Newspaper Page Text
The Houston Home Journal
. Serving The People In Georgia’s Heartland Since 1870
109TH YEAR NO. 50 PHONE 987-1823 PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GA., 31069 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1980 PRICE 20 CENTS TWO SECTIONS, 26 PAGES
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Santa Is On The Way
..These children didn’t have to bother with
writing Santa a letter this year; they were able
to tell him in person what they want for
Christmas. Santa paid a surprise visit to the
State Patrol Predicts
52 Holiday Deaths
Christmas and New
Years are routinely
described by State traffic
experts as the worst
holidays for the year for
accidents, deaths and
injuries. The big reason:
alcohol.
This year the State
Patrol says of the 52
deaths which are
predicted for the two 102
hour holiday periods
alcohol will be a major
contributing factor in
more than half of them.
“Christmas and New
Years are obviously
seasons when parties are
prevalent,” said State
Patrol Colonel Hugh
Hardison. “There is a
great risk people will
drink and drive with the
result being tragedy on
the highways.”
This year both holidays
fall on a Thursday
making for four day
weekends a week apart.
During Christmas, the
Patrol is predicting 29
deaths, 560 injuries and
more than 1700 accidents.
A week later New Years
may see 23 deaths, 412
injuries and 1142 ac
cidents occur. Both
f
holidays are 102 hours
long beginning at 6:00
p.m. Wednesday and
ending at midnight
Sunday.
In directing the state’s
750 troopers to be tough
on drinking drivers,
Colonel Hardison
said,“we know people are
going to drink during the
holidays, but they don’t
have to drive. There are
other safe modes of
transportation to and
from social gatherings. I
think the worst thing an
officer, or anyone can
face during Christmas is
the agony of telling a
family that one or more
of its members is dead or
seriously hurt because of
someone’s drinking and
driving.”
State troopers around
the state will team with
local officers to present a
unified enforcement
effort for the holidays.
Heavy concentrations
will be seen during the
early hours of the holiday
period when traffic flows
are the heaviest. In ad
dition to the drinking
driver, speeders will get
home of Jennifer White (I) and Anna White (c)
their friend Nicole Fountain (r) was glad to be
there during the fun. (Photo by Angela Martin)
priority attention. “Most
often we see alcohol in
combination with ex
Donations Sought
For Miss Ratterree
The Bill Edwards Mens
Bible Class of the First
Baptist Chruch in Perry
has started a fund raising
campaign to help on
hospital expense of Kelly
Ratterree 15, the
daughter of Sgt. W. D.
Ratterree 0 f the Perry
Police Department.
Contributions can be
made to the Bank of
Perry or the First
National Bank in Perry
until April 1.
Kelly, who is seriously
ill with hepatitus and
lupus, a disease that
deteriorates connective
tissue, has been in the
Emory University
hospital since last week.
Her mother and father
are staying in Atlanta
while she is there,
Anyone who wants to
contribute to the fund
cessive speed as the real
cause od holiday deaths,”
Colonel Hardison said.
should make his check
payable to the Kelly
Ratterree Fund and
deposit it at one of the
local banks.
Sue Fleming, of the
Bank of Perry, said
citizens response has
been strong since the
fund was extablished
Monday.
Another fund has been
established by the Perry
Police Department, and
Police Chief B E. Den
nard said anyone wishing
to contribute may take
the money to the
department. Several
contributions have been
received at City Hall,
Dennard said.
For additional in
formation about any of
the funds, contact M. M.
Cloud at 987-2876,
County Officials
Take Oath Mon.
Seventeen recently
elected county officials
were sworn into office
Monday in the Houston
County Superior Cour
troom at the Courthouse
in Perry. The new of
ficials step into office
Jan. 1.
Sworn in Superior
Court Judge Willis B.
Hunt was Clinton K.
Watson Jr., Judge of
Probate Court. Waston
swore in the other of
ficials, beginning with
Hunt. Both Hunt and
Watson currently serve in
their positions.
New officials sworn in
Monday were Daniel L.
Galpin, Coroner; Theron
Finlayson, district at
torney; Matthew Arthur,
Superintendent of
Schools; Dr. J. R. Arnall
and Billy P. Edenfield,
Board of Education
members; Houston G.
Porter, County Com
mission member and
Inge B. Wright, Justice of
the Peace.
Perry Man Gets 20 Years
By Michele Bryan
Perryan Eugene
Haslem, 47 o' Bledsoe
Farms was sentenced to
20 years in prison after
his conviction earlier this
month of raping an 85-
year-old woman on Aug.
17.
Sentenced by Houston
County Court Superior
Judge Willis B. Hunt,
Haslem will be required
to serve 16 years in
confinement and four on
probation.
Having been convicted
of incest of 1975, it was
recommended by District
Attorney Jim Hardy that
Haslem get a life sen
tence. Monday’s jury
acquitted Haslem of
burglary after
deliberating less than an
hour.
In other action, Keith
Dennis Powell, 20, of
Route 1, Lake Joy Road,
Kathleen, convicted
earlier of robbery by
intimidation of the Perry
Do-Nut Shop July 29, was
sentenced to five years in
prison. Powell will serve
three in con
finement and two on
probation, and was also
ordered by Hunt to pay
$350 in restitution and a
Face Is I). A.
Emeritus
Governor George
Busbee has appointed
Stephen Pace Jr., district
attorney for the Houston
County Judicial Circuit,
as Georgia’s District
Attorney Emeritus ef
fective Dec. 31.
Pace was defeated by
Theron Finlayson in the
August primary in his bid
for re-election to his post
in Houston Conty.
Pace’s new position will
require him to be on call
in case any district at
torney in the State needs
his assistance. Pace said
it would not be his full
time job.
.j
Matt Arthur
Other elected officials
who currently hold their
offices, but were sworn in
Monday to serve another
term, are Tommie S.
Hunt, deck of Superior
Court: Dr. Benjamin
S3OO fine.
William A. Cooper, 30,
of Warner Robins was
sentenced to 8 years in
prison after pleading
guilty to charges of ar
med robbery of the
manager of the
Barbecue King
Restaurant in Perry.
Cooper will serve five
years in confinement and
three on probation.
Cooper and two other
accomplices Ronnie
Suits, 23, of Warner
Robins and Gerald
Abridge, 26, of Perry
Chief Warns
Franksters
Perry Police Chief B.
E. Dennard issued a
warning Tuesday that
holiday pranks are not
fun for the prankster
after he is caught.
Dennard said several
areas of the city have had
recent problems with
stolen exterior Christmas
decorations and with
joyriders spinning
through yards. About five
incidents have occurred,
he said, some of them
happening on Evergreen
Street and Northside
Road.
Dennard warned that,
when the pranksters are
caught, they will be
prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law. “There
won’t be any slapping on
the wrists,”he said.
“Whether (the of
fenders) are teenagers or
adults,’’ he continued,
“they’re going to be
prosecuted.’’ He added
that the recent cases, in
his opinion, warrant
driver’s license
revocation.
“If anybody knows who
is doing this,” Dennard
said, "we’d appreciate it
if they’d come forward
and tell us.” Stealing a
Christmas wreath from a
front door, he said,
constitutes a theft.
Lowery and Glenn Heck,
Board of Education
members; Dr. V. W.
McEver and H. Alton
Tucker, County Com
mission members and
Brenda Bryant and M.T.
“Marty” Moriarty,
justices of the Peace.
Tax Commissioner
Joyce B. Griffin was also
sworn in for another
term. In introducing Mrs.
Griffin at the ceremony,
Probate Clerk Francis V.
Annis said that Mrs.
Griffin has been rated the
number one tax com
missioner in Georgia by
her fellow tax com
missioners.
Also sworn in was
Milton Beckham, who
was appointed by the
Democratic Party to
serve as a member of the
Board of Elections.
Robert A. Robbins, ap
pointed to the Board by
the Republican Party,
was not present at the
ceremony.
Sheriff Cullen Talton
were arrested and
charged with entering the
home of Douglas
Callaway in Creekside
Trailer Park on July 21
and assaulting him. All
three were charged with
firing a shotgun inside
Callaway’s home before
robbing him of an un
determined amount of
money.
Both Akridge and Suits
were sentenced to a 10-
year prison term earlier
this month.
Suits, who pleaded
guilty, will serve 6 years
in confinement and four
on probation while
Akridge will serve eight
years in confinement and
the remainder on
probation.
..The students a Tucker Elementary had their
annual Christmas candlelight lunch last week.
They ate, by candlelight, turkey and dressing
prepared in the school cafeteria or lunches they
had brought from home. Pictured are students
from Miss Ingram’s Kindergarten class.
j
was not at the ceremony
either, due to hospital
confinement following a
kidney operation last
week. Both Talton and
Robbins will be sworn in
prior to Jan, 1.
During the ceremony, a
plaque was presented to
outgoing District At
torney Stephen Pace Jr.
in appreciation for his six
years of service to
Houston County. The
plaque was signed by the
County Commissioners
on behalf of the citizens of
Houston County.
Sheriff
Collects
$8,604
The Houston County
Sheriff’s Department
expects to collect ap
proximately $8,604 for
traffic citations issued
during the month of
November,according to a
report submitted by the
department.
One hundred forty one
traffic tickets were
issued last month; of that
total, 85 were for
speeding. The patrol
division answered 575
complaints duduring
November
The department’s
Investigative Division
handled 47 cases in
November; of those, 24
were cleared and 23
remain open.
The juvenile Division
handled 120 cases last
month. Fifteen of those
cases were for criminal
damage to property; 14
were for runaways and 13
were for theft by taking.