Newspaper Page Text
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♦ SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2008
NEWS
Child molester sentenced to 25 years
Special to the Journal
A Houston County jury
found Marcus Freeman
guilty Thursday on all five
counts of child molesta
tion charged in an indict
ment. The jury deliberated
for approximately one hour
prior to its verdict. The trial
began Wednesday morning
and concluded with the jury
verdict at 11:30 a.m.
Freeman, 35, lived in
Warner Robins when he was
arrested.
Details leading up to
his sentencing are as fol
lows, according to a release
from District Attorney Kelly
Burke’s office.
Officer Mark Donovan of
the Warner Robins Police was
called out on the case when
Four MGTC students GOAL semifinalists
Special to the Journal
Four Middle Georgia Technical
College students have been
selected as semi-finalists for the
Georgia Occupational Award of
Leadership according to Janet
Kelly, coordinator for the MGTC
GOAL program.
Chosen as semifinalists are
Bohdana Conyers, an account
ing student from Warner Robins;
Shelia Kowalski, a cosmetology
student from Warner Robins;
Andrea McCollum, an early child
hood care and education student
from Warner Robins; and Ashley
Peavy, a practical nursing stu
dent from Hawkinsville.
GOAL, a statewide program
of the Technical College System
of Georgia, honors excellence in
academics and leadership among
the state’s technical college stu
dents. GOAL winners from each
campus will compete in Atlanta
in May and one will be named as
the statewide GOAL winner.
Businesses busted for selling
illegal copies of movies, music
Special to the Journal
According to a release, the Houston County
Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigation
Division executed a search warrant Feb. 13
on three local businesses for selling unau
thorized copies of DVD movies and music
CDs.
The businesses, according to the release,
were identified as Tienda Quetzal, located
at 1718 Watson Blvd., La Fondita, located at
1738 Watson Blvd., and Rey David, located
at 1220 Russell Parkway.
Also according to the release, investiga
tors searched Tienda Quetzal and removed
2,652 compact discs valued at $39,780. They
also removed 60 DVDs valued at $1,140.
At La Fondita, investigators searched
and removed 153 compact discs valued at
$2,295.
Alleged getaway driver indicted
Special to the Journal
A man alleged to be the get
away driver for an armed rob
ber who was shot and killed
by police during an attempt
ed robbery of the Food Lion
on Moody Road Jan. 16, was
indicted Tuesday.
According to a release
from District Attorney Kelly
Burke, Albert Rucker, Jr. was
indicted for armed robbery,
attempted murder of two
officers, burglary, kidnapping
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the uncle
and aunt of
the victim
reported
their niece
disclosed,
while on a
camping trip
with them,
that she
had been
repeatedly
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FREEMAN
fondled by Freeman who
was her mother’s live in
boyfriend. Further inves
tigation revealed that she
had also been shown vari
ous pornographic videos and
magazines, and a search
warrant was performed on
his residence and his vehi
cle. Lead investigator Sgt.
Darin Meadows, an expert
in investigating child abuse
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Contributed
Pictured are the original GOAL contenders, from which four were selected as semi
finalists. They are: Bob Swecker, a website design student from Warner Robins;
Bohdana Conyers, an accounting student from Warner Robins; Shelia Kowalski, a
cosmetology student from Warner Robins; Celestine Clarington, a business office
technology student from Perry; DJ Aaron, a computer information systems student
from Kathleen; Michael Castle, a surgical technology student from Warner Robins;
Ashley Peavy, a practical nursing student from Hawkinsville; Christopher Roberts, a
radiologic technology student from Warner Robins; and Andrea McCollum, an early
childhood care and education student from Warner Robins.
At Rey David, investigators searched and
removed 262,compact discs valued at $3,930,
34 DVDs valued at $646 and three unau
thorized copies of ball caps valued at $75.
Albert Becerra with the Recording
Industry Association of America - mem
bers of the industry assisted in the search
warrants, according to the release - esti
mated the total value of the CDs seized to
be $46,005.
Each count of unauthorized reproduction
of recorded material - either video or audio
- is a felony and is punishable by a fine of
not more than $25,000 or by imprisonment
of no less than a year, no more than two
years, or both a fine and imprisonment.
Anyone with any information is asked to
contact Sgt. A 1 Elvins at 478-542-2085 or
478-542-2080.
and false
imprison
ment of
Food Lion
employees,
two counts
of aggravat
ed assault
on peace
officers,
three counts
RUCKER
of aggravated assault, pos
session of a firearm, theft
by receiving a stolen vehicle,
cases and interviewing chil
dren, conducted a forensic
.interview with the child on
The Rainbow House. The
victim, according to the
release, gave very explicit
and detailed descriptions of
the abuse she suffered at
the hands of Freeman. Her
descriptions of the lewd con
duct she saw on the videos *
and in the magazines as well
as their location in both the
house and Freeman’s truck
were corroborated when
then pornographic materi
als were found where she
indicated they would be and
showed what she indicated
they would show. The inci
dents had occurred over a
period of time which termi
nated in February 2004.
Freeman was then sen
theft by taking and invol
untary manslaughter (in the
death of Leon Stanford).
Per Burke, the indictment
will lead to an arraignment
on these charges in April,
with a trial expected later
this summer.
Burke said he and Senior
ADA Jeff Lasseter will
be prosecuting the case,
while Rucker’s attorney is
Claudia Meier of the Public
Defender’s Office.
K*. / * MM
i ih f• r* b
oneiobatatimeh
tenced by Judge Ed Lukemire
to serve 15 years in prison
and 10 years on probation.
Additional requirements
of his sentence included a
$5,000 fine and up to $5,000
restitution to the victim for
any counseling she receives,
no contact with children, be
subject to sex offender con
ditions, and that he be ban
ished for the entire term of
his sentence from Houston
County and any county that
touches it. This sentence
was in accordance with the
previous sentencing guide
lines as the crimes occurred
before the recent changes in
sentencing sexual offenders
were made.
The successful prosecu
tion of this case, Burke
said in the release, was
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the result of a collabora
tive effort by the Houston
County District Attorney’s
Office and the Warner
Robins Police Department,
Houston County Sheriffs
Department, the victim’s
aunt and uncle, Linita
Berryman of the Rainbow
House, Gary Hammontree of
the Department of Family
and Children Services, and
Dr. Curt Holmes, a local psy
chologist, who is an expert
in the psychology of Child
Abuse.
Prosecutor Chief Assistant
District Attorney Jason
Ashford, according to
the release, expressed to
Lukemire during the sen
tencing hearing that the state
was not exaggerating when
it used the phrase evil to
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refer to Freeman and he felt
that that Freeman should be
sentencing accordingly.
In addition to Ashford,
Assistant District Attorney
Kameyan L. Bryant sat sec
ond chair.
Freeman was represented
by Attorney William Peterson
of Warner Robins.
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