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Wednesday, January 15, 2020 - $1.00
Established in 1882
Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
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Vol. 139, No. 48-
Teens shot on Horseshoe Circle
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Two Burke County teens were shot
inside a car over the weekend.
Just after 11:30 p.m. on Friday
night, the Burke County Sheriff’s
Office responded to a call of shots
being fired around the 100 block
of Horseshoe Circle. According
to reports, deputies and Crime
Suppression Team members found
an abandoned white Toyota Corolla
on an embankment, peppered with
bullet holes and with what appeared
to be blood on the outside of the
vehicle. Upon further investigation,
officers found several spent cartridge
casings on the roadway near the car.
Deputies were also alerted by
Burke Medical Center staff that two
young men had come in with gunshot
wounds and had been transported to
Augusta University Medical Center
for treatment.
BCSO Chief Deputy Lewis
Blanchard confirmed that the driver,
an 18-year-old, had a single, non
life threatening gunshot wound
to the neck. The rear passenger,
15, had multiple gunshot wounds
to the lower extremities that were
also non life threatening. Two other
passengers, both 18, received minor
scraps and cuts from glass.
No other details could be released
as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information
is asked to contact the BCSO
Criminal Investigation Division
at 706.554.6633 or any on duty
investigator. Callers may remain
anonymous.
Jiles Coble and Ashlyn Reddick show their calves during the Burke County Bird Dog Classic Commercial Dairy
Heifer Show.
Sheriff’s office
forms committee to
tackle gang issues
LIVESTOCK SHOWS
beneficial to area youth
DIANA ROYAL • jdianaroyal@gmail.com
While showing livestock may
sound like an interesting hobby,
some local “celebrities” had the
chance to experience it firsthand
and have since developed a greater
appreciation for the sport.
Founded five years ago by Shelley
Coble and Kim Reddick, the Burke
County Bird Dog Classic (BCBDC)
Commercial Dairy Heifer Show
added a little something extra
this year — a celebrity walk in
which local community leaders
were matched with children across
the state to get a crash course on
competing in showmanship. In
addition to showing the calves,
celebrities, which included Burke
County High School Principal Dr.
Kaveous Preston, Shannon Braswell
of Helena Chemical, retired Sheriff
Greg Coursey, Johnny Lovett of
Lovett Trucking, Chamber of
Commerce Executive Director
Ashley Roberts, Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams and Farm Bureau President
Lee Webster, learned key techniques
and information about the child’s
livestock project then had to cite
and answer questions about it to the
judge.
Roberts, who worked with an
animal weighing in at nearly 500
pounds, said the experience was both
exciting and intimidating, especially
when her calf decided to run away
from her. “It certainly gives you an
appreciation for all the work these
young people put into it.”
Coursey, who was crowned the
winner in male showmanship,
agreed. “I didn’t know how much
time and work go into grooming the
calves or how the kids actually train
the calves to show them off,” he
said, giving all the
credit to the child he
worked with. “She LIVESTOCK,
actually won this, 13
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
A fight breaks out in the middle
of class. A chair is thrown. Students
scramble out of the way, some barely
looking up.
This video is not an afternoon
special with actors portraying the
teenagers filled with rage or those
unbothered by the violence in front
of them. The scene is a Burke County
classroom, and the adult who takes
a hit is a principal. The footage
captured came from the cell phone
of a student.
“This is not shocking to them,”
Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams addressed the crowd.
“They’ve seen it all their lives.
They’re become desensitized to this
sort of behavior.”
The group that’s gathered remain
quiet throughout the presentation,
watching slides that show gang
presence spread across Burke
County, whether through the
various scribblings painted on public
buildings and property or in the
photos of lifeless bodies, young
men shot to death by opposing gang
members who were likely once their
friends.
Another video flashes before the
group, this one of young men rapping
and throwing up gang signs, holding
guns and telling those who oppose
them just where they can go. Of the
roughly 75 teenagers in the clip, 16
are either in jail or dead.
BCSO Chief Deputy Lewis
Blanchard sums it up in just a few
words: Gangs love you to death.
With the growing issues of teen
violence, gangs and murder in
the Burke County community,
the sheriff’s office recently called
together a committee to try to figure
out the best way to address the
problem. The group, made up of
pastors, board of education, city and
county officials, teachers, mentors
and community and church leaders,
were eager to do their part if it meant
getting to just one more youth,
saving just one more life.
“We are solving murders but not
the problem,” Blanchard said as he
explained young black males have
been the victims and perpetrators
in all of the recent shootings and
murders in the county. He shared that
boys as young as the fourth grade are
being recruited to join gangs.
“So what do we do? How do we
get them out of the gangs?” he asked.
“That’s the hardest one to tackle.”
The biggest suggestion is to hire
a coordinator and assistant in non
law enforcement positions who
will be responsible for working
with children, following closely
the troubled youth and giving them
resources to stay on track. “They’ll be
responsible forknowing and working
with other groups in the community
and finding
grants to offer SEE
additional GANG ISSUES,
assistance, 14
MLK Day celebrations announced
DIANA ROYAL
dianaroyal@gmail.com
To commemorate what would
have been his 91st birthday, Burke
Countians have various celebrations
in store to keep the legacy of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive.
The festivities begin with the
annual parade, which will be held
this Saturday, Jan. 18, beginning
at 1 p.m. Themed as “Dreams
Become Realities,” the march will
begin at South Liberty Street at
Brentwood Drive, proceed down
North Liberty before turning right
on Myrick Street and ending at the
fairgrounds on Manau Lane. For
additional information or to sign up
to participate, contact Mary Bennett
at 706.825.4075.
Following Saturday’s parade, two
other events have been planned for
MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 20.
The Burke County Sapphirettes
will continue their traditional
Freedom School, marking its 34th
year locally. Sapphirette Toni Searles
says the program is an opportunity
for others to come and learn from
those who remember him and will
focus on issues today that are still of
high importance, including voting.
There will also be some discussion
on the Census.
“If he were here today, he would
be leading the front of these efforts,”
Searles said. “It’s an honor that fifty-
two years later, we are still able to
celebrate and remember him.”
Freedom School 2020 will be held
at the old Blakeney School, located
at 518 College St. in Waynesboro,
from 10 a.m. to noon. It is free and
open to children aged 5-17 as well
as adults.
Also on Monday, Boggs Rural Life
Center is hosting a Day of Service.
Organizer Jacqueline Bosby says
this is an opportunity to give all
educators, camp directors and youth
and group leaders a chance to see
their Black Youth Heritage Expo and
hear about other programs offered.
“Black History is all of our history
and needs to be shared year round,”
she said, adding that Boggs has
much to offer the community. “It’s
a destination spot; you can’t see it
from the street so unless you know
what’s there and what we are doing,
you will miss the opportunities we
have for everyone.”
Doors will be open Monday
from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. with a
free informational tour available
each hour. Boggs is located at
4729 Quaker Road in Keysville.
Call 706.743.3437 for additional
information.
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