Newspaper Page Text
October 8, 2008
Six arrests at ‘major
drug home’ in Forsyth
Hoops star, a bystander, complains about police
^Reporter
PAGE 7A
Six Forsyth residents face drug dealing
charges after the raid of a Janies Street
home last Wednesday.
Having investigated drug activity in the
area for several weeks, law enforcement
officers from multiple agencies executed a
search warrant of the home at 187 James
Street around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
Oct. 1.
Maj. Matt Perry of the Forsyth Police
Department said authorities found lots of
evidence of drug activity in the home and
that several suspects tried to flee when
the raid began. Officers from the Forsyth
Police Department, the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office and the joint narcotics
drug task force found drugs like ecstasy,
marijuana and crack cocaine inside. They
also found scales and baggies used for
drug distribution, said Perry, and some of
the crack cocaine had just been cooked.
Perry said the home was a major drug
outlet in Forsyth, and said it will not be
the last home authorities investigate for
drug activity in the coming days.
Perry said several suspects fled the
scene but were quickly apprehended.
Those charged were: Quentin Johnson,
26, of 187 James Street, Forsyth, sale of
cocaine, manufacturing marijuana; Martin
Johnson, 18, of 201 James Street, sale of
cocaine, manufacturing marijuana; Terry
Bernard Cook, 24, 187 James Street, sale
of cocaine, sale of marijuana; Ernest
Tyrone Buckner, 24, 187 James Street,
sale of cocaine, sale of marijuana; in addi
tion, two women were charged with cruel
ty to children: Latoya Johnson, 27, 1001
W. Main Street, Apt. 48, and Nikki
Buckner, 19, 187 James Street.
Perry said there were about 11 people at
the home at the time of the raid, including
Mary Persons basketball star Terrence
“Tub” Shannon, who signed a letter of
intent to play at Florida State last week.
The home belongs to Shannon’s grand
mother. All those at the home were taken
to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for
questioning. Shannon was not charged but
his mother has filed a harassment com
plaint against Perry and Forsyth police
Sgt. Shaun Knight. Perry said city investi
gator Dennis Piper of the Forsyth Police
Department is handling the internal
investigation into activities at the scene.
By law, those complaints are not public
record until the investigation is complete.
Perry said he’s eager to get the facts out.
Mayor Tye Howard said he’s glad city
police are raiding drug houses and hopes
it will continue. He said he wants drugs
out of the city and joked with Sheriff John
Cary Bittick that he’d prefer all the drug
pushers move out into the county. He said
he has heard about the complaint and
said the issue will be reviewed. He said
some concerned citizens wanted to meet
with him Friday but he was out of town.
The mayor said some people will always
be upset about law enforcement. He said
he hopes residents will be vigilant and
report suspicious drug activity.
Cobb
continued from the front page
a deer and that when she
realized she had killed
someone, she panicked and
left the scene.
After interviewing Cobb,
investigators decided that
she would be charged with
homicide by vehicle in the
first degree, failure to
report an accident with
damage or death and fail
ure to stop and render aid.
- VOTE -
SONYA WILLIAMS
MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
DISTRICT FOUR
Selman-Willis said she
would face no charges if
she hadn't left the scene.
Cobb, who is pregnant
with her sixth child, was
released on a $25,000
bond, with the condition
that she wear an ankle
locator and stay at home.
Chapman had left her
home on Higgins Mill Road
in the early morning hours
on Sept. 28, and walked to
1-75 in an apparent
attempt to get a ride after
a domestic disturbance at
her home.
Chapman was a waitress
at Shoney’s in Forsyth.
People familiar with the
situation said they think
they know why Chapman
would leave the home that
late. They said she had a
stormy relationship with
her boyfriend.
Please Re-Elect
Judge
Jeff Davis
Chief Magistrate Judge • November 4, 2008
Judge Jeff Davis has served Monroe County as Chief Magistrate
Judge for the past four years. If the people of Monroe County once
again entrust him with that office, he plans to continue actions
that have improved the office during Iris time as judge.
Your Magistrate Court is all about service and justice-not
promises and politics. Judge Davis has served Monroe County
with fairness, impartiality, and with adherence to the high
standards of conduct for judges. Judges cannot be
swayed by partisan interests, public clamor or fear of
criticism. Judge Davis has followed the rules set forth
by the law and will continue to keep that integrity in
the law to better serve the people of
Monroe County.
Judge Davis has over fifteen years of federal, state
and local law enforcement experience and
continues to receive training from the National
Judicial College, the Institute of Continuing
Judicial Education of Georgia, Columbus State
University, and The International Police Chief s
Command College Professional Management
Program. Judge Davis is also a veteran of the United
States Marine Corps, serving during Operation Desert
Storm and believes in the Marine Corps motto of
“Semper Fidelis", meaning “Always Faithful”.
For the past three years he has been on the Executive
Committee of the Georgia Council of Magistrate
Court Judges, serving as a member at large for the
first year and as the Sixth Judicial District Represen
tative of the
Executive Committee for the past two years. This
year Judge Davis received the “Work Horse of the Year” award
from the Magistrate Court Council. Most recently Chief Justice Leah
Ward Sears, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, has
appointed Judge Davis to a statewide judiciary committee on
information technology in the Georgia Courts.
So let's keep Judge Jeff Davis as our Chief Magistrate Judge.
Got a news tip?
email news@mymcr.net or call 994-2358
Perry B. Wells, M.D.
Board
Certified
"Specializing in Women's Health"
•Annual Exams • Surgery • Menopause
Health • Urinary Incontinence
• Hormone Management
100 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
(Next to the Hospital)
478-994-5909
NOTICE OF PROPERTY
TAX INCREASE
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners has
tentatively adopted a millage rate which will require
an increase in property taxes by .73 percent.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public
hearings on this tax increase to be held at the County
Administration Building, 38 West Main Street,
Forsyth, Georgia on October 16,2008 at 11:00 AM and
at 6:00 PM. The adoption of the final millage rate will
be made immediately following the close of the 6:00
PM hearing.
NOTICE
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the Monroe County
Board of Commissioners Administration Building; 38 West Main Street, Forsyth, Georgia on October 16, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. and pursuant to the
requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the
history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
CURRENT 2008 TAX DIGEST AND 5 Y
EAR HISTORY OF LEVY
UNINCORPORATED
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
926,773,726
1,537,518,341
1,598,706,235
1,849,382,514
1,103,197,224
1,438,795,941
Motor Vehicles
59,321,613
56,392,700
56,415,000
56,132,940
64,336,360
69,251,150
Mobile Homes
5,450,115
9,262,254
8,188,439
7,480,669
7,136,277
6,685,461
Timber -100%
2,795,223
5,317,340
4,451,186
8,089,799
4,921,038
2,676,367
Heavy Duty Equipment
0
0
0
726,426
849,051
5,361,074
Gross Digest
994,340,677
1,608,490,635
1,667,760,860
1,921,812,348
1,180,439,950
1,522,769,993
Less M& O Exemptions
96,455,962
100,735,056
106,722,268
112,394,249
117,851,346
213,532,931
Net M & O Digest
897,884,715
1,507,755,579
1,561,038,592
1,809,418,099
1,062,588,604
1,309,237,062
Gross M&O Millage
11.690
10.900
12.560
12.460
13.730
14.286
Less Rollbacks
2.590
1.800
1.360
1.260
2.530
4.786
Net M&O Millage
9.100
9.100
11.200
11.200
11.200
9.500
Net Taxes Levied
$8,170,751
$13,720,576
$17,483,632
$20,265,483
$11,900,992
$12,437,752
INCORPORATED
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Real & Personal
81,827,334
83,146,508
86,240,217
89,643,947
91,700,479
102,251,100
Motor Vehicles
8,964,448
8,560,670
7,868,900
7,116,600
7,306,010
8,009,580
Mobile Homes
174,083
221,340
231,565
325,269
374,482
336,097
Timber -100%
0
0
0
0
0
0
Heavy Duty Equipment
0
0
0
0
50,305
0
Gross Digest
90,965,865
91,928,518
94,340,682
97,085,816
99,431,276
110,596,777
Less M& O Exemptions
11,755,654
12,068,583
14,126,239
14,792,060
14,548,649
14,260,578
Net M&O Digest
$79,210,211
$79,859,935
$80,214,443
$82,293,756
$84,882,627
$96,336,199
Gross M&O Millage
11.690
10.900
12.560
12.460
13.730
14.286
Less Rollbacks
2.590
1.800
1.360
1.260
2.530
4.786
Net M&O Millage
9.100
9.100
11.200
11.200
11.200
9.500
Net Taxes Levied
$720,813
$726,725
$898,402
$921,690
$950,685
$915,194
TOTAL COUNTY
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Total County Value
977,094,926
1,587,615,514
1,641,253,035
1,891,711,855
1,147,471,231
1,405,573,261
Total County Taxes Levied
$8,891,564
$14,447,301
$18,382,034
$21,187,173
$12,851,678
$13,352,946
Net Taxes $ Increase
$154,334
$5,555,737
$3,934,733
$2,805,139
-$8,335,495
$501,268
Net Taxes % Increase
1.76%
62.50%
27.24%
15.26%
-39.34%
3.90%