Newspaper Page Text
36 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50$ Copy Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Arrest made in killing of high school student
A Winder man has been
arrested after he reported
ly shot and killed an East
Jackson Comprehensive
High School senior Friday
night.
Jose Tovar, 18. of Ath
ens, was shot while he was
attempting to break up a
fight. He was taken to Ath
ens Regional Medical Cen
ter where he died during
surgery, according to those
familiar with the incident.
Roberto Arellano, 45,
310 Rooks Road, Wind
er, has been charged with
murder, simple assault,
pointing or aiming a gun or
pistol at another, discharge
of a weapon on or near a
public highway or street
and aggravated assault.
When Barrow County
Sheriffs Office deputies
arrived on scene at Rooks
Road, Winder, there was
a large crowd of people
standing at the end of a
driveway. Arellano was
still on scene attempting to
apply pressure to Tovar’s
wound.
According to the inves
tigation, Tovar
was attempting
to mediate a
dispute between
the son of Arel
lano and anoth
er individual
that had begun
earlier in the
day. Tovar was
reportedly related
to one of the indi
viduals. Arellano came out
of the house with a rifle
and shot Tovar in the abdo
men during the dispute,
according to a BCSO press
release.
Arellano said
Tovar and two
unknown His
panic juveniles
threatened to
beat up his son,
according to the
BCSO incident
report. He said
he did not know if
they had any weap
ons and shot Tovar. The
two other juveniles then
reportedly fled down the
roadway towards Pender
grass Road.
Arellano is in custody at
the Barrow County Deten
tion Center.
ABOUT TOVAR
Tovar had attended the
Jackson County School
System for many years,
starting as a student at
South Jackson Elementary
School. He ran cross-coun
try and played soccer at
EJCHS.
EJCHS principal Jamie
Dixon said both the soccer
and cross-country coaches
spoke highly of Tovar.
“They stated that he had
an infectious personali
ty. a significant desire to
compete, and was a team
leader,” said Dixon. “...
Jose’s academic teachers
all agree that he was an
intelligent young man who
enjoyed life.”
His fellow students are
also mourning the loss
of Tovar. Multiple prayer
vigils were held Monday
outside of the school. Stu
dents released blue and
white balloons into the sky
in his memory.
See Shooting on Page 2A
ARELLANO
Barrow
Briefs
Ronda Rich will head
line businesswoman
award luncheon Nov. 16
Well-known Southern
author Ronda Rich will be
the guest speaker at the Bar-
row County Chamber of
Commerce Businesswoman of
the Year luncheon on Nov. 16.
The event begins at 11:30
a.m. at the Georgia Club. 1050
Chancellors Drive. Statham.
Nomination forms are avail
able at the chamber office,
online at barrowchamber.com
or from any Women in Busi
ness member.
The award will showcase
a woman who lives in Bar-
row County who has excelled
in business, demonstrated
advancements in her career
and professional development
and who has made a differ
ence in Barrow County.
JROTC plans car show
The Winder-Barrow High
School JROTC Bulldogg Bat
talion will host a car show on
Saturday.
This event will take place in
the high school’s lower field
parking lot from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m.
All entry fees, donations,
and concession proceeds will
be given to The Peace Place,
Inc. and The Tree House. Inc.
A minimum $10 registration
fee will be collected for all
vehicles entered in the show
and there is also a $2 mini
mum spectator fee.
This is a donation benefit
for victims of domestic vio
lence and child abuse.
There will be prize draw
ings every half hour.
The show will feature cars,
trucks, jeeps, motorcycles,
etc. It is a family-friendly
event with food, raffles, music
and fun.
Mailing
Label Below
8
7
Fire shuts down U.S. 29
PALETT COMPANY CATCHES FIRE
A fire at a pallett company on Broad Street in Statham early Wednesday morning shut down
U.S. 29 for several hours. Firefighters were still battling the blaze early Wednesday afternoon.
Capt. Scott Dakin of Barrow County Emergency Services said about 20,000 wooden pallets and
a number of vehicles were burning. No one was injured and no cause of the fire was available
at press time. Photo courtesy of Scott Dakin
Brown, Wehunt, Bailey victorious in local contests
By Scott Thompson
Editor
Republicans easily cruised to
victories in Barrow County on
Tuesday night, winning all three
locally-contested races.
Incumbent county commission
er Roger Wehunt defeated Demo
cratic challenger Michael Pope in
the District 3 race, while former
commissioner Bill Brown won a
return to the Board of Commis
sioners with a victory over Dem
ocrat Dwight Acey in the District
2 contest.
Meanwhile. Republican incum
bent Rickey Bailey defeated Dem
ocratic challenger Brittany May-
weather in the Board of Education
District 6 race.
Wehunt. who took 67 percent
of the vote, will have a fifth term
on the commission. As the results
rolled in Tuesday night at the Bar-
row County Board of Elections
and Registration office, Wehunt
said he was relieved.
“I’m glad we got through it,”
Wehunt said. “I’m looking for
ward to serving another term, but
this may be it.”
For Brown, who took 79 per
cent of the vote over Acey, Tues
day’s results completed a political
comeback for him after he was
ousted by current commissioner
Kenny Shook in the 2012 Repub
lican primary.
Brown, who previously served
three terms on the commission,
bounced back this year, defeating
Shook in the May 24 Republican
primary.
“I’m just happy that the people
of District 2 have given me the
privilege to serve them on the
commission,” Brown said. “I’m
WEHUNT
going to do the very best I can
to meet the individual needs of
every citizen. Barrow County has
always been a good place to live,
work and play, and I look forward
to working with the other com
missioners in harmony to keep it
See Election on Page 2A
Man charged with sexual exploitation of children
By Scott Thompson
Editor
A Winder man was
arrested last week as part
of a massive Internet
crimes against children
sting by multiple law
enforcement agencies in
Georgia and Alabama.
Shane Murphy, 37, of
1200 Bridge Crest Drive,
was arrested Thursday at
his home by the Bar-
row County Sheriff’s
Office after a search of
the residence uncovered
an electronic device that
contained numerous vid
eos of child pornogra
phy, according to a news
release.
Murphy has been
charged with 41 counts
of sexual exploitation
of children and is being
held at the Barrow
County Detention Cen
ter, where he is awaiting
bond.
Murphy was listed
in the release as unem
ployed.
Operation Southern
Impact targeted internet
crimes against children
and resulted in the arrest
of 17 people in Georgia.
The investigation
was coordinated by the
Georgia Internet Crimes
Against Children Task
Force and Alabama
Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force.
It focused on those
who possess and distrib
ute child pornography
and those who sexually
exploit children in other
ways using the internet,
the release said.
Planning for the oper
ation began three months
ago and culminated in
two days of search war
rant executions and 30
arrests, according to the
release.
Over the course of
MURPHY
the operation. 54 search
warrants were executed,
162 digital devices were
examined and 731 dig
ital media images and
devices were seized as
evidence.
Statham
officer
faces
complaints
Several area citizens are
calling for an investigation
into Statham police officer
Marc Lofton over a variety
of allegations, including the
wrongful arrests and falsi
fying information on police
reports.
Almost 200 people have
signed a petition requesting
that District Attorney Brad
Smith complete a formal
investigation into the matter.
Lofton was in the news
earlier this year after a
woman drove over his legs
during a traffic stop. Jessica
Fox was later arrested and
Lofton received a concus
sion and tom Achilles ten
don.
The incident, which
gained national attention,
apparently sparked the group
of petitioners to organize.
“The victims of Officer
Lofton found one another
after seeing this story on the
news and then comment
ing on the Statham Police
Department Facebook
page,” according to a news
release by the group.
Multiple people have
reported Lofton made false
arrests of driving under the
influence of drugs-less safe
charges. The cases were later
dismissed after suspects test
ed negative for drags.
The group has also col
lected several dash cam vid
eos of the incidents, which
show discrepancies between
the event and what was writ
ten in the arresting incident
reports.
Wednesday morning,
Smith wrote in an email that
his office is “not an investi
gatory agency.”
“When someone is arrest
ed and charged with a crime,
their case is then forwarded
to us,” Smith said. “We then
begin our process of gather
ing all evidence in the case
and assessing its credibility.
“I have no authority over
the City of Statham or who
they hire to represent them.”
A call to Statham Police
Department chief Allan
Johnston on Lofton’s current
employment status with the
city was also not returned by
press time.
Index:
Church News 14A
Classifieds 3-4C
Legals 5-11C
Obituaries 15A
Pets of the Week 2C
Public Safety 7-10A
Sports 1-12B