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THE LEADER TRIBUNE
Local Child Abuse
Cases Down ••• For Now
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
Child abuse and neglect cases
are down in Peach County, but
prolonged economic troubles
and the ever-present threat to
funding for services could undo
that progress.
Those were the highs and
lows that Adriane “Frankie”
Towles offered in a recent inter¬
view. Towles is the Executive
Director of Peach County
Family Connection Partnership,
the local affiliate of Georgia
Family Connection Partnership,
The state and local partnerships
work with other agencies to
reduce the rate of child abuse
and neglect in their communi¬
ties. The measure of Family
Connection Partnership's suc¬
cess comes from the annual
Kids Count report compiled
and distributed the Annie E.
Casey Foundation, a national
organization that advocates for
the needs of children.
The Kids Count report ranks
each state on numerous factors
the foundation believes have
an impact on children’s well
being. Those factors include
child abuse and neglect cases,
births to teenage mothers, pov
erty and many other measures
of health, education, economics
and family status. The founda¬
tion combines all those indica
tors into the Kids Count state
rankings. Georgia's ranking for
2011 was 42nd, the same rank¬
ing the state had for the past
two years. Higher numbers are
worse.
In Peach County, child abuse
and neglect, at least, are on a
downward trend. Towles said
the rate of substantial child
abuse and neglect cases had
fallen from 17.1 per 1,000 in
2006 to 8.0 in 2010.
She said Peach County
Family Connection’s most
recent Five-year plan called for
reducing the abuse/neglect rate
from 17.1 to 12.1 by 2012.
ms* about causes of the
. abOse'amJ . ., (. ,. neglect
n i
«*» les said ft is i "my.
wish" that Family Connection's
efforts have contributed
“1 feel that getting the infor-
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Office of Family and Children.
Only a handful of partnerships
would have received funding.
Towles said Georgia Family
Connection administrators
went to work, rallying support
from legislators and commu¬
nities. She said District 135
Representative Lynmore James
was "wonderfully kind and
gracious” when meeting with
Family Connection representa¬
tives from his district at his
Atlanta office.
After a brief meeting,Towels
quoted James saying, “1 can
benefit you so much more if 1
go back across the street and tell
them what 1 feel about what's
happening to your funding."
A couple of weeks later, word
came that that the Governor's
proposal had been scrapped and
all Family Connection part¬
nerships would continue to be
funded.
However, that scare has local
and state Family Connection
groups seeking out sources
of additional funding, such as
grants and other fundraising
activities.
Peach County Family
Connection Partnership is work¬
ing on a fundraiser for spring
2012 that would include a guest
speaker, dinner and entertain¬
ment. PCFCP did that last year,
when guest speaker Johnetta
McSwain riveted her audience
with her story of recovering
from horrible physical and sex¬
ual abuse to become a nation¬
ally recognized social worker
and motivational speaker.
Towles said PCFP is working
on bringing in other agencies
to help promote the next event,
with proceeds to be shared
among all sponsoring agencies.
The joint effort would likely
increase attendance and the
impact of the event.
Towles said last year's event
with Johnetta McSwain was
"very successful” with the
audience hearing a true story of
recovery from child abuse and
neglfect. which can make poten¬
tial "If donors feel more optimistic. the
you can see prog¬
ress, you can see there's hope,"
Towles said.
mation out there helps." Towles
said. "Were letting people
know that it’s not always as
obvious as broken bones."
Less obvious signs of child
abuse and neglect include miss¬
ing a lot of school, wetting
pants beyond the typical age,
and sudden changes in behavior
when certain people are pres
ent.
People become more aware.
more educated," which enables
them to better recognize poten
lial abuse and neglect,
Towles said she expected an
increase in abuse/neglect cases
before the latest Kids Count
report, which included numbers
from 2009 and 2010.
We don't know what 2011
will bring,” she said.
Some indicators are trou
bling. For instance, Towles
said births to teen mothers in
Peach County have been going
up. After dropping in 2007 and
2008, the number and rate of
teen births increased in 2009 to
56 and 49.0 per I.(XX) up from
2008's 47 and 41.0. She said
Peach Family Connection had
dropped teen-pregnancy pre¬
vention from its strategic plan
to avoid stretching already lim
ited resources, but might have
to reconsider that in the next
plan,
Continuing economic woes
are also likely to make Family
Connection's work more chal
lenging.
If people are not work
ing, then we know children
are going to be compromised,
maybe not abused, but subject
to some degree of neglect,”
Towles said. Parents who are
stressed from struggling to pay
bills can have trouble meet
ing children's needs, and it is
getting harder for them to find
help.
Always hanging over the
heads of agencies such as
Family Connection is the risk
of losing state funding. Towles
said Georgia Famijy stich Connection
recently faced a threat dur¬
UMjJi mast ^ay'sofCoy. Sonny
% administration, when a
proposal was made to move the
funds that had gone to Family
Connection into the Governor's
CE L 1 N E PO. NOT CROSS
- -
•7 I Police Beat
The information below is
provided by local law enforce¬
ment agencies, who are solely
responsible for the accuracy of
the information. These reports
are published for information
purposes only. Publication of
an arrest or citation report is
not evidence of a crime. All
persons named in the reports
are presumed innocent unless
proven guilty in a court of law.
Some minor violations that do
not threaten public safety are
not included. These reports are
for the week of Sept. 26 2011 to
Oct. 3,2011.
Byron Arrests
Etienne, Ted Mathew,
Centerville, Ga.: Speeding;
Jones, Angela Dee. Macon:
Open Alcohol Container, DUI
Alcohol; Little, Kimberly
Guthrie Jo, Eastman, Ga.:
Cruelty to Children - 1st Degree;
McGhee, Gerald Andre, State
University Dr., Ft. Valley:
Speeding; Morris, Autom
Paige, East St., Byron: Arrest
Warrant; Pounds. Brandon
Fort Valley Police Department seeking assistance
in recent increase in Vehicle Break-ins
The Fort Valley Police Dept,
is seeking the public’s assis¬
tance in ref to a recent increase
in vehicle break ins. These
vehicle break ins are occurring
mostly @ night and the suspects
have been removing items than
have generally been left out in
the open.
Maj. Lawrence Z. Spurgeon
stated that." these vehicle break
ins are generally crimes of
opportunity. With the culprits
randomly looking into vehicles
and trying to see if any valu
ables are left in the open. We
are asking everyone to take
extra precautions and remem
ber to make sure your vehicles
doors are locked, if you have
an alarm make sure it is acti
vated. and please take all items
of value out of your vehicle.
Especially Laptops, purses,
wallets, large amounts of cur
rency.cell phones. GPS systems
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OCTOBER
Taimak, MLK Court, Byron:
Simple Battery; Simmons.
Japer Delvin, Macon. Probation
Violation - Felony;
Fort Valley Arrests
Addison, Lamont Cortez,
Augusta. Ga.: Driving While
License Suspended/Revoked -
Felony; Davis. Glenn: Calhoun
St.. Ft. Valley: Arrest Warrant;
Gibson, Antonio Antwain,
(.ake Vista, Ft. Valley: Battery;
Gibson, Tammy Elise, Hinton
St., Ft. Valley: Criminal
Trespass, Aggravated Assault;
Hinson, Kenneth Clayton.
Beverly Rd„ Ft. Valley:
Battery; Jackson, Kimberly
Alexanderia, W. Church St.. Ft.
Valley: Probation Violation —
Felony; Lyons. Jerome Wesley,
Pecan Ave., Ft. Valley: Criminal
Trespass; Maine. William Ivan
Keith, Highway 41, Byron:
Burglary; Roberts, Isaiah T„
Perry: Theft by Receiving -
Misdemeanor;
Sheriffs Office Arrests
Dewberry, Cedric Antonio,
Rayfield Wright St„ Ft.
and any other electronic items,
Always remember to park in a
well lit area and take note of
any suspicious activity in your
neighborhood. If you see any
thing that is out of place please
do not hesitate to call the police
dept.”
If anyone has any information
are questions they can contact
the For Valley Police Dept. <#
(478) 825- 3384
35,7
Valley: Controlled Substance
Possession. Marijuana
Possession; Dewberry, Tyeshia
Danielle. Rayfield Wright St.,Ft.
Valley: Marijuana Possession
< I oz.; Sommerville, Elijah
Joseph: Decatur,Ga.: Marijuana
Possession; Swaffcr. Michael
John, Preston Rd.. Byron:
Failure to Appear for Trial/
Court - Felony; Thompson.
Amanda Nicole. Diana Dr.,
Byron: Theft by Taking -
Felony;
Georgia Stale Patrol -
Perry: Casas, Ronald Dean.
Perry: DUl-Drugs, Prescription
Drug Violation: Kurtz, Helen
Margaret, Marshallville: DUI
Drugs; FVSU Campus Safety:
Knight, Stanton Trevar, Cairo:
Criminal Trespass; Mitchell
Quentin Lavar, Hinton St.,
Ft. Valley: Obstructing/
Hindering Officers, Giving
False Information; Onikosi,
Olamikunle, Carver Dr., Ft.
Valley: Criminal Trespass;
Scott. Robert Darius.Columbus,
Ga.: Burglary;