About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 2009)
THURSDAY March 26,2009 Volume 133 • No 36 50 Cents Cheek Us Out ONLINE www.fayettedailynews.com i..ii.ii....ii„ii, I , II i 1 iii 1Il ii 1I1 ij I iii 1 i ll i 1 i 11 ii II1 i 30+^ ***********+++* ALL f 0 £ A qc 3oi GEORGIA NEWSPAPER PRO TECT MAIN LIBRARY - UGA ATHENS GA 30602-0001 Sports: No. 1 Panthers TOO MUCH FOR Northgate See Page IB Views: James Studdard: Jury system NEEDS UPDATING See Page 4A Panasonic to lay off more workers Downturn of automobile manufacturing dictating more jobs lost at PTC plant By ClNDY Morley Panasonic Automotive Systems in Peachtree City, cindy@fayettedailyrtews.com officials said. Blame the economy... . A downturn in the automotive manufacturing industry is dictating the elimination of more jobs at Last September, Panasonic Automotive Systems made a “change in manufacturing strategy” and about 500 positions were eliminated at the local facility as the Peachtree City manufacturing opera tions were consolidated with those in Mexico. “Related to that consolidation, but as a direct result of the downturn in demand of our products because of troubles in the automotive manufactur ing industry, Panasonic Automotive Systems of America needs to reduce a number of positions in the workforce throughout our companies in North America by 200,” said Jim Reilly, spokesperson for Panasonic. Reilly said that all 200 positions will not be in Peachtree City, although an exact number was not known as of late Wednesday. “Peachtree City is one of our largest entities, and is the largest base for supporting the automotive industry, and because of that, Peachtree City will likely be impacted more than some other facili ties,” said Reilly. “Yes, Peachtree City could very well take the biggest hit because it is the largest base for manu facturing this product.” Reilly said Panasonic officials have “made an (Continued on Page 2A) FTC will save 100 grand more than expected on outsourcing By Cindy Morley cindy@fayettedailynews.com Peachtree City officials will save about $100,000 more than initially anticipated by out sourcing grass mowing, land scaping and litter pickup. “We had anticipated an annu al savings of $840,000, but the bids came in lower than expect ed, and we should see an annu al savings of about $940,000,” said Peachtree City City Manager Bemie McMullen. The Peachtree City Council voted unanimously in a called meeting Tuesday morning to approve a contract with TruGreen Landcare of Stone Mountain - the lowest bidding company- to handle the tasks. The council previously decided to move forward with the elimination of 23 landscap ing and mowing positions and outsource the work to meet budget shortfalls. McMullen said TruGreen has already been providing mowing and landscape work for the city, and city officials have been happy with their work. TruGreen has been providing grass cutting services along Hwy 54 and 74, McMullen said. According to McMullen, the cost of the services is $256,206 (Continued on Page 2A) Fayette man acquitted of molestation A Fayette County jury has aquitted a former Fayette County schools custodian of charges her molested his daughter over several years. The jury deliberated only a few minutes Wednesday before finding Toney Elder, 43, not guilty on two counts of child molestation. Elder was arrested in 2007 by Peachtree City Police, after claims by his daughter -then 16- that he had been molesting her since she was 11 years old. The daughter, now 18, testi fied during the trial in Fayette County Superior Court earlier this week. -Cindy Morley Sharpsburg man found guilty of 2005 rape, gets 35 years in prison I didn’t do it you know I didn't do it' By Cindy Morley CINDY@FAYETTEDAILYNEWS.COM “I didn’t do it. You know I didn’t do it...” Zachary Higgins had just been found guilty of rape and aggravated sodomy. And even as Superior Court Judge Johnnie Caldwell polled the jury at the request of Higgins’ defense attorney, the 21-year-old Sharpsburg man, turned toward the victim in the court room. “You know I didn’t do it,” he said to her before bailiffs turned him around to face the judge. Fayette County jurors deliberated less than two hours before returning the guilty verdicts against Higgins Tuesday morning in the 2005 incident when both Higgins and the victim were students at Sandy Creek High School. The victim, now 19, told jurors Monday that the rape took place over Labor Day weekend in 2005 at her home in Tyrone while her parents were out of town. She testified that she did not tell her parents about the rape until 2008. “I didn’t want anybody to know,” the victim said. “I was ashamed. I felt I had done something to let it happen.” She also testified that when her par ents came home that night of the rape, she felt “sick, disgusted and ashamed.” Superior Court Judge Johnnie Caldwell sentenced Higgins to 35 years in prison and 15 years on proba tion following the verdicts Tuesday - morning. As he was being escorted out of the courtroom, Higgins turned to his fami ly and yelled “appeal, I didn’t do this.” As the jury left the courtroom after the verdict was read, Higgins turned to defense attorney Steve Harris and said, “I made my mistakes and paid for them. But I would never do this.” Information came to light during the trial that Higgins had a prior history of child molestation and sodomy stem ming from a 2003 case in Coweta County. The incident, according to testimony from a former investigator from the Coweta District Attorney’s office, involved a 4-year-old girl who lived near the family when Higgins was 14- years old. Testimony showed that Higgins (Continued on Page 8A) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP... PTC police try out its new tasers By Cindy Morley ClNDY@FAYEnEDAILYNEWS.COM Peachtree City Police have a new weapon in their fight against crime, Tasers. But before taking their new weapons out on patrol, each officer was required to go through an intense training course - one that included finding out first hand how it feels to be shot with the Taser'gun. “That was strange,’’said Cpl. Brad Williams after being hit by the electrical current that is used to disrupt voluntary control of muscles and affects the sus pect’s neuromuscular system incapacitat ed. “At first everything felt tight, and the mus cles went into spasms. Ail you want'to do is lay there for a few minutes.” One-by-one members of the Peachtree City Police Patrol Division and stood with their backs to Lt. John Jenkins - waiting for the hit. Only seconds after the bang, the hit was met with yells, grimaces, and gritted teeth. The officers hit the ground as the muscles in their legs contracted. “We wanted to make sure the officers were very familiar with the Taser and how it works before taking it out on patrol,” said PTC Police Chief Skip Clark. “This hands-on experience concludes their training session, and the Tasers will be deployed by the patrol division tonight.” Officers took a break from the training session Wednesday for a special ceremony honoring Scott Smith and his team from Nissan South, Kia Union City for his donation of money to fund the Tasers. “Without you, this would not be possi ble,” said Clark. “This will be a great tool for the police department and we thank you.” The Tasers run between $800 and $900 each, according to Clark. The department initially purchased 10 with the donation from Smith. “We have a lot of employees who live here, and we have a'lot of customers from this area,” said Smith. “We wanted to do something to give back to the community that supports us - like a partnership. This also helps keep the crime rate down and can saves lives.” (Continued on Page 2A) Ouch, ouch...and ouch. Peachtree City police Cpl. Brad Owens takes a taser shot in the back from Lt. John Jenkins during training session Wednesday at PTC police headquarters. (Staff photo by Cindy morley) Nissan, Kia help fund newest weapon in crime fight r~~ Student \th!( tr ol the Week 1Out 1 ,ul\ t'l Men \ Its 1 Eric 1 Johns i on SOI t t'l Mike Fitzpatrick’s Newnan • 770-502-3673 Your Local Weather Mike Fitzpatrick’s Neinnan - 770-502-3673 67/57 Showers and a few thun derstorms likely. High 67F. Winds S at lO to 20 mph. Fri 3/27 67/60 Rain with a few rumbles of thunder. 71/47 Thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 4-Os. Student Athlete of the Week^ Sandy Creek I is j Kenneth Woods Golf Thu 3/26 Sat 3/28
