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FAYETTE
COUNTY
NEWS
4*THE TRUTH SINCE 1886 *$>
INSIDE Sandy Creek, Fayette County Boys
Advance to Elite 8, Bl
VOL 151, NO. 9
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1,2023
$1.00
INSIDE: Commissioners Approve SR 219 Realignment Project, A2
INSIDE: Jenkins Receives Advanced Practice Provider of TheYear’Award, A3
3 in Custody for Murder of 15-year-old Girl
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
PEACHTREE CITY -
In a press conference held
by Peachtree City Police
Department Feb. 22, As
sistant Police Chief Matt
Myers announced that
three suspects are in cus
tody in connection to the
murder of 15-year-old
Madison Gesswein.
According to a written
press release from the de
partment, officers re
sponded to an apartment
at The Greens at Braelinn
regarding a medical call
around 6 a.m. on Feb 21.
Gesswein was found de
ceased by her mother.
Final cause of death is
still pending determina
tion by the medical ex
aminer, but an injury to
Gesswein’s head appeared
to be consistent with a
gunshot wound.
Three suspects were
quickly identified by detec
tives as 18-year-olds Jus
tus Smith, Jacobean
Brown, and Yeshua Ma
this. All three suspects are
Fayetteville residents and
See Murder, A5
Jacobean Brown
Yeshua Mathis
Justus Smith
The letter that President Jimmy Carter wrote to Peachtree City, along with the belt that was given to him in 1995.
PTC Honors President Carter's Legacy
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
PEACHTREE CITY -
On the weekend of Feb. 18,
the country received news
that 39th President Jimmy
Carter is under hospice
care. While this news
shook the nation, Peach
tree City made a special
dedication to Carter on
President’s Day as the city
acknowledged his legacy.
In a statement pro
vided by the city, PTC re
capped the significance of
Carter’s presence in the
community and how much
of an impact he left on its
citizens.
"In 1995, former Mayor
Bob Lenox presented Pres
ident Carter with a tool
belt. The belt had the
Peachtree City logo
stitched on its side,” city
officials wrote in a weekly
update for Feb. 20. “Carter
returned the belt 24 years
later with a personal note
that read: ‘To Peachtree
City, Ga., I am returning
the tool belt you gave me
in 1995. Since then, I have
worn it on 35 habitat work
projects, in which we have
had 103,000 volunteers
and have built or repaired
4,331 homes in 14 coun
tries.’”
PTC Mayor Kim Lear-
nard said she remembers
Carter’s inauguration day
in 1977 vividly, expressing
that his selflessness and
activism for the common
good spearheaded her
drive for national politics
and making change.
“It was the first time I
really started paying atten
tion to national politics. I
remember that he in
stalled solar panels on the
White House, turned the
thermostat down, and
wore a cardigan on TV to
set a good example and en
courage everyone to con
serve energy,” Learnard
said. “Maybe because he
was a nuclear scientist, he
had ideas about our natu
ral resources that were
ahead of his time.”
Learnard went on to
discuss a personal mo
ment she remembers with
the President and how that
moment played a role in
how she sees community
and lending a helping
hand, while also providing
motivation and peace.
“I got to hear him
speak at the Carter Center
in 2012 - he was tiny and
frail as he walked to the
podium; then he gave a
powerful, full-voiced
speech about the plight of
women and girls around
the world, his work to
eradicate Guinea worm
disease, “waging peace” in
See President Carter, A5
BIRD Seeking Witnesses
to Fatal Auto Accident
FAYETTEVILLE - On
Wednesday, Feb. 22, at ap
proximately 2 p.m., officers
with the Fayetteville Police
Department responded to a
motor vehicle collision in
volving two sedans at the in
tersection of Georgia
Highway 85 North and
Promenade Parkway, result
ing in the death of an elderly
man.
An 83-year-old male
from Jonesboro was trans
ported to Piedmont Fayette
Hospital, where he suc
cumbed to his injuries. Ad
ditionally, a 40-year-old
female from Jonesboro was
transported to a local hospital
for treatment of non-life-
threatening injuries, accord
ing to an FPD press release.
FPD’s Traffic Enforce
ment and Accident Recon
struction Unit is actively in
vestigating the cause of the
collision, and additional de
tails will be released when
available.
Any witnesses to the col
lision are asked to contact Of
ficer P. McDonald at
770-461-4441 or by email at
pmcdonald@fayetteville-
ga.gov.
Suspicious Fire
leads to Arrest
for Murder
The Fayette County
Sheriff s Office investi
gated a “suspicious fire”
that completely engulfed a
residential property on
Jan. 12 where a deceased
body was found. Following
investigation, members of
FCSO have arrested Fay
etteville resident Griffin
Michael Leach for the mur
der of his father, William
Leach.
Authorities were origi
nally unsure of how the fire
started and why there was
a body inside, but recent
reports indicate the de
ceased body was a result of
murder, according to
FCSO officials.
After a thorough inves
tigation, FCSO arrested
and charged the son, 23,
for the murder of his 49-
year-old father.
Griffin Leach FCSO
“Leach has been
charged with murder and
arson in connection with
the death of William M.
Leach, age 49, from Fay
etteville,” commented SO
personnel. “The victim was
found deceased in the early
morning hours of Jan. 12
after firefighters discov
ered his body in the home.”
See Arrests, A5
Tyrone Mayor
Eric Dial Gives State
of Town Address
Leah Banks
Investigative Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
TYRONE — It comes as
no surprise that the town
of Tyrone continues to
make strides in com
munity engagement and
expansion, and in the Feb.
16 Tyrone Town Council
meeting, Mayor Eric Dial
led the meeting with his
State of the Town address.
“As always, it’s an
honor to come before you
on behalf of Tyrone’s
council and staff to pro
vide an update on the state
of the town,” Dial began.
“Even better, it is a pleas
ure to address you.”
As Dial dove into the
speech, he raised a ques-
7)
■ y
Tyrone Mayor Eric Dial
tion of what someone who
was looking for a place to
live would be searching for
in their “forever home.”
He explained that the
average American is look
ing for a multitude of
things that not only pro
vide security, but also
See Tyrone Address, A6
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