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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Vol. 126 No. 27
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
July 5, 2023
Many of life’s failures
are people who did
not realize how close
they were to success
when they gave up.
- Thomas A. Edison
News
BYTES
Sweet
Saturday
The Downtown Vi
dalia Association will
host its monthly
Sweet Saturday
event from 11 a.m.
until 3 p.m. on Satur
day, July 8. The
event will feature
live music, food
trucks, games, and
more. For more in
formation, call the
DVA at (912) 537-
7661.
Statewide
Bible
Reading
Montgomery,
Toombs, and
Wheeler Counties
will all hold Bible
Reading ceremo
nies at their respec
tive county court
houses on Friday,
July 14, as a part of
the Georgia State
wide Bible Reading
Day. The event will
begin at 7:14 a.m.,
and each county
will read differing
biblical passages.
Warm Feet
for Warriors
1st Franklin Financial
will be accepting all
colors and sizes of
new socks in original
packaging for U.S.
troops and veterans
until November 30.
These socks may be
dropped off at any
surrounding area lo
cation of 1st Franklin
Financial, including
the Vidalia office,
which is located at
1100 East First Street.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 4A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 5A
Sports Page 1 B
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SheriffMay bin Issues
Public Warning
By Montgomery County Sheriff Doug Maybin
OFFICIAL PUBLIC WARNING - Montgomery County Sheriff Doug May-
bin has issued a public warning regarding the usage of drugs within
the county, specifically fentanyl. He shared four recent arrests within
the county involving the substance, including a drug raid that oc
curred within a traffic stop in Higgston on June 8,
As your Sheriff, I am issuing a PUBLIC
WARNING to all citizens of Montgomery
County Illegal drugs are crossing the US,
Georgia, and Montgomery County borders
at an alarming rate. I am greatly concerned
about the movement of these drugs into our
County
This warning is applicable to ALL citi
zens and especially to those individuals who
use illegal drugs, sell illegal drugs, or who
maybe exposed to these drugs in anyway
Almost ALL Montgomery County
drug arrests made over the past few months
have been laced with Fentanyl. Fentanyl is
one of the most dangerous and lethal drugs
in use today as it can be absorbed through
the skin, inhaled, or ingested in numerous
ways. The smallest amount is enough to
be fatal. Law enforcement officers receive
specialized training regarding the dangers
presented by Fentanyl presence, use, and
exposure and even with this intensive
training, there have been many near fatal
Please see Warning page 3A
Kibbee Shooter
Arrested
Identity of Fatal
Accident Victim
Still a Mystery
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The victim of a fatal ac
cident on Thompson Pond
Road in Montgomery Coun
ty has not yet been identified
by the Georgia State Patrol
(GSP).
According to the GSP,
the agency was dispatched
to a single-vehicle accident
along the roadway on June 23.
Upon arrival, officers found a
deceased adult male driver
of the vehicle, and an adult
woman and child in need of
medical attention. These two
remaining passengers were
transported to Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital for
further treatment.
Troopers determined the
victim to be the driver of the
vehicle and believe the acci
dent was caused by excessive
speed and alcohol.
GSP is continuing to in
vestigate the accident.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
The Georgia Bureau of In
vestigation (GBI) has arrested
and charged Hunter Blake
Kersey, 27, of Montgomery
County with malice murder,
felony murder, and aggravated
assault in connection to the
agency’s investigation of a June
4 shooting.
On Sunday, June 4, at
around 7:20 p.m., the GBI was
requested by the Montgomery
County Sheriff's Office in refer
ence to a shooting that occurred
near Jake McCaw Road. The
victim was identified as Mason
McCarty, 23, of Vidalia, and was
taken to the hospital, where he
later died.
During the investigation,
law enforcement determined
that McCarty and Kersey were
involved in a confrontation
when the shooting occurred.
Previously, Kersey claimed that
he acted in self-defense, but af
ter further inquiry into the case,
the GBI has found evidence to
Please see Arrest page 3A
Loving Lyons Asks For Community Support
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Loving Lyons and
Beyond, a local nonprofit
organization, invited mem
bers of the community to
a luncheon to discuss the
need for community sup
port on Tuesday, June 27.
“We serve those who
serve - we serve others
who serve others,” Lov
ing Lyons Founder Joseph
Akins emphasized about
the charity during the lun
cheon.
The organization was
first formed in 2020, when
Akins, a pastor at Faith As
sembly of God in Lyons,
was looking for ways to
serve others in the com
munity. “It began as [just]
Loving Lyons - that was
the name of our church’s
local ministries,” he ex
plained. “We’ve been do
ing this for 4-5 years. We
have been officially orga
nized for 3 years, but just
became a 501c3 organiza
tion within the past few
months.”
The first logo included
the colors for both Robert
Toombs Christian Acad
emy and Toombs County
Schools to show the orga
nization’s pride for their
city. Yet, as time went on,
Loving Lyons began to
branch out past the city
limits. “We are proud to be
from Lyons, but we live in
Toombs County. We love
Please see Lyons page 4A
Photo By: Makaylee Randolph
IMPACTED BY SERVING - Loving Lyons and Beyond Board Chairwoman Ta-
batha Nobles said she first became involved with the group after experienc
ing their acts of service, as they provided staff and students at Lyons Upper
Elementary School with a new pair of shoes during her time as principal.
