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Vol. 142, No. 12 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, May 11,2022 - $1.00
Man wanted for armed robbery arrested in Midville
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Sgt. Eric McCants conducted pro
active patrol in the city of Midville
April 15 when he noticed 26-year-
old Emoni Taylor wasn’t wearing
his seatbelt.
McCants stopped Taylor on High
way 56 South at Highway 17. As he
approached Taylor’s vehicle, Mc
Cants noticed the smell of marijuana.
“I made contact with Mr. Taylor
and before I could introduce myself,
he informed me that he had a mari
juana blunt inside of the cup holder,”
the official incident report reads. “I
asked Mr. Taylor for his license and
he went to retrieve it from his center
console.”
When Taylor lifted the top of the
center console, McCants noticed
a Clock 19 firearm and magazine
loaded with 28 rounds. An inquiry
through the Georgia Crime Informa
tion Center indicated Taylor had a
positive warrant for robbery through
the Rock Hill, South Carolina police
department. The firearm was also
checked through GCIC and came
back with no record.
According to an incident report
with the Rock Hill Police Depart
ment, Taylor is wanted in connection
to an April 12 incident in which of
ficers were flagged down by a couple
who stated they had been robbed by
an unknown male after he asked for
assistance in lighting a cigarette. The
robber pulled out a black pistol and
demanded the keys to the couple’s
vehicle. He then tossed the keys
in the road and entered the vehicle
through the rear driver’s side door
and pointed the firearm at one of
the victim’s head. The couple sur
rendered a wallet containing $2,000
in cash, a cell phone and a purse
containing identification, credit cards
and $3,000 in cash. The suspect
exited the vehicle through the rear
driver’s side door and left on foot.
McCants arrested Taylor on the
outstanding warrant.
Emoni Taylor
Finding themselves with a day of no medical appointments, the Southard family visited JJ’s favorite place,
the Memphis Zoo.
WHEN LIFE
IS AN
UPHILL BATTLE
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The family of a Burke County
teenager needs assistance obtain
ing a costly all-terrain wheel
chair.
Patty and Steve Southard raise
their 16-year-old grandson, JJ
James. They officially live about
6 miles south of Waynesboro
however, they spend a lot of time
at St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital in Memphis.
JJ has fought his share of
health issues. He was bom with
cerebral palsy, as a suspected
result of suffering a stroke before
he was born. He developed
brain cancer at the age of
four, and has been a regular
at St. Jude’s ever since.
“He did well after treat
ment,” Patty said. “And
then about two years ago,
we discovered that he had
some tumors in his spine.”
Due to the malignant tu
mors, he began to lose use
of his legs.
“He also has a large one
in his pelvis,” Patty said.
During the
six years, after SEE
treatment for JAMES,
the brain can- g A
JJ James in St. Jude Children’s Hos
pital April 29.
Task Force dissolves after
Head of nonprofit passes
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Waynesboro’s Homeless Task
Force members decided to dissolve
the nonprofit entity after Chairperson
Lottie Higgins died April 2.
A couple of months prior, the Task
Force asked the city to gift them a
donated house located on Herman
Lodge Road, according to Secretary
Lea Gerlach. During a public hear
ing, the council members decided to
investigate the feasibility of giving
it to the nonprofit.
However, the city SEE
decided it was not TASK FORCE,
in their best interest Q *
Lottie Higgins
Municipal Court Judge Duff Ayers swore in Midville’s new police chief,
Clayton Green, during the May 3 council meeting.
Midville hires new police chief
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Twenty-nine-year-old Clayton
Green believes Midville’s police
chief position offers him a great
leadership opportunity.
“I’ve had nearly five years expe
rience managing people and I felt
those skills could be used even better
working as a chief,” he said of his
reason for applying for the position.
The difficult task of implementing
a new police department is a job that
Green said he wants to see result in a
feeling of pride for the city. He will
have a say in who the city hires for
vacant deputy positions. He has a
vision for the city’s new police de
partment that includes transparency.
“I don’t want this police depart
ment to be where problem police
officers come to work,” he said. “I
want this to be a place of respect. I
want morals. When people hear of
Midville, I want them to have some
thing good to say about the police
department.”
Community relations are also
on the top of his list. After getting
sworn in during the city’s May 3
council meeting, he listened to con
cerns citizens presented to the panel,
including parking and stray dog is
sues. Although they may seem like
small issues to some, Green pointed
out that they are important issues to
the residents. He wants them to be
involved in his job and likewise he
wants to make a difference g^
in their lives, he said.
PHIFF
Green started a career onicr
in 2011 with the Jenkins 8A
ct. -Jesse
Stone
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE
TO KEEP THE ONLY BURKE COUNTY JUDGE
ON THE BURKE COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT,
VOTE JUDGE
Jesse Stone on may 24 th