Newspaper Page Text
Houston lourual
VOLUME 137, NUMBER 40
BELOW THE FOLD: Driver found asleep at the wheel - then he flees INSIDE: Organization to hold tree farmer mini-series
Wednesday
February 28, 2007
The Home Journars
FRONT
PORCH
WWWffIMWm
IN BRIEF
Sacred Heart church
to be dedicated
The new Sacred Heart Catholic
Church will be dedicated and
blessed Saturday morning in
a ceremony led by Bishop J.
Kevin Boland of the Diocese of
Savannah, and attended by more
than 100 priests and 1,500 fami
lies.
There will be a procession from
the old church to the new 28,000
square foot building at 250 South
Davis Drive. Al! are welcome to
attend. The processional will
begin at 11 a.m.
HC Board of Health
sets meeting date
The Houston County Board
of Health will meet at noon
Thursday in the conference room
at the Houston County Health
Department, which is located at
98 Cohen Walker Drive in Warner
Robins.
Dog obedience class
registration set
Warner Robins Recreation
Department will hold registration
for a dog obedience class March
14 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Perkins
Pavilion behind the department,
which is located at 800 Watson
Blvd., in Warner Robins.
Dogs must be at least 6 months
old (but they ask you “do not"
bring the dog to registration).
The cost is SSO for the 10-week
course. For more, call instructor
Trudy Reynolds at 953-4488, or
the department at 929-6946.
BIRTHDAYS
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Washington St., Perry 31069
attn: Don Moncrief. You can
also call him at 987-1823,
Ext. 231.
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February 28, 2007
■V/«,7.v,; HMs Cocsrr MO
Today
Mostly sunny
High: 75 Low: 43
Weather
hhjnews.com
“Yes Virginia - a
diploma for you!”
Web
WR man competes in
Spike TV reality show
'Joes vs. Pros' episode airs Thursday
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Dwight Pope is a regular Joe.
He works in advertising for Cox Media
and was selected to be one of the Joes in
the second season of the Spike TV reality
show “Joes vs. Pros.”
Pope said he was a fan of the show and
had watched the first season. Subsequently,
while placing an order for a customer, he
came across the application on the show’s
website and thought: “What the heck. I'd
like to win $25,000.”
That was the prize for the first season if
a Joe won on the show. “It didn’t happen,”
he said, “but all in all it was really cool.”
Pope, originally from Augusta, played
baseball at Valdosta State and played a
couple of seasons of minor league ball in
ENEGary Harmon
Spring is in the air ... two of the many barns on the Davis Farm property on the Highway 127 loop across from
Houston Lake Stables.
Driver found asleep at the wheel
By RA Y LIGHTNER
Journal Sta ff Writer
Most people are asleep at
2:42 a.m.
John Hewitt Jenkins Jr.
was no exception - reported
ly asleep at that time Friday
morning.
But, according to incident
reports he was sitting behind
the wheel of a car stopped
in the roadway at Houston
Lake Road and Ga. 127 with
his foot on the brake and the
car in drive.
A deputy approached the
southbound facing Toyota
Camry and knocked on
the window several times,
observing the car in drive
and the driver’s foot on
the brake. When the driver
finally responded, he report
edly looked at the deputy,
was told to put the car in
park and get out.
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Instead of complying,
Jenkins reportedly looked
away and drove off.
During the pursuit, the
driver reportedly weaved
several times over the cen
terline and the fog, even
striking a construction bar
rel. The driver stopped after
seeing Perry Police near the
Perry Parkway intersection.
He was blocked in by the
police and the pursuing dep
uty. The driver was arrest
ed, taken to jail and his car
towed.
Jenkins, 23, of 759 Holland
Hall, Robins Air Force Base,
is charged with fleeing or
attempting to elude, DUI
and weaving/failure to main
tain lane (eight counts). All
of the weaving infractions
were reportedly captured on
the patrol car video camera,
which was' on during the
pursuit.
www.hhjnews.com
County students
sound battle cry
against
tobacco Ojl
"It's gonna be
embarrassing. (But) I went
out and had a good time."
- Regular Joe Dwight Pope
the Independent League, finishing up with
the San Angelo, Texas, Colts.
“I hung in about two and a half seasons,”
he said.
He has previously competed against the
pros, in a long drive competition, the
Pinnacle Distance Challenge, where he
defeated John Daly and won a SIOO,OOO
purse.
See SHOW, page j/l
Barn dance
'HT'i
Ik ...
Journal Nancy Hawk
Jay Gaines takes a spin Saturday on one of the coin-operated rides in the Galleria
Mall in Centerville. The not yet 2-year-old from Warner Robins was one of the many
shoppers out and about that day.
Football fan club
recognizes local
players
IB
Man charged with felony
Reportedly pulled rifle out on family
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The reckless conduct
charge sort of sums up the
alleged actions of Leonard
Franklin White Sunday eve
ning.
Deputies spoke with
Franklin, 50, twice Sunday.
The first time he called to
complain about being “mis
treated by crack dealers” at
a neighboring lot in the Pine
View mobile home park. He
wanted them investigated by
the drug unit, he said.
While speaking with him,
however, deputies noticed a
strong odor of alcoholic bev
erage about his person. He
was also reportedly carrying
and drinking from an open
can of beer the whole time.
Deputies reportedly said
they would pass White’s
He’s Gaine-ing on them
Two sections • 14 pages
P jH
information on to the drug
unit and left, only to be dis
patched back to Pine View
within an hour, to the same
lot White had been complain
ing about.
See CHARGED, page pi
Argument at basketball
game leads to arrest
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Tashara Johnson, 18, is
accused of inciting a riot
at Bonaire Middle School
on Thursday during a
youth league basketball
game. Deputies were dis
patched to the school at
7:51 p.m., in response to
See ARGUMENT, page pi
Why no storm warnings?
County seeks
$1.4 million
tor system
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The only storm warning
systems in Houston County
are in Perry and on Robins
Air Force Base.
Bob Forzetting wants to
know why the county does
not have a storm warning
system.
He suggested a loudspeak
er system - like what is on
base - that could be activat
ed electronically and suggest
a Homeland Security grant
to pay for it.
Houston County’s
Emergency Management
Director and Fire Chief
Jimmy Williams said “we
have plans for one, have
done the mapping for it,
we’re just trying to find the
funding.”
The last estimate was $1.4
million for 40 sirens, which
includes equipment and
installation.
See SYSTEM,page pi
~ ~ -
an Evans Family Newspaper]