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Page 2— Wednesday, February 23, 2022, The True Citizen
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Things heated up as Acting Mayor Chick Jones and Councilman Maurice McBride de
bated on whether Chundra Hendrix should continue to speak during Monday’s meeting.
Mother’s concern
sparks debate
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Chundra Hendrix, the
mother who alleges that a
stranger attempted to kidnap
her 7-year-old child while
officers arrested her husband
for disorderly conduct, is not
backing down.
During a well-attended
meeting Monday, Chundra
approached the Waynesboro
City Council demanding an
swers and criticizing the way
the city handled the investi
gation. Acting Mayor Chick
Jones read an official apology
before Chundra was informed
she was allowed to speak for
three minutes.
“This is a council chamber,
not a court room and no case
will be tried here,” Jones said
at the end of the apology. “The
Internal Affairs report has been
sent to the District Attorney’s
office for review and as soon
as we receive their findings and
opinions, the governing body
will take appropriate actions if
warranted.”
Chundra stated that she and
her husband, Sam Hendrix,
originally asked the council to
terminate Waynesboro Police
Department officers, Gregg
Stroud and Ronald Bartlett.
They also asked that the WPD
arrest the stranger who at
tempted to take their child.
Lastly, the couple requested
that city representatives apolo
gize to the youth.
“Those requests were not
met,” she said. “We have re
quested from the beginning
that the (Georgia Bureau of
Investigation) be called in.”
Accusing the panel of not
engaging in due diligence,
she asked the members if they
had viewed the body cam
footage or read the Internal
Affairs report. Well over the
3-minute time limit, Jones at
tempted to end the discussion.
Councilman Maurice McBride
disagreed and argued that the
council should attempt to ad
dress some of the mother’s
concerns.
When Chundra asked why
officer Stroud did not receive
any consequences for his in
volvement in the incident,
McBride pointed to Chief
Burley for an explanation.
Burley was cut short however
when Chundra interrupted,
asking him if he had read the
Internal Affairs report. Before
he responded, Jones stopped
the conversation again.
“This is over,” he said and
later added “The point is, we
heard you, you were allowed to
speak, we thank you for your
time, we thank you for your
effort, we thank you for your
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patience.”
McBride reiterated that more
conversation should take place.
Things got a little heated as
Jones continued to state several
times that the city council was
finished hearing the matter,
while McBride continued to
insist that more conversation
should take place.
“You can speak for you,
Chick,” McBride said. “I want
to hear what’s going on.”
Councilman Bill Tinley
spoke up and pointed to the
District Attorney’s involve
ment as an outside agency.
“They will look at the situ
ation, look at the facts, look
at the data and give us the
information we need and the
information that she needs,”
he said.
Jones tapped his gavel and
stated that Chundra was “out
of order” after she continued
to speak.
The Hendrix couple hied a
formal complaint earlier in the
day against Investigator Ange
la Collins, Chief Willie Burley
and Officers Daniel Rodriquez,
Gregg Stroud and Ronald
Bartlett. In the complaint, the
couple alleges that there are
discrepancies between what
body cam footage shows and
reports written by Collins.
As a result of a departmental
investigation into the incident
that occurred at El Cheapo
gas station Jan. 22, Bartlett
received an 8-day suspension
and six months of probation.
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Meet Burke County’s
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Pvt. Courtney Newman - Burke County EMfl Office Captain Francis Bowman - Burke County EMA Office
Hospital transitions
to “Burke Health”
A mobile cardiac catheter
ization lab made its way from
Indiana, down Liberty Street,
and to the Burke Medical Cen
ter over the weekend, marking
the first of several advance
ments to come over the next
few months.
Once complete, the cath lab
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cedures to diagnose and treat
cardiac disease. The unit is
equipped with state-of-the-art
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emergency department.
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one of a long-term plan to
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Over the next month, Burke
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Burke Health, as the facility
strives to become a center of
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cardiovascular care.
Pvt. Courtney Newman began working
for Buifce County Eniergency
Management Agency in January 2021.
Bath initial firefighter and medic Uahog
were received from Burke County EMA.
Pvt. Tfewman is a slate-certified firefighter
and Advanced Emergency Medfeaf
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shift 1 at Buifce County EMA
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Pvt. Newman lives in Augusta with wife.
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When not workng, Pvt Newman eryoys
coaching baseball at Pinehlll Mcdc-
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Pvt. Newmanl
Caplain Francis Bowman began his
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received h ; initial firefighter and medic
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Bowman is staboned at Burke County
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Captain Bowman lives m Augusta with
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also a United Stales Coast Guard
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Burke County and our country Captain
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