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PAGE 8A
BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008
Drug investigation in Winder nabs two
Two Winder residents were arrested
last week on drug charges following a
search of their home.
Courtney Marquez Billings of 107
Griffith St. and Timothy Kendell Harris
of 522 Hickory Highway were both
charged with possession of marijuana
with intent to sell or distribute, which is
a felony, and with maintaining a disor
derly house, which is a violation of the
city code, according to records from the
Winder Police Department.
Acting on a tip during a drug investi
gation, the police department obtained
a search warrant. The Special Response
Team knocked down the front door of
the home on Griffith Street, said Lt. Todd
Druse, the department's public informa
tion officer.
“They went inside and encountered
four people.” Druse said. “Mr. Billings
was not at home. While the officers were
searching the residence, he walked into
the front door and asked some ques
tions. They informed him that they had a
search warrant for his residence and they
noticed his speech was slurred.”
Among items confiscated by police
from the home were: A plastic bag con
taining a substance that appeared to be
marijuana; a large bag containing 26
smaller bags containing the same sub
stance; a bag containing seeds; a set
of digital scales; two brands of blunt
wrappers; 102 pirated DVD movies; and
$1,397 in cash.
Also arrested was Sualinda Rena
Harris, who lives at the residence. She
was charged with maintaining a disor
derly house.
CHECK FRAUD
Winder Police are investigating a
check fraud incident allegedly committed
against Trim-Co Exteriors on Hwy. 211.
Lt. Todd Druse said Tuesday that First
Piedmont Bank reported receiving two
fraudulent checks designed to look like
those for Trim-Co Exteriors.
“Somebody printed the checks with
Trim-Co’s logo, but the checks were
green and the company’s checks are
always blue,” Druse said.
A bank official gave police the checks,
as well as bank photographs of the sus
pects who cashed the checks.
No arrests had been made as of early
this week, but a police investigator has
identified two of the three suspects.
“We will be requesting warrants for
two and will be continuing our investiga
tion for the third,” Druse said.
OTHER ARRESTS
Between Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, the
Winder Police Department arrested the
following:
•Demetrius Acree, 185 E. Broad St.
battery - family violence.
•Eric Ray Adams, 170 Georgia Ave.,
probation violation.
•Marcus Marion Baker of 24 Mimosa
St., no insurance and driving with an
expired license.
•Cathy Clement Barnett, 191 Durham
Road, Hoschton, shoplifting.
•Matthew John Blosser, 776 Samuel
Ct., Bethlehem, public drunkenness and
disorderly conduct.
•Christopher Charles Cooper, 147
Horton St., DUI first offense, no insur
ance, suspended registration and head
lights not in use.
•Marina Eve Duprey-Butler, 1106
Bottomland Ct., Lawrenceville, speed
ing, reckless driving, fleeing or attempt
ing to elude arrest, and possession of
marijuana.
•Lola Kay Elliot, 710 Pearl Drive,
Charleston, W.Va., vagrancy.
•Antonio Epps, 80 King St., failure to
appear.
•Christopher Paul Epps, 3498
Hightower Trail, Conyers, probation vio
lation.
•John Alexander Goodwin, 1530
Barclay Dr., Lawrenceville, obstructing
or hindering a law enforcement officer.
•Ian Lankin Haley, 111 Atha St.,
Monroe, probation violation.
•Katlin Marie Harrington, 223
Sherwood Dr., deposit account fraud.
•Angela Bradley Hawkins, 1209
Autumn Ave., excessive volume from a
car stereo and DUI first offense.
•Paula Lynette Hill, 113 Williamson
St., shoplifting.
•Christopher Ryan Johnson, 705
Evergreen Dr., probation violation.
•Janie Sue Hyder, 231 Kilcrease Road,
driving while license is revoked or sus
pended and improper turn.
•Calvin L. Lake, 108 Betts St., proba
tion violation.
•Rene Nava Laureano, 354 Sanders
Cir., probation violation.
•Aaron Heath Lee, 1358 Carl Bethlehem
Road, Auburn, DUI second offense.
•Ceria Chardi Love, 53 Clifton Dr.,
entry upon property and disorderly con
duct.
•Antonio Contrell Patmon, 172 Green
St., driving while license is revoked or
suspended.
•Katherine Brakhage Reynolds, 224
King Street, shoplifting and probation
violation.
•Michael Anthony Rowell, 329
Dreamland Ct., battery.
•Hugo Rubio, 7 Jerome St., DUI under
the age of 21, reckless driving, removing
or affixing tags to conceal identification
of vehicle, no drivers license, suspended
registration, possession of alcohol by a
minor, and improperly transferred tags
on a motor vehicle.
•Brandon Sander, Hwy. 211, DUI first
offense, possession of marijuana, failure
to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure
to maintain lane, failure to stop for a red
light, and stop-sign violation.
•Jonathan Paul Sanders, 605 Century
Dr., DUI first offense, failure to maintain
lane, possession of an open container of
alcohol, headlight violations and failure
to change name and address on license
within 60 days.
•Regina Turner, 119 Broadacres Ct.,
Athens, DUI first offense, possession
of an open container of alcohol, and no
brake lights.
INCIDENTS
Winder Police also responded to the
following incidents during the same peri
od:
•terroristic threats at a home on Village
Court.
•verbal altercation at a location on East
Athens Street.
•theft at a location in the 300 block of
North Broad Street.
•obstruction of a law enforcement offi
cer at a location on Natchez Circle.
•deceased person at a location on 3rd
Avenue.
•theft by taking at an address on Mary
Alice Drive.
•open door at a location on Duke
Circle.
•burglary at a business in the 200 block
of North Broad St.
•forgery and obtaining drugs by fraud
or forgery at a business on East May
Street.
•leaving the scene of an accident, North
Broad Street.
•criminal trespass at a location on
North 5th Avenue.
•criminal trespass at a location on 2nd
Street.
•theft at an address on King Street,
•reckless driving on James Street,
•domestic dispute at a location on West
Midland Avenue.
•brawl at a location on Buena Vista
Street.
•sexual assault at a residence on 2nd
Street.
•non-criminal dispute at a business on
West Midland Avenue.
•suspicious drug activity at a location
on West Oak Street.
•theft at a location on North Broad
Street.
•theft at a location on Elm Street.
•hit and run on East May Street.
•theft of a motor vehicle on Glen
Avenue.
•domestic dispute at a location on
Windsor Drive.
•theft at a location on West Stephens
Street.
•accident on Miles Patrick Road,
•deceased person at a location on North
Williamson Street.
•Burglary on West Candler Street,
•unruly juvenile at a location on King
Street.
Auburn police arrest six
During the week of Nov.
4-11, Auburn police arrested
six people and issued citations
to two others for a variety of
alleged offenses.
Those arrested or cited
were:
•Amanda Ash of Buford,
violation of the Georgia
Controlled Substances Act.
•Florin Cole Clifton of
Lawrenceville, disorderly
conduct, underage possession
of alcohol and public drunk -
disturbance;
•Jack Edward Curtis of
Auburn, battery - family
domestic act, and disorderly
conduct.
•Patrick Hilton Edwards of
Auburn, probation violation.
•Rosa Maria Ramirez of
Lawrenceville, driving with
out a license and expired tag;
•Charles Amos Pugh of
Auburn, public drunk - dis
turbance and disorderly con
duct.
•Lenroy Nelson Smith III
and Anthony Antonio Davis
Jr. of Auburn were issued
citations for discharging paint
guns within the city limits.
City police officers also
responded to the following
calls:
•domestic dispute at a
residence on Bradford Park
Drive.
•animal in the roadway on
4th street.
•theft of a motor home at
a location on John's Bluff
Road.
•harassment at a location on
Shoshone Court.
•damage to property at a
residence on Saddlecreek
Court.
•runaway report at a home
on Scenic Lane.
•terroristic threat at a home
on Bradford Court.
•theft of water service at a
lot in a trailer park on Carter
Road.
•an open door at a home on
Pool Circle.
Six face charges in Statham
Statham Police officers arrested six people between Nov.
3 and Nov. 9, responded to 10 incidents and wrote 16 traffic
tickets and one warning.
Wendy Wild, 40, of 112 Hickory Trail, was arrested for
allegedly driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an
accident and striking an unattended vehicle.
Thomas Dean Harris II, 22, of 7116 Secret Road,
Douglasville, was arrested for driving with a suspended
license.
Margaret Bridges, 23, of Statham was charged with simple
battery.
John Wesley Barrett, 29, of 43 Richardson St., Charlotte
Lynette Couch, 31, of 1863 Broad St., and Adam Joshua
Manders, 31, of 440 Friendship Church Road in Danielsville
were arrested for violation of probation.
Among the incidents reported to the Statham police during
the week were the theft of a National Guard tag from a vehicle
off Hillcrest Drive; harassing telephone calls at a Jefferson
Street location, and theft of a wallet.
The previous week the Statham Police Department arrested
two people. They included:
• Dianne Criswell, 34, 458 Patrick Mill Road, Winder, pro
bation violation.
• Kristina Elizabeth Ponce, 23, 466 Peach Hill Drive,
Jefferson, failure to drive within a single lane, possession of
dangerous drugs, drugs to be kept in original container, pos
session of methamphetamine, possession of dangerous drugs
- phenelzine.
Statham police also answered calls in connection with the
following incidents the previous week:
• a theft on Second Street.
• a theft on Jefferson Street.
• shoplifting at the Circle K.
• an abandoned vehicle on Atlanta Highway.
• a domestic dispute.
BOC continued from 1A
Christmas parade deadline Friday
By July 1, 2010, the county
is slated to build a new pump
station at Shackelford Park
along with a 10-inch sewer
line along Sandy Creek that
by the end of 2011, will con
nect to the Shackelford Pump
Station.
Auburn will install a 10-inch
sewer line from the Shackelford
station to properties adjacent to
the existing Sixth Street Pump
Station and by the end of 2010,
will build a pump station in
downtown Auburn and by the
end of 2011, will build a sec
ond station near the termina
tion of Hickory Ridge Trail. A
new sewer line built by the city
will connect the two stations.
In other business, the BOC:
•Approved the establishment
of a revolving loan fund to
accept current and future grant
money from the Employment
Incentive Program of the
Georgia Department of
Community Affairs. An ini
tial EIP loan to the county of
$245,766 will be loaned to
a private business called RTI
Brands Inc. and placed in a
newly established account at
Peoples Bank. The money is
to be used for economic devel
opment projects that remove
slums or blight, or that help
companies create or retain jobs
primarily for low-to-moderate
income workers. According
to the county’s chief admin
istrator, the funds will assist
businesses where the county’s
involvement is appropriate for
business.
The loan to RT Brands is
to be repaid over seven years
in 84 monthly installments of
$3,247. The repayment, with
interest, will provide the coun
ty government with a total of
$277,779 for future loans to
businesses under the program,
Lee said.
•Approved a memoran
dum of understanding with
Harrison Poultry Inc. agreeing
in principle to the company's
use of up to 1 million gal
lons per day in capacity at the
county's planned wastewater
treatment plant in Bethlehem.
That represents 20 percent of
the plant’s capacity to treat 5
million gallons of wastewater
per day. The company will pay
for its capacity and also will
contribute up to $1 million
toward the county’s construc
tion of a wastewater pump sta
tion to get the untreated efflu
ent from the poultry plant to
the new Bethlehem facility.
The memorandum of under
standing paves the way for
engineering studies of the two
facilities and will be followed
by a formal agreement within
90 days.
•Tabled an agreement to use
a new food vendor to provide
catered meals to the Barrow
County Senior Center. The for
mer vendor. Vend, Inc., termi
nated its agreement on June
27.
The Northeast Georgia
Regional Development Center
has arranged for area counties
to use G.A. Foods Services,
but on a motion by District 3
Commissioner Bill Healan, the
matter was postponed until the
board could review the pro
posed contract.
•Approved three resolu
tions supporting the follow
ing: A grant application
for “Safe Routes to School
Infrastructure;” an application
for Livable Center Initiative
planning funds with a 20-per
cent local match; and a commit
ment to participate in the Great
Rail Trail project in conjunc
tion with Gwinnett County and
the cities of Auburn, Dacula,
Carl, Statham and Winder.
Coup continued from 1A
He cited the distraction Richardson’s contro
versial proposals caused to the process in the
2007 session. His support for the coup attempt
will likely cost him his job as secretary of the
House Education Committee.
“I’ve pretty much resigned myself to that,”
Benton said Monday afternoon. “But unless
they’ve changed the rules, I don’t think they
;an remove me from any of the committees
I’m on.”
The margin by which Richardson was re
elected was something of a surprise.
“I felt like we had a good shot at it; David
had a commitment from 45 people,” Benton
said. “I’m disappointed, but I feel good. I stood
up for what I thought was right. It was just one
of those things where the incumbents ruled the
day.”
England said both Ralston and Richardson
are “very talented, intelligent and capable of
doing this job.”
“The whole thing was kind of a very public
family feud,” England said. “I think it was very
healthy for our caucus.”
Calling all groups with
Christmas spirit: The dead
line for entries in the annual
Winder Christmas Parade is
Friday, Nov. 14.
All interested church
es, civic groups, schools
and businesses can obtain
entry forms from the
Barrow County Chamber of
Commerce office inside the
old train depot at 6 Porter St.
The entry fee is $35.
The theme for this year’s
parade is “Beadland to
Barrow,” a reference to the
history of the county.
“We wanted the theme to
be very broad,” said Sherrie
Miller, director of Mainstreet
Winder/Downtown
Development Authority and
coordinator of the parade.
“They can pick any period of
local history for decorating
their floats.”
This year’s parade will
begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday,
Dec. 6, in the parking lot
of Ingles and travel down
Broad Street, ending at the
Barrow County Courthouse
at Athens Street. The parade
is always the highlight of a
full afternoon and evening of
free fun and entertainment.
Veterans continued from 1A
Also, Charles Duncan, Samuel B. Giles,
Clifford W. Hardy, Joseph T. Harris, H.J.
Higgins, Grady A. Hughes and Howard W.
Johnson, Harold J. Martin, Thomas McDaniel,
Clarence R. Michael, Clyde M. Redding,
Loyd G. Skinner, Alfred C. Stepman and
William L. Vanderford.
Korean War
June 25,1950-July 27, 1953
Clay Camp Jr., Lester Hardy, Bobby G.
Scoggins, Truman D. Sims, Thomas C. Moon
and Robert H. Day Jr.
Vietnam War
August 5, 1964-May 7, 1975
James R. Fowler, Billy Joe Hammond,
Lorenzo Tuggle, Jerry J. McDaniel, Weldon
G. Lynn, Gene W. Lay and James P. Savage.
Iraq, March 2003-Present
Dexter E. Wheelous and Michael R.
Hullender.
PROPER
SALUTE
Barrow County
veterans gave rec
ognition to their
fellow veterans
Tuesday during a
morning ceremo
ny held at Barrow
Memorial Gardens.
The annual event
is held on Nov. 11
at 11 a.m.
Photo by Lyn
Sengupta