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Vol. 141, No. 16 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - $1.00
Former Deputy files injunction, asks for lead testing
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
A former Burke County
Deputy is asking the court
to require the Sheriff’s De
partment to offer free lead
contamination testing to em
ployees and members of the
public who were exposed to
the building in the last 12
months.
Former Deputy James Hol-
lingsworth hied a complaint
May 26 for damages and
emergency preliminary in
junction in the Superior Court
of Burke County.
Flollingsworth worked as
a police officer from 2011 to
2020. Fie suffered a gunshot
wound while on duty in 2013.
According to official court
documents, due to risks as
sociated with removing bullet
fragments, doctors elected
to leave them in place until
September 2019.
In 2014, Hollingsworth
returned to work with med
ic al-related restrictions. He
became a firearms instructor
after Sheriff Alfonzo Wil
liams opened the fire range
full time in 2017. According
to the complaint, the shooting
range is used by employees,
by the public for firearms
classes and is cleaned by
incarcerated trustees.
Hollingsworth alleges that
in 2019 he began to experi
ence hair loss and joint pain.
Doctors removed the bullet
from his body after tests
showed positive levels of lead
contamination. After the sur
gery, his lead level decreased,
but Hollingsworth claims that
once he returned to work in
2020, the lead level increased.
Tests eliminated his home as
a potential source.
According to the court
documents, Hollingsworth
tested his workplace with a
home lead kit and discov
ered the presence of lead at
the Burke County Sheriff’s
Office. He notified County
Manager Merv Waldrop about
the issue.
At the request of the Sher
iff’s Department, ventilation
system evaluations performed
by Alternative Construction
Environmental Solutions
(ACES) on April 1,2020, and
April 10,2020, show that the
bring range’s system was not
functioning as designed at
the time. A belt on
the exhaust fan was SEE
found to be worn LEAD,
and was replaced. 7
James Hollingsworth
District Attorney Jared Williams announced that, for the first time, his department will be implementing a violent crimes and
gangs division.
Speakers address gun violence
WPD Chief wants
more patrol officers
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Gun Violence Awareness
Day began June 4 with Act
ing Mayor James Chick Jones
proclaiming the day as an
official observance.
Approximately 60 people
gathered in front of the Burke
County Judicial Center, most
dressed in orange or wearing
orange ribbons, as a symbol
of the value of human life.
The color is inspired by the
use of the color by hunters.
“We are talking about il
legal guns,” Co-organizer
Kenya Crumbley said to the
crowd. “We are not trying
to take away anyone’s gun
rights, it’s just illegal guns.
Let them be in the hands of
responsible owners.”
Jones addressed youth gun
violence and urged members
to connect with area children
to make a difference.
“I asked that from this day
forward, somebody get a
child, teach them something,
guide them in the right direc
tion, and hopefully you will
make a difference,” he said.
Jones noted that Georgia
rates ninth in gun violence in
the country. He said Waynes
boro reported 47 firearm
incidents in 2019.
State Court Judge Jackson
Cox spoke about violence as
sociated with road rage.
“People are resorting to
violence on the roads now,”
he said and added that Atlanta
has reported 30 road rage-
related shootings already this
year.
“That should convince
anybody there is a severe
problem.”
Cox attributed the increased
violence
to a lack SEE
of respect GUN VIOLENCE
for human
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
After requesting to hire
an assistant chief during
city council's May meeting,
Waynesboro Police Chief
James “Willie” Burley re
scinded his requested during
Monday’s public safety com
mittee meeting.
Last month, Burley ad
dressed council behind closed
doors to make the request,
which ultimately landed on
the public safety agenda, but
when acting mayor James
“Chick” Jones asked the chief
to explain his department’s
needs, Burley said he’d like
to table his initial request and
look at adding more patrol
officers to the city’s law en
forcement.
“We really want to stay
in these hot areas,” he said,
describing how officers have
been patrolling more prob
lematic parts of the city and
continuing to have a larger
presence. He was especially
proud of the past weekend
where an already short staff
was working around officers
being out sick and major
events in Waynesboro. “We
got it done,” he said, com
mending the command staff
and investigators who “hit the
road” to help fill in. “We need
more help on the road than
anything else.”
Council member Alberta
Anderson questioned Burley’s
decision, stating that there
was money in the budget to
hire an assistant chief and that
it could be discussed more
in-depth at the next finance
commit
tee meet
ing. She
cited the
remain
ing mon
ey that is
currently
budget
ed for an
assistant
chief,
some of
which covered the salary of
a six-week consultant, as
well as a now vacant major
position. She also pointed out
that there would be vacancies
when the dispatchers posi
tions are eliminated that could
go toward employing more
patrol officers.
“With all due respect, I
would like to hold off and
revisit this,” Burley said, “I
am not against it, just not at
this point in time. We just need
more on patrol.”
Jones asked Burley if he had
checked with the academy to
try recruiting new officers to
which he responded that Rich
mond County is getting most
of them. “They’re looking at
pay,” he said.
Burley also reported that the
WPD would undergo a mock
re-certification in the coming
weeks, ensuring council they
would be ready for it.
Anderson added that she
had visited the police depart
ment recently and was im
pressed by the impact Lewis
Blanchard, who temporarily
served as the city’s consul
tant for re-certification, had.
“Everything is in such good
working order,” she said.
James “Willie”
Burley
Midville Woman seeks help in assisting kids locally and around the world
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Bettye Jackson, 78, once
gave up her living and dining
rooms to set up bedrooms for
children who needed homes.
Today, she continues to
spend her time thinking of
ways to make a difference in
children’s lives.
“I know I am older now
and no one knows how long
they have on earth,” she said.
“But I am going to keep my
thinking cap on and keep
trying to do things, so that
the kids in Burke County and
the surrounding counties, will
have the opportunity through
me, to explore or to see things
that they would not have had
the opportunity to do with
their families.”
That charitable nature
extends outside of Burke
County boundaries.
Last summer Jackson was
introduced to Hephzibah
resident Olive Harrison, a
native of Africa. She attended
a fund raiser in Atlanta with
Harrison in support of the
Bwanali-Chipole Victory
Foundation.
The Foundation provides
nutritious meals, shelter,
education and healthcare to
Malawi children orphaned
by the HIV/AIDS epidemic
with the financial support of
donors and by cooperating
and collaborating with local
authorities, non-governmental
organizations and volunteers,
according to its website.
Its mission is to empower,
inform, inspire and educate
the children of Malawi to
make life decisions that
eliminate the spread of the
virus within the community.
Locally, clothing and
non-perishable bagged food
staples are gathered and
shipped to Malawi twice a
year. Traveling by semi-truck
and ship, it takes about three
months for the clothing to
reach the country once it
leaves the area.
“After I went to the banquet
and I met people from
Africa who are a part of this
nonprofit organization, I got
really, really, really excited,”
Jackson said and pointed out
that she felt inspired to get
involved.
Last November, Jackson
assisted Harrison in
shipping out
approximately
20 barrels JACKSON,
of women’s, 6
Bettye Jackson
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