About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2017)
Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia's Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us VOL 19 NO. 6 g FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 2017 75 GENTS GREENE COUNTY K9 CLOSES HIGH-SPEED CHASE T. Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us A Texas man led Greene County deputies on a high speed chase in and out the con struction zone on Highway 44 last week, but he was ultimately caught after running over a spike strip. Kenton Demontry Franklin, 29, of Houston, Texas, was arrested and charged with fleeing and attempting to elude, pos session of marijuana, speeding, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, violation of tint requirements, improper U-turn and failure to yield. According to incident reports obtained from the Greene County Sheriffs Office, Deputy Josh Elrod spotted a dark blue Chevrolet Impala with dark aftermarket window tinting traveling east near exit 130. As Elrod attempted to catch up with the Impala, the driver went from the left lane into the exit lane and began to pass vehicles on the ramp before making a right hand turn on Hwy 44 south. When Elrod got to Hwy 44, he saw SEE CHASE » A12 PUTNAM COUNTY Man takes bus for a wild ride Lynn Hobbs and Don Richeson news@lakeoconeenews.us Not wanting to put out his cigarette, a Putnam County man instead stole a county bus and led deputies on a 31-mile, two-county, high-speed chase, where he ran other drivers off the road and rammed multiple vehicles before being stopped in the city of Sparta and booked on 35 separate charges. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, Michael Douglas Freeman reportedly lit a cigarette and started smoking it while riding as a passenger in a Putnam County Transit Bus in the Crooked Creek Road area. Bus driver SEE RIDE » All Construction snarls Highway 44 Mark Engel engel@lakeoconeenews.us Two years from now, the Georgia Department of Trans portation plans to start widening Lake Oconee Parkway/Georgia Route 44 from two to four lanes. But for the next month, de pending on weather, motorists travelling in either direction will have only one lane to share on parts of the road. Work crews are in the middle of a project to seal cracks in the pavement from 1-20 to Eatonton. SEE TRAFFIC » A2 Wait times to cross the Highway 44 bridge at the Greene- Putnam County line varied throughout the day. Repairs were expected to be completed by Friday but work to fill cracks in the road from 1-20 to Eatonton will continue to cause slowdowns. Mark Engel/Staff index Calendar B5 Churches B8 Classifieds D3 Community B1 Obituaries A8 Opinions A4 Recipes ±. D1 Sports L C1 ipTr FRIDAY 58/39 Sunny WEATHER »D6 o 94922 87855 7 Published by Smith Communications Inc. 1C n M j « . m i JW I IF m 7 ■' Katherine Klimt/Staff Morgan County High School valedictorian Isabella Scoggin and her mother, Cindy Scoggin. MCHS announces top grads for Class of 2017 Katherine Klimt katherine@lakeoconeenews.us Morgan County High School surprised two of its seniors last Wednesday during an assembly to recognize the school’s top students. Valedictorian Isabella Scoggin and salutatorian Bobby Jones were the honorees at the ceremony, and greeted onstage by their families before being escorted to lunch in a limousine. The entire MCHS senior class was called into the school audi torium, but school officials did not tell them the reason for the assembly beforehand. Scoggin and Jones were unaware that the gathering was in their honor, and that their families would be present. MCHS Principal Dr. Miki Edwards began by talking to the several hundred teenagers about the time and energy they had invested in their primary and secondary schooling so far, and stressed the importance of perseverance in attaining their goals. She then explained that the meeting had been called to “recognize two people from the SEE MCHS » A12 MORGAN COUNTY Undercover investigation results in arrest for drugs T. Michael Stone Quadarius Devarius Carter, of michael@lakeoconeenews.us 1000 Pinetree Circle in Madison was arrested on Monday, Feb. 6 and An undercover drug investigation charged with possession of marijuana lasting three weeks has netted an with the intent to distribute, arrest for the Morgan County Sheriff s Office. SEE DRUGS » A3 Contributed The Morgan County Sheriff's Office uncovered marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash following a three-week investigation. Who you choose to work with in real estate makes all the difference.. "Alyce and Jonathan are fabulous. They sold us our home in July and we could not be happier. They are professional yet take a personal interest in what you are looking for so they can match you to the perfect house. They are always available to answer questions or address issues you might have. I would certainly recommend them to anyone buying or selling a home" - ASHLEY WASKEY ★★★★★ HIGHLY LIKELY TO RECOMMEND CELL: 70 6 - 8 16 -10 10 ■ 70 6 - 48 5 - 0 0 8 8 ■ www.LiveLakeOconee.com kw. f LUXURY HOMES ® | INTERNATIONAL KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY FEATURED LISTING 1341 ROSE CREEK DRIVE
