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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL DUI in a little ped Corvette ByRAYUGHTNER Journal Staff Writer An off-duty deputy report edly observed a red Corvette convertible driving at a high rate of speed and in reck less disregard to others driv ing on Corder Road near Peacock Drive. An on-duty deputy in a patrol car made the traffic stop on the car for an inoperable brake light. While explaining the entire reason for the stop, the driver reportedly hand ed the deputy an ALS form that advised a new hear ing date was scheduled as her attorney had a conflict and she could drive until August when she had a new hearing. When the deputy asked for a photo ID and her date of birth, she report edly handed him two credit cards. He then asked for an ID and an insurance card. She reportedly said she did not have proof of insurance and handed the deputy a Macon State diploma as ID. She then gave her date of birth. A check of her license came back suspended for DUI in April, failure to appear in December 2005 and serious violations on July 24. The tag came back valid to another person. She was told to step out of the car and was placed under arrest. He reportedly detected a strong odor of alcoholic bev erage and marijuana coming from her person. She was asked to blow in his hat so he could get a concentrated smell, which she reportedly faked. When he asked for a field sobriety test, she report edly told him to go ahead and arrest her and he did. Christine Colleen Petrie, 36, 141 Sunset Drive, Warner Robins, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, no proof of insur ance, driving on a suspended license and defective equip ment (for the not working brake light. Person(s) unknown On Wednesday, July 26, an unknown black male removed two 12-packs of Budweiser beer from the Flash Foods on Ga, 247. The subject may have also removed 12 24-packs of Budweiser from the store earlier in the day. The clerk was able to pro vide a tag for the 1998 red Ford Taurus seen leaving the store heading northbound. ■ On Wednesday, July 26, a woman reported person(s) unknown smashed the front door open on her father’s construction business and took the checkbook from his desk. The account is now closed. On Tuesday, July 25, the bank reported a black male tried to cash one of the Houston housing permits down for June By RAY UGHTNER Journal Staff Writer There were 129 single-fam ily dwelling permits issued in the month of June for all of Houston County. That is down about 15 per cent from the 152 issued in May and down about 7.1 percent from the 139 issued in June 2005. The total value of those houses per mitted countywide, at just over sl7 million in June, was down about $263,000 from $17,265, 875 in May. Warner Robins was the only one of the three cit ies and the unincorporated areas to have a drop in hous ing permits, from 72 in May to 38 in June. The aver age value of the 38 homes was $111,534, up from the average value in May of $105,761. In Centerville in was the opposite. Centerville dou bled the number of homes permitted from May’s 7 to 14 in June, but the aver age value of those homes dropped from $150,490 in May to $124,848 in June. Unincorporated Houston County also had an increase in homes permitted from 47 in May to 51 in June, but the average value of those homes was down from $184,052 in May to $153,849 in June. In Perry the number of POLICE BEAT checks at Ace Quick Cash in Macon and a white male tried to cash one at CB&T bank in Macon. On July 26, a Smoke Rise Drive woman reported person(s) unknown spray painted her mailbox with lime green paint. Several others in the area were painted the same. ■ On Wednesday, July 26, person(s) unknown stole an unlocked 1986 Chevy Caprice Classic, four-door, white with blue interior from the front yard of a Baker Drive home. ■ On Tuesday, July 25, person(s) unknown dented the driver’s side door and left white transfer paint on the door of a teacher’s car at Tucker Elementary. No wit nesses or note. ■ On Tuesday, July 25, a man reported he was in bed at 3 a.m. and heard his 1988 Ford Mustang crank up and leave the driveway. He did not see unknown person(s) who took the vehicle but did leave the keys in it. ■ On July 25, a man reported person(s) unknown entered his two unlocked vehicles in his Pawnee Avenue driveway and stole DVD player and some CDs. ■ On July 25, a truck driver reported person(s) unknown stole four tires and rims off his parked Freightliner. The tires were valued at $1,366.62, the two aluminum rims were valued at $360 and the two steel rims were valued at $l6O. The truck was parked over night near the intersection of Houston Lake Road, U.S. 41 and Ga. 49. ■ On July 25, person(s) unknown rifled through, but did not take anything from a Jeep parked on Brookhaven Drive in Bonaire. Burglars known Just after midnight Thursday, the property man ager of a Nelson Drive trailer called to report a burglar. The occupant of the trailer was currently incarcerated and no one was supposed to be in her trailer and all doors had been padlocked or screwed shut. The rear door had pry marks on it and while deputies were checking around the mobile home, a light came on. The occupants were told to come out. A black male, Grover Smith, came out and com plied with the deputies. A black woman, fully clothed was found on the bed. The tenant was contacted at the jail and reportedly said she knew the two people found in her trailer, but they did not have permission to be there and she wished to prosecute. homes permitted remained constant from May to June, but the average value of those 26 homes increased from $113,351 in May to $121,905 in June. The number of manu factured homes permitted countywide dropped from 15 in May to only four in June and from nine last June. There were three permit ted in the unincorporated Houston County area and one in Warner Robins in June and none in Perry or Centerville. Centerville had most of the permits in May with seven. There were five in the unin corporated areas, three in UheßApeucic CD Ass Age ec I O&y Sp<\ Massages, Facials And Much, Much More... Call Us To Enhance Your Physical, Mental & Spiritual Well-Being! When the woman’s name did not come back on file, she was advised to give her real name and she identi fied herself as Melissa Ann Gibson, 32, of Fort Valley. Gibson and Smith, 40, 200 Engracia Drive, Warner Robins, were charged with burglary - forced entry into a residence. Gibson was also charged with giving false name to police. PersmKs) known A man reported that while looking through his check ing account he noticed a check for $l6O had cleared. As his checkbook had been stolen, he got a copy of the check from the bank. The check was made out to his son’s ex-girlfriend, the second from her. The victim’s name was report edly forged and was used to pay a bond. The offender actually wrote the reason in the “For” area of the check. The ex-girlfriend reportedly had access to the victim’s residence at one time. On July 25, woman report ed her soon-to-be ex-husband forced his way into the rear of the residence, began yell ing at her, threw her down and held her down by the throat on the bed. He reportedly wanted some of his belongings (throwing knives and a paintball gun) then he left. Her two children were up and witnessed the alterca tion. She was advised on how to seek warrants through Magistrate Court. Work bites While interviewing a potential witness is a domestic dispute in Bonaire, a deputy turned to speak with the subject’s mother, but did not allow enough room between himself and the dog tied to the tree. The dog approached and bit the deputy on the hand. The dog was current on all shots and deputy went to Houston Medical Center for treat ment and was released. Dog in the chicken pen, again On July 25, about 8:45 p.m. a Pitts Road resident reported the neighbor’s dog killing his chickens This is the second time chickens have been killed by dogs in the area. There are several single and small packs of dogs that regularly roam the area. Warner Robins and none in Perry for the month of May. In June 2005 there were none in Warner Robins or Perry, five in the unincor porated areas and four in Centerville.There were no apartment permits issued in June, up from eight apart ment permits issued in May, four each in Perry and Centerville. For the year, 152 apartment permits have been issued countywide, with the remaining 144 issued in February, with 128 in Warner Robins and 16 in Perry. There was only one apartment permit issued in all of 2005 with one in Warner Robins in September jLJAn&cbe 1010 BXLL ST. Downtown Pcpjw 478-218-7490 LOCAL ' V 10003526 1 How to avoid marrying a jerk By Gregg Hunter Vice President of Georgia Family Council People often assume that the person they’re dat ing will change once they are married; that the bad habits, character flaws or troubling tendencies will all miraculously go away once they say, “I do.” Why? Is it the magic tux he’s wearing? Her special-powers veil? What is going to miracu lously take away his wan dering eye or tendency to drink too much? What will instantly remove her problem with overspending or telling the truth? I’m telling you, folks, it’s not the wedding ceremony, or even the honeymoon. In fact, can’t we all just admit that we were, or are, on our best behavior when we were dating the per son we thought we might marry? The “us” they saw during that time was the very best “us” there was. It wasn’t going to get any better. So isn’t it rath er naive to imagine that the things that concern us about our potential spouse will just go away on the wedding day? Now before I go any fur ther, let me make a clear distinction - I’m talking about serious issues, mat ters of character, not annoy ing little habits. Some people let petty issues drive a wedge between them and their spouse when they probably just need to readjust expec tations. If you don’t like the way he picks his teeth or the way she mushes cake and frosting together before eat ing it, this is not cause to break up with a person of strong character. They just may need a little more self awareness. At Georgia Family Council, one of our key functions is to deliver resources for peo ple in communities across the state who care about marriage and families. For example, we bring in nationally recognized train ers in a variety of specialties to help equip local leaders to teach classes for citizens in their home town - all for the purpose of support ing marriage, decreasing divorce rates and keeping families together. By far, our most memora ble seminar title is: “How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk” by John Van Epp, Ph.D. And truly, of all the things I could do for my children to help ensure their lifelong happiness, helping them avoid marrying the wrong person would be right up there near the top of the list. The How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk seminar promotes a new approach mate selection, cre ated because of the woe ful divorce statistics that began with the sexual revolution of the 50s, 60s and 70s. One example of the fall out of that time in our his tory is the jaded opinion of marriage held by many young people today. For example, research ers found in a 2001 survey , HOME REPAIR LOAN City of Warner Robins your home need repairs? fill Do you own your home? Do you have equity in your home? Is your home within the limits of the City of Warner Robins? Please contact the City of Warner Robins, Department of Community Development to see if you qualify for a U.S. Department of HUD funded low (0% to 3%) interest rate loan (Certain income restrictions apply-Maximum income ranges from $32,950f0r a single person to $62,150 for a family of 8) Apply at Warner Robins City Hall 700 Watson Blvd. upstairs in the Department of Community’ Development or call 929-1140 for more details. that almost 60 percent of high school seniors agreed with the statement, “It is usually a good idea for a couple to live together before getting married in order to find out whether they really get along.” We’ve written in a previ ous column about the irony of this belief. Why is it iron ic? Because cohabiters who marry are as much as 46 percent more likely to divorce than those who marry without cohabiting. The Avoid Marrying a Jerk curriculum recommends a systematic approach to dat ing and mate selection that can be taught by parents, schools and religious insti tutions. As a starting point, for example, Van Epp believes that definitions need to be given to the universal but mysterious concepts of love, trust, commitment, intima cy and attachment. As young people under stand what these words really mean, along with their importance to lasting marriage, they may learn more about what it takes to sustain the marriage rela tionship for a lifetime. Imagine the whole “dat ing scene” from junior high through college undergoing a complete makeover. What if parents taught their teenagers the flaws in the current system of choosing boyfriends and girlfriends based largely on outward appearance? What if kids learned that “hooking up” - some times referring to a sexual encounter without strings attached - and the trend of “pairing up and breaking up” only establish a rela tional pattern that teaches how to divorce? Why are some parents so anxious for their sons to have girlfriends and their daughters to have boy friends? Sure, we want our kids to feel special, to be affirmed, to know they are loved. But how many 14-year olds actually grow up to marry their eighth-grade sweetheart? Some relationship experts actually believe we are teaching our kids the pattern of divorce when we adopt the “there are lots of fish in the sea” mentality. Yes, any caring parent would want to help their child over the pain of a breakup. But instead of urging them to enter another simi lar relationship, why not suggest they learn to devel op true, lasting friendships as a precursor to love and marriage? 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Mow, having the fresh air Elton & Vtrneaze Tucker wll want (v as C(lS y as passing a button (478) 923-4111 W ** Fresk * EcoQuest ™ ' * 00035341 TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2006 ♦ So many elements of; Van Epp’s “How to Avoid | Marrying a Jerk” point to ; the value in singles, young l and old, taking their time ! to get to know people before ! making any kind of roman- ! tic commitment to another. ! His program teaches the ! individual how to maintain l boundaries in the growing ! feelings of closeness, while ; knowing the specific areas ! to thoroughly consider in the premarital process. These areas include: 1) the individuals’ upbring ing and family experienc es, 2) the maturity of their conscience, 3) the scope of compatibility potential, 4)' developed relationship skills and 5) previous relationship patterns. Van Epp believes that if engaged or seriously dat ing couples worked hard to understand each other’s potential “baggage” in these, areas, they would make better informed decisions about whether to continue the relationship. And these decisions may help lower the divorce rate and add to the growing pre marital intervention move ment. Put bluntly, the fear of being alone often motivates young men and women to “settle” for someone who isn’t right for them. An old friend of mine who worked with high school kids told them regularly: “You’d be better off being alone than being with the wrong person. Be patient. Wait. Rushing into a relationship just to have a relationship will only make you wish you were alone again.” Georgia Family Council is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen and defend the family in Georgia by impacting communities, shaping laws and influenc ing culture. For more infor mation, go to www.georgia family.org , (770) 242-0001 or gregg@gafam.org. #1 Noon Buffet mn nil jlavlmv WTS gxtt 136 * RC7-W77 VARNER ROMM SUPPLY or piftftY We Rent! 612 Bail Si, Berry, GA 987-2334 5A