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PAGE 12A
-Reporter
The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. - Psalm 33:5
July 6, 2011
The Public Record
Seven seek M Davis’ city judge job
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Three weeks after the resigna
tion of Forsyth Municipal Court
judge Jeff Davis, seven candi
dates have submitted applica
tions to replace
Davis.
The candidates
include Middle
Georgia attorneys
Dustin Buttigieg,
Benson Ham, Chuck
Lanford, Kristi
Lovelace, Scott
Mayfield and Jay
Patterson.
Monroe County Probate Judge
Karen Pitman was named a city
court judge June 21, less than a
week after she was appointed as
the first appearance judge.
Pitman has also expressed inter
est in becoming Davis' perma
nent replacement, according to
city clerk Janice Hall.
Four of the candidates,
Buttigieg, Lanford, Lovelace and
Patterson appeared at a city
council work session June 21 to
confirm to city council members
their interest in serving as the
city judge. Lovelace has served
as the city court solicitor for
nine years.
However, city clerk Janice Hall
said the candidates were not
invited to attend the work ses
sion by the city, and that council
opted not to make a hiring deci
sion Tuesday because all seven
candidates were not present,
since the other three did not
know to come. Hall said the four
candidates who came to the
meeting must have seen the city
judge position was going to be
discussed on the city council
agenda and decided
to attend.
Forsyth mayor
Tye Howard said it
is nice to see so
many candidates
interested in serv
ing the city.
Hall said the
council will likely
vote to approve multiple city
judges, so that someone will be
available to fill in when another
judge is unavailable. She said
the city does not want to be left
in a situation where there is not
a judge available when a situa
tion such as an unexpected res
ignation like Davis' occurs.
Hall said she expects council to
decide on which person or per
sons to hire soon.
Davis, who is the Monroe
County Magistrate Judge,
resigned June 5 after he was
arrested in Bibb County for driv
ing under the influence. Davis
resigned from the Municipal
Court position because he han
dles DUI cases in that capacity.
He later pled guilty to DUI on
June 10 and was sentenced to 40
hours of community service, an
$800 fine and a day in jail.
One of the candidates,
Buttigieg, served as Davis' attor
ney in the DUI case. Buttigieg
told council members he was
seeking the position with Davis'
approval.
He said of the conversation
with Davis: "It was kind of like
asking if I could date his ex-girl-
friend."
In other council news:
Local citizen William Calloway
told council members on June 7
that he was angry that a baby
shower was allowed at Alderman
Hall after the city said activities
at the facility had been suspend
ed. Calloway said it was his
neighbor's granddaughter that
was having the shower. Banks
said there is only one more party
that has not yet taken place that
was already scheduled before
council banned further usage of
the facility on May 3. Banks said
the city has not taken any addi
tional bookings since the deci
sion was made. Banks said to
Calloway: "That could have been
your party that we had canceled,
and if you didn't have any other
place to go, you would have been
upset with us." Calloway denied
the council members made any
mention that previously sched
uled bookings would still take
place after the move to suspend
activity at the building.
"It was kind of like asking if I
could date his ex-girlfriend."
- Attorney Dustin Buttigieg, on asking his client
Judge Jeff Davis about applying for his city job.
Local volunteers help fight So. Ga. wildfires
Culloden Volunteer Fire
Department (VFD) members
delivered 104 cases of water
donated by the volunteers in
Culloden and Walmart of Forsyth
to the fire relief efforts in
Waycross/Okefenokee Swamp
area. Additional supplies of water,
aspirin, bug spray, chips, t-shirts,
socks and material collected by
the Forsyth-Monroe County of
Commerce were also delivered.
Additional monies collected by the
chamber were forwarded to the
ICP in Waycross prior to the
delivery.
Culloden VFD members, Sam
Bennett, Margie Campbell, Randy
Inglett and Bennett Norris made
the delivery and were greeted by
Jenny Lynn Bruner with Georgia
Forestry. Jenny Lynn is from the
Monroe County Forestry Unit
assigned to the team of firefire-
fighters assembled from 48 differ
ent states to extinguish this mas
sive fire.
Norris said he’s proud to say the
fire is under control as of Friday
and teams are mopping up the
final stages.
The Monroe County group
toured the command center and
met some of the team members
and Norris said the coordination
of state, federal, local and out-of-
state teams is remarkable. There
are many teams assembled to pro
tect the firemen on the line,
access the fires and their
progress, coordinate the opera
tions, keep up with the teams and
location of equipment, planning
teams for the next day, finance
teams to get supplies, information
teams, mapping teams and many
more. It was an educational expe
rience for all the volunteers who
attended, said Norris.
The group also got a tour of
some of the burn locations, one of
which was the Honey Prairie
Complex fire location. Norris said
the damage was amazing, includ
ing a burned area that had
crossed a fifty foot wide railroad
track, and four lanes of
Jacksonville Highway separated
by a median. This was a distance
of about 350 yards the fire
jumped to ignite the opposite side
of the road. Norris said it was a
scene that reminded us of the
power of God and His forces that
man cannot control.
The team in Waycross asked
that donations be directed to local
volunteer fire departments to pro
tect local communities. They
expressed great appreciation to
the volunteer fire departments in
that area and said without their
initial attacks on the fire it would
have been a larger disaster.
Contact your local fire depart
ment for more information on how
to donate to your community’s fire
and emergency protection.
Norris said the trip was an eye
opener as to what could happen in
any given area in our community.
“Within minutes our homes, our
life or way of life could be changed
just as the recent tornado
changed many lives in our com
munities,” said Norris. “We, in
Monroe County have many bless
ings for which to be thankful.”
From left, Margie Camp
bell, Sam Bennett,
Randy Inglett, Jenny
Lynn Bruner, Bennett
Norris and Rudy Even-
son helped the firefight
ers battling wildfires in
South Georgia.
Attention Walmart
shoplifters
On July 20, a Warner
Robins woman ran out of
Walmart after setting off
the door alarms and got
into a vehicle to flee the
scene. According to the
incident report, Officer
C.J. Czerniejewski pulled
the vehicle over and asked
the driver if she had taken
anything from Walmart
that they had not paid for.
The driver said that she
had not but was not sure
about the other two pas
sengers. Czerniejewski
asked the passengers if
they had. The suspect
asked if she would be
arrested to which
Czerniejewski responded
he could not promise any
thing. The suspect then
revealed a computer com
ponent and case that she
had stolen. Czerniejewski
asked if there was any
thing else in the vehicle
and they all stated no and
gave permission to search.
Czerniejewski searched
the car and found a black
purse in the trunk that
the suspect claimed. In the
purse was a cook spoon
with write residue on it, a
small knife and two nee
dles. The suspect was
arrested for possession of
methanphetamine, posses
sion of drug related objects
and shoplifting. The two
stolen items were returned
to Walmart security.
Incidents
Jogger finds
stolen purse
On June 28 a Monroe
County man was out exer
cising when he saw a
purse in a ditch alongside
Hwy. 42 in Blount, called
the Sheriff’s Office, then
retrieved the purse from
the ditch.
Dep. Miller took custody
of the purse and found a
valid Georgia driver’s
license, several credit
cards, a Cannon digital
camera, an Amazon Kindle
Book Pad, make up and
two wallets. The purse
belonged to an Albany
woman who said that her
purse had been stolen at
Indian Springs State Park
on Mother’s Day.
Mailbox vandals
strike again
Several mailboxes
appeared to have been
beaten with a bat or pipe
after a
Bunn
Road
resident
reported
that
their
mailbox
had been
hit on
June 28
just
after
mid
night.
According to the incident
report, the resident stated
that their daughter’s mail
box had also been dam
aged. Dep. Beck then
spoke to another com
plainant on Montpelier
Road who said that their
mailbox was also damaged
just after midnight. Beck
discovered five more mail
boxes on Montpelier road
and one on Hwy. 41 that
were damaged. This is the
second time in a month
that the incident has been
reported on Bunn Road.
Road rage, or
motorist machete?
On June 21, a 911 caller
stated that a man had
held up a machete towards
him in a threatening man
ner while passing the
weigh station on 1-75 SB .
According to the incident
reports, Sgt. Grindstaff
responded to the call and
witnessed the car change
This mailbox on Montpelier Road was one of sev
eral that appear to have been pounded by a base
ball bat. (Photo/Laura Corley)
over two lanes from the
left to the center lane
erratically in heavy traffic
without a blinker and exit
ed at 187.
Grindstaff pulled the car
over on Russellville Pkwy
beside the Waffle House
and was assisted by Dep.
Copelan. After stopping,
Grindstaff noticed the
driver leaning forward as
if he was placing some
thing underneath the seat.
Grindstaff ordered the
man from the vehicle and
the man responded with
intimidating comments.
Grindstaff noticed in plain
view a machete and
advised the driver that
they received a 911 call
that he had held the
machete up in a threaten
ing manner towards
another driver. The man
admitted to brandishing
the knife only after the
complainant allegedly
threw something at his
vehicle.
Dep. Copelan asked the
man where he was going
and he stated This Little
Piggy Barbeque and
admitted to missing the
restaurant’s exit.
Grindstaff smelled a
strong perfume odor and
noticed the man had a
slurred speech with unbal
anced behavior. When
asked to blow into the
Alco-sensor the man
admitted that he had been
drinking.
After failing several
sobriety tests, the Juliette
man was then placed
under arrest and charged
with aggressive driving,
open container and DUI.
Before his car was towed a
pint of vodka was found
beneath the seats. He was
then transported to the
Monroe County Jail.
Six Bags
over Georgia?
A 23 year old Florida
man was pulled over on
June 29 after Dep. Leggett
noticed the dark tint of the
vehicle he was driving.
The driver did not have a
license but gave Leggett
his ID card. Leggett then
asked where they were
coming from to which the
man responded “Georgia”.
Leggett told the man he
was in Georgia and asked
specifically where they
were coming from. The
driver responded that he
and his girlfriend drove to
Atlanta to go to Six Flags.
According to the incident
report, Leggett thought it
was odd that they would
drive 10-12 hours to go to
Six Flags when there are
multiple amusement parks
in Florida. The driver
seemed nervous so Leggett
asked if he had any drugs
or contraband in the vehi
cle, to which he responded
that he did not. Leggett
was granted permission to
search the vehicle and
found a small bag of mari
juana and a glass marijua
na pipe. The man was
arrested for possession of
marijuana and driving
while license suspended or
revoked.
Stolen ice cream
truck found on
High Falls Road
A Mayfield Dairy Farms
delivery truck containing
approximately $12,000 to
$14,000 worth of ice cream
was stolen from the
Mayfield office off Hwy 36
in Jackson on June 21 and
later found on High Falls
Road.
The truck was equipped
with a tracking device and
its last signal was from
Sutton Road. Sgt. Todd
Haskins of the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office
checked Sutton Road, but
the truck was nowhere to
be found.
More signals were
received from the truck on
1-75 and High Falls Road.
Haskins found the truck
off of High Falls Road
parked on the southbound
side at the top of the exit
ramp.
Sgt. Brad Christensen of
the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office processed
the truck for fingerprints,
but none were identifiable.
Some of the ice cream
had been stolen from the
truck.
Mayfield manager Brian
Aucoin was advised to
report the theft to the
Butts County Sheriff’s
Office.