Newspaper Page Text
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
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REGULAR SWEATSHIRT Iso HOODED SWEATSHIRT 135
FOR MORE INFO: (706) 692-5600
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