About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 2025)
A2 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025 The Eatonton Aessenger »iwww.msgrnews.com] Three seriously injured in head-on collision Lynn Hobbs lynn@msgrnews.com A head-on collision caused by a driver passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone sent three Eatonton men to a hospital with serious injuries Saturday, according to authorities. Injured in the crash were Dazavius Little, 28, Sandy Brown, 46, and William Few, 26, all of Eatonton. They were taken by ambulance to Navi- cent Health Medical Center in Macon. The two drivers remained in critical condition on Tuesday at the newspa per’s press time, according to Putnam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Justin Brock. The third man was in serious condition. Around 6:40 p.m. Aug. 2, Little was driving a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse eastbound on the Monticello Road/State Route 16 toward Eatonton, said Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. Few was a passenger in the front seat of the Eclipse. About six miles west of Eatonton, near Shady Dale Road/Hwy. 142, Little attempted to pass a truck that also was traveling east, witnesses said. The pass attempt was made on a hill where the road is marked with a double yellow line in the center. In doing so, Little crashed head-on into an oncoming, west-bound 2010 Toyota Corolla being driven by Brown. “The incident remains under investigation by the sher iff’s office, and we anticipate making charges in the future,” Sills said. CONTRIBUTED/PCSO Three Eatonton men remain hospitalized in serious and critical condition from injuries sustained in a head-on collision that involved this Mitsubishi Eclipse and Toyota Corolla Saturday. METH CONTINUED FROM » A1 was slated for the delivery. Turk solicited help from Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and studied the property, “so we wouldn’t be running around blind when we got there,” he said. The address on the package — 322 Shady Dale Road — is where Mario Munoz lives. On July 30, two Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies pulled Munoz over on a traffic stop after he pulled out of the driveway of his house. Turk and Luke, along with six Jasper County Sheriff’s deputies and more than a dozen Homeland Security agents were nearby. They took Munoz back to his house, and he showed them where he put the package when it had been deliv ered - underneath a shed. When the box was opened, authorities found it contained 26 kilos of what they believed to be methamphetamine powder. The powder had been mixed with a masking agent to make it look like paint pigment, Luke said. He conducted a field test on the powder, which tested positive for CONTRIBUTED/PCSO The methamphetamine found at Timothy Parsons house hits the scale at 4.96 ounces. Methamphetamine packaged for selling was seized at Ronald Bryant's house by authorities. CONTRIBUTED/PCSO methamphetamine. “Our biggest concern when we opened it was to make sure it would just be meth and not fentanyl, because you never know Schedule Mammogram ADVANCED BREAST IMAGING RIGHT HERE AT HOME WHAT DO WE OFFER? Putnam General Hospital offers 3D Mammography screenings and Diagnostic Imaging. In most cases, diagnostic results can be reviewed the same day, depending on radiologist availability. If an Ultrasound is needed, it can be performed the same day without extra appointments or travel. We also offer ultrasound-guided breast biopsies for comprehensive care in one location. Early detection matters, and so does convenience. Schedule your appointment today! 706.923.2055 Most insurance plans accepted. 101 Lake Oconee Parkway • Eatonton www.PutnamGeneral.com what is mixed with it,” Luke said. “If they’ve put those masking agents in it to make it look like paint, they could’ve put fentanyl in there.” The drug will be sent to the state crime lab for official testing. The powder form of metham phetamine in the box was a concentrated form that would need to go through more processing before it was sold for use, Luke said. “So, he (Munoz) wasn’t selling it on the street around here,” Luke noted. Turk said authorities searched in the house and shed for the tools and materials that would be needed to make the concentrated powder a marketable product, but they didn’t find it. “So, there’s a missing piece to the puzzle some where; but we got a lot of dope off the street,” he said. Change to: Although his name was not on it, Munoz accepted the box from the delivery service. Another similar box was seized by Homeland Security agents. Luke said Munoz is not a U.S. citizen, “but he is living here perfectly legally with a green card, which is a Resident Alien card.” Lt. Luke estimated Munoz has lived in the Eatonton area for 30 or more years. In the past, Munoz owned and oper ated an auto body shop in downtown Eatonton, and then another one later in Monticello. He currently had one set up at his home on Shady Dale Road. “The body shop was the perfect front for a methamphetamine oper ation,” Luke said. “Large quantities of chemicals are delivered there virtu ally unnoticed because body shops order a lot of the same chemicals for their work that also are precursors to making and cleansing methamphet amine in a laboratory.” Mario Munoz, 56, was arrested July 30 and taken to Putnam County Sheriff’s Office jail where he is being held without bond on charges of Viola- tion of Georgia Controlled Substance Act-possession, manufacturing, distri bution, etc. trafficking methamphetamine, driving on wrong side of the road, expired vehicle tag or decal, open container in vehicle, and removing or affixing plate to conceal vehicle identification. Other meth arrests on Shady Dale Road In unrelated cases a week earlier, Turk and Luke arrested two other men for selling meth amphetamine. Iron ically, these two men also lived on Shady Dale Road. Search warrants were served at both houses after supervised purchases of metham phetamine were made from each man. Timothy Lee Parsons, 52,140 Shady Dale Rd., was arrested around 1:30 a.m. July 24 on charges of possession of marijuana and sale of methamphetamine. Luke said when they went to serve the search warrants, Parsons was not home, but he showed up later. Parsons has a prior record of drug-re lated felony convictions, according to Luke. Ronald Keith Bryant, 46, of 525 Shady Dale Rd., was arrested a few hours later and charged with sale of methamphetamine and trafficking in metham phetamine. Luke said they found 6 ounces of meth amphetamine in his house as well as some money. In Georgia, possession of 28 grams or more of metham phetamine or any mixture of it results in a trafficking charge. Both men are being held without bond. Luke emphasized that their activity and arrests were unrelated to Munoz. “They just happened to all three live on Shady Dale Road, so it’s lights out on Shady Dale,” he said. All of the cases were a joint investigation between Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Luke said, noting he and Turk were both grateful for their assistance. Anyone with informa tion on any suspected illegal drug activity may call Luke at 706-485- 8557 or report online at putnamcountysheriff. org. All tips will remain anonymous. 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