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* 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