Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Elizabeth Hammock is SGES Valedictorian. Thomas Smith is Salutatorian barnesville.com Barnesville, Ga. 30204 Puppy mill couple enter guilty pleas WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.CQm A Lamar County couple charged with running a puppy mill at their Johnstonville Road home entered guilty pleas Wednesday morning in Monroe County superior court. John David Matthews and Latitia Adele Matthews each pleaded guilty to all the 30 counts filed against them which were six counts ag gravated cruelty to animals, 23 counts cruelty to animals and one count of improper disposal of a dead animal. Judge Tommy Wilson sen tenced each to 10 years pro bation, $2,500 fine and 250 hours of com munity service under the first offender act. Each is subject to a search and specimen clause and nei ther can have J- MATTHEWS or control any animal during the probation ary period. Prosecutor Jessica Rock asked the fines be earmarked for the construction of the new Lamar County animal shelter though it was unclear if that was allowed under the various applicable statutes. The Mat thews were arrested March 13, 2019 when state ag riculture L. MATTHEWS department officials and Lamar investigators raided their property, Sweet Basil Kennels, finding dogs living in filthy, excrement-filled pens without food or water. Eighteen live pigs and nine dead pigs were also located. Hungry dogs roaming the property were seen eating the dead pigs during the raid. A second raid on Sweet Basil Kennels June 5, 2019 by agents of the Georgia Depart ment of Revenue resulted in arrests of both defendants on an additional count of felony tax evasion. The defense told Judge Wil son Wednesday the Matthews have paid their back taxes and the state Department of Revenue has dropped the tax evasion charges. The defense also argued against large fines, noting the allegations “have cost them a consider able amount of money”. THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER “She had 15 bullet holes in her" Accused killer Jaylan Jashad Ray (right) had bond set at $5 million her body here, by Judge Tommy Wilson here May 4. Prosecutor Wayne Jernigan told the The hearing was held amid tight security which included Sgt. Jerry judge Ray shot 17-year-old D’Shunti Hunter seven times before dumping Meadows of the LCSO (left). Hit by train, Nancy Butts has died Nancy Butts, who was struck by a train while on her morning walk in downtown Barnesville, April 22, died early Saturday, May 8 at Eternal Hope Hospice in Griffin, ac cording to her husband Don. She was 66.”It was her wish that there be no funeral or me morial service and 1 will honor that wish. People wanting to can send donations to Doctors Without Borders or the Dolly Goodpuppy Society in Nancy’s name,” he said. She is also survived by a son, Evan. Abreu released on bond Former Barnesville mu nicipal judge Henry Abreu was released from the Lamar County jail Tuesday on a $75,000 bond posted by family. Abreu ingested a quantity of meth during a drug raid at his home at 123 Stafford Ave. in Barnesville March 31. He was subsequently hospitalized and then sent to a nursing home. He checked himself out of the care facil ity April 23 and was arrested as he waited for a ride. Abreu is charged with distribution of meth within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of meth with intent to distribute, traf ficking in meth, tampering with evidence, obstruction, pos session of a firearm during the commission of a felony, pos session of drug related objects and possession of marijuana. ABREU Subscribe. Your name goes on the label in this box Teen's alleged killer gets $5 million bond WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.com A 22-year-old Albany man charged with killing a teen girl and dumping her body here Jan. 10 was in court May 4 for probable cause and bond hear ings. Jaylan Jashad Ray was arrested Jan. 13 in Tallahassee after three days on the run. He is charged with murder and aggravated assault with more charges pending. The body of D’Shunti Kyanni Hunter, 17, was found at the rear of the Unionville Church cemetery off High Falls Park Road. Public defender Doug Smith noted Ray was eligible for bond under statute because he has been jailed 90 days without being indicted. He called Ray’s mother, Anita Edwards, and a Georgia Gwinnett professor, Mazim Ortega, as character witnesses. Judge Tommy Wilson tried to discern from Edwards informa tion about Ray using her car while he was a fugitive from justice but she was evasive. Smith intervened. “We ask for a reasonable bond. A $1 million bond is not a reasonable bond. No one in this room could make a $1 million bond,” Smith argued. Deputy chief assistant dis trict attorney Wayne Jernigan began to get into the facts of the case to which Smith ob jected. Judge Wilson allowed Jernigan to proceed. “This defendant has no ties to Lamar County. He crossed two state lines after the killing. He cleaned a 17-year-old girl’s blood out of his car. That girl was shot seven times. She had 15 bullet holes in her. Seven of them were entrance wounds,” Jernigan revealed. Without hesitation, Judge Wilson said Ray was definitely a flight risk and set bond at $5 million. Ray left the courtroom amid tight security. Several members of Hunter’s family were in the courtroom for the proceedings. THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER LC’s Alaina Cato (8) tries to break through the Bremen defense in last week’s 3-0 Elite 8 loss. In the background are Lady Trojans Maci-Lauren Lanier (12) and Ally Bloxham (18). ©2021 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS