About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2016)
END OF THE ROAD: Greene season over with loss at McIntoshJl] }| fcWtj I Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia’s Lake Country | www.LakeOconeeNews.us VOL. 18 NO. 48 FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 2016 75 CENTS MORGAN COUNTY ELABORATE FRAUD COSTS INVESTOR THOUSANDS Katherine Klimt katherine@lakeoconeenews.us Another fraud case was reported this week as swindlers continue to target the people of Madison and Morgan County. On Monday, Madison resident Horace McCullar reported to Morgan County Deputy Christo pher Lash that one of his clients, Guy Rutland of Decatur, had been the victim of a fraud scheme that ultimately netted the thief $25,000. McCullar, a general partner of Clairmont Investors, manages two trusts for Rutland and super vises transfers to and from those accounts. The prolonged effort to grift his client began on Oct. 20 when McCullar received an e-mail from Rutland’s account requesting $25,000. As this was Rutland’s normal method of requesting funds, McCullar arranged for the transfer to occur by Oct. 26. On Oct. 27, McCullar received yet another e-mail from Rutland’s account requesting yet another $25,000 in order to pay an “urgent bill,” which would be included as SEE FRAUD » A2 T. Michael Stone/Staff Rarely used umbrellas were seen on the streets of Madison last week as Morgan County and rest of Lake Country finally got some desperately needed rain. Drought conditions persist, but the forecast calls for more rain in the coming week with precipitation expected on an as many as 12 days in December. PUTNAM COUNTY Child molestor sentenced to life Asst. DA: Not enough time Lynn Hobbs lynn@lakeoconeenews.us A 36-year-old Eatonton man was sentenced to life in prison Nov. 22 for molesting an under-age family member, but a pros ecutor said that was not enough time. Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Alison T. Burleson sentenced Eddie William Crawford Jr. to life in prison for four counts of aggravated child molesta tion; 20 years with the first 15 years in confinement for a single count of child molestation; and 50 years with the first 25 years in confinement for incest. Each sentence is concurrent with the others. “There is not enough time to be served for the acts Mr. Crawford has done,” Assistant District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale said during a pre-sentencing recommendation hearing in Putnam County Superior SEE GUILTY » All Eddie William Crawford Jr. index Calendar B5 Churches B8 Classifieds D4 Community B1 Opinions A4 Recipes D1 FRIDAY 60/38 Sunny WEATHER »D8 0 94922 87855 7 Published by Smith Communications Inc. GREENE COUNTY Sheriff's Office looking for hit-and-run suspect T. Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us The Greene County Sheriffs Office is looking for a man who may have left the scene of accident that occurred on Penfield Road last week. According to incident reports obtained from the GCSO, Greene County resident Artie Hackney told Deputy Brett Rutledge a black Pontiac Montana hit his Dodge Neon in his yard. The man driving the Pontiac left on foot, Hackney said. Rutledge ran the license plate through dispatch and found that it belonged to Sheronda Montfort. Rutledge and Sgt. Richards went to Montfort’s address and ques tioned her about the Pontiac. She first told deputies the car had been stolen. When she was advised that failure to cooperate with the investigation could result in obstruction charges, she changed her story. She told the deputies that her husband Benjamin McCommons must have come to the house and picked up the Pontiac. Richards called McCommons and told him that needed to come home to speak with deputies about the incident. McCommons first said he was out of town and then told Richards he would be home in about 30 minutes. He never showed. PUTNAM COUNTY An 87-year-old great-grand mother from Eatonton was killed in a two-car accident on Thanks giving at the intersection of Church Street and the James Marshall (U.S. Highway 441 Eatonton) Bypass. Irene Nelson was pronounced dead at the scene by Putnam County deputy coroner Brian Hicks at 1:16 p.m. Nov. 24. According to the report filed by Trooper Steven Stone of the Georgia State Patrol, Nelson was travelling east on Church Street in a 1994 Ford Escort. SEE WRECK » A3 Contributed Putnam County rescue workers respond to a U.S. Highway 441 Eatonton Bypass Thanksgiving Day crash, which claimed the life of driver Irene Nelson, 87, of Eatonton. Her 1994 Ford Escort rests on the shoulder of the bypass, in background. The deadly stretch of road has claimed two lives in less than two weeks. Great-grandmother killed in Thanksgiving Day wreck Dave Brown dave@lakeoconeenews.us FEATURED LISTING Who you choose to work with in real estate makes all the difference. 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