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Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Randall and Martha Staines
Volume XLII- Number 2
Leesburg, Georgia - - September 11, 2019
Fifty Cents
Getting to Know Our 2019 LCHS Distinguished Alumnus
Timothy Chris Owens - Class of 1989
Chris Owens
Special to the Ledger
The 2019 Lee County
High School Distin
guished Alumni Com
mittee highlights their
fifth recipient, Timothy
Chris Owens, a 1989
graduate. While attend
ing Lee County High
School, Chris partici
pated in the band in the
percussion section as
well as a trumpet player.
He was Vice President /
President of the LCHS’
VICA club. It was in
that work based learning
(VICA) program that
Chris began his career
in law enforcement
working in the Lee
County’s Sherrif’s of
fice. Colonel Owens has
continued his career as a
law enforcement officer
for more than 29 years,
selflessly committing
his entire professional
career to the protection
of the lives, property,
health, and welfare
of the citizens of the
counties in which he has
served. He served as an
assistant drug task force
commander, drug unit
commander and Special
Response Team (SRT)
leader.
During his career,
Colonel Owens served
in the Lee County,
Crisp County, and Tift
County Sheriff’s Offices
and was an instructor
at the Police Academy
at Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College. In
2009, he returned to the
Lee County Sheriff’s
Office as Chief Inves
tigator and currently
serves as the officer
in charge of Court
Security, Professional
Standards, Director of
Training and Special
Operations Division.
He is also the Lee
County Schools safety
expert as the advisor for
threat assessment and
consultant for security
improvement, safety,
training, and technol
ogy improvements for
the Lee County School
System. He was the first
Georgia law enforce
ment officer to receive a
certification as a school
safety specialist through
ISHM.
In 2009, he co-founded
First Line Security and
Training, LLC, which
provides threat assess
ment and training for
schools, churches, com
munities, and military
and local law enforce
ment agencies through
out South Georgia. As
a result of his vision and
dedication, the compa
ny has become a leader
in providing civilian
and law enforcement
firearms safety, tactical
training, active shoot
er workplace violence
security and threat
assessment for schools,
businesses, and church
es, advanced training for
Albany and Dougherty
County Metro SWAT, to
include elements from
the Marine Corps Logis
tics Base (MCLB) SRT,
Tri-County SRT, Char-
lotte-Mecklenburg, NC
SWAT and active shoot
er training for reservists
at Warner Robins Air
Force Base.
In addition, Col. Ow
ens’ expertise has been
influential at the federal
level through his coor
dination with Georgia’s
congressional delega
tion. In consultation
with Rep. Sanford Bish
op’s office, he has been
instrumental in helping
to craft legislation to im
prove federal and local
funding for school safe
ty and training coordi
nation. He consulted on
House Resolution (HR)
4909 - STOP School Vi
olence Act for 2018, the
language for which was
included and ultimately
passed by Congress as
part of the 2019 Omni
bus Funding Bill.
Since March of this
year, he has been under
contract by SIRCHIE
corporation - a global
leader in crime scene
investigation and
forensic science solu
tions - as the exclusive
training contractor for
their TacCommander™
Riot Control Suit. Col.
Owens provides world
wide training and advice
to law enforcement
elements in the use and
tactical implementation
of the TacCommander™
suit. Col. Owens was
invited in 2019 to join
the Hero911 Network
as a law enforcement
consultant for School-
Guard school safety
technology.
Colonel Owens was
cited by the MCLB for
coordination with Naval
Criminal Investiga
tive Service (NCIS) in
helping to solve crimes
associated with illegal
drug activity as part
of Operation Cracked
Ice. Col. Owens was
also awarded a citation
from the Drug Enforce
ment Administration
in conjunction with the
extended investigation
from MCLB. He was
the 2007-08 Local and
State of Georgia Officer
of the Year Awardee
for the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks.
Owens was the recipient
of the Lee County Sher
iff’s Office “Sheriff’s
Award”.
As a published author,
Col. Owens co-authored
the college text,Crit
ical Examinations of
School Violence, and
Disturbance in K-12
Education. He was also
featured in ACCG Geor
gia County Government
Winter 2016 Magazine;
“Active Shooter and Cy
ber Threats” and Police
the People; June 2013
article - Law and Order
Magazine. Col. Owens
also has been the key
note speaker for SGTC’s
Law Enforcement Acad
emy’s graduation.
The LCHS Dis
tinguished Alumni
Committee is proud to
recognize Timothy Chris
Owens as a member of
the 2019 Class of Distin
guished Alumni. The
purpose of this program
is to recognize outstand
ing alumni who have
maintained a high stan
dard of excellence and
distinguished themselves
through their work, per
sonal accomplishments,
or in the lives of oth
ers. These individuals
exemplify the ideals of
the Lee County School
System and the commu
nity it serves, and thus
serve as role models for
current and future Lee
County High School
Students.
LCMS West Announces Teacher of the Year, Classified
Employee of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year
Special to the Ledger
Lee County Middle
School West Campus
is proud to recognize
outstanding members
of our school family.
Mrs. Jennifer Peets was
named Teacher of the
Year; Ms. Karen Couch
is our Classified Employ
ee of the Year; and Mrs.
Ashley Arnette is our
Volunteer of the Year.
Each of these ladies was
presented with a beau
tiful bouquet of flowers
DOHERTY, DUGGAN,
HART&TIERNAN
INSURORS
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddhtins.com
Save the Date -
October 3, 2019
Lee County
Homecoming
Parade -
5:30 PM
For information
email
Donna Jones
jonesdo@lee.
k12.ga.us
and a gift to express our
appreciation for all the
contributions they make
for our students and
school.
Jennifer Peets, eighth
grade English Lan
guage Arts teacher, is
LCMS West’s Teacher of
the Year for the 2019-
2020 school year. She
has been teaching at
LCMSW for ten years.
She is her school’s
PBIS co-coach and the
ELA department chair.
Jennifer Peets has been
the recipient of 5 gold
en apples in the past
two years, which she
believes is proof she is
doing something right.
She believes that educa
tion isn’t a one year job.
“Every student I have
ever had and will have
is worth every second
of my time. On the days
that I don’t like some
of their choices, on the
days they don’t like my
choices, on the days they
quit or get mad or worry
about everything but
school, I still love them;
I still teach them. Being
a teacher is so much
more than standards and
quizzes. It’s life. It’s re
lationships. It’s love. It’s
pushing them past their
limits and showing them
there are no excuses. It’s
being there for gradua
tion and having annual
summer Chick-fil-a
reunions and rooting
them on for all the years
in between. It’s show
ing them they have the
world in front of them
and a future that is lim
itless,” Peets stated.
She still recalls one
of the best letters she
has ever received from
a student in which he
told her that she was the
first teacher that ever
made him feel good
about being weird. “I
accept every student for
whom he or she is, and
I love them for it. That,
I think, is the key to
building relationships
and lifelong learning,”
she explained. Peets also
contributes her passion
for teaching and loving
her students to the fact
that she is surrounded
by amazing teachers,
especially her wonderful
team of Team Impact
teachers. “They say it
takes a village to raise
a child, and it takes a
team to raise a success-
See WeSt,
Page 3A
8 10499 02456 8
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Submitted Photo
Pictured left to right are Ms. Karen Couch - Classified Employee of
the Year; Mrs. Jennifer Peets - Teacher of the Year; Dr. April Smith -
LCMSW Instructional Supervisor Assistant Principal; and Mrs. Ashley
Arnette - Volunteer of the Year.
3000 N. SLAPPEY BLVD.
ALBANY, GA
250 E. LEE ST.
DAWSON, GA
