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The ADVANCE, August 30, 2023/Page 9A
Ex-teller
pleads guilty to
pocketing bank
deposits
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
A former Candler
County bank teller has
pleaded guilty to bank
fraud after skimming near
ly $90,000 from a conve
nience store’s deposits.
Kayla Evans, 32, of
Metter is facing up to 30
years in prison and up to
three years of supervised
release after completing
her sentence as well as sub
stantial fines and restitu
tion.
Evans worked as a
teller for the Synovus Bank
in Metter, where a focal
convenience store kept its
account. An auditor for
the store began noticing
substantial discrepancies
between the amount of
cash presented to the bank
for deposit and the amount
credited to the store.
An investigation found
that from July 2019 through
February 2021, Evans
skimmed large amounts
of cash for her personal
use, crediting a smaller de
posit to the store. As part
of her plea, she agreed to
pay restitution for the full
loss caused by her criminal
conduct and to never again
seek employment in a fi
nancial institution.
“Bank customers
count on their financial
institution to operate with
honesty and integrity, and
Kayla Evans violated that
trust,” said Jill Steinberg,
U.S. attorney for the South
ern District of Georgia.
“This plea offers assurance
that Evans will be held ac
countable for her theft.”
Evans will be sen
tenced following a pre-sen
tence investigation by U.S.
Probation Services.
The investigation was
led by the Federal Reserve
Board’s Office of Inspector
General and the U.S. Con
sumer Financial Protection
Bureau, working with the
Candler County Sheriff’s
Office, the district attor
ney’s office for the Middle
Judicial Circuit, and the
Georgia Bureau of Investi
gation.
Wheeler
continued from page 1A
dence in Laurens County.
Accompanied by her attor
ney, she posted a $24,000
bond and was released
from jail in just a little over
an hour.
Sheriff Randy Rigdon
said response by law en
forcement was hampered
by a delay in reporting
the incident. He said he
learned of the occurrence
on May 8 when he visited
the Circle K Store on Sec
ond Street and was handed
a brown paper bag by a
store employee with infor
mation written on it per
taining to the case. After
contacting the mother of a
juvenile who was allegedly
involved, Rigdon said his
office reviewed video from
the store and contacted the
GBI for assistance in track
ing down the suspect.
It was noted in the re
port that when asked about
the delay in reporting the
occurrence, the store man
ager said the employee who
was on duty at the time of
the incident “did not know
what to do and assumed
the (juvenile’s) motherwas
going to call the law.”
The incident garnered
widespread attention after
broadcast media aired an
interview with one of the
parties in the case.
Indictment in Shooting
Case
The August term of
the Grand Jury also re
turned a 10-count indict
ment against Kendrick
Lamar Powell, whose cur
rent address is the Georgia
Diagnostic Classification
Prison in Jackson, and pre
viously of Eastman. Powell
was charged in connection
with the April 19, 2023,
shooting an Alamo man
who survived the incident.
The counts against Pow
ell include aggravated as
sault; possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon;
possession of marijuana
with intent to distribute;
possession of a controlled
substance with intent to
distribute (2 counts); pos
session of a firearm during
the commission of a felony
(4 counts); and possession
of drug-related objects.
Other Indictments
Indictments were also
returned in the following
cases:
Brian Carswell of Hart
well and Thomas Travis, Jr.
of Alamo, were indicted on
3 counts in a joint indict
ment following an incident
on May 19, 2021, in which
they were charged with
taking a golf cart: posses
sion of cocaine (Carswell);
theft by taking (Carswell
and Travis); and posses
sion of marijuana, less than
one ounce (Carswell).
Billy Crews, Jr. of Na-
hunta, 4 counts in a De
cember 20, 2021, incident:
possession of metham-
phetamine with intent to
distribute; possession of
schedule 4 controlled sub
stance; possession of mari
juana (less than an ounce);
speeding.
George Dexter Thrift
of Hazlehurst, 3 counts,
in an incident occurring
March 20, 2022: terroris
tic threats. He is accused
of threatening to kill two
women and one man.
Tiger Taquan Rober
son, a resident of Coastal
State Prison in Garden City
and previously of Hines-
ville, 5 counts in an April
21, 2022, incident in which
he is accused of choking a
man and striking a juve
nile: terroristic threats; ag
gravated assault; cruelty to
children in the first degree;
criminal damage to prop
erty in the second degree;
and cruelty to children in
the third degree.
Charles Edward
Myrick of Alamo, 6 counts
in a May 13, 2022, inci
dent: possession of co
caine; possession of a
schedule 1 controlled
substance; possession of
marijuana (less than one
ounce); obstruction of an
officer (misdemeanor); tail
light violation; expired tag.
Anthony Trey Wilcox
of McRae-Helena, 1 count
stemming from an incident
at the Wheeler County Jail
where he was in custody on
June 14, 2022: unlawfully
possessing methamphet-
amine, a schedule 2 drug.
Christopher Dean
Taylor, an inmate at
Wheeler Correctional
Facility (WCF) and pre
viously of Glennville, 4
counts stemming from a
July 12, 2022, incident at
the prison: obstruction
of an officer (felony); un
lawful acts of violence in a
penal institution; posses
sion of prohibited items by
inmates; obstruction of an
officer (misdemeanor).
Michael Deshawn
Williams of Glenwood, 4
separate indictments for 4
incidents occurring Octo
ber 17, 2022, on Third Ave
nue in Glenwood in which
he was accused of break
ing windows out of com
mercial properties. Each
indictment included one
count each of damage to
property in the second de
gree. He was also indicted
for an incident occurring
on July 20, 2022: 1 count,
damage to property by cut
ting the tires on a vehicle
with damages exceeding
$500.
Jade M. Floyd of
Lumber City, 1 count in
an incident on November
24, 2022: simple battery
against a person 65 years
or older.
Devin Trae Jarriel, Re
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1
PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING A
PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
The Toombs County Board of Education today announces its intention to increase the 2023
property taxes it will levy this year by 3.79 percent over the rollback millage rate.
The Toombs County Board of Education proposes rolling back the millage rate
from 14.37 to 14.0 mills. In accordance with Georgia Code 20-2-165, boards of
education must maintain an equivalent millage rate of at least 14 mills to prevent
the loss of state equalization grant funding. Due to the reassessment of proper
ty values, the rollback millage rate required by Georgia law would cause Toombs
County Schools’ millage rate to fall below the required 14 mills and forfeit the
state equalization funding (approximately $2.3 million annually) and would cause
a substantial increase in the school millage rate. Therefore, the Toombs County
Board of Education proposes to decrease the 2022 millage rate by .370 mills and
adopt the minimum millage rate of 14.0 mills required to receive state equaliza
tion funding. The Toombs County Board of Education would like our property
taxpayers to understand that unless your property has been reassessed (taxable
value increased) during the year then you WILL NOT see a tax increase.
When the total digest of taxable property is prepared, Georgia Law requires that a rollback
millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year's
new digest that last year's millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.
The budget tentatively adopted by the Toombs County Board of Education requires a mill-
age rate higher than the rollback millage rate; therefore, before the Toombs County Board
of Education may set a final millage rate, Georgia Law requires that three public hearings be
held to allow the public an opportunity to express their opinions on this increase. All con
cerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at the Toombs
County High School, 500 Bulldog Road, Lyons, Georgia on September 7, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
and September 14, 2023 at 8:15 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
idsville, 1 count in a De
cember 10, 2022, incident:
theft by conversion.
Jason Kyle Alford, an
inmate at WCF, previously
of Milledgeville, 4 counts
stemming from a Decem
ber 17, 2022, incident: ag
gravated assault on a police
officer; unlawful acts of
violence in a penal institu
tion; obstruction of an offi
cer (felony); possession of
prohibited items.
Jeremy Kyle Scott of
Uvalda and Ashtin Brooke
Beecher of Uvalda, in a 7-
count, double indictment
stemming from an incident
on December 17, 2022:
illegal use of a communi
cations device in the com
mission of a felony (Scott);
trafficking in methamphet-
amine (both defendants);
theft by receiving stolen
property (both); posses
sion of a firearm in the
commission of a felony
(both); possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon (2
counts, Scott and Beecher,
individually); possession
of drug-related objects.
Elisia Baker of Pool
er, 5 counts in a Decem
ber 31, 2022, incident
at WCF: possession of
marijuana with intent to
distribute; furnishing pro
hibited items to inmates
(3 counts); crossing guard
lines with drugs.
Derek Lamont Austin,
Riverbend Correctional
Facility in Milledgeville
and previously of McRae-
Helena, and Kenneth John
Giaramita of McRae-Hel
ena in a 1-count, double
indictment stemming from
an incident on January
11, 2023: possession of
2 grams of methamphet-
amine, a schedule 2 con
trolled substance.
Arnetta Harvey of Ala
mo, 3 counts in a February
14, 2023, incident: cruelty
to children in the first de
gree (2 counts); and cruel
ty to children in the second
degree.
Selena Vargas of Ly
ons and Jesup, 2 counts for
an incident on March 21,
2023: possession of meth-
amphetamine; cruelty to
children by using narcotics
while pregnant.
Harry Ray Shouse of
Mt. Vernon, 2 counts stem
ming from an incident on
March 27, 2023: aggravat
ed assault and terroristic
threats (felony).
Jesse James Smith
of Glenwood and Kevin
Mathis of Mt. Vernon, in a
5 count, joint indictment
in an incident on March
28, 2023: possession of
methamphetamine (both
defendants); possession of
a firearm during the com
mission of a felony (both);
possession of a firearm by
a convicted felon (Smith);
driving on suspended, can
celled, or revoked registra
tion (Mathis); possession
of drug-related objects
(both).
Michael Cole Marsh of
McRae-Helena, 3 counts,
in an incident on April 23,
2023: financial transaction,
card theft (2 counts); theft
by taking (cell phone)
Kahlid Rashid Harper
of Macon, 3 counts in an
incident on May 9,2023, at
the Wheeler County Jail:
crossing guard line with
contraband; possession of
marijuana (less than one
ounce); obstruction of an
officer.
Brian Carswell of
Whitworth Parole Center
at Hartwell and previously
of Alamo, 3 counts in an
incident occurring on June
3, 2023: possession of co
caine; operating a vehicle
without insurance; failure
to maintain brake lights in
good working condition.