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Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia’s Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us VOL. 19 NO. 43 FRIDAY OCTOBER 27 2017 75 CENTS GREENE COUNTY CHIEF SUED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT File Photo Greensboro Police Chief Ossie Mapp speaks at a city council meeting in April. Receptionist accused Mapp of unwanted comments, advances Dave Brown dave@lakeoconeenews.us and Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us Greensboro Police Chief Ossie Mapp and the City of Greensboro have been named as defendants in a federal lawsuit filed in Athens last week. Mapp is accused of allegedly harassing former GPD receptionist Phong Choum who is of Asian desecent. The lawsuit alleges that Mapp showed Choum a clip from the film “F ull Metal Jacket” in which Marines are talking to an Asian prostitute, and telling her it was his favorite scene and askingher to “get an outfit” like the woman in the film. Choum’slawsuit claims thatMapp frequentlyrecitedlinesfromthefilm, inluding “sucky, sucky” and “me love you long time.” Mapp also allegedly told Choumhe wanted to “taste her” and fantasized about having sex with her. The lawsuit says Mapps’s behavior was unwanted, unwelcomed and uninvited. Choum alleges thatMapp touched her inappropriately on numerous occasions. Mapp didn’t answer calls from Lake Oconee News this week, but last week told a Macon Telegraph reporter he wasn’t aware of any law suit. Once the reporter gave Mapp specifics of the lawsuit, he said he was seeking legal counsel and had no further comment at the time. Choum was employed by the SEE MAPP » A2 MORGAN COUNTY GREENE COUNTY 72 retired Michael Rhodes, a Morgan County student who tragically passed in an automobile accident in April, was honored last Friday night before kickoff of the Morgan County-Hart County football game. Michael played his senior year for the Bulldogs last season at center and defensive tackle. The Rhodes family accepted a framed No. 72 jersey, worn by Michael, from Bulldogs head coach Bill Malone. The No. 72 was retired by the team, too. Bulldog fans in attendance stood during the ceremony in honor of Rhodes and his girlfriend, Brittany Smith, a Morgan County graduate who also passed in the accident. Justin Hubbard/Staff Mother of three murdered in Athens Dave Brown dave@lakeoconeenews.us The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the officer-involved incident involving a man who allegedly killed Greene County native Quintavia Wade in Athens on Oct. 16. Wade, a mother of three and a SEE WADE » A2 index Calendar B4 Churches B8 Classifieds D4 Community B1 Obituaries A8 Opinions A4 Recipes D1 Sports C1 Sports C1 FRIDAY 69/49 Sunny WEATHER »Cx MORGAN COUNTY Seriously lost man arrested on drug charges in Buckhead Gershon Ginsburg T. Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us A man arrested In Buckhead last week tolddeputieshethoughthewasinRockmart or Cedartown, two cities in Polk County on the Georgia-Alabamaline nearly 150 miles from where he was. According to an incident report obtained from the Morgan County Sheriffs Office, Deputy Kenneth Smith first encountered Gershon Ginsburg, 55, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the afternoon of Oct. 19 on Oconee Road in Buckhead. Smith checked Ginsburg’s New Mexico license which appeared to be valid. Later in the day he was called out to a location in Buckhead again by residents who reported a suspicious person in the neighborhood. A witness told the deputy that Ginsburg was taking pictures of his property. The witness told Smith he asked him why but got a garbled reply that didn’t make sense and wanted a no trespass warning served on Ginsburg. When Smith found Ginsburg the second time in the Davis Lane and Seven Islands SEE LOST » All 0 94922 87855 7 Published by Smith Communications Inc. MORGAN COUNTY Madison mayor: Interview with Kathi Russell T. Michael Stone michael@lakeoconeenews.us Kathi Russell is a local busi ness woman who has entered the Madison mayoral race. She recently shared some of her ideas about her candidacy and vision forthe city with the Lake Oconee News. Tell us how you came to live in Madison and a little about your experience here since your arrival. Being from Charleston, where both of our sons were raised, the natural assumption for Rick and I was that when we retired, we would return to the Holy City. That was, of course, until we happened upon Madison in 2009, and our destiny would be changed forever. An idyllic town of gracious people and historic homes perfectly suited our background and our passion for good, historic preservation. Have you been involved in local government or economic develop - ment projects in the past? I have always believed you cannot just live “in” a community, but, rather, you live “for” that commu nity. That place you call home. Those wonderful neighbors, the people you work with, are all vital links to a great community. Serving on the Main Street Advisory Commission was my first look at wasted taxpayer dollars. A budget of nearly a quarter of a million dol lars, which paid the salaries of two people, and left very little money for marketing our Main Street. This seemed wrong, very wrong. For me, that insight was just the beginning. Why did you decide to run for mayor? After years of watching so many good people, with great ideas, turned away from the city due to poor leadership and bad management, I decided enough was enough. Our city needed a change, and I knew with my experience and my tenacity I could bring about the changes we needed. SEE RUSSELL » A2 Kathi Russell Wilson - Bryant A company you can TRUST! C0MMER1CAL • RESIDENTIAL— MAINTENANCE • NEW INSTALLS 866 Harmony Rd. Eatonton, GA 706-485-5456 • www.bryant-air.com
