Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 123 No. 50
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
December 15, 2021
I have come to the
conclusion that
politics is too serious
a matter to be left to
the politicians.
- Charles de Gaulle
News
BYTES
Operation Santa
Paws
SOAPS (Sweet Onion
Protection Society) is
conducting its annual
Operation Santa Paws
to collect donations for
animals in area shelters.
Donations can include
blankets, pet food, kitty
litter and more. Call 912-
537-2900 for information.
Sparkle in the
Park
Friends of Little
Ocmulgee State Park
is sponsoring a drive
through holiday event,
December 17-January
2. The park will be
decked out with lights
and decorations and will
offer lots of opportunities
for photos. There is no
fee for the event but the
$5 park pass is required.
Auxiliary Wreath
Laying in Lyons
The Lyons/Vidalia VFW
Auxiliary will be laying
wreaths on the graves
of veterans at the
Lyons City Cemetery on
December 18 at 9 a.m.
A ceremony will follow at
the Memorial Monument
on Plighway 280 near
Walmart.
Wreath Laying
at Lakeview
December 18 is National
Wreaths Across America
Day. The public is
invited to Lakeview
Memorial Garden
on Georgia Highway
15, on Saturday at 12
noon to lay wreaths
on the headstones
of hometown heroes
and to recognize
their service. For more
information call Ty Ann
Copeland at 912-314-
9942.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 8A
Your Mind On Line Page 3A
Sports Page 1 B
SUBSCRIBE
AND SAVE
30% OFF
NEWSSTAND
PRICES!
Call 537-3131
(or delivery!
Harrington Awaits Sentencing
In Raymonia Shooting Death
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
A local man awaits
sentencing after he was
found guilty December
3 in Toombs County Su
perior Court of three of
five charges connected to
a 2018 shooting death at
Raymonia Apartments in
Vidalia.
Malique Rheem Har
rington, Jr., was charged
with felony and malice
murder in the death of
Jerry Clark, Jr. Harrington
was also charged with
aggravated assault, pos
session of a firearm dur
ing the commission of
a crime, and tampering
with evidence.
When officers with
the Vidalia Police De
partment responded to
Raymonia Apartments at
1208 Easter Drive around
1:07 a.m. on May 10,
2018, they found 21-year-
old Clark lying on the
ground with an apparent
Malique Rheem
Harrington, Jr.
gunshot wound to the
chest. He was transported
to Meadows Regional
Medical Center where
he was pronounced de
ceased.
Harrington fled the
area after the shooting
and turned himself in to
Please see Death page
2A
Meadows Fitness Center
Reopens in Vidalia
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Photo by Deborah Clark
WELCOME - Jay Bailey, left, and Maggie Barr Martin, at the front desk of the new Meadows Fitness
Center, are ready to welcome new members. Bailey is owner of the Center and Martin is Director. An
open house on Thursday, December 16, at 4 p.m. will offer the public a look at the Center's many
amenities.
Area residents are getting
an early Christmas present. The
Meadows Fitness Center, located
inside the Meadows Wellness Cen
ter at 101 Harris Industrial Bou
levard, is reopening. The Fitness
Center will officially be introduced
to the community during an open
house on Thursday, December 16.
The event starts at 4 p.m.
The Center was closed in 2020
due to the COVID-19 pandemic
and residents have been eagerly an
ticipating its comeback. When the
hospital was purchased by HCA in
May, the reopening of the popular
facility was a high prior
ity with HCA officials.
The new Meadows
Fitness Center is a
shared vision of
owner Jay Bai
ley and Me
morial Health
Meadows Hospi
tal in Vidalia, which
owns the building and
leases the site to Bailey.
Bailey has a 20-year back-
Please see Fitness page 11A
Second Arrest Made
in Bomb Threat
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dciarkadvance@gmaii.com
A second arrest has
been made in a Novem
ber 15 bomb threat that
temporarily shut down
the Toombs County
Courthouse.
Charity Arm Miles,
26, of Vidalia, has been
charged with Terroristic
Threats and Acts in con
nection with the case.
Miles was arrested by
investigators with the
Toombs County Sher
iff’s Office on December
10 and is being held in
the Toombs County Jail
awaiting her first court
Charity Ann Miles
appearance.
Previously, investi
gators arrested Rodney
Steven Weeks, 44, on
charges of Terroristic
Threats and Acts in the
courthouse incident.
Information gained dur
ing the investigation de
termined that Miles re
quested Weeks to call in
a bomb threat in hopes
that Miles would not
have to appear in court
that day, Captain Jordan
Right with the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office
said in a press release is
sued last week.
Right said, on
November 15 at ap
proximately 10:06 a.m.,
Toombs County 911
Dispatch received a
call from the Toombs
County Magistrate’s Of
fice stating that a caller
with a restricted phone
Please see Bomb page
3A
Potentially Lethal
Situation Ends
Peacefully
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
A potentially lethal
situation ended peaceful
ly early December 9, after
Vidalia police responded
to a domestic incident in
which a man was alleg
edly holding a gun to his
own head.
Sergeant Investi
gator John Humphrey
with the Vidalia Police
Department said offi
cers arrived on the scene
around 1 a.m. Thursday
and established a perim
eter around the residence
in which the subject was
located. They made con
tact with the man via cell
phone and maintained
communications until a
crisis negotiator arrived
on the scene.
After about three
hours, the man was per
suaded to surrender to
authorities without in
cident. The man, who
had complained of chest
Please see Lethal page
3A
