Newspaper Page Text
THE TRUTH SINCE 1886
FAYETTE COUNTY (1) NEWS
f ay ett e-news, net
Vol. 151, No. 48 Wednesday, November 29, 2023 $1.
Jones Sentenced to life for PTC Murder
Following a recent jury trial,
Marlon Jones was found guilty of
murder and sentenced to life in
prison without the possibility of
parole in the May 2022 death of
Donnell Hicks in Peachtree City.
Jones reportedly confronted
Hicks, store manager of CVS phar
macy at Lexington Circle in PTC,
over a personal dispute. After a
short discussion, Jones shot Hicks
with a 9mm handgun, wounding
him and knocking him to the
ground, according to Griffin Judi
cial Circuit District Attorney Marie
Broder.
An eyewitness testified that
Jones then stood over Hicks’ body
and shot him repeatedly until the
firearm was empty. Hicks was pro
nounced dead at the scene and
Jones was apprehended by PTC
police.
Superior Court Judge Rhonda
B. Kreuziger sentenced Jones to
life in prison without the possibil
ity of parole for malice murder
and a consecutive five years in
prison for possession of a firearm
during commission of a crime.
“This crime rocked our com
munity, and I am so thankful to
my dynamic team who prosecuted
this case,” DA Broder said of the
trial. “My offices will continue to
aggressively prosecute violent
crime.”
The case was investigated by
Sgt. Heather Scott, along with
other officers and detectives of the
PTC Police Department, with the
assistance of the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation State Crime Labo
ratory, according to a statement
from the DA’s office.
Logan Inagawa threw for 183 yards and ran for 122.
Lincoln DeLaere's hail Mary catch with no time
left won it for Starr's Mill. Special to FCN
Hail Mary Sends Starr’s Mill to State Semifinals
Panthers Upend Undefeated Central on the Road, 35-29
The Panthers’ storybook season continues with an ending fit for a Hollywood movie. Starr’s
Mill went on the road in the quarterfinals and beat the previously undefeated Central Lions 35-
29 on a last-second, hail Mary, touchdown reception.
“We are very happy for the boys to see them accomplish something so big,” said Coach Chad
Phillips. “We have had a wide range of circumstances over the long season, and the resolve and
resilience this group has shown is significant. They have overcome some adversity well.”
See the full story, By.
Local Educators
Awarded Grants
through Bright Ideas
Every Penny Counts
with ‘Operation Round Up’
Six local educators
were among the winners
as Coweta-Fayette EMC
awarded $29,953.34 in
Bright Ideas grants to 28
deserving teachers across
Coweta County Schools,
Fayette County Schools,
and Heard County
Schools.
Fayette County
winners were Lisa Owens
from Fayette Life
Academy; Sarah Thomp
son from Flat Rock Middle
School; Angela Thompson,
Ansleigh Baxter, and Kori
Perez from Kedron Ele
mentary; and Brandi
Thronton from Peachtree
City Elementary.
Bright Ideas is funded
by Coweta-Fayette EMC’s
Operation Round-Up. The
pennies customers con
tribute each month to Op
eration Round-Up, when
combined with the pennies
of thousands of other
members, benefit those in
See Bright Ideas, A7
Lisa Owens after hearing the big news.
Courtesy of Fayette County Schools
Kori Perez, back row, second from right, shares the excitement with her Kedron Elementary class.
Laura Plauche Johnson Tamara Allen Moore
PTC Runoff
Set Dec. 5
Early Voting Ends Dec. 1
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
As election season
comes to an end, all eyes are
on Peachtree City as candi
dates Laura Plauche
Johnson and Tamara Allen
Moore are on the Dec. 5
runoff ballot for PTC Coun
cil Post 1 representative.
During the Nov. 7 elec
tion, both Johnson and
Moore were neck and neck
at the ballot box, but
Johnson secured more votes
(2,481 compared to Moore’s
1,768). However, Johnson
did not secure more than 50
percent of total votes.
Early voting for the run
off election began Nov. 27 at
the Fayette County Election
Office (175 Johnson Avenue
in Fayetteville) and Peach
tree City Library (201 Wil-
lowbend Road in Peachtree
City). Early voting precincts
will remain open weekdays
from 9 a.m. to five p.m.
through Friday, Dec. 1.
Following early voting,
voters will cast ballots at
their assigned PTC voting
precincts between 7 a.m.
and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec.
5-
For more information,
visit the state “My Voter
Page” at
https://mvp.s0s.ga.g0v/s/,
visit
fayettecountyga.gov/elec
tions, or call 770-305-5408.
Peachtree City
Launches New
Navigation App
Leah Banks
Senior Reporter
leah@fayette-news.net
In a city filled with a
multitude of inviting green
spaces, hidden gems for
retail, and an abundance
of golf cart paths, repre
sentatives of Peachtree
City sought to fill a need by
developing a new mobile
application for citizens to
navigate exploration and
travels throughout the city.
During the Nov. 16 PTC
City Council meeting, staff
announced the launch of
“Navigate PTC,” a new app
that serves as the “one-
stop guide” for the city’s
extensive network of
multi-use paths and more.
According to staff, the
app extends beyond nor
mal navigation capabilities
and allows for comprehen
sive resources for discov
ering the city’s “hidden
gems,” including parks,
recreation facilities, retail
options, and restaurants.
Notable features for
mobile app users include
navigating the path system
(by golf cart, bicycle, or on
foot) with a built-in GPS
system, reporting a prob
lem to city employees and
officials, registering or re
newing registration for a
golf cart, applying for a
permit (for homeowners
or contractors), sharing
your location with the
press of a button, sub
scribing to city notifica
tions, contacting PTC
public safety agencies for
non-emergency matters,
browsing restaurants and
shopping, and viewing the
PTC calendar for city and
community events.
See PTC Navigation, A7
INSIDE:
FAYETTE VIEWS
OBITUARIES
A4 SPORTS
A2 LEGALS
_B7 SHOP LOCAL GIVEAWAY BLB2
B3 SCHOOL B8
CONTACT US: support@fayette-news.net - (770) 461-6317 - fayette-news.net
We Look Forward To
Seeing You Soon!
Open for Lunch and Dinner • Seven Days A Week
180 Hwy 314, Fayette, GA * 770.7037514 * fridasbarandgrill.com
r\W\
Frida’s
