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The ADVANCE, November 3, 2021 /Page 9A
Broadband
continued from page 3A
a 50/50 grant and loan and
launched a feasibility study.
The feasibility study con
cluded that with this grant
and loan, Altamaha EMC
could develop broadband
and make it a sustainable
business and service apart
from the electric coopera
tive.
“It has taken a long
time to develop the pa
perwork and planning as
necessary for the grant and
loan,” Proctor stated. “In
that time, the Federal Com
munications Commission
(FCC) developed funding
for rural areas seeking to
bring broadband to homes
and businesses through the
Rural Digital Opportunity
Fund (RDOF); so we were
able to gain that as well.”
Altamaha EMC repre
sentatives and state legisla
tors attending the October
29 event echoed Proctor’s
sentiments that the devel
opment has been a long
time coming. Altamaha
EMC Assistant Manager
George McLendon said,
“Since Senate Bill 2 was
signed into law by Gover
nor Brian Kemp back in
2019, Altamaha EMC has
been planning for this day.
We are finally answering
the call to provide a solu
tion for the broadband
challenges in our rural
area.”
He continued, “This is
truly a turning point in the
history of Altamaha EMC.
Back in 1936, Altamaha
EMC was chartered be
cause a group of forward-
thinking citizens recog
nized the need for electric
services to be extended
to rural areas in Southeast
Georgia.
McLendon explained
that Altamaha EMC’s
Board of Directors and
partners are faced with
a challenge of providing
broadband to those same
rural areas as those who
came before them sought
to serve. He also stated that
the COVID pandemic de
fined the divide between
the rural areas and more
urban areas where reli
able high-speed Internet is
available, making it crucial
to develop a solution for
this lack of connectivity.
“The growth and fu
ture of business in rural
Georgia depends on access
to dependable Internet ser
vices,” he concluded.
District 1 Georgia
Public Service Commis
sioner Jason Shaw noted,
“Broadband is the number
one issue we face in rural
America. The Public Ser
vice Commission is work
ing on this broadband issue
every day, just like every
one else, even though it is
not something we regulate.
It has given us the opportu
nity to work with so many
of our friends around the
state in the EMC world on
something that is vital to
our citizens in rural Geor
gia.”
Shaw referenced his
personal ties to the broad
band issue, explaining that
living on a farm affected
his children negatively
when the pandemic arose
because virtual learning
was a struggle. “There is no
reason that people like us
in rural Georgia shouldn’t
have the advantage that
people in the towns and
cities have with Internet.
It’s not just economic de
velopment like it used to
be. Now it’s so much more
than that because it is a
quality of life issue,” he told
the attendees. “You have
to have Internet to do any
thing these days.”
Shaw concluded,
“Years from now we’ll
be discussing how we
wouldn’t be where we are
today if the EMC had not
done this.”
He added, “No matter
the technology developed,
there is nothing to replace
fiber connectivity to move
data and connect houses
and businesses. This is cut
ting-edge technology, In
ternet as fast as possible,
that will be right here, and
it’s because of all the peo
ple that have taken risks
and chances to provide
their citizens with every
thing they can.”
Described as being a
“friend and supporter of
Altamaha EMC,” Geor
gia District 19 Senator
Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia,
addressed the attendees
about the significance of
broadband development in
the history of the area.
“We are no longer
planting trees whose shade
we will never walk under;
this service moves so fast,
in the near future we will
reap the benefits of these
decisions. The reason lead
ers have worked so hard to
accomplish this is because
of the unified desire for the
area.”
Concluding his re
marks on the development
of broadband for the area,
Tillery explained that the
future is still on the minds
of all leaders involved in
this decision. “Your leaders
are not stopping at merely
developing the service.
They are already planning
the future and the next
phases and steps of this de
velopment.”
Altamaha EMC Gen
eral Manager Romanous
Dotson closed the an
nouncement ceremony by
sharing his gratitude to all
involved with this develop
ment. “Thank you all for
your help and support of
Altamaha EMC, and we
look forward to continuing
to serve our area in the best
ways we can.”
From the Record
THE BLOTTER
These are the reported
arrests from the Toombs
County Sheriff's Office,
the Vidalia and Lyons
police departments,
and the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office
for the past week.
Incidents are taken
directly from police
files. All suspects are
innocent until proven
guilty.
In Lyons...
• Coy Alvin Man-
ess, of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
25 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First).
• Coy Alvin Man-
ess, of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
26 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First).
• Tony Colt Kight,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
30 and charged with
Terroristic Threats,
Cruelty to Children,
Criminal Trespass.
• Michael An
thony Johnson, of
Soperton, was ar
rested on October
30 and charged with
Driving While License
Suspended or Re
voked (First), Posses
sion of Marijuana
Less Than Ounce.
In Toombs
County...
• Jaquez Burke,
of Dublin, was ar
rested on October
28 and charged with
Terroristic Threats/In
timidation/Acts,
TCDC-Out of County
Hold.
• Stanley Carter,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
26 and charged with
Marijuana-Purchase,
Possession, Manf,
Distribution, Sale.
• Johnny Childs,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on October
28 and charged with
Criminal Trespass,
Theft by Taking.
• Ronnie Connell,
of Claxton, was ar
rested on October
28 and charged with
Open Container-Al
coholic Beverage-
Passenger, DUI/Alco-
hol/Less Safe.
• James Darden,
of Lyons, was ar
rested on October
30 and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
• Larry Dixon, of
Vidalia, was arrested
on October 25 and
charged with Theft
by Deception, Fail
ure to Appear.
• James Hatten,
of Uvalda, was ar
rested on October
27 and charged with
Probation Violation-
Felony.
• Jeffery Joiner,
of Vidalia, was ar
rested on October
26 and charged with
Financial Transaction
Card Fraud, Theft of
Lost or Mislaid Prop
erty.
• Christopher
Lee, of Vidalia, was
arrested on October
24 and charged with
Theft by Receiving
Stolen Property, Bur
glary 2nd Degree,
Burglary 1st Degree.
• Kameron
McLemore, of Vida
lia, was arrested on
October 26 and
charged with Proba
tion Violation-Felony.
• Jim Moore II, of
Ailey, was arrested
on October 24 and
charged with DUI/AI-
cohol/Less Safe,
Turning Movements
and Required Sig
nals.
• Shayla Murray,
of Blackshear, was
arrested on October
27 and charged with
Speeding in Excess
of Maximum Limits,
Trafficking Illegal
Drugs (Cocaine,
Meth, Heroine, Mari
juana).
In Montgomery
County...
• Zackery William
Phillips, of Uvalda,
was arrested on
Ocorber 20 and
charged with Felony
Probation Violation.
• Trey Wes Mat
thews, of Mount Ver
non, was arrested on
October 26 and
charged with Incest,
Rape, Aggravated
Sexual Battery, Ag
gravated Child Mo
lestation, Child Mo
lestation.
In Vidalia...
• Christopher
James Wescom, of
Augusta, was ar
rested on October
29 and charged with
Theft by Shoplifting
(2nd).
• Lori Ann Robin
son, of Vidalia, was
arrested on Ocotber
30 and charged with
No Tag / No Insur
ance / Driving while
License Suspended.
Trooper Stops Speeding Vehicle,
Discovers Marijuana in Back Seat
A state trooper on
routine patrol in Lyons
stopped a speeding vehicle
and discovered a trash bag
filled with marijuana in
the back seat. The driver of
the vehicle, Shayla Tiahha
Murray, 28, of Blackshear,
was arrested in connection
with the incident that oc
curred on Wednesday, Oc
tober 27, around 9:37 p.m.
Murray has been
charged with Trafficking
in Marijuana and is be
ing held at the Toombs
County Detention Center
where she has been denied
a bond at this time.
A press release from
the Toombs County Sher
iff’s Office reported that
the Georgia State Patrol of
ficer from Post 18 in Reids-
ville was patrolling in the
area of North State Street
and Skyline Boulevard in
Lyons when he detected a
vehicle traveling at a high
rate of speed. The trooper
initiated a traffic stop on
a red Chevrolet Impala to
address the speeding viola
tion.
As he approached the
vehicle, the trooper de
tected the strong odor of
marijuana emanating from
the car.
While
speak
ing with
Murray
at the
driver’s
w i n -
dow, the Shay | a Tiahha
trooper Murray
o b -
served a large black trash
bag in the back seat of the
vehicle with the top of the
bag open. The trooper ob
served what appeared to
be packages of marijuana
inside of the bag. At this
point, Murray was placed
under arrest and removed
from the vehicle. Murray
stated to the trooper that
she had been smoking
marijuana.
The trooper then re
quested assistance and
another trooper from Post
18, Officers with the Lyons
Police Department, and
Deputies with the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office ar
rived at the scene. During
a search of the vehicle, law
enforcement officers dis
covered a small brown bag
containing marijuana in
the front seat area, along
with the large plastic trash
bag in the rear seat. Dur
ing a further search of the
trash bag, law enforcement
officers discovered 10 bags
of marijuana weighing ap
proximately 10 pounds in
total.
The marijuana was
transported to the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office
where the trooper and
deputies processed the
evidence and placed it
into evidence storage. A
Taskforce Agent with the
Southeastern Regional
Drug Enforcement Of
fice was contacted and
the investigation has been
turned over that office.
Woman Hurt When Train Collides With Car
A woman was injured
in a train vs. car mishap in
Lyons on Wednesday, Oc
tober 27, around 5 p.m.
The accident occurred at
the intersection of South
Monroe and Georgia
Highway 292 as the driver
the vehicle, Dominique
Latisha Hunt, 22, of Ly
ons was attempting to
cross the railroad tracks
as a train approached.
Hunt was transported
from the scene to be treat
ed for her injuries, but a
passenger in the vehicle,
Lanny Cross, 24, of Ma
con, was apparently un
hurt in the crash.
Lyons Police Chief
Wesley Walker said wit
nesses stated that Hunt
drove across the tracks
into the path of the Cen
tral Georgia Railway en
gine. He said there are no
electric alert devices at
this section of the track,
which passes through Ly
ons.
The case has been
turned over to the Geor
gia State Patrol for further
investigation.
Montgomery Sheriff’s Office
Gets Highway Safety Grant
The Montgomery
County Sheriff’s Office has
received a $39,320 High
Visibility Enforcement
(HVE) grant from the Gov
ernor’s Office of Highway
Safety (GOHS). Funding
for this grant is provided by
the National Highway Traf
fic Safety Administration
and is awarded based upon
the partnership with the
Governor’s Office of High
way Safety in helping to re
duce crashes, injuries, and
fatalities across Georgia.
HVE combines highly
visible and proactive law
enforcement to target a
specific traffic safety issue
designed to change unlaw
ful and dangerous driving
behaviors that contribute
to most of the fatal and se
rious-injury traffic crashes
on the state’s roads. Law
enforcement efforts are
combined with visibility
elements and public notifi
cation on the enforcement
campaign to educate the
public on traffic safety and
to promote voluntary com
pliance with the law.
“With the increase
in the number of persons
killed in traffic crashes in
Georgia and across the
nation over the last year,
GOHS is working with
partners like the Mont
gomery County Sheriff’s
Office to implement pro
grams designed to stop the
risky driving behaviors that
are contributing to a ma
jority of our serious-injury
and fatality crashes,” said
Allen Poole, GOHS Direc
tor. “Many of the fatal traf
fic crashes on our roads are
preventable, and we will
continue to work with our
educational and enforce
ment partners to develop
programs and initiatives
that are designed to get
Georgia to our goal of zero
traffic deaths.”
Montgomery Coun
ty Sheriff Doug Maybin
noted, “The safety of our
citizens in Montgomery
County and the visitors
that travel on our roadways
during the year are among
our top priorities as law
enforcement personnel.
This grant will allow us to
Drivers and passengers
escaped injury in a two-
car crash that erupted into
flames Friday afternoon in
rural Toombs County. The
incident occurred at ap
proximately 3:52 p.m. at
the intersection of Georgia
Highways 152 and 86.
According to a press
release from the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office,
deputies responded to a
call reporting fire at the
scene of an accident.
First responders ar
rived to discover a vehicle
driven by Sierra Sanders
of Cobbtown, in a ditch
on Highway 152 and a
vehicle driven by David
purchase equipment we
need to keep our roadways
safe such as a RADARs for
identifying speeders.”
As law enforcement
partners in the “Operation
Zero Tolerance DUI” and
“Click It or Ticket” seatbelt
campaigns, the Montgom
ery County Sheriff’s Of
fice will also conduct mo
bilizations throughout the
year in coordination with
GOHS’s year-round waves
of high visibility patrols,
multijurisdictional sobri
ety checkpoints.
The grant will contin
ue through September of
2022.
Pascale of Byron on fire in
the ditch on Highway 86.
Sanders and her three pas
sengers and Pascale were
unharmed during the col
lision.
Based on the prelimi
nary information by re
sponding deputies, it ap
pears that Pascale failed
to stop at the intersection
and struck the rear side of
Sanders’ vehicle. All parties
were evaluated on scene
and were not in need medi
cal treatment, the press
release said. The accident
has been turned over to the
Georgia State Patrol Post
18 at Reidsville for further
investigation.
No Injuries in Fiery
Two-Car Crash