Newspaper Page Text
MIDWEEK
EDITION
250
Perry & Houston County's
official Legal Organ
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16,1992
.‘"t 1 . '' j' %; ;*• - » « 1 ' * % 4j,; tT I
Busted!
Police arrest two,
seize $36,000
worth of marijuana
By J.J. COOPER
Staff Writer
Perry police detectives confiscated
$36,000 in marijuana plants in &
drug bust in Perry Thursday morn
ing.
Coil A. Patat and Terry L. Patat,
of 611 Loguc St, Perry, were ar
rested and charged with illegal man
ufacture of marijuana. They were
being held on $5,000 bond.
"For Perry I would estimate it
would be a relatively large opera
tion," chief detective Jim Hardy
said.
Police seized 28 marijuana plants
and the assorted paraphernalia that
is used in growing marijuana.
Perry police acted on a tip from
the Georgia Bureau of
Investigations. After receiving the
GBI tip, Perry detectives began a
surveillance of the suspected area.
"We had to go out and do a rea
sonable amount of information
gathering. No matter what the
source of the tip is, you have to
verify its reliability and credibility,"
Hardy said.
Surveillance for a marijuana bust
can include checking utilities,
surveillance of the location, checks
on vehicles in the area and checking
previous criminal histories, Hardy
said.
According to Hardy, the arrests
went smoothly, with no problems.
The bust was the first marijuana
arrest since Hardy arrived in Perry,
but according to Police Chief Frank.
Simmons, the bust is part of a
growing trend.
"We're seeing marijuana coming
back," Simmons said. "We went for
a long period of not seeing mari
juana, because it was replaced by
other drugs of choice.
"We believe we are now seeing
an increase. Marijuana and LSD are
making a comeback, because crack
is so addictive," he added.
But crack is still the number one
drug problem for Perry, Hardy said.
"Crack is a larger problem be
cause it costs more and is more
prevalent. Also, it is more of a
problem because of the other crimes
it causes," Hardy said.
BOE mix-up results in re-release of test scores
by J.J. COOPER
Staff Writer
Houston County's lowa Test of
Basic Skills scores were inadver
tently released again Thursday
because of a mix-up at the Board of
Education.
Last Tuesday, acting school su
perintendent Tony Hinnant and sys
PERRY, GEORGIA'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870--FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987-1823
JV The Houston Homei
Journal
, ‘ j-’ «• Jf MSs ■-i!'?]
Hf 'W
.L- ' J ’ K J?
<-< >1 jk
jlffßaM • #
l "V"~3t '■■ I 9
■ M
Is&r
'- _ ' ' ' ■ ■ ■ ■ . l - _ /' ' 1 ; ■ •
HHJ Photo by Eric Zellars
At top are some of the 28 plants that police seized in a drug bust last Thursday. Police seized
marijuana estimated to have a street value of $36,000. The police also seized assorted parapher
nalia used In growing marijuana, such as lights and fertilizer in a bust that led to two arrests. At
bottom, police officer Craig Smith and police chief Frank Simons examine the plants at the police
station.
tern test coordinator Glenn
Hitchcock reported at the Board of
Education meeting that the ITBS
scores had not been released when
they were received in late May.
As a result, the Board of
Education released the scores in a
Thursday press release. The Daily
2 SECTIONS—2O PAGES, PLUS SALES CIRCULARS
Sun published a story on the scores
on Friday. The Houston Home
Journal printed a story on the scores
on Saturday.
But the scores had been released
in a June 11 press conference, as
former school superintendent Dr.
Harold Chapman pointed out.
"I always made sure that the press
received as much test score informa
tion as our system had available as
soon as the state released scores to
the school system," Chapman said.
"Mr. Hitchcock even* analyzed the
scores for the media, as was his
Please see MIX-UP, page 12A
PERRY, GA.
IHHHHHhbbhhbhhbih
City garbage fees
to increase by July
By ANISSA CLEMONS
Staff Writer
Perry City Manager Marion
Hay informed Perry City Council
that Houston County Commission
voted to increase tipping fees for
garbage disposal beginning in July
at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The county will increase the
tipping fee from $15.50 to $20.50.
Hay said, “We will have to add on a
fee to the residential and commer
cial garbage fees.”
No action was taken by City
Council. They will discuss the in
Leaders' hands tied
in regards to sludge
By J.J. COOPER
Staff Writer
More than 30 citizens attended
Tuesday's County Commission
meeting to express their concern
about sludge dumping in South
Houston County.
The citizens said they were
worried about the safety of the
commercial sludge that has been
dumped on property adjoining
theirs.
"We of Houston County are ap
palled that the commissioners have
allowed neighboring counties to
HHJ named county legal organ again
Houston County's three
constitutional officers have
selected The Houston Home
Journal as the county's legal
organ for the next year.
The Houston Home Journal is
the only legal organ Houston
County has ever had.
"There were a lot of good rea
sons," Probate Judge Francis
Annis said. "Basically it has been
the only legal organ of the
county. They have all of the
qualifications that the law
requires and the three con
stitutional officers saw no
reasons to change."
Sheriff suffers
light heart attack
Houston County Sheriff
Cullen Talton has been hospital
ized at the Macon medical Center
after suffering a light heart attack.
Talton is in fair condition in
the coronary center at Macon
Medical Center. He entered the
hospital Sunday after complain
ing of pains in his arm.
Talton is remaining in the
hospital while doctors continue
to run tests.
Deaths
Fannie Lunsford Hill, Perry;
Rosa Mae Davis, Perry;
Wyndell L. Taylor, Columbus.
For details, please see page
SA.
INDEX
AGRICENTER EVENTS 14A
PEGGY BLEDSOE 1B
CALENDAR 5A
CLASSIFIED 11A
JACKIE COOPER 3B
EDITORIALS 4A
ANISSA CLEMONS 4A
TIM LEWIS 1B
LEGAL NOTICES 3B
LIFESTYLE IB
GUEST COLUMN 4A
POLICE REPORT 2A
REMEMBER WHEN 4A
SPORTS 8A
BRIAN LAWSON 8A
122 NP YEAR—VOLUME 10
crease later, Hay said.
In other business:
•Council approved a stop and
go light for the corner of Sam
Nunn Boulevard and Hampton
Court. The light will be installed
between February and April, Hay
said.
•Council awarded a contract for
the purchase of a How meter for the
Wastewater Treatment Plant. It will
cost $5,300.
•Council approved a contract
with Stephenson and Palmer Engi-
Please see FEES, page 12A
dump toxic waste in Houston
County," said Jimmy Hanner, a res
ident of South Houston County.
Hanner mentioned that many of
the residents use wells that are only
30 feet deep; they are concerned
their drinking water will be
contaminated.
But the county commission has
said their hands arc tied, since the
dumping is regulated through a
state Environmental Protection
Division permit.
"1 believe that we're going to
Please see TIED, page 12A
"We were not going to change
it anyway, but no one else asked
for it," Clerk of the Superior
Court Carolyn Sullivan said.
Annis, Sullivan and High
Sheriff Cullen Talton meet every
December to determine who will
be the legal organ for the next
year.
"We arc pleased that the
constitutional officers of Houston
County continue to have faith in
The Houston Home Journal to
publish this county’s legal
notices in an accurate and timely
fashion," said Jim Kcrcc, editor
and general manager of The
Houston Home Journal.
Perry police
car stolen,
wrecked
By ANISSA CLEMONS
Staff Writer
David and Nancy White got
more than a mystery Friday night
while watching Perry Mason as
they were interrupted by a police car
crashing into their house.
Nancy White said she heard
loud noises outside her house about
9:45. “The sounds got closer and
closer. It fell like it was coming
into the house,” she said.
While said she followed her
husband outside to discover a police
car partly parked on her front porch.
The couple realized the person driv
ing the car wasn’t a policeman, and
White called 911.
Twenty-thrcc-ycar-old Marshall
Bunn of Warner Robins allegedly
stole the police car on Frank
Satterfield Road while Officer Bill
Hathcock was visiting relatives
according to Capt. Jim Hardy of the
Perry Police Department.
Hathcock thought he’d only be
inside his relatives’ home for a few
minutes but stayed longer, Perry
Police Chief Frank Simons said.
Hathcock left the car running while
he visited, and Bunn stole the car,
Simons said.
Bunn, whose blood alcohol
level was .27, ran into two trucks,
a boat and a house on Tucker Road.
Bunn is currently hospitalized,
and police are planning to charge
him with theft by taking a vehicle
and other traffic violations
including driving under the influ
ence Simons said.
The police chief said some
times police have to leave their cars
running, but in this case it should
Please see CAR, page 12A