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Forsyth CountvNews J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 Vol. 95, No. 52 Fair town braces for Turner trial ( A media frenzy expected By Nicole Green Staff Writer PERRY Perry. Ga., is about to experience a spectacle to rival their famous Georgia National Fair. While the fair is months away, the countdown has begun in Perry for the poisoning murder trial of Julia Lynn Womack Turner, a former dispatcher with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. In spite of the two-hour drive* from Atlanta, Cobb County Superior Court Administrator Skip Chessire expects a crowd at the brand new Houston County Courthouse on April 26. "I expect a lot of people from the metro area will drive down to watch this case,” Chesshire said. Chessire met with 20 press mem bers at the Houston County Courthouse on Monday to discuss coverage of the trial. Along with national television network Court TV, local Atlanta television affiliates, metro Atlanta newspapers and Macon news outlets were in attendance. “More people want to see this case than the Tokars case." Chesshire said. Fred Tokars, a prominent Cobb defense attorney, was convicted in 1997 of paying someone to murder his wife, Sara Tokars. The Tokars case also was covered by Court TV. The station will broadcast the Turner trial live from Perry. “The media presence is greater than the Tokars case.” Chesshire said. The trial, expected to last a month, is scheduled to begin April 26 with Cobb County Superior Court Judge James G. Bodiford presiding. Motions will be heard the first day w ith jury selection starting April 27. The trial was transplanted to Houston County in February after Bodiford determined that extensive media coverage of the case had taint ed the jury pool. Out of 125 jurors, only eight were unaware of the Turner murder case. Colleen McClintick, deputy clerk of the Houston County Superior Mashburn students plant vegetables Can learn niany subjects from a garden By Nancy Smallwood Associate Editor Second-graders at Mashburn Elementary School enjoyed the warm spring weather by planting seeds just outside their classroom. This is the third year We use the garden for our writing, math and social studies units. den,” said Bradley. Prior to planting students study plant nutrients, pollination and plant thinning techniques. Bradley also asks his students to participate in a class exercise to explain the reasoning behind pulling some of the weaker plants from the garden. See CARDEN, Page 2A Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3128. Copyright 0 2004 Forsyth County News JBL H Court, said that 275 jury summons were mailed on March 1. “After undeliv erables and legal exemptions under law, we'll have 120 jurors,” Chesshire said. A juror may be Tlimer exempt from serv ing on a trial if the juror is over 70 years of age, a pri mary caregiver, a fulltime student or a convicted felon. All jurors must be United States citizens and residents of Houston County for the last six months. Turner, 35, is charged in the 1995 death of her former husband Glenn Turner, a police officer in Cobb County. The cause of death was origi nally determined by the Cobb med ical examiner to be natural, following an unexplained illness. However, a high level of ethylene glycol, a sweet, odorless poison found in antifreeze, was discovered when Glenn Turner’s body was exhumed in 2001. Lynn Turner’s boyfriend and the father of her two children, Randy Thompson, died under similar cir cumstances in 2001. It was this Forsyth County firefighter's death and the substantial amount of ethyl ene glycol in his blood that sparked the re-examination of Glenn Turner’s untimely death and the subsequent trial. Turner has not been charged with Thompson’s death at this time. Turner is out on bond and resides with her parents in Forsyth County. An ankle monitor tracks her where abouts. Marietta attorneys Jimmy Berry, who also defended Tokars, and Vic- Reynolds represent Lynn Turner. Cobb District Attorney Pat Head, assistant district attorneys Russ Parker and Bryan Lumpkin and spe cial prosecutor Jack Mallard repre sent the state. The prosecution and defense, including witnesses, will be housed in hotels in nearby Warner Robins during the trial. Edward Bradley’s class has planted a garden. "We use the garden for our writing, math and social studies units,” said Bradley. “We even read books about gardening.” Bradley spent one week of his summer vacation preparing the garden for the students. Parents also help with the garden by donating topsoil and assisting during the big planting day. “One parent, Mrs. Kealey, gave us a compost ing bin to use with the gar- INDEX Abby 118 Classifieds. 128 Deaths 2A Events GA Horoscope 118 Legate 2B Opinion—~ 10A Sports-. IB WEDNESDAY March 31,2004 Photo/Audra Perry Shane Howard joins other second-graders in Mr. Bradley's class at Mashburn Elementary in planting their own vegetables on Monday. Advice Dear Abby dishes out good advice. Ragellß Helping their fellow man JBr • £ |g. I » ag bs - j I .. • . Stefa x l.vll / Jr ]s;■ Photo/Audra Perry Mike Butler (right) and Mike Smith rescued a driver from an accident while on their way home from work. Forsyth County workers pull farmer from wreckage By Todd Truelove Staff Writer DAWSONVILLE Two Forsyth government workers pulled a Dawson County farmer from an overturned vehicle March 23 possibly saving him from serious injury. The rescuers and the trapped individual were ail returning home after a day’s work. The driver who was in the acci dent, William Turner, was headed home after feeding a neighbor’s cattle when his Chevrolet truck ran off the shoulder of Kelly Bridge Road. As Turner attempted to return to the road, the truck rolled onto its side, according to Timer’s adopted son, George Cole. Cole was not traveling with his father at the time of the late after noon incident; he said his father related the story to him afterward. Though Turner was not injured, continued attempts to open the upright door and exit the truck were unsuccessful and brush had caught fire around the truck. “He couldn’t get the door open and get out,” Cole said of his 80- year-old father. Mike Butler, an employee of the Forsyth County Roads and Bridges Department, was driving home from work and noticed the acci dent. * Five more minutes and that truck would have caught fire - Daddy would have been burned. Butler said Turner honked his horn to request help. Butler stopped, climbed onto the side of the vehicle, reached in and pulled Turner out. “The smoke was choking me up a little,” Butler said. While he was helping the Dentist called to Iraq McGuinn to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom By Harris Blackwood Community Editor A Cumming dentist, who is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, has packed his bags for a tour of duty in Iraq. Dr. Robert “Bob” McGuinn left Tuesday for stops in Tennessee and Texas before heading to the Middle East to serve in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” McGuinn. who was notified of his call to active duty about a month ago. said that he has been told that he would be gone between four and 10 months. “My No. 1 goal is to be back in time for the LSU game in Athens," said McGuinn, who is an avid fan of the University of Georgia and spear heads a major tailgating party that attracts dozens of guests. Georgia will host LSU in its SEC home open er on Oct. 10. He is a Bulldog by association. When he came to Cumming in the 19705, his friends left town on Saturdays for Athens. It wasn't long before the Bulldog bug bit. McGuinn began his military serv ice in 1967 in the Marine Corps. While in the Marines, he served a tour of duty in Vietnam. After com- Opinion Columnist Bill Shipp shares his perspective of Georgia politics. Page IDA PosslNe Rain Mr High in the mid-60s. Low in the low 40s. Pattenion earns championship ring farmer, another employee of Roads and Bridges Department who was traveling the same route home, Mike Smith, arrived and helped Turner to the ground. Then the two carried the fanner to the far side of the road before returning and kicking out the brush fire. Butler said he was not sure if Turner was in danger but worried that the fanner might have overex erted himself while trying to escape from the wreck. “His only complaint was that he was short of breath,” Butler said of Turner. Cole said doctors examined his father and found no serious injuries. “They didn’t find anything particu larly wrong with him,” Cole said, adding he believes Butler and Smith saved his father’s life. “They and the Lord God were the three people involved in it,” Cole said. “Five more minutes and that truck would have caught fire Daddy would have been burned.” pleting his dentistry degree, he became a member of the Army Reserves in 1974. The dentist spent his last full day of civilian life on Monday attend ing to personal and business details before leaving on McGuinn his military assignment. McGuinn said that he could not reveal details of his assignment, only that his primary assignment would be in Iraq. He said that the Army had provid ed him with a packing list of items that he would need on his trip. Among the items he is carrying with him is a laptop computer to stay in touch with family and friends at home. “I’m wrapping it and then plac ing it in a plastic bag,” said McGuinn, who had been warned of the possible effects of the desert sand on his computer. This is not McGuinn’s first call to duty in the Middle East, but is one of his longest stints of duty as a member of the reserves. LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level March 26 1069.87 ft March 27 1069.87 ft March 28 1069.88 ft March 29 1069.89 ft FUJI 1071.00 ft