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Ralph Dorset!, civic and farming leader, dies at 67 Houston VOLUME 136, NUMBER 229 BELOW THE FOLD: Student arrested for bomb threat at .Warner Robins High School Burglary suspect also faces nine county charges Weekend December 2,2006 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN SPORTS We name our Houston Daily Journal All-Houston County cross country team. Also, in basketball, the Bears and Lady Bears split results at Westside, and we also have previews of Warner Robins and Northside. Plus, Westfield hosted the Heart of Georgia Cheerleading Competition. - See 1B IN BRIEF Perry church to hold blood drive A blood drive will be held at Crossroads Unitad Methodist Church in Perry Monday from 2-7 p.m. For more information on the drive, Eunice Galloway at 827- 1377. Perry author to be at book signing Ellie Loudermilk, author of A Ramble Through Olde Perry, will be at Two Friends on Carroll Street in downtown Perry from 10-11 a.m., today. She will autograph copies of her book, which tells the history of Perry in the 19th century. BIRTHDAYS Saturday/today ■ Fred Jackson ■ Rick Bishop ■ Joe Maguire ■ Nicole Tharpe Sunday ■ Donna Vickery ■ Chris Postell Monday ■ Sandy Plunkett ■ Luke De Mers DEARLY DEPARTED ■ Ralph K. McVey, 76 ■ Nathaniel Dalton ■ Grady Mobley PERIODICAL 500 Pill 8 "5510800001* 4 Award-Winning Better Newspaper \iCje~jjw Contest l.,lMlii.il!.il!nnililll..illiiillin*ilill".ll COOI * GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT Main Library UNIV OF GEORGIA ATHENS GA 30602-0002 3-DIGIT 306 December 2, 2006 mm&amrn'immm.zim By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer Editor’* note: For funeral ser vice details and more, see Ralph Dorsett’s obituary on Page 2A The community felt a deep loss on Thursday over the death of Ralph Dorsett, who was a leader in the community as well as in agriculture. Doreett , who died after a 16- month battle with cancer, will be LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville In less than 12 hours ... Response unit deals with 2 standoffs By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer It was a busy 12 hours - and two standoffs - for the Houston County Sheriffs Special Response Team Wednesday night and Thursday morning. “We had a busy day,” said Capt. Alan Everidge, who heads up the Sheriff s Office SRT unit. Both suspects in the stand r~ l ~ • . * I . f L I . t 1 ' mmWr ■ ML ' p i ' * Afi ■', ■ R| ' \ jjh I i mk H J * i mm* . % k 1 v ] /Ji 'v l ilt m Mhl* Wmm 4^ Journal/Charlotte Perkins Warner Robins Fire Chief Robert Singletary and Deputy Chief Jeff Onstead gave many hours this year to helping the City of Perry with an evaluation of its fire department and recommendations for the future. From left, Onsted, Singletary, Perry Deputy Fire Chief Joel Gray and Perry Public Safety Director George Potter, shaking hands with Onsted. WR team helps Perry FD plan for growth By CHARLOTTE PERKINS Journal Staff Writer What’s in the future for Perry’s Fire Department as the city grows? If the recommendations of two pro fessionals from the Warner Robins Fire Department are followed, Perry could be more than doubling its fire fighting staff, and building new fire stations to keep up with its land and population growth. The recommendations, which also included suggestions for everything from fire prevention to training to equipment maintenance, were pre sented on Thursday night at a special meeting of the city council. Perry’s Public Safety Director explained to the council that he asked "We entered into the house with pepper spray. He began to cough.” - Sheriffs Office Special Response Team Capt. Alan Everidge offs barricaded themselves in homes, threatening to kill themselves. Both were taken to Houston Medical center for psychiatric evaluation. Because of that Everidge A 111 IIIIM. HAND for help from Warner Robins Fire Chief Robert Singletary and Deputy Chief Jeff Onsted, because of their reputation as one of the best fire departments in the state. Potter said that when he began looking for an evaluation team for the city’s fire department several months ago, he was told by fire chiefs across the state to get help from Warner Robins if he could. Warner Robins has Insurance Services Office rating of 3, which places it in the top 2 1/2 percent in the nation. The ISO ratings, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst score, determine fire insurance rates for a jurisdiction. Perry’s rate is currently remembered as an outgoing and capable man with many friends who loved his community and worked tirelessly on behalf of the Perry airport and his fel low-farmers, as well as serving his nation in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve. He was 67, a retired command er in the U.S. Navy Reserve who served as an anti submarine war fare plane commander with VP-4 while on active duty and contin- www.hhjnews.com said, he could not release the names of the suspects. On Wednesday at about 10 p.m., SRT was dispatched to a home off Plateau Drive in Centerville after “a young ued to serve for 17 additional years in the Reserves, retiring in 1996. Born in Byron, he lived most of his life in Perry and was married to Joan Roper Dorsett, a Perry High classmate. The Dorsetts had one son, “Rad”, who was killed in an accident in his teens. Dorsett was a devoted alum nus of Perry High School, who never forgot the teachers and the See DORSETT, page 8A man threatened to kill him self,” Everidge said. “We negotiated with him. He made a request, but before we could respond to it a shot was fired inside the home. The decision was made to make entry.” Everidge said, “several weapons and spent shell casings were found in his room.” The suspect was taken 5, which Singletary noted, is very good. He said that the majority of fire departments have ratings of 7-9. The evaluation which took many hours of volunteer work for Singletary and Onstead, was accomplished before Perry’s new Deputy Fire Chief Joel Gray came on board. In fact, the two WRPD leaders took part the inter views leading to Gray’s hiring. Among the recommendations made by the WR team are some that are already being implemented and oth ers that will require further decision making by the City Council. Highlights included: • Building the staff, which now See TEAM, page 8A -m 1 L | Efjj Three sections • 22 pages into custody without inci dent and taken to the hospi tal for evaluation. In the second incident about 6 a.m. Thursday, the SRT unit responded to a home on Hiwassee Drive in Bonaire at 6 a.m. about a possible suicidal person and a possible shot being fired. Everidge said they were unable to make contact, See STANDOFFS,page 8A 9 county charges levied at suspect By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer James Jarrett Johnson, the suspect in the Nov. 22. burglary at T-N-T Auto Sales on Watson Boulevard, also faces charges from the Sheriff’s Office for some stolen items found in the car. Johnson admitted to his involvement in the Nov. 22 burglary according to Det. Shane Mann with the Warner Robins Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. Johnson was identified as the suspect during a Nov. 26- traffic stop by the Sheriffs Office. “Stolen items See CHARGES, page SA Student arrested tor bomb threat at Warner Robins HS By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer A 16-year-old Warner Robins High School student has been charged in the Thursday morning bomb threat that evacuated the school. At approximately 9:49 a.m., officers with the Warner Robins Police Department responded to Warner Robins High School in reference to a bomb threat that was called in to the Houston County 911 Center. The suspect called 911 See STUDENT, page SA m B/mi tfimw NnMS'jrtjjMj \ jfj JOHNSON