Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
CHANGE
From page iA
“very unique to him and his
circumstances.”
According to his sister
Helen DeVol, Groves was
mildly retarded and a criti
cal diabetic and in the care
of Phoenix Center. Groves
was supposed to have daily
monitoring to make sure
he was self-administrating
his medication. He report
edly had not been contacted
in five days prior to being
found dead inside of his
apartment.
According to the DHR
investigation he was last
seen March 3. There was no
response to knocks on the
door or phone calls by staff
on two separate occasions
the following day, but the
lights and television were
observed to be on.
There was also no response
to knocks on the door or
phone calls by staff on two
separate occasions the next
three days as well.
After the second attempt,
on the fifth day, the apart
ment was entered with a
key the staff had and with
assistance from an apart
ment maintenance person,
who opened the chain on the
back door. Groves was found
in a prone position in a hall
way between the bathroom
and bedroom.
Houston County Coroner
Danny Galpin certified the
death, but did not have an
autopsy done. Galpin said
based on the man’s extensive
medical history, the death
was ruled as natural causes
from a diabetic episode.
DeVol asked for an autop
sy, but Galpin said it was
not needed. She was told she
could pay for one. “Our job,”
Galpin said, “is to determine
the cause and manner of
death and with his medical
records, I felt it wasn’t nec
essary.”
“Georgia needs to adopt
the laws that other states
have for autopsies,” DeVol
argued, however. “Everyone
should have an autopsy done
after death to determine the
cause.
“Families have a right
to know what caused their
loved one’s death.”
The final decision is up to
the medical examiner, Galpin
said, and once the coroner,
the medical examiner and
district attorney agree, the
autopsy is not needed. The
medical examiner will not
perform the autopsy.
He will, however, find
someone to do it if the fami
Donate Your Car to Goodwill!
One Car at a Time ...
Creates One Job at a Time
*W \ When you donate your car to Goodwill, you'll
l!Hn V JrM fi \ get a tax deduction and your car will become
Hml * '•■'S \ part of Goodwill s Automotive Training Program
\ Goodwill s trainees will learn valuable job skills
y | in automotive technology so they can get good
f I jobs in our community
** raajSL / Call 1-866-Let-lt-Go or m3m
mm / visit www.goodwillworks.org W 1
/ Building lives, families B
/ and communities
ONE JOB AT A TIME.
if i ' iiriM ill
E9B IlnM 1
Glenda is a life insurance specialist with 19
years experience. Glenda has been living in
Warner Robins for 30 years and recently
retired from Liberty National
Insurance Company. Call
Glenda at the office at
988-7960 or 954-5403 (cell) for a
life insurance analysis.
ly wants to pay for it, Galpin
said, but in Groves’ case he
would not - simply because
he’d already said it was not
needed.
Also, according to the
DHR report the autopsy was
not preformed due to lack of
criminal activity and length
of time between the estimat
ed time of death, March 6,
and length of time between
discovery of the body.
But, the investigation by
Tim Hester, critical inci
dent manager for the state
Department of Human
Resources Division of Mental
Health, Developmental
Disabilities and Addictive
Diseases substantiated alle
gations by DeVol of neglect.
“I did not feel that they
were properly caring for my
brother and was trying to
get him moved to another
facility,” DeVol said.
She claimed Phoenix
Center resisted and caused
delays, but the investiga
tion showed Groves did not
show up for his scheduled
evaluation, the month prior
to his death, which caused
the delays. He was consid
ered legally competent by
Phoenix Center, according
to Hester’s report.
“For several months prior
to my brother’s death, he
appeared to be drugged,”
DeVol said. “I told Phoenix
Center to stop giving him
whatever drugs they giving
him to drug him up. They
had said earlier that they
were giving him something
to calm him down. The drugs
made him a zombie.”
According to the investi
gation there was a change in
his behavior, he refused to
work, was difficult to work
with at times, had angry
outbursts and his hygiene
had declined. There also
were conflicting reports
about his compliance with
his medications. He was on
numerous medications for
diabetes, hypertension and
bi-polar disorder as well as
seizures.
In Hester’s conclusions
there were concerns about
the lack of monitoring for
five days on the insulin
dependent diabetic and the
lack of a written protocol on
a course of action when a
consumer has not been con
tacted after a given period
of time.
He also questioned the lack
of response to the unhealthy
state of Groves’ apartment,
personal hygiene and steady
deterioration of his physi
cal and emotional status. He
said it showed poor com
munication and response
Jackie Whitley
welcomes
Glenda Cohen
to her
Cotton States
Insurance Agency at
1217 S. Houston Lake Road
of Phoenix Center and
Middle Georgia Behavioral
Services.
“General oversight is
lacking and appears to have
failed to respond to some
of the basic needs of Mr.
Groves,” Hester said.
“The failure to recognize
and report an incident of
this nature in a timely fash
ion represents a serious
lack of understanding of the
basic charge conducted by
the DHR to protect the con
sumers served by the provid
er,” Hester said of Phoenix
Center in his conclusion,
According to the time
line in the DHR report
Phoenix Center notified
the state Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities
and Addictive Diseases
Investigation Section of the
March 8 incident March 13.
Middle Georgia Behavioral
Services notified them the
following day and Hester
was assigned the day after
and contacted Phoenix
Center, initiating the inves
tigation on the same day
they reported the incident.
An ex-employee notified
the family of the death on
March 8. Phoenix Center
reportedly notified DeVol
March 10.
Hester had recommenda
tions for the three agencies
involved including disciplin
ary action as appropriate:
■ Phoenix Center
Behavioral Health Services
has to implement commu
nication and decision pro
cesses for meeting consumer
needs addressing clinical
issues and respecting self
determination; and address
the reporting of critical inci
dents in accordinace with
state policy.
■ Middle Georgia
Behavioral Services will
develop a plan to address
adherance to contrac
tual requirement of twice
monthly contacts with con
sumers by service coordi
nation staff, supervision of
support coordination staff
to ensure consumer needs
such as hygiene, living con
ditional and health care
needs are being reviewed
and addressed.
■ Department of Human
Resources Division of Mental
Health, Developmental
Disabilities and Addictive
Diseases Region 4 Central
Intake and Evaluation
Office will develop a plan to
review the evaluation pro
cess to address the changing
needs of consumers and the
process for facilitating fund
ing increases to meet those
changing needs.
LOCAL
HMC accepts $5.8 million offer for U. 8.41 land
ByRAYUGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Hospital Authority of
Houston County has accept
ed an offer of almost $5.8
million for its land on U.S.
41.
The buyer only identified
as a resident of Macon made
the $43,000 an acre offer on
the approximately 135-acre
tract as “Highway 41 East,
LLC.” According to the
Secretary of State’s corpora
tion office, George S. Greer
is the organizer and regis
tered agent for Highway 41
East LLC. The corporation
was created Oct. 16, and the
office address is 438 Cotton
PLANS
From page iA
another, and can be set up
block by block and by cor
ridor.
One of the areas proposed
for redevelopment is an area
around Houston Medical
Center “to assist the hos
pital with growth,” Walker
said.
He described the boundar
ies of that area as Pleasant
Hill Road, College Street and
Briarcliff. North Houston
was also selected, as was
the area of the Corder Road
extension by the former
landfill.
“I think the new animal
shelter should be there,”
Walker said of the landfill
site.
“There is a small area
without refuse migration on
it, with an adjacent parcel
the city is looking at.”
Councilman Doug
McDowell suggested the
Miller Hills shopping center
and the trailer park behind
Fincher’s BBQ. Councilman
Dean Cowart proposed
Houston Road to Kimberly
and the preservation of
greenspace with a park in
the area.
Walker also noted there
are unincorporated islands
in the area, which as such
could be annexed just by
A MACON REGIONAL &
: OPIPBRSO
Xii A Crime
742-2330 • 1-877-68C8IM1
(27463)
Rewards of up to *I,OOO - Remain Anonymous!
Malcolm Kenyatta Smith
Wanted for violation of probation (for
deposit account fraud)
LKA: 100 block of'Windfleld Lane.
Bonaire
Ollie Trent Stewart
Wanted for bench warrant from Stale Court,
failure to appear/Contempt of court/go ing false
name, hirthdale/ohstruction
I.KA: South 2nd Street, Warner Robins
Chiroy Benjamin Washington
Wanted for theft by taking. violation of
Itrohation from Stale Court
LKA: 800 Oak Avenue,
W arner Robins
Vandy Keon Alderman
Wanted for failure to appear
LKA: 1000 block of Liberia Road.
Warner Robins
IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEEING YOUR PICTURE ON THIS PAGE ,
CALL CRIMESTOPPERS AND TURN YOURSELF IN!
Ave, Macon.
Greer is also the agent
for several other active lim
ited liability corporations
in Macon including Athens
Gameday Holdings on
Mulberry Street; Bald Eagle
Creek on Canyon Road; CDB
Properties and Waterford
Properties on Brandywine
Road; MKI Properties on
Bass Road; Sierra Warranty
on Riverside Drive; Advance
Floor Coverings on Rivoli
Road in Bolingbroke; and
Ella Jane Jr. Properties of
Ann Arbor, Mich.
The land was acquired in
May 2004 by the Hospital
Authority as a pos
sible site for a relocated
notifying the landowners.
Staffers from the Regional
Development Center will
do a loose tour of the area,
to make sure they meet
state criteria and to try and
find the boundaries of the
neighborhoods and identify
DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS
‘Jewelry Repair & Cleaning
/ N. ‘Watch Repair
Hours:
ly// ‘Appraisals Mon. -Fri.
‘Estate Jewelry 9:3oam-s:3opm
\ / Sat.
N/ ‘Class Rings 9:Joam-2pm
905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry
478-987-1392 , KKW42S
' -Bait & Tackle
•Deer & Hog Processing
WE CLEAN FISH n
-s r
1 6am-7pm • 7 days a week.
[ 333 Hwy 96 • Bonaire jj
k 478-922-1819 "
Ml
James Earl Spann
Wanted for failure to appear
LKA: 400 block of Virginia Dare
Drive. Warner Robins
1 ncnn t'nnioirl SitriMitiiir
Jason Conrad Streater
Wanted for violation of probation
LKA: 1(H) block Dowdy Lane.
Kathleen
Jennifer Lynne W ilson
Wanted for two bench warrants from
Superior Court for failure to appear
LKA: 900 block of Chapel Ridge
Drive, Perry
Jay Dennis Aultman
Wanted for violation of probation from Supe
rior Court and registration of sex offenders
LKA: 400 block of Duke Avenue,
Warner Robins
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2006
Houston Medical Center for
$5,358,400. The decision
to stay put and expand the
Watson Boulevard site was
made in December 2004.
Authority member Sonny
Watson noted the author
ity is making $440,580 net
profit on the sale, selling it
for $5,798,980.
He said the deal includes
a 90-day inspection period,
with another 45 days after
that to close and make final
payment.
“He’s real anxious to get
it closed out,” Watson said,
saying the buyer has been
talking with the city of
Warner Robins about zoning
and sewerage for the site.
the specific projects within
those areas, explained Bob
Rochelle from the RDC.
Walker told Rochelle, “we
hope to have the board up and
running by Thanksgiving...
Give us something to be
thankful for.”
Brian Dean “BJ" Sparks
Wanted for violation of probation from Superior Court,
financial transaction card fraud, forgery (first degree I
and burglary
LKA: 300 block of Macy Avenue. Perry
April Lord
Wanted for variation of probation from Supe
rior Court foriginal charge VGCSA)
I.KA: 120 block of South Tammi Circle,
Kathleen
David E. Young
5 Wanted for violation of probatio
Stale Court
LKA: 1000 block of Booth Road,
Warner Robins
Lisa Ann Bennett
Wanted for financial transaction
card fraud
LKA: 100 block of Dora Lane, jg
Bonaire
V «
.