Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 137, NUMBER 148
BELOW THE FOLD: Suspect confesses to Winn-Dixie robbery ■ INSIDE: Man wanted for false report of shooting
Tuesday
July 31,2007
The Home Journal’s
FRONT
PORCH
WHH?PSSSSiP&|Eff
IN BRIEF
Pistol safety seminar
to be offered free
A, according to a release, free
basic pistol safety seminar will
be offered Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. at
the Macon County gun range in
Oglethorpe
The seminar, according to the
release, will be given by Rudy
Adams, a certified firearms instruc
tor, having been trained in the
Military Police Academy, the Civilian
Police Academy and Bomb Squad
School. Adams has also served as a
deputy sheriff, city policeman and as
director of the DEA Houston Peach
Drug Squad. He has also served
as a bomb squad member for four
years.
Call 478-244-0190 to register.
You must be 21 years of age or
older and not have a criminal record
that would prevent you from owning,
or handling a firearm, to register.
FMMS to hold School
Council election ~
Feagin Mill Middle School will hold
a School Council election Aug. 16 at
5 p.m. in the school media center.
According to a release, three parent
representatives will be elected, with
one of the parent representatives
also serving as a business partner.
Feagin Mill Middle is located at
1200 Fegain Mill Road in Warner
Robins.
For more information, con
tact Principal Jesse Davis at
jwdavis@hcbe.net or 478-953-0430.
Perry Middle to hold
golf tournament
Perry Middle School will hold a
two-man scramble golf tournament
fund-raiser at the Perry Country
Club Aug. 18. The event will begin
with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Prizes
will include S4OO for the first place
team, S2OO for second and SIOO for
third, as well as a hole in one prize
of an 'OB Ford Mustang from Wayne
Morris Ford.
The cost is SSO per player, which
includes lunch as well as door priz
es. Call Randy Moss at 988-6291
or e-mail him at rdmoss@hcbe.net
to register.
BIRTHDAYS
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July 31, 2007
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Saturday
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High: 93 Low: 72
Weather
hhjnews.com
Nerve stimulation
helps battle depression
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Early retirement debate to begin
If City Manager Lee Gilmour's “$4.5 mil
lion-over-44-years” calculation is correct, this
would mean that the cost of providing health
insurance to public safety employees who
have chosen the early retirement option, would
be three times more than the cost of paying
their pensions for the same period of time.
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
In the month ahead, the
Perry City Council will be
discussing whether or not
to offer an early retirement
option with healthcare
insurance to police officers
and firefighters who have
given a quarter of a century
of service to the city and
reached the age of 55.
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Tony Davis lifts 300 pounds during the clean-and-jerk portion of the Night of Champions event held at Perry High School
Friday. For more, see 18.
Suspect confesses to
Winn Dixie robbery
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Brandon Spencer has been charged with the Sunday
armed robbery of the Ga. 96 Winn Dixie.
Spencer, 17, reportedly was identified as the suspect
SPENCER
the suspect pulled up the bottom of his shirt to display
what Koch believed to be a weapon.
The suspect reportedly told Koch “give me all the
money. I’m not playing.”
The cashier complied and gave the suspect an undis
closed amount of money from the cash register. The
See ROBBERY, page 8A
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
The question will be
whether or not the city,
and thus the taxpayers, can
afford the additional cost.
So, let’s take a look at the
estimates available so far.
$28,864.
That’s the approximated
additional total cost the
City of Perry would bear if
firefighters and police offi
cers with 25 years of service
See RETIREMENT, page SA
by another customer in the store. He
agreed to come with police when con
tacted at home and reportedly confessed
while being interviewed by police.
Warner Robins Police officers respond
ed to 756 West Highway 96 Winn Dixie,
about 9:50 p.m. Sunday in reference
to an armed robbery. The complain
ant, Matthew Koch, a store cashier, told
police a black or Hispanic male had come
to his register to make a purchase and
when the register drawer was opened,
ltaocut
ribbons on
expan
sions. 2n
Roar like Tony
www.hhjnews.com
Who on the force would be eligible now?
The proposed early retirement option for Perry’s public safety officers would only be available
to those who have worked for the city for 25 years and reached the age of 55. There is nothing
complicated about estimating this, because employees must be 30 or under at the time they
start working for the city to accrue 25 years before they are 55.
- Ten of the current 52 public safety employees are already ineligible because they will
not have worked for the city for 25 years even at age 65. To take two examples: Public Safety
Director George Potter is already 58, and began working for the city In 1996. Deputy Fire Chief
Joel Gray, who is now 46, began working for the city in 2006.
- If the proposal is approved, about half of the current police and firefighting personnel could
be eligible to retire at 55 with pension and health insurance.
- 27 would be eligible tor the proposed early retirement benefits at age 55 if they continue
working as hazardous duty employees for the City of Perry. (18 of the 27 have worked for the
city less than two years at this date.)
- Seven would be eligible for early retirement between the ages of 60-64, if they continue work
ing for the city until they have reached 25 years of service.
- Six would be eligible for early retirement between the ages of 55-60, If they continue working
for the city until they have reached 25 years of service.
- Two older employees may have already exceeded the requirement. One is 60 years old and
has put In 26 years with the city. The other is 57 and has worked for the city for 27 years. (It is
not known whether they were in hazardous duty positions for that entire time)
Source: These numbers are based on a survey done by the Houston Daily Journal, in which certified
(hazardous duty) public safety employees were asked for their names, their birthdates and the date
when they began working for the city.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Dodgers runner Justin James slides in under the tag of the Tigers’ catcher during the two
teams’ Middle Georgia Men’s Adult Baseball League playoff game. For more, see 18.
SPORTS: WRUi Majors
win state. WRALL 8-10-
year-okts roll.
Music, horse- ID
shoes and mors. ID
Justin time
One section • 12 pages
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3 behind bars
2 at large
in home
invasion
By RAYLIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Warner Robins Police
have three of five suspects
in jail from a July 23 home
invasion.
Superior Court war
rants for the two remain
ing suspects, 18-year-old
Demarius Moore of Macon,
and 16-year-old Renaldo
Smith of 518 American
Blvd., of Warner Robins,
are still open.
They are wanted for
their parts in the home
invasion of 835 Johnson
Road. In that incident,
the victim, 18-year-old
Marcus Brown reportedly
came in from work and
when he turned on the
light, discovered five sub
jects inside his residence.
Brown told police one
of the five pointed a gun
See INVASION,page SA