About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 2017)
Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia’s Lake Country | unvw.LakeOconeeNews.us VOL. 19 NO. 34 FRIDAY AUGUST 25 2017 75 CENTS MORGAN COUNTY Car accident leaves driver in hospital Katherine Klimt katherine@lakeoconeenews.us On Sunday afternoon, police responded to a car accident on Monticello Road that left the driver in intensive care and resulted in the discovery of meth- amphetamine. The driver, Gary McDaniel of Monticello, sus tained serious injuries and is cur rently being treated at the Atlanta Medical Center. Sgt. Adam Howard respond ed to the scene at around 1:20 p.m. The accident involved only a single car that had apparent ly struck a tree and rolled over, resting on its roof on the shoulder of the road when Howard arrived. The driver, the only individual in the vehicle, was reportedly unre sponsive and in “bad shape” and had already been transferred to an ambulance for treatment. Shortly thereafter, he was trans ported from the scene by helicop ter. Among the wreckage, Robert Saye of the Morgan County Fire Department found a “long metal cylinder with a brush on the end of it.” A tow truck operator opened the cylinder at the scene, and found a small plastic bag with a crystalline substance similar to crystal methamphetamine. The Morgan County Sheriffs Office, rather than the Georgia State Patrol, took possession of the suspected meth at the request of trooper J.M. Lewis. When the substance was tested by the sheriffs department, it yielded a positive result for meth amphetamine. As of press time, it is not known whether McDaniel will survive his injuries. MORGAN COUNTY Store manager caught stealing Katherine Klimt katherine@lakeoconeenews.us Early last week, the regional loss Prevention manager for Dollar General stores, Darryl Horton, called Rutledge police to report theft by the one of the local store managers. The alleged thief, Ethan Anderson, has allegedly been embezzling money from the store for the past several months. The theft came to light after an incident in Social Circle on Thursday, Mark Smith Jr./Staff BankSouth CEO Harold Reynolds and his wife Lesley watch the solar eclipse. SEE STORY AND PHOTOS » PACE A3 SEE STEALING » All DOLLAR GENERAL index Calendar B1 Churches B8 Classifieds D3 Community B1 Obituaries A8 Opinions A4 Recipes D1 Sports C1 Sports C1 FRIDAY 87/70 Isolated T-storms WEATHER »D6 0 94922 87855 7 Published by Smith Communications Inc. GREENE COUNTY Commissioners juggle budget requests Mark Engel engel@lakeoconeenews.us Greene County Sheriff Donnie Harrison stood before the County Commissioners and said he was “very grateful” and “tickled to death” for the $60,000 in body cameras and fleet cameras already approved for next year’s budget. “But I’m coming and pleading to you for at least two more vehicles,” he said. Two new cars for the de partment are already in the budget and Harrison really wanted four. It was a Wednesday morning, and the Greene County Commission was joined in its meeting room with the heads of four different county de partments and some staff members. They were there to plead their cases for a little bit more money for next year’s budget. Most of the commissioners were there to hold the line on the millage rate so there would be no tax in creases. What most realized was that the folks at the county road depart ment were already the winners, having convinced commissioners at previous sessions that they needed $646,500 for additional personnel and new equipment. Harrison figured that two addi tional vehicles plus all the electronic gear that is needed to make them police cars would come to about $80,000. Chief magistrate LaVerne Ogletree was asking for $3,000 to help pay a magistrate who has SEE BUDGET » A2 Mark Engel/Staff Greene County Sheriff Donnie Harrison (standing) requests two additional vehicles for the sheriff's department. GREENE COUNTY 19-year-old passenger killed in police chase T. Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us A 19-year-old Union Point woman died as a result of injuries she sustained in a car accident at the conclusion of a police chase in Greene County last Friday. Dominique Shantay Butler was a passenger in the car driven by Damien Ja’won West, 20, of Greens boro. West was taken to Athens for medical treatment. According to the Greene County Sheriffs Office, the chase began at 10:39 p.m. on Lake Oconee Parkway. Deputies attempted to stop a Toyota Scion for a moving violation, but the driver refused to yield. A chase ensued which ended with the car crashing near the intersection of Leslie Mill Road and Gray Horse Road. The Georgia State Patrol SCRT team had not concluded its investi gation of the incident by press time. Charges are pending against West. FEATURED LISTING 105 ELIZAFIELD COURT "From the first time we met Jonathan and Alyce we knew they were the Realtors for us. They did a great job selling our golf cottage when the market for cottages was a little down. They are simply the best and we wouldn't think of using anyone else when it comes to Lake Oconee real estate." - Rich Boullain ★★★★★ HIGHLY LIKELY TO RECOMMEND Who you choose to work with in real estate makes all the difference...
