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The Houston Home Journal
OUR 109TH YEAR NO. 65 PHONE 987-1823
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This dazzling photograph of Old Glory shim
mering in the reflecting sun was taken Christ
mas Day afternoon. The giant flag flies over
Barney A. Smith’s Perry Ford Co. at the in
tersection of interstate 75 and the Marshallville
Holidays Mean Bad
Checks Start Bouncing
Bad checks -- the
businessman’s thorn in
the side.
Bad checks are a
problem that almost all
businessmen encounter
at one time or another.
However, the holiday
season brings about an
immediate rise in the
number of bad check
cases in Houston county.
When a merchant sends
a check to the bank and it
is determined to be
“bad”, bank officers may
elect to pay it. Two local
banks will overdraw an
account only if prior
arrangements have been
made.
On any bad check, local
banks at the present
charge $6 to the check
writer whether the check
is paid or not. If it is not
paid, it is stamped “no
account” or “insufficient
funds” and is returned to
the source.
A merchant then has
the option of sending the
check writer a letter
notifying him of his
returned check. A
warrant for the arrest of
Sun Glitters On Old Glory
the writer may also be
taken out with the Justice
of the Peace.
Misconceptions
Not all checks are
“criminally bad” checks.
A “criminally bad’ check
is one that is given for
“present exchange of
goods or services.” (This
means merchandise or
services received at the
very same time the check
is given.)
For example, a person
buys a S3O pair of shoes
and the salesman allows
him to charge it. The
following month the
customer comes to the
store and writes a S3O
check for that month-old
account and it bounces.
The shoe salesman
cannot prosecute the
customer in criminal
court because the check
was for a previous debt.
The court often has to
throw out bad check
cases because the checks
were not given in a
present exchange of
goods or services. These
dismissals cause a loss of
The People In Georgia’s Heartland Since 1870
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GA., 310A9 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1979
Road. The flag is 3 to 4 times the size of a normal
flag. Barney Smith says the flag is being flown
now to show support of the American hostages in
Iran. (Photo by Frank Russo)
time and money to the
person attempting to
prosecute the bad check,
as well as to the court.
A check that is post
dated or held for later
payment is also not
considered a “criminally
bad” check, and thus
cannot be prosecuted in
criminal court.
Under a 1978 law,
however, a bad check
given for rent, whether it
be old rent or new rent,
can be prosecuted in
court.
State court handles
most bad check cases.
The purpose of criminal
court is not to recover
money, but to punish.
In a criminal case, it is
up to the judge whether
or not the amount of the
bad check is to be paid.
The judge may include
payment of the check as
part of his punishment
along with a fine, or he
may not.
Punishment
After a warrant for
arrest is taken on a bad
check writer, arraign
ment is held for the
writer, who may plead
guilty or not guilty.
Should the writer plead
guilty, the case is
disposed of at that time.
If a plea of not guilty is
entered, the case will be
held in State Court the
following court date.
The court can sentence
a person who has plead
guilty to or one who has
been convicted of
violating the Criminal
Code of Georgia Section
26-1704, in one or more of
several ways.
They include: (a) being
ordered to pay the
amount of the check; (b)
being fined up to $1000;
(c) being jailed for up to
12 months; or (d) being
sent to a public works
camp or a penitentiary
for up to 12 months.
These punishments can
be inflicted with each
case of bad check writing
that has been charged. If
three counts of bad check
writing are charged, the
writer might receive up
to 3 years in jail, and so
forth.
Complete Text On 6-B
Grand Jury Probes
Mobile Home Tax
The July Term of the
Houston County Grand
Jury, which convened on
July 2, and released its
findings on Dec. 20,
considered 125 criminal
cases, issued 120 in
dictments, five no bills,
and had a lot to say about
how the county is being
operated.
The report states that
the first item the grand
jury discussed with
County Commission
Chairman J. Frank
Rozar was the fact that
half of the estimated 4,000
mobile homes in the
county are not currently
recorded on the tax
digest.
The report notes that
the county hired a new
employee on Nov. 26 to
locate all mobile homes
in the county, and to
furnish the make, size
and location of these
mobile homes to Tax
Commissioner Joyce
Griffin.
According to the grand
jury findings, the new
employee is working out
of the building inspector’s
office, and will report his
progress to the tax
commissioner every day,
and to county com
missioners every two
weeks.
The grand jury ap
parently differed with
commissioners as to who
the mobile home in
spector should work for, a
point that was made in
the following ob
servation: ‘‘The grand
jury recommends that
the new employee hired
for registration of mobile
homes be assigned to tax
commissioner’s office
and work directly for the
tax commissioner.”
For a detailed sum
mary of the grand Jury’s
findings, see page $-B in
this issue of The Home
Journal.
The grand jury report
states that the county
water department is
paying for itself at this
point, and that a $1
million expansion
program will begin Jan.
1, in the upper end of the
county. There are no
plans for expansion in the
lower end of the county at
this time, according to
the report.
The grand jurors
warned that a problem
appears to be developing
in sections of the county
due to drilling of deep
wells for farm irrigation,
which could be depleting
the water level in these
areas. The report states
that an investigation of
this problem may be
required sometime in the
future.
According to the grand
jury report, the only
responsibility county
commissioners have
concerning food stamps
is to pay for the issuance,
which amounts to about
$19,000 per year. At this
time, the issuance of food
stamps is handled by the
U.S. Post Offices in Perry
and Warner Robins, but
the report states that
commissioners have
explored the idea of the
Department of Family
and Children Services
handling the issuance of
food stamps. The report
states that com
missioners will work with
the agency’s new director
to try to find a solution to
the problem.
In other observations,
the grand jury recom
mended that:
+ Board members of
Fly The Flag
Through the courtesy of The First National
Bank of Houston County, area residents and
all businesses can express their support for
the American citizens being held hostage in
Iran.
On page 8-A (the back page of this section)
you will find a full page American flag to
display in the window of your business,
school, church or home. Simply tear off the
page and display your flag.
James Stubbs, president, and Gary Bishop,
executive vice president, of The First
National Bank, stated the bank is proud to
make this silent protest available to show
support in a patriotic way. They also stated
that this small gesture should remind all
Americans how fortunate we are to live in a
free country.
Georgia Power Shells
Out $73,190 In Taxes
The Georgia Power
Company, this week,
presented to Houston
County, Tax Com
missioner, the City of
Perry, and the City of
Warner Robins, checks
totaling $73,190.55 for the
utility’s local property
taxes in 1979.
Os the total, Houston
County received
$60,667.90; the City of
Perry $7,642.99, and the
City of Warner Robins
$4,879.66.
In presenting the tax
payments, Bobby An
derson, Local Manager -
15 CENTS TWO SECTIONS 22 PAGES
the DFCS should review,
on a monthly basis,
bookkeeping procedures
to ensure compliance
with internal, regional
and state guidelines.
-1- Local represen
tatives and legislators
should address them
selves to the apparent
time lag at state levels
pertaining to welfare
fraud cases which result
in unnecessary delays in
the prosecution of such
cases. Further,
recommend that through
local newspapers and
public service programs,
individual citizens be
encouraged to report any
knowledge of possible
fraud cases to the proper
authorities.
Perry, said this was part
of approximately
$38,000,000 in property
taxes that will be paid by
the company for the year
1979 to state, municipal,
and county governments
throughout Georgia.
Earlier in the year,
municipal partnership
tax payments totalling
more than 25.3 million
were made by the
Georgia Power Company
to the 430 cities, towns
and communities with
which its partnership
franchise agreement was
4- The agency should
prepare and forward to
county commissioners an
alternative plan for
distribution of food
stamps at existing offices
of the DFCS, which would
result in a savings in
expenditues to the
county.
4- A feasibility study
should be made between
the DFCS and com
missioners as to the
possible savings of im
proved services which
would result in combining
the agency’s facilities in
Perry and Warner Robins
at one central location.
4- Manpower
requirements for
libraries should be
studied again by the
county library board and
consideration be given to
hiring more full-time
employees or by hiring
more senior citizens to
work at the libraries.
4- Every effort should
be made to provide ad
ditional space for the
Centerville Library with
consideration given to the
problem of restroom
facilities, together with
the limited manning of
the library.
4- The board of
education should set up
an inventory with
identification of tools,
equipment and parts at
maintenance shops for
school buses, and study
the feasibility of a repair
facility for Warner
Robins.
4- Commissioners
should make a feasibility
study into the need of a
paid coordinator for the
six county fire depart
ments.
4- A truck equipped
with a back lift should be
purchased to transport
voting machines to and
from precincts.
in effect. Under this
agreement, the company
paid each municipality in
which it operates a
percentage of its gross
revenue derived from the
sale of electricity for
residential, commercial
and industrial uses.
These municipal part
nership tax payments
were in addition to
property taxes.
The company's total
tax expense for 1979,
including federal, state,
county, and municipal
taxes, will exceed
$207,000,000 million.