Newspaper Page Text
* Congratulations to- tie Graduates!
1B-8B
Tuesday, May 24,2022
barnesville.com
Barnesville, Ga. 30204
Victim describes being shot at
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
A quiet cigar break
on the front porch
nearly turned fatal for
VFW post commander
Richard Wright Saturday
night when a stranger
walked up, demanded
money and then opened
fire at close range.
Wright was on the
porch of the family
home at 127 Harris Dr. at
about 9:45 p.m. when he
noticed a car that kept
driving back and forth
through the neighbor
hood. The car paused
several times.
Suddenly, a white
male in a hoodie came
around the corner and
pointed a .38 special at
Wright.
“He told me he want
ed $3000.1 don’t know
if he thought 1 had cash
from the VFW or wanted
to take me hostage to
go out there to get the
money. 1 wasn’t going to
show any fear so I just
started talking to him,”
Wright said.
Wright said he had
two options. He could
go on the offensive and
likely get shot or try to
get into the house where
his parents were.
“He wasn’t going to
get to my Mama and
Daddy. Only over
my dead body,”
Wright said.
Wright kept his
composure by
studying the gun.
“I could tell it was
a .38. He was so
close, 1 could see
the copper tipped
bullets. 1 put my hand
up, then spun and broke
for the door and he
unloaded on me. 1 don’t
know how the first shot
missed me. He was only
two or three feet away,”
Wright said.
Wright was shaken
but unhurt. No one else
in the home was hit.
After firing three
shots, the sus
pect fled. The
video surveil
lance system
at the house
recorded good
quality video of
the incident and
Barnesville police
issued a lookout
with a still photo taken
from the security video.
Multiple tipsters
identified the man as
21-year-old Austin Tay
lor Daughtery of 6190
Ga. Hwy. 109 in Molena.
As the lookout
reached Pike authorities,
Zebulon police were
dispatched to another
drive-by shooting in the
Wrightsburg subdivi
sion there. Evidence tied
Daughtery to that crime
as well.
BPD investigators
acquired warrants for
Daughtery. Pike deputies
went to his home and
he was arrested after a
brief foot chase.
Daughtery is in the
Lamar jail charged with
aggravated assault,
criminal damage to
property, possession
of a firearm during the
commission of a felony
and possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon
or first offender
SEE SHOOTING 3A
DAUGHTERY
HERE’S THE
SCOOP
Primary
results
online
tonight
Vote totals from today’s
voting in the General Pri
mary will be available as
they are tabulated on our
website at barnesville.com
tonight. Initial results are
usually available around
8:30 p.m. after the polls
close at 7 p.m.
Once the results are
complete, they will be
shared on our social me
dia as well.
A tape recorded mes
sage listing the win
ners will be available at
770.358.6397 overnight.
Early
deadlines
for holiday
Due to the Memorial
Day holiday on Monday,
May 30, i)rralb <fxurttr
will go to press early.
Please submit news
and advertising before
noon Thursday, May 26,
to be included the May 31
edition.
Subscribe. Your name goes
on the label in this box
PHOTO: DONNA FLOURNOY
Special senior selfie spot
The Trojan statue on the Lamar County High School campus has become a favorite destination for members of the
Class of 2022 as graduation approaches. Some 180 graduates will receive diplomas Saturday at Trojan Field. The cer
emony begins at 9 a.m.
Shown snapping selfies with the Trojan are seniors Abigail Horne (left) and Trinati Maynor.
Class of 2022 marches Saturday
Some 180 members
of the Lamar County
High School Class of
2022 will receive diplo
mas during graduation
exercises Saturday at
Trojan Field. The cer
emony begins with the
senior processional at
9 a.m.
The colors will
be presented by the
JROTC color guard
and Katelyn McCook
will sing the National
Anthem. Zaria Fletcher
will lead the Pledge of
Allegiance and Gavin
Roubieu will welcome
the crowd.
Matthew Ctibor
will review the class
highlights. He will be
followed by addresses
from salutatorian Kevin
Danielson and valedic
torian Zeke Smith.
School superinten
dent Dr. Jute Wilson
and school board chair
man Josh Swatts will
address the grads. Then
Dr. Wilson and principal
Dr. David Boland will
present diplomas.
Naijah Fambro will
give closing remarks
followed by the reces
sional and the tradi
tional cap toss.
Our annual salute
to the county’s gradu
ates is published inside
beginning on page IB.
96852
78853
Vote today: Polls open 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Registered Lamar County vot
ers go to the polls today to cast
ballots in the General Primary.
Polling places throughout the
county will be open from 7 a.m.
- 7 p.m.
Early voting ended Friday.
Statewide early turnout set new
records and elections superin
tendent Anita Reid and her staff
have been busy as well. They
processed 1,496 advance ballots
and 118 absentee ballots during
the early voting period.
Voters in Milner will cast bal
lots in a special election to fill an
empty slot on the city council.
Christopher Eady and Rickey
ViiE
Fallings are seeking that post.
Three other races will be
decided today. The most high-
profile of those is that for county
commission chairman. James
Hyde and Ryran Traylor are
running for county commission
chairman on the Republican
ballot. The winner will face no
Democrat opposition in No
vember and will take office next
January, replacing incumbent
Charles Glass who did not seek
reelection.
Traylor stepped down as
District 3 commissioner to seek
the chairman’s post. A special
election to fill that seat will be
held in November.
Incumbent District 1 county
commissioner Bennie Horton
is being challenged by fellow
Democrat Jarrod B. Fletcher. The
winner will face no GOP opposi
tion this fall.
Incumbent District 135 state
SEE ELECTION 2A
Memorial
Day
observance
moved to
Greenwood
Cemetery
The annual Memorial
Day observance is taking
a different tack this year.
Organizers from the VFW
and American Legion posts
are moving the event to
Greenwood Cemetery in
Barnesville.
“There we will pay our
respect to all of our broth
ers and sis
ters in arms
who made
the ultimate
sacrifice,”
VFW post
commander
Richard
Wright said.
The key
note address
will be delivered by retired
Air Force MSG Cortese
Walker, a member of the
WALKER
LCCHS Class of 1997.
An honor roll of local
service members who died
in combat will be read. A
reading of Flanders Field
will be followed by the
playing of Taps’.
“With the help of the
VFW Riders and the
auxiliary, we will be mark
ing each K1A grave with
American flags and unique
purple and white ribbons
representing their Purple
Hearts. Those who desire
can participate in an honor
walk, visiting and paying
respects at the grave of
every K1A service member
interred in the cemetery,”
Wright said.
For more informa
tion, contact Wright at
770.584.4608.
City pool
won’t open
this
summer
The Barnesville city
pool will not open this
summer due to structural
and mechanical issues.
The pool has been closed
the past two summers due
to the pandemic.
When preparations were
being made to open it this
year, the problems were
discovered.
“We are saddened we
cannot open the pool this
year. We recognize it is a fa
vorite spot during the sum
mer for our community.
We will continue to work
on necessary repairs and
hope to once again open
the pool in the future,”
mayor Peter Banks said.
Tag office
to close June 13
The Lamar County Tax
Commissioners Office will
be closing at 11 a.m. on
Monday, June 13, 2022 for
an additional staff training
session. They will reopen
on Tuesday, June 14, 2022
at 8 a.m.
©2022 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS