About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 2022)
THURSDAY. AUGUST 25. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A BUS DRIVERS Continued From 1A was pulled over by deputies at approximately 8:27 a.m. on East Church Street after her morning route. Reports show that she failed to main tain her lane and was per forming “erratic driving maneuvers” in her personal vehicle. After being asked, De- cerbo told the deputy she was on several prescription med ications. A field sobriety test was administered, which De- cerbo failed. GSP Corporal Hensley said Decerbo had done very poorly on the field sobriety test. She has been charged with DUI for narcotics. Decerbo told the deputy she was a school bus driver. A blood test is being per formed to determine what narcotics were in her system. It is not known if she had been under the influence when she was driving the bus that morning. Parent Kelley Little had children on both busses - one middle schooler on the Fri day bus crash and a junior high schooler and high schooler on the bus driven by Decerbo. She’s upset with the school system and is calling for changes to their proto cols. Little was notified of the Friday crash after a friend contacted her. The friend had a son on the bus with a cell phone. The friend called her son and Little on three-way while he was still on the bus, “and all I could hear was pan icked children and kids screaming and crying.” Little rushed to the scene and stayed around 40 min utes, “to be sure all the kids were okay,” then took her child home. She said her son was shaken up and in shock when she saw him, with di lated pupils. “I was relieved no one was hurt, but I’ve lost trust in the transportation depart ment,” Little said. The mother said her fam ily liked the bus driver (Tucker), but “was shocked this happened. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about my son on transportation in pub lic schools.” Little believes school busses should be outfitted with ignition interlocking breathalyzers that drivers have to blow into before the bus will crank. She also wants to see at minimum monthly drug tests, and a bus app where parents can track their child’s school bus. “A lot of people don’t agree with my opinion, but I think our kids’ safety is more important than tax money,” she said. She said she was the one who initially contacted the school system to find out why she had not been called, and was contacted by them later in the day around 6:30 p.m., then around an hour later to be notified the driver had been arrested. “And I’ve received no fol low up calls,” she said. “I know they’re busy but that would be nice for them to check up.” Pickens School Superin tendent Tony Young said the system is taking the matter very seriously. “We’ve got protocols in place and we’re looking at whether they need to be strengthened or addressed,” he said. Young said they follow state guidelines, which call for random drug screenings in the transportation depart ment. He said they will con duct a thorough investigation of the incidents and go from there. The superintendent said he is will call for termination of Tucker, the driver involved in the Friday school bus crash. He will call for sus pension of Decerbo, the driver arrested in her per sonal vehicle after driving a morning route. Young said Decerbo had an early morning route that ended an hour before she was arrested. Video from her bus camera was reviewed and showed no issue with her driving that morning. “Parents are upset because they feel like their trust has been broken with the drivers, and I understand that,” Young said. “There is some degree of trust you have [that people won’t come to work drunk], but we are conduct ing a thorough investigation and will definitely address what we need to going for ward.” Continued From 1A TALKING ROCK its own fire station in con junction with the county. Pickens Public Safety Di rector Sloan Elrod explained the fire station in Talking Rock is owned by the city; the main fire truck there is owned by the county and the volunteer fire department op erates independently as an LLC. This convoluted struc ture was common in the days of volunteer departments when they were set up. Elrod said through Pick ens County Fire Chief Tim Prather they are working on this problem. Easterwood supplied basic information for the ISO, showing a minimum of four trained fire fighters, who must all meet minimum stan dards for training. Easterwood said they al ways dispatch a county (paid) unit with a volunteer one so Talking Rock resi dents will have fire protec tion, though the fire trucks must come from Hinton or the county station in Jasper until they get this situation fixed. Commission Chair Kris Stancil said volunteer depart ments, which were once the only fire protection in rural areas, have been declining across the nation with a trend to more paid fire stations. Here, the other volunteer de partments are all doing well enough that only Talking Rock faces this dilemma with volunteer numbers. Stancil said the idea the county could simply make Talking Rock a paid station is not financially feasible. To convert that station to a paid crew would cost at least three-quarters of a million dollars and require a new building. A paid station would require nine employ ees, (three three-person crews) to operate full time. And the building there would not be suitable for a full-time station as there are no living quarters. Stancil said the county recognizes this affects a num ber of homes in both the Talking Rock city limits and in the five mile road radius area served by the fire sta tion. He said the county con siders this a “critical issue.” Mike Denson, with Nor ton Insurance in Jasper, alerted the Progress to the forthcoming ISO problem after a customer called him. Denson said a change from a 6 to a 10 will be costly to homeowners, potentially causing some companies to cancel coverage entirely. Continued From 1A TRIAL Attorney's Office that this case will be reset for trial by the court as soon as possible." The motion to continue was signed by Sosebee, the de fense attorney and defendant, with the order to continue signed by senior judge Bryant Durham, Jr. on Friday, August 19. Durham had served as Superior Court Judge for the Rome Judicial Circuit since he was appointed in 2003. He retired from that position in 2020. According to court officials, an issue with Durham’s bar status through the State Bar of Georgia was discovered the Monday, Aug. 15 when motions began, which would pre clude him from serving as a senior judge. That issue was re solved by Tuesday, officials said, before jury selection began. The continuance will require the trial proceedings to start over. A new judge will hear the case, as well as a new jury. Despite officials saying the continuance was necessary, it is costly for law, judicial, and court entities involved. Pickens Clerk of Court Jennifer Jordan said juror costs for the week were $5,400. However, Denson said in surance companies rarely make instant adjustments so all existing policies should continue until renewal dates. With overlapping cover age between Jasper, Hinton and Talking Rock fire sta tions, some Talking Rock homes and businesses will still see the lower ratings. But Denson said particu larly troubling will be any commercial or agricultural operations in the Talking Rock coverage area. “Some companies will refuse cover age; others will go up 50-75 percent - maybe even double for homeowners. It’s the commercial and agricultural operations in that area are going to get killed by this,” Denson said. As a comparison, Denson said Big Canoe and Bent Tree have ISO ratings of 2; most county areas have a 4 and Jasper has a 5. Talking Rock had previously been an ISO 6, higher than surround ing areas because of water pressure issues there. NOTICE OF 2022 BUDGET AND PUBLIC HEARING The general public is hereby informed that a proposed 2022 Budget for the town of Talking Rock is available for review at the Town Hall, located at 4675 Highway 136 W, Talking Rock, Georgia and that a public hear ing shall be held for the purposed budget on Thursday, September 1,2022, at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall. For information, please call 706-253-5515. Help Wanted Tour Guides, Greeters Those interested in history The Pickens Historical Society is looking to expand hours and operations at the Old Jail on Main Street. If you like meeting people and getting involved, con- sitter volunteering for this fun, interesting local group. Sto^ 6oaftd& fett tde /UAtoty,. att that we /vequtte ti a {faendtu attitude and doarn- otte wdo doturtA, commdntentA. pickenshistorical@gmail.com or find us on Facebook Pickens Historical Society tenvlyyvall com V ARKLB ZSTIVAL 9. m '. SHORT SLEEVE $zo LONG SLEEVE $zs REGULAR SWEATSHIRT Iso HOODED SWEATSHIRT 135 FOR MORE INFO: (706) 692-5600 ict-ira. •'ua THE MORE BANKS CHANGE, THE MORE WE STAY THE SAME. Community Bank of Pickens County is dedicated to serving the loan needs in our community. Whether you want to build or buy a new home, refinance your existing mortgage, or have other consumer or commercial loan needs, our lending professionals are ready to help you. County MAIN OFFICE: 15 Sammy McGhee Blvd. • Jasper, GA 30143 COVE ROAD OFFICE: 65 Cove Road • Jasper, GA 30143 LPO OFFICE: 1353 Riverstone Pkwy Suite 140 • Canton, GA 30114 (706) 253-9600 • www.cbopc.com Member FDIC
