Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, September 29, 2021 — Page 7
I^FOR THE RECORD
Sheriff zeroes in on new rifles
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Office buzz circulated
amongst top county officials
last week, questioning Sheriff
Alfonzo William’s request to
purchase two Daniel Defense
.308 caliber rifles at a cost of
$6,257.
Williams suggested that
the money allocated for the
weapons could come from
the Housing Authority Safety
Grant money, funds given to
the county in exchange for
security services provided by
the BCSO.
The Housing Authority is
independent of the County
government. They give the
Sheriff’s Office funding as
part of an agreement/security
contract. The county received
$50,000 in fiscal year 2017,
2019, 2020 and 2021 as a
donation from the Housing Au
thority. Director Brent Meeks
said the agreement between
the BCSO and the Housing
Authority works out well.
“We have a contract with
the Sheriff’s Office to provide
security patrols for our housing
in Waynesboro, Sardis, Girard
and Midville,” he wrote in an
email September 22. “It is an
annual contract at $50,000
per year. The contract details
that they cover security at the
public housing areas mainly
during peak crime hours of
7-12 midnight but also patrol
daily. Also, the Sheriff’s Office
reports any incidents in the ar
eas and provides concentrated
patrols based on incidents in
the areas. K-9 is also available.
We mainly have problems with
drugs and outside visitors and
gang activity.” ‘
As far as whether weapons of
that caliber are necessary at the
properties that the Housing Au
thority manages, Meeks said
that is up to the Sheriffs Office.
There is nothing in the agree
ment that states how the BCSO
should spend the money.
Williams declined to com
ment on the weapons the
BCSO purchases, but stated
in a September 20 email, “The
bad guys have enough advan
tage over us as is, and likely
have more hre power. It should
suffice to say they will be used
to protect and serve our com
munities.”
The DELTA 5 PRO is a rela
tively new model that Daniel
Defense began offering in
September of last year. It is
steadily growing in popularity
with law enforcement agencies
across the country, said Law
Enforcement Sales Manager
Joe Marler.
“The DELTA 5 Pro is an ex
tremely accurate, factory built,
bolt-action rihe with features
that are sometimes only found
on custom-built rifles that cost
twice as much. Law enforce
ment snipers commonly use
this type of rifle in the per
formance of their duties,” he
said. “Certain features on the
DELTA 5 Pro can be tailored
to each individual, making
the rifle more comfortable
and ultimately maximizing its
potential. We also guarantee
its accuracy to be W or better
at 100 yards. Lurthermore,the
rihe has a unique barrel assem
bly that allows it to be replaced
at the agency level. It doesn’t
require custom gunsmithing
which saves a lot of time and
money.”
Major Gary Jones said the
Waynesboro PD possesses four
patrol rihes commonly known
as AR-15s.
“They are issued one-per-
shift to a qualihed officer,” he
wrote September 23. “We have
a very good policy in place for
the carrying of and deployment
of these rihes. Lastly, we have
peep iron sights in lieu of a
scope.”
Regarding Sardis or any
other small agency’s need in
possessing such rihes, Jones
kept it simple.
“One can never predict when
they will be needed,” he said.
“All law enforcement needs
to be prepared for the worst at
all times.”
BURKE COUNTY JAIL BOOKINGS
SEPT. 20-26
Karim Rashard
Fields, 42
Barnhart Drive,
Waynesboro
WPD, Sept. 23
Bench warrant-
superior court
James Alan
On ley, 45
Keys Lane,
Hephzibah
BCSO, Sept. 23
Accountability court
sanctions
Jorge Rene
Escalante-Lopez,
44
Ciairion Dr., Car
rollton
BCSO, Sept. 25
Hit and run; duty of
driver to stop at or
return to scene of
accident; failure to
maintain lane.
Brandon Lee
Govia, 26
Mears St., Martinez
BCSO, Sept. 20
Probation violation
for finger printable
charge-felony; safe
keeping Columbia
Co. SO
Shannon Marcel
Slappey, 30
East 8th St.,
Waynesboro
WPD, Sept. 26
Simple battery-family
violence
Dakota Nicole
Taylor, 17
Hephzibah-Keysviiie
Road, Keysviiie
BCSO, Sept. 23
Contempt of court
Randy Ray
Mock, 33
Pine Needle Road,
Hephzibah
BCSO, Sept. 21
Violation of a family
violence order
Joslyn Tammy
Taylor, 56
Hephzibah-Keysviiie
Road, Keysviiie
BCSO, Sept. 23
Contempt of court
Patricia Nicole
Morris, 38
Beaver Dam Road,
Sardis
BCSO, Sept. 22
Bench warrant-
misdemeanor
Timothy Albert
Williams, 18
Davis Road,
Waynesboro
WPD, Sept. 25
Failure to appear in
court as summoned
RaynardTamario
Ellison, 33
Magnolia Acres,
Waynesboro
BCSO, Sept. 21
Probation violation
for fingerprintabie
charge-felony (2
counts); terroristic
threats and acts (4
counts); violation
of a family violence
order
AGENCIES
BCSO: Burke County Sheriff’s Office;
WPD: Waynesboro Police Department;
GSP: Georgia State Patrol;
MPD: Midville Police Department;
SPD: Sardis Police Department;
DOC: Department of Corrections
DNR: Departmentof Natural Resources
DISCLAIMER NOTICE: ALL ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW
Bobby Ray
Little, 59
Rays Bridge Lane,
Waynesboro
GSP, Sylvania,
Sept. 22
Driving under the
influence (alcohol);
tight reducing mati.
affixed to window.
Quantravist
Terriyan
Brigham, 17
Bates Road,
Waynesboro
BCSO, Sept. 25
Fleeing/attempting
to elude police;
driving without
a valid license-
misdemeanor;
expired registration;
reckless driving;
failure to maintain
lane; motorcycle;
no insurance; no
helmet (motor
cycle); hands free;
speeding in excess
of maximum limits;
driving on wrong
side of roadway;
failure to stop at
stop sign
1022 N. Liberty St v Waynesboro - 706-551-0876
BURKE EMA REPORT
The Burke County Emergency Management Agency
responded to 113 patients’ calls during the week ending
Sept. 26. Of those, 77 resulted in transports, including 41
to Augusta hospitals. Twenty eight of the transports were
determined to be emergencies and 49 were non-emergent
The agency also answered 20 hre calls during the week.
They included two brush/grass hres, three hre/smoke
alarms, nine rescues, one motor vehicle accident rescue,
one vehicle hre and four unspecihed calls.
BCSO partners to
host Faith event
The Burke County Sheriff’s
Office will host a National
Laith & Blue event Saturday,
October 9,2021, from 10 a.m.
to 1p.m. The event will take
place at the Citizen’s Park
Gymnasium; located at 102
Hwy 24 South in Waynesboro
National Laith & Blue Week
end is an extension of the One
Congregation One Precinct ini
tiative (OneCOP), a program
of Movement Lorward, Inc.,
which is based in Atlanta.
The OneCOP initiative pairs
together officers at the beat or
precinct level with local houses
of worship.
“Communities are stronger
and safer when residents and
law enforcement professionals
can relate as ordinary people
with shared values, hopes and
dreams. The partners who are
a part of National Laith & Blue
Weekend believe they can hnd
ways to work together around
many commonalities instead of
being divided by differences,”
the organization said in a news
release.
The Laith & Blue was
launched to facilitate safer,
stronger, more just and uni
fied communities by directly
enabling local partnerships
among law enforcement pro
fessionals, residents, busi
nesses and community groups
through the connections of
local faith-based organizations.
The initiative aims to re
calibrate police-community
relations through solutions-
focused, in-person, socially
distanced activities that are or
ganized jointly by faith-based
or other community groups and
law enforcement agencies.
COVID funds for crop
producers open now
The Pandemic Response and
Safety (PRS) Grant Program
provides funding to help small
specialty crop producers, food
processors, manufacturers,
distributors and farmers mar
kets recover costs incurred by
responding to the COVID-19
pandemic, including for mea
sures to protect workers.
The minimum funding re
quest amount is $1,500 and
the maximum is $20,000 for
theprogram authorized and
funded under the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2021.
No cost sharing or matching
funds are required. Grants
will cover activities associated
with workplace safety, market
pivots, transportation, worker
housing and medical.
The application period
opened September 23, 2021
and closes November 8, 2021
at 11:59 p.m.
More information is avail
able at www.ams.usda.gov.
DREAMS DO
COME TRUE!
Call or email Kashon
for your professional
counseling needs.
Court mandated
classes/sessions
are also available.
Kashon Mells, LPC is a
Licensed Professional Coun
selor for the state of Georgia.
Kashon is the owner of Coun
seling with K, LLC, a mental
and behavioral health facility
in Hephzibah, GA. Kashon
provides individual, family,
couples, marriage, and group
therapy. Sessions are also
offered online (telehealth).
Kashon is a former resident
of Burke County, Georgia
where she served over 10
years at Waynesboro
Primary School as a Parapro-
fessional and departed in
2014 to continue to pursue
her career as a Therapist and
quickly promoted as Supervi
sor at a counseling agency in
Martinez, Ga. This agency
was a community based out
patient setting which allowed
her the opportunity to assist
individuals and families of all
demographic and economical
backgrounds.
Kashon believes it is impor
tant that everyone have a
safe place to express their
thoughts, feelings, and
emotions without fear of
being judged.
Cjfajufo&efajnjty [AMtJh K, J
2857 Tobacco Road STE 1, Hephzibah, GA 30815
OFFICE: (706) 814-7628
EMAIL: kmells@counselingwithk.com