrants after massive brawl on Alabama riverfront dock
Aug 8, 2023
Authorities have issued arrest warrants after a chaotic brawl broke out Saturday on a popular riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, with punches thrown, people hit with chairs and at least one person tossed into the water.
About
Alta Spells is the bureau news editor for the Southeast region where she works with correspondents and producers to coordinate enterprise and breaking news coverage throughout the region.
Since joining CNN, she has worked on a wide range of stories, including the 2008 presidential election, the Japanese earthquake/nuclear power plant disaster of 2011, the gun violence epidemic and natural disasters from coast to coast including wildfires and hurricanes. More recently, she has worked on the Covid-19 pandemic, the protests and racial justice movement following the death of George Floyd and the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial.
Spells has served in various roles within the CNN organization, including assignment editor, senior assignment editor and affiliate content center manager. She was also an intern for CNN while she was in college.
Prior to joining the network, she produced weekend and morning newscasts at a local television station.
Spells holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Georgia.
