About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2025)
PUBLISHED CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 1861 VOLUME 164 • NO. 19 ("bwww.msgrnews.com Gatonton Messenger V Official organ of Putnam County and City of Eatonton V . Locally Owned by Smith Communications Inc. 4 SCELLEV GIA o G PA Cz 0 0 GNEWSY THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025 Officers'risk their lives' to rescue reckless driver Lynn Hobbs lynn@msgrnews.com A Newton County man was rescued from his burning pickup truck by Eatonton police officers, and then handcuffed and taken to jail. Officer Kevin Malloy was standing on the sidewalk in front of Eatonton Police Department around 9:50 p.m. Saturday when a 2017 white Chevrolet Silverado went past at “a high rate of speed with the engine revved up,” according to Malloy’s incident report. The pickup was traveling so fast that when it came to a stop sign at an inter section, the brakes locked up as it slid through the intersection, Malloy wrote in his report. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jeremy Keith Hitson, turned onto a one-way roadway and drove into oncoming traffic, causing a vehicle to swerve out of the pickup’s path to avoid collision. By then, Malloy had jumped into his patrol vehicle to go look for the pickup. As he drove around searching, 911 calls came in reporting the speeding Silverado being driven reck lessly. Some of the callers reported that the pickup had crashed into a 2015 MORE DRIVER » A3 !/. he o _ Jeremy Hitson, of Oxford, appears to be passed out in the back seat of an Eatonton Police Department vehicle after being rescued from a burning pickup truck. He was taken to jail. CHIEF CARDWELL/ CONTRIBUTED IAN TOCHER/Staff Putnam County's Lynn Butterworth holds her 2025 ACCG Clerk of the Year plaque, surrounded by Putnam County Board of Commissioners \ (l-r): Jeff Wooten, Tom McElhenney, Chairman Bill Sharp, Richard Garrett, and Dr. Steve Hersey. Clerk of the Year Butterworth earns statewide honor Ian Tocher ian@msgrnews.com To open its regularly scheduled meeting May 2, the Putnam County Board of Commissioners celebrated Putnam County Clerk Lynn Butter worth being named 2025 Clerk of the Year by the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). The ACCG award, presented in conjunction with the Georgia County Clerks’ Association (GCCA), recognizes Georgia’s county leaders “for dedicated service and outstanding leadership to their communities.” Butterworth received the award April 26, during the ACCG’s annual conference in Savannah. “County clerks are the backbone of county government, entrusted with a myriad of responsibilities ranging from engaging with constit uents to maintaining official county records,” ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills stated upon presenting the award. “Ms. Butterworth’s dedi cation and exceptional performance exemplify the indispensable role county clerks play in ensuring our communities function smoothly.” Attached with tape to the back of her plaque, Butterworth has a letter sent and signed by the 2024 ACCG award winner, White County’s Shanda Murphy, who was unable to attend this year’s event. “Those who work alongside her describe her as ‘unstoppable’ — a word that perfectly captures both her work ethic and the passion MORE CLERK » A2 BOC hears Thunder Valley construction concerns Ian Tocher ian@msgrnews.com Last Friday morning, during the first of two regularly scheduled meetings this month, Putnam County commissioners heard from several residents of the Thunder Valley neighborhood concerned about commercial development in the area. Thunder Valley borders Lake Oconee on the east side of Hwy. 44, across from the Silver Moon restaurant and extending to the bridge crossing the lake beyond Scott Road. It falls within District 3 Commissioner Steve Hersey’s jurisdiction. First to address the council was Thunder Valley Owners Associ ation President Renee Bergdorf, who said she and her neighbors are concerned about the poten tial negative impact to their community from commercial development. Bergdorfbegan by acknowl edging the land in question has been zoned for commercial use since 1995 and everyone under stands, “it’s going to be developed.” She then pointed out, however, that the original development agree ment stipulated “limited access off of Clark Circle and no access to Riverside Drive and Thunder Road.” She added that she and her neighbors are now alarmed at a proposed site plan “posted by the current developer of the commer cial land [that] clearly violates this.” She said the proposed plan calls MORE COUNTY A3 094922 87854 WEATHER 70 Thursday • / Scattered HIGH T-storms 59 LOW Detailed forecast / B6 For breaking news or to subscribe, visit www.msgrnews.comor call 706-485-3501 SMITH COMMUNICATIONS! Newspapers • Magazines • Printing Putnam T&F qualifies nine » PAGE Bl PUTNAM Rain helped my garden a lot. I can taste the fresh vegetables already. The First Lady says Publix has all we need every day. Still not the same as homegrown. I think she misses the point. We had a Kentucky Derby party and Roger picked the winner, Sovereignty, and INSIDE THIS WEEK Classifieds D6 Public Record A7 Community C1 Opinions A4 Crossword Puzzle C5 Obituaries A6 Legal Notices D2 Sports B1 did well. George picked Journalism and got second place. Sammy picked Publisher and lost out with Zeke as he picked Chunk of Gold, as it sounded good. Track was a mess, but it was a good race. Otis called to let me know it's "Pickleball" not "Paddle Ball" and it's a real tough sport. In fact, he claims it is the fastest-growing sport in the land with courts going up everywhere. Oh, okay. I Bradley Bradley Dt David Dr. Patti 1 & Associates CALLY OWNED & OPERATE SINCE 1998 LAKE OCONEE’S DENTIST Looking for a Family Dentist? 600 New Patient YL Exam & X-Rays Add a Cleaning for Just $69 (save up to $288*) VOTED THE LAKE AREA’S BEST DENTIST FOR 12 YEARS RUNNING! 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