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_ VOLUME 137, NUMBER 119 BELOW THE FOLD: Seven from county listed as absconders ■ WRPD seeks suspects in two weekend robberies Tuesday June 19, 2007 The Home Journal’s FRONT PORCH IN BRIEF Summerhill to hold open house Summerhill Senior Living Community will hold an open house today from 6:35-7:35 p.m. at the community, which is located at 500 Stanley Street in Perry. It will be held in the Ivy Room. Also, during that time Jan Fonda, R.N., director of nursing, will present: Fall Management: Managing Falls In a Long Term Care Setting. To reserve a seat, call 987- 3100, Ext. 209. Lake Joy Primary sets meeting dates Lake Joy Primary School has scheduled its School Council meetings for the 2007-08 school year. Meetings will be held at 7:30 a.m. in the media center. The school also scheduled its School Council elections for the 08-09 school year for May 13, 2008. at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. The meetings are as follows: Aug. 29, Oct. 31, Jan. 23, 2008, March 26,2008 and May 14,2008. Lake Joy Primary is located at 995 Lake Joy Road in Warner Robins. For more information, con tact Principal Melanie Loggins at MLoggins@hcbe.net or 478-953- 0465. BIRTHDAYS Today ■ Martin Beeland ■ Morgan Cooper (Sweet 16!) ■ Marc Kushinka (18) ■ Belinda Crowe ■ Josh Price E-mail your birthdays to: hhj(p evansnewspapers.com or donm@evansnewspapers. com or send them to: 1210 Washington St., Perry 31069 attn: Don Moncrief. You can also call him at 987-1823, Ext. 231. PERIODICAL 500 News tip hotline: 6 a.m.-4 p.m: 987-1823 Ext. 231 4 p.m.-until: 397-8811 RIM 8 ™55108 00001 11 4 Award-Winning Newspaper 2004 Better Newspaper Contest 9oe uoia-e SJOO-209 0£ VO SN3HIV vioaoao jo aind foejqrj uieyy iD3TOHd H3dVdS?A3N V.0H030 • LOOO June 19, 2007 MfWSTON VfWXTY ElMr. -Isfd Today Chance of showers High: 88 Low: 69 Weather hhjnews.com Georgia lottery helping addicted Web Builder pleads guilty to theft Receives 5 years in prison, 10 on probation By RAYLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Charles P Gross, 65, of Valdosta pleaded guilty on Friday to false swearing and theft. Gross pleaded guilty during his jury trial in Houston Superior Court before Senior Judge “Buster” McConnell and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by 10 years on probation. The final sentenc ing hearing will be held later this Ji , Bfrjl . ST.'* ¥JS Jkj 'H . * > • . 'V ., s ~=CL, Sisk ,• 1 ’’ ST'■'* tm3w»B®sSsl T cT - - 4 -<* -4/ 5 r?® s,*s * » < ' | J «»4‘ v |MgP* wM gggj, ", Sr ~14. *. .>a® j*4&£nßSttw w P? j< -,* juftl wfift 1 : S3E/ ' HB ■Vv. |ft' : J*'?, ft L ~.411 i . yvfHi Westfield tennis coach Wendy Bryan instructs campers on the forehand return during the Hornets’ camp held this past week at the school. For more photos of the camp, see Wednesday’s Houston Daily Journal. 7 from county listed as absconders By RATLIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer James Everett Sweeney and Craig Leggett are wanted for failure to register as sex offend ers. They are the two newest additions from Houston County to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Registry. There are seven absconders from Houston County listed on the registry. Sweeney, 57, most recently of 108 Maxwell Drive, Warner Robins, is wanted for fail ing to report his change of address within 72 hours. He is required to do so as a regis tered sex offender. A deputy had attempted to verify his residence on See ABSCONDERS, page 6A LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY, city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville HtestneM Middle School Honor Roll Hsts/pho “ 5A summer, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Gross was on trial for falsely swearing to affidavits used in con nection with real estate closings in 2004. The affidavits affirmed that all subcontractors had been paid for their labor and materials on the houses built by Gross and his com pany, Creek Mill Homes. Subsequent to the loan closings, See THEFT, page 6A AULTMAN SWEENEY www.hhjnews.com Imp!® Return investment DAWSON RAMOS PENA SPORTS: Demon Diamond Summer Bash. Cross country, Music and more. yj| County set to vote on $47.5 million budget By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer The Houston County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote today on a $47,520,363 budget for fiscal year 2008. The budget is up $4.2 million from the FY2007 amended budget of $45,616,174. Commission Chairman Ned Sanders attributed much of the increase to the increase in health care costs. Sanders said health insurance costs increased 21 percent from $4.2 million in FY2007 for $5.1 million for FY2OOB. Employer con tributions to their pension plan increased 11.8 percent of payroll in LEGGETT KttfesflHHßtoU TATUM One section • 10 pages 2007 to 14.6 percent or $2.3 million for 2008, he added. The budget includes no new positions but does have a 2.5 per cent cost of living adjustment for employees. Sanders said that may be re-evaluated once the tax digest comes in this fall. Based on the estimated tax digest, the county may have to raise the tax rate to balance the budget. The current millage rate of 9.32 mills is expected to go up to 9.50 mills, still half a mill below the coun ty’s tax cap of 10.3 mills. Sanders said the increase will be about $6 for the owner of a SIOO,OOO home and about sl3 for the owner of See BUDGET, page 6A PD seeks suspects in robberies By RAY LIGHTNER Journal Staff Writer Warner Robins Police are looking for two sus pects in two armed rob beries over the weekend. Both suspects are described as black males with handguns. The clerks in each incident were both treated for minor injuries suffered during the incident. In the incident on Friday, at USA Dollar Store, 1205 Moody Road, the suspect is described as a black male wearing black in color clothing and armed with a hand gun. He was reportedly an Evans Family Newspaper hr I HjH f rr , .‘|§. startled by customers and fled without any money. Officers of the Warner Robins Police Department responded at 7:31 p.m. where the victim told police the suspect approached him from behind and demand ed money. The suspect then fled on foot when he was startled by cus tomers and left the store in an unknown direction of travel. The victim was treated and released for minor non-life threaten ing injuries sustained in the robbery. Anyone with See ROBBERIES, page 6A ENI/Gary Harmon