Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, December 27,2023
South Georgia Technical College’s Barnhill and Lee
awarded Smarr-Smith Criminal Justice scholarship
Special to the Ledger
South Georgia Tech
nical College Criminal
Justice Technology
graduates Charles Allen
Barnhill of Albany, and
Andrew Lee of Lees
burg, were awarded
the Smarr-Smith Law
Enforcement/Crimi
nal Justice scholarship
recently by the South
Georgia Technical Col
lege Foundation.
The Smarr-Smith
endowed scholarship at
South Georgia Techni
cal College was created
in memory of fallen
Americus Police Officer
Nicholas R. Smarr and
Georgia Southwestern
State University Cam
pus Safety Officer Jody
C. Smith. The endow
ment was created by the
Smarr-Smith Founda
tion, private individu
als, and an anonymous
donor. Both Nicholas
Smarr and Jody Smith
attended the criminal
justice program at South
Georgia Technical
College.
Sergeant Charles
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2024 OCCUPATIONAL TAX RENEWALS
(Also known as a Business Licenses)
Dear Business Owner,
On behalf of your Lee County Board of Commissioners, “Thank
you for your Investment in Lee County.”
Please go to Lee County’s website at www.lee.ga.us for information
regarding renewals for 2024.
If you do not have internet access you may contact our office at
229-759-3326 and we will mail you a packet with an application and
all information.
We will start the renewal process for the 2024 Occupation Tax/
Business License on November 1,2023.
All current Business Licenses will Expire on December 31,2023.
Thank you,
Carol Lee
License Administrator
Lee County Building Inspection Department
102 Starksville Ave. N.
Leesburg, Ga 31763
229-759-3326
Barnhill is a career law
enforcement officer, cur
rently employed by the
Leesburg Police De
partment. He has spent
the past 23 years in law
enforcement, serving as
a correctional office, po
lice officer, road-patrol
corporal, and a School
Resource Officer with
the Lee County School
System.
“I’ve always wanted
to go back to school
and pursue my degree.
But like most of us, life
happened, and I went to
work as a Correctional
Officer at the ripe old
age of 19. Then at 22,1
became a police officer
and I kept telling myself,
I will do it later, I have
time. Then I got married
and my responsibilities
got greater. Working
a regular shift then
getting all the overtime
and extra duty details I
could get to help support
my new family,” said
Barnhill.
His wife went back
to school to get her
degrees in education.
First an associate, then
bachelor’s and finally
a masters. She always
pushed her husband to
go back to school. “My
wife told me that is was
something that no one
could take away because
I earned it,” said Barn
hill, who added “after
23 years, I finally did it.
I have accomplished get
ting my associate degree
in Criminal Justice.
“I would like to
continue my education
because after going to
South Georgia Technical
College, they gave me
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Submitted Photos
Sergeant Charles Allen Barnhill of the
Leesburg Police Department and Andrew Lee
of the Georgia Department of Corrections
received the Smarr-Smith Criminal Justice
Scholarship from the South Georgia Technical
College Foundation recently.
the confidence that I can
do this and go on and
pursue my bachelor’s
degree.”
Leesburg Police Chief
Christopher J. Prokesh,
Barnhill’s boss and a
former Smith-Smarr
recipient, said “Charles
Barnhill has proven to
be a highly self-motivat
ed and valued resource
for our agency, and is
loved by the staff at his
school. I am pleased
to recommend him for
this scholarship. He
paints the mural of what
‘dedication’ truly means
within our profession.”
Georgia Department
of Corrections Special
Agent Andrew Lee is
the other SGTC Foun
dation Smarr-Smith
scholarship recipient.
“Special Agent Lee
is a dedicated profes
sional with a great zeal
towards his professional
work. I have the pleasure
of supervising him and
I think he is a quality
candidate for the Smarr-
Smith Criminal Justice
Scholarship,” wrote
Randy Howard, Jr.,
Assistant Special Agent
in Charge of the Georgia
Department of Correc
tions Southwest Region
Criminal Investigation
Division.
“Firstly, I would like
to say I greatly appre
ciate the opportunity to
receive this scholarship,”
said Lee. “I have great
respect for Nick Smarr
and Jody Smith. Their
dedication to upholding
peace and justice, their
selflessness in serving
their community, and
honor in upholding the
oath they took is a testa
ment to their character
as men.”
Special Agent Lee
started his law en
forcement career at the
Albany Police Depart-
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Ad Good December 27 - January 2, 2024
ment in 2016. He has
also worked for the Lee
County Sheriff’s Office
and is currently em
ployed as a special agent
for the Georgia Depart
ment of Correction’s
Office of Professional
Standards Criminal In
vestigations Division.
“I work full-time and
am the father of four
children,” said Lee. “I
plan to continue my edu
cation toward my bache
lor’s in Criminal Justice
and this scholarship will
be a tremendous help.”
South Georgia Tech
nical College Presi
dent Dr. John Watford
congratulated Barnhill
and Lee on their accom
plishments and thanked
the Smarr and Smith
families and others for
their support of this
scholarship. “We all re
gret that this scholarship
opportunity had to come
at the expense of the
lives of two outstanding
South Georgia Technical
College students and law
enforcement officers,”
said Dr. Watford. “Our
hearts will continue
to go out to the family
and friends of Officers
Smarr and Smith. But
it is our prayer that this
gift will assist other
POST certified officers
who wish to continue
their education. We hope
that the fine men and
women who earn these
scholarships will honor
the memories of Offi
cers Smith and Smarr
through their service to
our citizens and that the
memory of Nick Smarr
and Jody Smith will con
tinue to live on through
the lives of these schol
arship recipients.”
Nicholas Smarr and
Jody Smith, both attend
ed the South Georgia
Technical College Crim
inal Justice Program.
Smarr attained his Asso
ciate of Applied Science
Degree in June of 2011
and became a certified
law enforcement officer
in 2012. Jody Smith had
attended South Georgia
Tech in 2010 and had re
turned in 2016 to begin
completing his Criminal
Justice associate degree.
For more information
about donating to the
SGTC Foundation or en
dowing a scholarship at
South Georgia Technical
College, contact Su Ann
Bird, Executive Director
of the SGTC Foundation
and Vice President of
Institutional Advance
ment, at 229.931.2110 or
sbird@southgatech.edu.
Contributions may also
be mailed to the SGTC
Foundation, PO. Box
6102, Americus, GA.