Newspaper Page Text
Virgil Adams, GIDC representative (c), is pictured
presenting grant award check to Chief Judge Rucker
Smith (I) and Judge George Peagler (r).
SWJC Receives Technical
Assistance Grant
Ellen Downs, Lee County Indi
gent Defense Administrator, at
tended the Southwestern Judicial
Circuit of Georgia Council meet
ing in Americus September 19
where it was announced that the
Southwestern Judicial Circuit of
Georgia (SWJC) received funds
from a grant for technical assis
tance to provide technology and
information necessary for more
efficient and effective administra
tion of indigent defense pro
grams. While leaving the admin
istration of each program to indi
vidual counties, the project will
create a centralized automated
database, for utilization by all six
counties in the circuit.
The Southwestern Judicial Cir
cuit of Georgia (SWJC) covers
six counties including Lee
County. The population in the
counties ranges from a low in
Webster County with a popula
tion of 2390 to Sumter County
with a population of 33,200. On
the average, 19 percent of the
population circuit-wide lives be
low the poverty level, with half
the counties experiencing poverty
levels in excess of 25 percent. The
percentage of persons age 25 and
older who have not completed
high school exceeds 38 percent in
four of the counties and is above
11 percent in the other two coun
ties.
The number of people qualify
ing for indigent defense services
has increased in recent years. In
fact, the cost of indigent defense
is rising at an alarming rate, hav
ing increased from $292,882 cir
cuit-wide in 1998, to more than
$349,473 in 1999. The Fiscal
Year 2000 figures likewise reflect
significant increases.
The technical assistance project
Nice Catch
Bobby Cox of Leesburg
caught and released this
beauty Saturday
afternoon at Dennis
Taylor’s Sunday school
class fellowship.
Fire Prevention Week is Octo
ber 7 -13, 2001 with the theme
“Cover the Bases and Strike Out
Fire.” State-sponsored activities
include the statewide poster and
essay contests in which several
Lee County Primary School stu
dents participated. The fire safety
poster contest is an opportunity
for Georgia students in grades K-
5 to learn about and contribute to
fire safety through an art project.
The topic for the essay contest for
students in grades K-5 was to
write why they would like the
Fire Safety “House” to visit their
school during Fire Prevention
Week or Month. Lee County Pri
mary School submitted three
posters - one from each grade
level and had to select one essay
to represent the school in compe
tition. All of these entries will be
forwarded to the State Fire
Marshall’s Office for competi
tion.
Leesburg Police Files Weekly Report
Leesburg Police Chief Charles
Moore reports that officers
worked several cases during the
past week including cases involv
ing disorderly conduct, thief by
taking and burglary.
Cases involving disorderly con
duct were filed against Jonathan
Thornton, 18. of 375 Livingston
Road, and Anthony Jenkins, 18,
of 178 Cedar Street. Smithville,
both Lee County High School
students on September 17 by As
sistant Chief George McDonald.
Assistant Chief McDonald stated
that Norman Sims, high school
assistant principal, identified
seven students on the school se
curity camera that showed all
seven students at one time or an
other attacking a student.
The incident occurred in the
school cafeteria. Five juveniles
that took part in the attack against
the student will also be charged.
Thornton and Jenkins admitted to
McDonald that they attacked the
student. They also reported that
the five juveniles attacked the stu
dent.
A theft by taking case was in
vestigated by Captain Monterey
Moody on September 20. Captain
Moody received a complaint
from a clerk at a convenience
store on Walnut Street who re
ported a gas drive off.
A burglary was reported on
Army Sgt. Taruisa M. Johnson
has graduated from the U.S.
Army Primary Leadership Devel
opment Course (PLDC) Fort
Stewart, Hinesville, Ga.
During the five-week course,
the soldier learned basic leader
ship and communications/coun
seling skills, supply and mainte
nance. and military professional
skills to perform duties and ex
ecute responsibilities of a junior
noncommissioned officer; train
and lead soldiers to work and
fight under supervision of the
battle-competent, first-level non
commissioned officer. The course
included written and physical fit-
Magnolia Street September 20 to
Captain Moody. He was advised
by the victim that an unknown
person(s) removed a window air
conditioner from her living room
window. Captain Moody checked
the area for evidence and lifted
two latent prints. The case is
pending further investigation.
ness tests, a field training exer
cise, land navigation, and military
studies.
Johnson is a Bradley gunner
assigned at Fort Stewart.
He is the son of Lowetta
Johnson of Smithville, Georgia.
The recently promoted sergeant
is a 1997 graduate of Lee County
High School in Leesburg, Geor
gia.
BUFFET PIZZA
Now At
5impfy (MOSEtMi
Johnson Completes Leadership Course
The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, September 27,2001 - Page 5A
Deposit Account Fraud Cases
Heard In Magistrate Court
addresses the problem that the in
dividual county indigent defense
programs have in maintaining,
disseminating and evaluating data
for meaningful improvements to
their programs, without nega
tively impacting county budgets.
Centralization of data will help
meet this need in two ways: It will
speed the repetitive tasks per
formed by administrators and fa
cilitate dissemination of appoint
ment information, allowing coor
dination of efforts by the various
offices involved in the criminal
process and it will encourage cen
tral office access to necessary in
formation to identify areas of
need, recommend program im
provements and assist in obtain
ing program funding sources.
The centralization will result in
a more efficient operation of the
programs, faster adjudication of
cases, fewer delays in the admin
istration of justice and lower cost
for court and inmate housing.
The Lee County High School Varsity Debate Team
competed at the Wake
Forest University’s
National Early-Bird
Tournament September
14, 15 and 16. The team
of Blake Cash and Ashley
Streat advanced to the
Octo-final round. This is
the farthest that any team
from Lee County has
ever advanced in a
national tournament.
Ashley Streat also won
an eleventh place
speaker award. That
same weekend at the
Westminster School’s
one day tournament, the
debate team of Sunni
Kelly and Amanda
Ruckel placed seventh
out of 59 teams. Amanda
Ruckel also picked up a
third place speaker
award, Pictured are
Blake Cash, Ashley
Streat and Amanda
Ruckel.
Judge Diane Bowles presided
over Lee County Magistrate Court
September 18,2001. Seven cases
were on the docket for deposit
account fraud.
Sarah Terry, charged with two
counts of deposit account fraud,
forfeited bonds of $301.40 and
$299.37.
David Crocker, charged with
one count of deposit account
fraud, forfeited a bond of $691.38.
Jade D. Edwards, charged with
one count of deposit account
fraud, forfeited a bond of $220.52.
Ida K. Evans, charged with two
counts of deposit account fraud,
forfeited bonds of $245.99 and
$237.46.
Tom Brown, charged with one
count of deposit account fraud,
forfeited a bond of $237.39.
Dougherty County
DUI & Defensive
Driving School
NEXT RISK REDUCTION CLASS
Oct. 4, 5, 6, 7 (4 Day Class)
Thurs. & Fri. 5:45pm-8:45pm
Sat. & Sun. 8:30am-4:30pm
NEXT DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS
Sept. 29, Sat. 9am-4pm
Call Us For More Class Schedules!
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Lee County Primary School students participated in
state sponsored activities for Fire Prevention Week.
Pictured left to right are Caroline Bramble, poster
winner-Kindergarten, Danielle Shiver overall essay
winner - second grade, Sarah Richards, poster winner
- second grade and Sarah Sheffield, poster winner -
first grade.
Lee County Primary School
Students Participate In Fire
Prevention Week Activities
LEE COUNTY
Attention
New Tag
and Title System
for Lee County
beginning
October 1, 2001.
Office will close at 3:00
p.m. September 28, and
reopen at 9:30 a.m. on
Oct. 1st. due to
implementation
of this system.
Regular office hours will
resume on October 2.