Page A2
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 29,2017
NEwsYear in Review
Review
Continued from A1
Justin Hubbard/Staff
Overcome with emotion, the Bulldogs embrace one another after the 2016-17 season
ends with a heartbreaking loss at Stegeman Coliseum March 9 in the Class AAAAAA
championship
Casey Parrish/Staff
Inmates Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe enter Putnam
County Superior Court June 21, clad in chained
shackles, orange jumpsuits and orange flip flops. They
were arrested for the murder of two Department of
Corrections officers.
again by the P&Z last week.
March
As is usually the case, the
Morgan County Bulldogs
and Lady Bulldogs get deep
into the state playoffs. The
Lady Bulldogs fall to Johnson
High School in the final
four, and the Bulldogs make
it all the way to the final at
Stegeman Coliseum where
they lose to Pace Academy
and Duke-bound big man
Wendell Carter. Itmarkedthe
fourth time in four years that
Morgan County has played in
the title game.
In late March, Madison
embraces country singer
and actress Reba McEntire
who is in town to film a tele
vision pilot, using the entire
Madison square as a set. Two
weeks prior, a pilot had been
filmed in Madison with Perk
Avenue as its centerpiece.
April
Mach3 Technologies
floats a proposal to the
Morgan County Board of
Commissioners for improved
Internet access in the county.
The company says it will
assume total responsibility
for the development and
implementation of its sub-
scriberidentitymodule based
broadband infrastructure, a
system unusual in the United
State but more common in
Asia and Europe. On cue,
AT&T presents an alternative
plan in early May, claiming
thatMorgan is thefirst county
to have access to a new line of
site broadband system being
put in place.
In late April, Lake Country
mourns two teenagers killed
in a crash on Hwy 441.
Michael Christopher Rhodes,
18, asenioratMorgan County
High School, and Brittany
Smith, 19, arecent graduate of
Morgan County and student
at the University of North
Georgia, are killed when
the vehicle they are riding in
hydroplanes and collides with
another vehicle.
May
May begins with another
murder charge, when
Putnam County’s Tex Mclver
is indicted on charges of
murder, felonymurder, aggra
vated assault with a deadly
weapon, possession of a fire
arm during the commission
of felony and three counts
of influencing witnesses in
the death of his wife, Landa
Diane Mclver, who was shot
while riding in a car on Sept.
25, 2016. Mclver resigns
his post on Putnam County
Development Authority later
in the month. Mclver would
hire a new attorney in late
November but remains in an
Atlanta jail accused in his
wife’s death.
Lake Oconee Academy’s
controversial lottery system
is called into question when
local residents object to out
of county residents being
allowed to sign up. Turns out
only seven kids from out of
the county were enrolled at
the school.
June
Lake Country is plunged
into near chaos on June 13
when convicts Ricky Dubose,
24, and Donnie Russell Rowe,
43, kill prison guards Sgt.
Christopher Monica, 42, and
Sgt. Curtis Billue, 58, and
escape from a prison trans
port bus on Sparta Highway.
The pair then hijack the first
car that pulls up behind the
bus, according to Putnam
County Sheriff Howard Sills.
An all out manhunt ensues
with several law enforce
ment agencies converging
on Putnam County to help
with the search. Around
10 a.m., the Madison Police
Department reports that the
inmates burglarized a home
on Cox Road where they dis
card their prison attire and
putonstreet clothes. Madison
is on the verge of panic early
in the afternoon with several
businesses, including banks,
gift shops and restaurants on
lock down.
A command center is set
up for sheriff s offices, police
departments, Georgia State
Patrol, U.S. Marshals, the
FBI, GBI and the Georgia
Department of Corrections at
the Morgan County Sheriffs
Office. The two don’t remain
fugitives for long. They are
apprehended in Rutherford
County, Tennessee, and
return to Putnam County on
June 21. Ocmulgee Circuit
District Attorney Stephen
A. Bradley says he will seek
the death penalty. Dubose
appears in court in December,
but attorneys say it might be
several years before a trial
happens.
July
Lake Oconee Academy
finds itself at the center
of another controversy
when Union Point STEAM
Academy votes not to apply
for charter renewal, opting to
vote for a merger with LOA.
Greene County deputies bust
acouplehauling32 pounds of
marijuana down 1-20.
August
In August, a 19-year-
old Union Point woman,
Dominique Shantay Butler,
is killed when the driver of
the car she is riding in tries to
run from police and crashes.
A traffic sop in Woodville
turns deadly on Aug. 25
when Deputy Conrad Easley
gets into an altercation with
Charles David Robinson and
shoots him. The incident
is still under investigation
by the GBI, but the Greene
County chapter ofthe NAACP
has since held several pro
tests asking for answers in
Robinson’s death.
September
Lake Country is battered
by Tropical Storm Irma in
early September. Trees fall
all over the place, downing
power lines and causing
Greensboro to virtually shut
down. Madison and Eatonton
fare little better. It will take
days to have power restored
and clear the debris.
October
Greensboro Police Chief
Ossie Mapp faces a law
suit, one that was never
served,accusinghim of sexual
harassment. A settlement is
said to be in the works.
The Morgan County foot
ball team retires the jersey
worn by the late Michael
Rhodes. No one will wear No.
72 again.
Greene County native and
mother of three, Quintavia
Wade, is allegedly shot and
killed by Nicholas Head.
November
Municipal elections reveal
some surprises. Union Point
gets an entirely new mayor
and council. Lanier Rhodes
defeats incumbent Yvonne
Heidbrieder. Greensboro
Mayor Glenn Wright runs
unopposed and the five
other incumbents kept their
seats. InMadison, incumbent
mayor Fred Perriman wins
decisively over two candi
dates, and incumbent Chris
Hodges cruises to another
term, garnering 81 percent
of the vote in the District 5
race for council. Eric Joyce is
elected to his fir st ter m on city
council over JennieNewtonto
taketheseatofretiringBobby
Crawford.
December
Justin Slaughter is arrested
and charged with murder of
his mother and family friend
on Dec. 4. He has been denied
bond but a another court date
is on hand for January.
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