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Vol. 140, No. 1 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, February 19, 2020 - $1.00
Local dealership employee
arrested for embezzlement
ROY F. CHALKER JR.
rchalker@bellsouth.net
An employee of the Waynesboro
Jeep Chrysler Dodge dealership has
been arrested for stealing nearly
$50,000 from the dealership.
According to a report obtained
from the Burke County Sheriff’s
Office, Lisa Yarborough Huie, 33,
was arrested on Feb. 11 and charged
with theft by deception, a felony. The
previous day, the dealership owner
contacted authorities and reported
the business was missing money. An
auditor’s report dating back to Jan. 1,
2019 showed that $46,496 had been
stolen. That money was then used to
pay personal credit cards and vehicle
loans in Huie’s name, the report said.
Business owner Elizabeth Grant
told The True Citizen last week
that, “it’s a very sad thing to have an
employee stealing from you.” Grant
said she had suspected something
was amiss from Huie’s actions and
body language. The auditor was
brought in after Huie was terminated
and found the discrepancies.
Huie, a resident of Martinez, was
arrested by the Columbia County
Sheriff’s Office and transported to
Burke County on Feb. 12.
Lisa Yarborough Huie
Edmund Burke Academy’s boys varsity basketball team earned the region championship title for a second year
in a row.
Smith announces
candidacy for
Senate District 23
Ceretta A. Smith has announced
her plans to run for State Senate
District 23.
The 51-year-old United States
Army veteran was born in
Fayetteville, North Carolina, and
currently resides in Grovetown. No
stranger to the political arena, Smith
worked for the federal government
for more than 23 years, serving as
a Union President who represented
the interest of veterans, working
Georgians and federal government
employees.
She holds a master’s degree in
guidance and counseling from the
Sacramento School of Theology, a
Bachelor of Arts from Minnesota
Graduate School of Theology and
an associate’s degree in business
management
from Augusta
Technical
College.
Smith is
married to
retired SFC
Sterling V.
Smith, and
the couple has
three children,
Sterling Jr.,
Jaylan and VaShon.
She will run on the democratic
ticket.
Cerertta A. Smith
EDMUND BURKE ACADEMY
BACK TO BACK
REGION CHAMPS
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
They brought the trophy (and net)
home with them again.
Edmund Burke’s Spartans
defended their Region 4-AA title
after going 3-0 in the region tourney
last week.
They opened tournament play
with a 54-40 win over Briarwood
on Tuesday night, jumping out to a
14-4 lead after the first quarter. “We
came out strong on both ends of the
floor and were focused on the task at
hand,” said head coach Farry Keller,
adding that the boys led by 10 points
throughout most of the game, with
senior Jeremy Gay heading up the
top scorers list at 18 points. Carson
Woods added 11, and Tripp Parker,
another 10.
From there, the Spartans moved
on to play number 2 seed Thomas
Jefferson Academy in the semifinals
on Thursday. Fed by All-Region
player JT Thomas, the Jags took an
early 12-7 lead after the first quarter.
"Thomas had his way all night,”
Keller said. “We tried to slow him
down, but he is a hoss.”
The Spartans trailed 19-14 at the
half and needed a big second half
to keep their region dreams alive.
A solid third quarter found them up
28-26 going into the final period,
and with Gay and Parker combining
for 11 points and Woods and Will
Jenkins working magic on defense,
The Jags were held to 7 points. The
Spartans took the lead with just
under a minute thanks to a three from
Gay. Parker’s successful free throw
with 2 seconds on the clock gave
Edmund Burke the 42-39 victory.
On Saturday, the
Spartans still had one SEE EBA,
more hoop to get through 12A
Moore to
seek Probate
Judge post
Ashley Moore Jr. has announced
his plans to run for the position of
Burke County Probate Judge.
Moore, a lifelong resident of
Burke County, is a 1997 graduate of
Burke County High School.
The 41-year-old father of four
studied at Augusta State University,
Paine College and is currently
enrolled at Aidan University.
A longtime community activist
and volunteer for the Burke County
Public School System, Moore
currently serves as an associate
magistrate judge of the Burke County
Magistrate Court.
He has pastored The Rock Church
m Waynesboro
for the past
eight years.
Moore
and his wife
ii
w 4<
of nearly 19
_ L
years, Nikkia,
are parents
to daughter
Naloni, 18,
■ # 1
and sons A.J.,
9, Karon, 9,
and Kamari, 8.
Ashley Moore Jr.
Presidential Preference Primary
Deadline for voter registration approaching
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
For those who’ve yet to register to
vote, the deadline to participate in
the March 24 Presidential Preference
Primary for the state of Georgia is
just around the corner.
While advance voting begins
March 2, the last day to register
is Monday, Feb. 24 according to
Georgia law, which states registration
must be completed at least 28 days
prior to the election. Voters must also
be citizens of the United States, a
legal resident of their county and 18
years old at the time of the election.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger said this week that the
Presidential Preference Primary will
be the first time voters statewide use
Georgia’s new secure paper-ballot
system.
“The secure paper-ballot system is
in place to provide voters assurance
their ballots are secure. Georgians
need to do their part by registering,”
Raffensperger said. “We have made
registering easy and convenient,
which is why the number of Georgia
voters is soaring.”
There are reportedly more than 7.2
million registered voters in Georgia,
and just last year, more than 460,000
people registered to vote with 78
percent opting for automatic renewal
through the Department of Driver
Services.
Raffensperger encouraged all
Georgians to check their voter
registration information to make
sure they are registered on the My
Voter Page website (www.mvp.sos.
ga.gov). If information is inaccurate
or if a person is not yet registered,
they may update their info or register
online at registertovote.sos.ga.gov.
Those who prefer to register in
person may do so at county election
offices, state agencies that provide
food stamps, Medicaid and mental
health services, military recruiting
centers and public libraries. The
Burke County Board of Elections
Office, located on the first floor of
the old courthouse in Waynesboro,
is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Faveme Sello, who serves as the
executive director, says she and staff
will also provide demonstrations on
the new voting system.
Voters in the Presidential
Preference Primary will chose their
party affiliation prior to voting.
Incumbent President Donald J.
Trump will appear on the Republican
ballot while a dozen candidates for
the Democratic party are listed on that
ballot, including Michael Bennett,
Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg,
Pete Buttigieg, John Delaney, Tulsi
Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Deval
Patrick, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer,
Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Young.
A special election question will
also be on the ballot asking Burke
residents if they want to continue a
1 percent T-SPFOST tax that will be
used for transportation projects and
programs for 10 years.
330 US HWY. 25 NORTH, WAYNESBORO - 706-554-2114 - www.mizellford.com