Newspaper Page Text
The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Sonja and Freddie Montgomery
Volume XLV- Number 38
Leesburg, Georgia - - May 17, 2023
Fifty Cents
El Guapo Launching
Nationwide Inside
The Fresh Market
Special to the Ledger
El Guapo has made
good on the Decem
ber 6, 2021 The Times
Picayune front page
headline: GOING NA
TIONAL. On May 10th,
the local cocktail brand
with big aspirations is
launching 3 products
inside The Fresh Market
nationwide, adding 159
new grocery locations
to its already sizeable
account list. Starting
Wednesday, May 10th,
visit any of the 12 Geor
gia The Fresh Market
locations to stock up on
El Guapo Bloody Mary,
Salted Paloma and Moji
to mixers.
After raising over
$1.1 million in 2021 to
scale production and
operations in Orleans
Parish, the brand moved
to 3300 Gravier Street,
where it installed its
first bottling line and
added five additional
team members. The new
capital and equipment
effectively quintupled
El Guapo’s manufactur
ing capacity, with room
to quintuple again. The
brand is capitalizing
on the city’s cocktail
culture and remains
committed to providing
quality jobs within the
8 10499 02456 8
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
Lee County
Commission
will meet
Tuesday,
May 23rd at
6:00 p.m. The
meeting will
be held at the
T. Page Tharp
Governmental
Building
city limits.
El Guapo is owned and
operated by its CEO,
Christa Cotton. The
brand is popular with
various upscale bars,
restaurants and retail
establishments. Current
clients include Total
Wine, Whole Foods,
World Market, Neiman
Marcus and a litany
of celebrity, Michelin
Starred and James Beard
chefs. In Georgia, the
products are available
via distribution via
Empire Distributors.
Products are currently
sold in all 50 states and
5 countries, with more
on the horizon. The
company is a WBENC
certified Woman Owned
Business and a 7x Good
Food Award recipient,
the most of any brand
in the Elixirs category
or headquartered in the
State of Louisiana.
The brand is known
for quality ingredient
sourcing, sustainable
packaging and practices
as well as exemplary
customer service. They
partner with regional
farmers, producing
products made with
Ponchatoula strawber
ries, satsumas, pecans,
chicory and more.
The bottles are 100%
recyclable, the labels
are made from recycled
craft paper and each
bottle is hand dipped
in wax to avoid send
ing single use plastic
tear tape to the landfill.
Christa is also on the
advisory board for Glass
Half Full, the local glass
recycler. She’s a Tory
Burch Foundation Fel
low, James Beard Foun
dation Women’s Entre
preneurial Leadership
fellow and 2021 gradu
ate of The Idea Village
VillageX program.
She got her start in
the spirits industry by
helping her family start
Georgia’s first legal
distillery since Prohibi
tion, 13th Colony, while
in college at Auburn
University. She resides
in Uptown with her life
partner, Brian, daugh
ter, Flora and Bernese
Mountain Dog, Archie
Manning.
Sheriff’s
Special to the Ledger
On May 8, 2023, the
Lee County Sheriff’s
Office and Georgia
Bureau of Investigation
Southwestern Region
al Drug Enforcement
Office conducted an en
forcement operation re
garding an ongoing drug
investigation targeting
Shaun Anthony Akins at
122 Hartley Lane in Lee
County, GA. Deputies
and Agents observed
a vehicle leaving this
residence and later made
contact with the vehicle
driver, John Charles
Hice during a traffic
stop. A search of the
vehicle was conducted
and Deputies located ap
proximately 37 grams of
suspected methamphet-
amine, 12 multicolored
Arrest of Brian Alexander Akins
Special to the Ledger
On May 3, 2023 at
approximately 9:57 PM,
SFC. Aaron Parker ini
tiated a traffic stop on a
black Ford Expedition in
the 1400 block of Phile-
ma Road South in refer
ence to failing to move
over for an emergency
vehicle with flashing
blue lights. Contact was
made with the driver of
the vehicle, Brian Alex
ander Akins, aka Alex
Akins. While the traffic
stop was being con
ducted by Sgt. Beach,
SFC. Parker deployed
his drug detection K-9,
Murphy, which alerted
on the vehicle for the
odor of illegal narcotics.
A search of the vehicle
was conducted and six
individually packaged
baggies were recovered
containing suspected
methamphetamine that
had a combined gross
weight of approximately
14 grams. Several sy
ringes, packaging mate
rials for the distribution
of illegal narcotics, and
a glass-smoking device
were also located in the
vehicle. AKINS was ar
rested for possession of
methamphetamine with
intent to distribute; and
procedure for passing
stationary authorized
emergency vehicle.
Akins was arrested
and transported to the
Lee County Jail, but has
since been released on
bond. It should be noted
that Brain Alexander
Akins is related Shaun
Brian Alexander
Akins
Anthony Akins, who
was also arrested by
Deputies on May 8.
Office Makes Drug Arrests
suspected MDMA pills
along with packaging
material and tools for
the distribution of illegal
narcotics.
Hice was arrested for:
Trafficking methamphet
amine; Possession of a
schedule I controlled
substance with the intent
to distribute; Possession
of tools for the commis
sion of a crime; Driving
without a license; and
No insurance.
Deputies and Agents
then responded to 122
Hartley Lane where
they made contact with
Shaun Anthony Akins,
aka Tony Akins for the
purpose of conducting a
search at the residence.
Deputies and Agents
conducted a search and
recovered approximately
Shaun Anthony Akins John Charles Hice
168 grams of suspected
methamphetamine along
with packaging mate
rials and tools for the
purpose of trafficking
methamphetamine.
Akins was arrested for:
Trafficking methamphet
amine and possession of
tools during the com
mission of a crime.
Both subjects are being
held at the Lee County
Jail.
This case was investi
gated by the Lee County
Sheriff’s Office Narcot
ics Investigation Divi
sion and Uniform Patrol
Division along with the
Georgia Bureau of In
vestigation Southwestern
Regional Drug Enforce
ment Office. Additional
arrests in this case are
pending.
Submitted Photo
From left to right: Jake Barrow (LRA), Gene Sutton, Nina Dey and William Federly (Fuzzy’s
Taco), Cecile St. Peter, Steve Perrine (Exchange President), John Woodward (Proudly We Hail
Chairman), Gary and Tammy Mays (Charlie’s Paint and Body) and Emory Kitchings (Mars
Wrigley).
Exchange Club Honor’s Proudly We Hail Receipients
Jon Woodcock,
Lieutenant Colonel USMC,retired.
Special to the Ledger
The Albany Exchange
Club held the annual
Proudly We Hail pro
gram which recognizes
businesses and individ
uals who proudly and
properly display the
American Flag.
This year’s honorees
are: Charlie’s Paint &
Body, Cecile St. Peter,
Mars Wrigley, Fuzzy’s
Taco Shop, LRA Con
tractors and Sutton’s
Landing Park.
Our program guest
speaker was Mr. Jon
Woodcock. Mr. Wood
cock has served in the
United States Marine
Corps as an enlisted
Marine,
Commissioned Officer
and government civilian
for over four decades.
He served combat tours
to Kuwait, Somalia and
Afghanistan and
deployed as an advisor
to the United Nations
and Office of African
Unity Planning Peace
keeping Operations in
Ethiopia and Eritrea.
He retired as a Lieu
tenant Colonel from the
Marine Corps Logistic
Command in Albany.
He spoke on “What the
flag means to me”.
In closing, he stated
that the United States is
still the greatest country
in the world and that
he proudly flies the flag
every day in front of his
house.
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