Newspaper Page Text
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Tuesday, March 9,2021
HERE’S THE
SCOOP
Karen
Martin
dead at
age 82
Lamar County lost a
colorful character March
5 with the
death of
local attor
ney Karen
Martin.
Graveside
services
will be held
today at 2 p.m. in Green
wood Cemetery.
Prior to entering law
school, Martin was an
educator, coach and
even public address an
nouncer at Gordon foot
ball games. She was the
widow of Harold Martin.
The pair operated the
Martin & Martin law firm.
Complete obituary
information is published
on page 5A.
★ ★★★★
VOTE
★ ★★★★
One more
week of
early voting
This is the last week of
early voting prior to the
March 16 special elec
tion. On the ballot are
the ESPLOST referendum
and the vote to choose
a successor to late chief
magistrate judge Karen
Rhyne Henson.
The candidates in the
magistrate race are Ar
thur English, Paul Kunst,
Jeff Mason and Shannon
Williamson.
Advance ballots may
be cast daily at the elec
tions office in the court
house annex through
Friday. Hours are 8 a.m.
-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
- 5 p.m.
As of press time Mon
day, elections superin
tendent Anita Reid and
her staff had served 632
early voters and mailed
out 74 absentee ballots
of which 28 had been
returned.
Subscribe. Your name goes
on the label in this box
Wrong way driver crash
critically injures local man
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
A Barnesville man is not
expected to survive injuries
he received Friday night when
the pickup truck he was a pas
senger in was hit by a wrong
way driver on Ga. Hwy. 7 near
Milner.
Family members identified
the injured man as Nathan
Suggs. He was airlifted from
the crash scene just north of
Zebulon Road where he was on
life support with severe head
trauma at press time Monday.
Suggs was a passenger in his
Toyota Tacoma which was be
ing driven northbound on the
four-lane by another person
when it was struck by a silver
Honda being driven south in
the northbound lane by Felicia
Giacolone Whatley, 55, of 378
Colquitt Street in Thomaston.
Whatley told deputies she had
recently moved to Griffin.
LCSO dispatch received
multiple calls about the wrong
way driver prior to the crash.
Witnesses said Whatley began
driving south in the north
bound lane at the Griffin Ingles.
Deputies later picked up a
male who had been in the car
with Whatley but got out of the
Honda at some point. He was
walking down the highway.
Whatley was charged with
DU1 (drugs/alcohol), driving on
the wrong side of the road and
reckless driving. More charges,
including first degree vehicular
homicide, are pending.
Whatley made bond and was
released from jail March 6.
The Georgia State Patrol is
investigating the crash. Only
very preliminary information
was available at press time
Monday. Monitor barnesville.
com for updates.
PHOTOS: WALTER GEIGER/THE HERALD GAZETTE
Bystanders and members of Nathan Suggs’ family (top) pray along the roadside at the scene of Friday night’s
wrong way driver crash on Ga. Hwy. 7 near Milner. Suggs sufffered severe brain trauma, was flown to the Grady
trauma center and is not expected to survive.
The alleged at fault driver Felicia Giacolone Whatley, 55, (middle) remained in her car on her phone following
the crash. She was arrested on charges of DUI (alcohol/drugs), driving on the wrong side of the road and reck
less driving. More charges will be forthcoming.
The Toyota Tacoma (bottom) owned by Suggs was demolished. The driver of the truck in which Suggs was a
passenger has not yet been identified by the state patrol.
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School staffers get vaccine
Teachers, staff and admin
istrators within the Lamar
school system began getting
COV1D-19 vaccinations Monday
after an order from Gov. Brian
Kemp allowed it.
“By the end of the day, we
plan to have 160 staff members
vaccinated with the first dose.
That is over 41% of our staff. If
we were to include those with
antibodies, 1 suspect we
are near 50% protected.
Participation in the vac
cination program is 100%
optional,” school super
intendent Dr. Jute Wilson
said. Vaccines were admin
istered at the high school
with students in Jodie Kidd’s
nursing class who are working
toward CNA credentialing as
sisting health department
personnel.
“We are using teacher
planning time and the re
mote learning day to avoid
interrupting instructional
time. We are grateful for
Nurse Manager Sherry
Farr and DPH for helping push
this through so quickly,” Wil
son concluded.
WILSON
Man charged
with shooting
deputy in
court here
March 16
A 38-year-old Milner man
charged in the violent ambush
of a Lamar County deputy last
August is due for a hearing in
superior court
before Judge Bill
Fears March 16.
Donald Chan
dler Gordy is to
be arraigned on
charges of aggra
vated assault on
a peace officer,
criminal attempt
to commit a felony, posses
sion of a firearm during the
commission of a felony and
criminal damage to property.
The arraignment was origi
nally scheduled for Feb. 16 but
continued.
Dep. Justyn Weaver respond
ed to the 100 block of Moore
Street in Milner regarding a
suspicious person call at about
10:45 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2020.
He had been up and down
the street several times when
Gordy allegedly popped out
of the woods and opened fire.
Prosecutors say Gordy fired
five rounds from a shotgun
loaded with #4 turkey loads. He
was so close, the wadding from
one shell was embedded into
Weaver’s patrol car.
Gordy fled the scene and
was arrested about 3 a.m. Aug.
9 along 1-20 in St. Clair County,
Alabama near Birmingham.
Weaver, who was hit by
multiple pellets in the head
and face, was released from an
Atlanta hospital Aug. 13 and re
ceived a hero’s welcome upon
his return to the sheriff’s office
that day. Weaver has since re
covered and returned to duty.
Bond denied
in beaten
baby case
WALTER B. GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
One of two people charged
in connection with severe inju
ries suffered by a two-month-
old girl was denied bond by
Judge Tommy Wilson in Lamar
superior court March 2.
Phillip Luke Norman, 28,
represented by attorney Scott
Johnston of the Virgil Brown
firm, sought bond but was de
nied. Norman is charged with
one count of first degree cru
elty to children. More charges
against he and codefendant
Jessica Miranda Coffey, 30, are
expected as the investigation
proceeds.
SEE BABY BEATING CASE 3A
GORDY
Jim Edwards attended the Washing
ton summit March 16-17.
Jim Edwards
hosts ABA’s
Washington
Summit
More than 2,500 bank lead
ers from across the country
will gather virtually to hear
from top banking policymakers
at the American Bankers As
sociation’s annual Washington
Summit March 16-17.
SEE PAGE 2A
©2021 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS