Newspaper Page Text
/ “
f The Houston Home f
Journal
Local pawn
shops file
with police
By ROB COLLINS
Staff Writer
A recent city ordinance has all
second-hand dealers in Perry filing
weekly reports with the Perry Po
lice Department.
Designed to help police recover
stolen property, the measure has
been in effect two months. Accord
ing to pawnbroker Ray Whitney,
“the system is working.”
Second-hand dealers must de
scribe all items bought or sold on a
form filed with the police depart
ment once a week.
Police detective Lou Dekmar
said the system “sends a message”
to thieves that “there’s a good like
lihood they’ll be caught.”
Through the pawn shops and
other sources, detectives “generally
recover several (items) a week,”
Dekmar said. But the value of the
items recovered varies widely.
In March of this year. Perry po
lice recovered $32,701 worth of
stolen merchandise, according to
Dekmar. In April, the value of re
covered goods amounted to only
$1,150.
Pawn shops still “take a few hot
items unknowingly,” Whitney said.
But the new ordinance has probably
reduced the amount of stolen goods
taken to the shops.
“I think a lot of stuff is being
sold on the street that we used to
get,” Whitney said.
Ironically, every recovery by the
police means a business loss for
the dealer. But according to Whit
ney, “it doesn’t upset us. If we gel
something we think is hot, we’ll
call the police.”
The courts “normally” order
restitution to the pawnbroker when
a stolen item is recovered, Whitney
said. But the restitution is “very
hard to collect, and it very seldom
gets back to us.”
Rain slows
Agricenter
By ROB COLLINS
Staff Writer
Nine days of rain in August
have slowed work on the muddy
Agricentcr construction site, but
engineer Jerry Horton was still able
to report several areas of progress.
Flaws in the concrete in two
buildings, a persistent headache for
Agricentcr officials, should be re
solved within the next few months,
Horton said. Problems with the
sheep and swine barn should be
corrected in October, while concrete
in the Reaves Show Arena should
be fixed by November.
The concrete problems “are not
hindering progress” on the build
ings, according to Horton.
Panels for the Reaves Arena are
now being manufactured on site,
under the roof of the sheep and
swine bam, he said.
All three of the center’s giant
livestock barns “should be com
pleted possibly by mid-November,”
Horton said.
He added that piping in the
Agricenter’s two artificial lakes
will be installed in three or four
days, once the site is “dried out”
from this week’s rain.
Plans commence
for Farm-Gity Day
By ROB COLLINS
Staff Writer
Much remains to be done before
the 10th Annual Perry Farm-City
Day gets underway bright and early
on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Farm-City Day begins with an
early pancake breakfast at the Agri
culture Building on Carroll Street.
“I usually come over here at 4 a.m.
and get the coffee on,” says David
Mills, a Farm-City Day veteran.
Breakfast is usually ready to serve
at 6 a.m.
Organized each year by the Perry
Kiwanis Club, the dawn-to-dusk
Farm City Day includes a parade,
arts and crafts show and tennis
tournament. According to last
year’s count, Farm-City Day drew
participation from more than 33
other organizations in 1987.
Bill Hafley has organized five
previous Farm-City Day parades.
I . PERRYI GEORGIAN Hf WSPAPEB SINCE 1 CQVERAOE OF YOUR EyRHm ' I
Bustin' up a still
i*-. *7’
f .. Ibß[ fe J|B
- wllu'
■ MfV Mi
■% *
v ■ 9HKL’ jlmf( t
' jHhh! *W ialSjl
v "''7 '• rv ; ", ■. ’-"-/- J^\' v ; ,,\ ■ : p*--* t i'"‘-' ■.; ” ilMi ||||
II ■ll #u > i wm*'- v.y#%' & IkIHhH 111
Law enforcement officials from Houston and Dooly Counties found and destroyed a still off
Whitfield Road. Top: Captain Terry Joiner of the Houston County Sheriff's Department explains how
the still was used to make moonshine to Billy Norton of the Game and Fish Department and Jeff
West, investigator with the Dooly County Sheriff's Department. Middle Left: Capt. Joiner inspects the
galvanized pipes joined to the cooker. The remnants of a fire are found below the drum. Middle left:
Joiner's cuts from an ax allow water to run back Into the stream. Bottom: Joiner swings the ax to bust
one of the wooden barrels. Buckets are believed to have been used to bring supplies to the still. No
arrests have been made. Story on P-1.
Coordinating the church groups,
clubs, float builders, marching
bands and other participants is an
enormous job, he says.
This year that responsibility
falls on a father-son team, Donnie
and Scott Free.
Planning is “running a little be
hind this year” because of
“procrastination,” Scott Free said.
But organizers will meet Tuesday
evening to get things moving
again.
According to Donnie Free, this
year’s events will include a “Fun
Run” sponsored by the Exchange
Club, a Lions Club fair, an auc
tion, a chicken barbeque, and even a
petting zoo conducted by the Future
Farmers of America.
Live entertainment has not been
set yet, but “mostly local” musi
cians, square-dancing and clogging
Continued on Page 6A
jSSßiiynfr i*fj Ik } \ W
|BRKIMS»2Bfs&. " ’qkjfin Tfi^auy
- Ay y» '‘^^JiSii
I ’■■ 9Bk nKsP'
I \
i \ \
fci* •*% tS
® ■ 11 1 y y \
*- «-^
■*» \
JF
ft* BUSINESS
y AWARD "
Perry’s cleanest business
Dot Thompson, manager of Food Plus convenience store
on Sam Nunn Boulevard, earned the quarterly Clean Busi
ness Award from the Perry Clean Community Commission
Friday. Pictured above are Commission members James
Passmore and BUI Hafley with Thompson and Commission
member Susan Berry.
Second front
News & features about Perry & South Houston County
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1986 -
More drugs
in county
than on 1-75
By SUSANNAH THOMAS
Staff Writer
More of the drug cases at the
district attorney's office involve
Houston county residents than ar
rests made on the highway, accord
ing to assistant district attorney
Shelley Howard.
But the cases involve smaller
amounts, she said.
"On the interstate, they're just
mules. Inside the county, they're
our neighbors. That's how they
make their living," she said.
City and county arrests deal
more with crack, while interstate
cases arc primarily cocaine, she
said. "Crack is the drug of choice.
"All the agencies are aware of
the problem, and they do a good job
of picking people up for drugs," she
said.
The Perry area's drugs are "very
undercover," Howard added.
Two of the most frustrating
parts of drug cases is the fact that
they can be out on bond from the
jail and sell again, and the depart
ment of pardons and paroles, she
said.
Occasionally, a person is kept in
jail until the report from the crime
lab returns, which can be up to six
months later, Howard said. "If every
crack dealer in town was in jail, it
would be very different"
The amount of the drug and pu
rity, determined by the crime lab, is
crucial to the case, she said. From
28 to 200 grams and more than 10
percent pure cocaine carries a
mandatory sentence of 10 years and
a fine of SIOO,OOO. Amounts over
400 grams receives at least a 25
year term and $500,000 fine im
posed, she said.
Even for the latter amount, pa
role can be granted in two years,
Howard said.
"Pardon and paroles is the prob
lem," Howard said. "We pul them
in jail, and they let them out." Ac
knowledging that the prisons are
over crowded, Howard surmised the
pardon and parole board "looks at
drug people as less dangerous. They
don't look at it as a violent crime."
Plea bargaining, where the de
fendant is able to plead guilty to a
lesser charge, is used by her office
mostly because of the case load,
she said. "It's impossible to get
them all through the court system.
It's belter to try a local person in
our area and try to gel the maxi
mum," she said.
However, if a jury is instructed
by the judge to consider lesser
charges, the verdict can be on one
of those rather than the original in
dictment
Case in point; Elizabeth
Williams was arrested with two
other people in a car on 1-75. She
was not the driver, Howard said.
The driver consented to have the
vehicle searched and a paper bag
with a kilo of cocaine, 88 percent
Buckle up, or risk a fine
according to a new law
The new seal bell in the state of
Georgia is now on the books and in
effect
Sergeant Jesse Smith of the
Georgia Slate Patrol office in Perry
expects the majority of people to
comply with the law, he said.
A driver cannot be stopped for
failure to buckle, but can receive a
citation for that offense if slopped
for any of eight violations. They
are; driving under the influence,
speeding, racing, failure to give in
formation or render aid, reckless
driving, homicide by a vehicle, se
rious injury with a vehicle while
DUI, and/or eluding a police officer.
The driver can be fined up to
sls, he said, for passengers in the
front seal that are not using a scat
restraint.
A separate law exists concerning
child restraints, Smith said. Under
the age of four years, the child
should be a car seat, and over, use a
seat belt.
The GSP has predicted 25 deaths
II
On the interstate, they're just
mules. Inside the county,
they're our neighbors. That's
how they make their living.
All the agencies are aware
of the problem, and they do
a good job of picking people
up for drugs.-Assistant
District Attorney Shelley
Howard.
II
p\y{
1 1 i
>TI
H. Fox and Shelley Howard
...review a drug case
pure, was found under the seal, she
said. The bag was marked " This is
Liz's purse,” Howard said.
The first trial in June ended with
a hung jury, 11 to one for a guilty
verdict for trafficking. In the second
trial last week, the jury "knocked it
down" to possession, Howard said.
The maximum sentence is 15 years,
she said.
Howard finds drug cases "fun" to
try, from an attorney's standpoint,
she said, because of the motions to
suppress hearing, the voluntariness
of consent to search, and issues of
constitutionality can arise.
The sheriffs new drug squad
should increase the number of
cases, she said. "If we had 500 peo
ple picking up drug dealers, I
imagine we would find people."
The cars, and sometimes the
houses, of the dealers can be
confiscated, and sold to produce
revenue for the county. "We've
hustled up some money for the
county," she said.
The fines, though stiff, are not
always paid, she said. "We can't
keep them in jail until they pay,"
she said.
Regardless of the seriousness of
the case, Howard carries her trade
mark into the courtroom to work
on while the jury deliberates:
needlepoint.
over the Labor Day holiday, a press
release staled, but hopes because of
the new law, the number of fatali
ties will be lower.
Last year, fatalities were one
more than the 23 predicted, it
staled. In at least 18, failure to wear
a safety belt was "instrumental" in
the deaths, the release staled.
Two-lane state and county roads
claimed 17 of the victims last year.
Governor Joe Frank Harris has
proclaimed the Labor Day weekend
the "Bee a Buckler" weekend.
Bee a Buckler night has been
scheduled by the Atlanta Braves for
Sept. 2. Dale Murphy, one of the
spokesmen for seat belt safety, will
receive a certificate of appreciation
for his contributions.
Billboards totalling 200 will be
erected statewide featuring GSP
Trooper Sergeant Wayne Starley of
Post 47 in Hapeville.
"I think it will do more good
than harm," Sergeant Smith said of
seat belts.
3A