Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6A
^Reporter
October 22, 2014
In Memory
James Arthur Padgett Jr.
Oct. 25, 1933-Oct. 17,2014
James Arthur Padgett Jr. of Jackson passed away
Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at Spalding Regional Medical
Center. He was born on Oct. 25, 1933 in Pacolat,
S.C. to the late James Arthur Padgett Sr. and the
late Mary Ethel Perry Padgett. He is preceded in
death by a step-daughter, Lisa Owenby.
James is survived by his wife, Pamela Welch
Padgett; daughter and son-in-law, April and Greg
Clinton; step-children, Tim Turner, Steven
Cawthon, Melissa Bryant; grandchildren, Elizabeth
Clinton, Devin Jones, Timothy Gerald Turner Jr.,
Brandon Bryant, Dylan Bryant, Cody Bryant,
Chase Cawthon, Whitney Tidwell, Abby Cawthon,
Tyler Cawthon, Devon Owenby, Justin Owenby,
Caleb Owenby; great-grandchildren, Nathan Jones,
Madison Jones; brother, Albert Thomas "Tiny"
Padgett; several nieces and nephews
Funeral services for James Padgett were conduct
ed Monday, Oct. 20, at Rock Springs Chapel with
Dr. Benny Tate officiating. Interment followed at
Rock Springs Church Cemetery.
Those who wish may sign the online guest registry
at www.sherrell-westburyfh.com. Sherrell-Westbury
Funeral Home, 212 East College Street, Jackson, is
serving the Padgett family.
Margaret Arnold Watson
Margaret Arnold Watson, 93, of Macon went home
to be with her Lord on Saturday evening, Oct. 18,
2014. Services will be held at Hart’s at the Cupola
on Peake Road in Macon on Tuesday at 2 _
p.m. Visitation with the family will be
held at 1 p.m. at Hart’s at the Cupola
until the time of service. Burial will
be at Memory Hill Cemetery in
Milledgeville. The Rev. Alan Benson
will officiate.
Mrs. Watson was a member of the
Riverside United Methodist Church, the
Civic Women’s Club and an Administrative
Assistant for the Methodist Home for Children and
Youth. She was married to J. Marion Watson
(deceased) for 53 years. They had three children,
Charles R. Watson (deceased), Nancy (John)
Fleckenstein, and John Marion Watson Jr.; two
grandchildren, John (Hannah) Fleckenstein IV and
Jessica (Brandon) Starr and five great grandchil
dren.
In lieu of flowers we request that a donation be
made to the Methodist Children’s Home, 304 Pierce
Ave. Macon, GA 31204.
Please visit www.monroecountymemorialchapel.
com to express tributes. Monroe County Memorial
Chapel and Hart’s at the Cupola have charge of
arrangements.
Prison
continued from the front
from Croy as she signed
her plea agreement,
Showman said to her: "I
just want you to know
you devastated our fami
ly with my mother's
death."
Croy, who was driving
a 1996 Oldsmobile
Bravada, was accused of
being under the influ
ence on Jan. 25 when
she ran a stop light at
the intersection of
Patrol Road and Lee
Street and struck a 2003
Honda CRV driven by
McKinney. McKinney
never regained con
sciousness after the
wreck and eventually
succumbed to injuries
suffered in the crash,
including a broken neck,
on Feb. 11. McKinney's
dachshund, Tucker, was
also killed in the wreck.
Showman said she
refused to forgive Croy
for her actions and said
if it was up to her Croy
would serve the maxi
mum 15 years in jail.
Showman said she
believed her mother,
who still lived alone,
would have had many
years left to live. She
requested a no-contact
clause preventing con
tact between her family
and Croy to be included
as part of Croy's sen
tence.
Croy did not speak
during court other than
to acknowledge her will
ingness to plea.
However, Croy's attor
ney Dante Hudson said
she has privately
expressed regret to him
about the incident.
Hudson said, "She's
been very contrite. . .
When we met, she
would ask if I had spo
ken with the
(McKinney) family, how
they're doing. . . But she
wanted you (Showman)
to know that she has
been very concerned
about the impact that
she's had on your fami
ly."
Croy was not tested for
alcohol at the scene, but
Forsyth police used
Croy's medical records
as a means of determin
ing whether she was
under the influence.
Forsyth police officer
Derek Bray, who
responded to the scene,
noted in his report that
there was a 12-pack of
broken Budweiser bot
tles on the passenger
side of Croy's vehicle
that spilled into the car.
Bray smelled alcohol on
Croy, but did not know
whether it was from the
wreck or from her
breath. Bray asked Croy
to submit to a blood
alcohol test at Macon's
Medical Center Navicent
Health. However, she
refused to submit to the
test, and Bray did not
believe he had probable
cause to charge her with
DUI at the time.
Monroe County
District Attorney
Richard Milam and
Assistant District
Attorney Mark Daniel
each credited Forsyth
Police Department Inv.
Alexander Daniels with
helping to compile
enough evidence to con
vict Croy. Daniels inter
viewed numerous
Medical Center employ
ees, who said Croy was
intoxicated when she
was brought to the facil
ity. Mark Daniel said
Georgia Bureau of
Investigation crime lab
investigators also
believed Croy was legal
ly drunk at the time of
the wreck.
Daniel requested that
Towaliga Superior Court
Judge William Fears
require Croy undergo a
drug/alcohol rehabilita
tion program while in
prison and during her
probationary period
after she is released.
"It's obvious she's got a
drinking problem
because this was in day
light hours," Daniel
said.
Hudson said Croy
plans to make herself
available for any rehab
program she can enter.
Showman told Croy she
hopes she enters rehab
on her own volition and
not just because it will
be required.
"Alcoholics have to do
it themselves,"
Showman said. "They
can't be controlled. You
have to do it yourself. I
cannot forgive you. I can
never forgive you for the
devastation that you
have caused us."
Showman then light
ened her stance some
what: "I can't say I'll
never (forgive)," she
said. "I'll pray about it.
But in this moment in
time, I can't."
Hudson declined com
ment other than to say
he thought the plea
agreement was a fair
one for his client.
Croy was also arrested
less than two months
after the wreck on
March 15 at the
Walmart in Commerce
for shoplifting make-up
and Goody's headache
powder. She was subse
quently transferred to
the Monroe County Jail
on March 28.
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LASTS AND LASTS AND LASTS. 8
Heaven
continued from the front
state law required him
to set a bond since nei
ther party had been
indicted by a grand jury
within 90 days of their
arrests, which came
soon after Heaven's
death on May 20.
Thursday's bond hear
ing in the
Monroe
County
Justice
Center shed
some new
details on
the tragic
case.
Hendrickson
had moved
from Rome,
Ga. to
Forsyth in
May, taking
up residence
with
Buckner at
374
Brookwood
Drive with
her 5-year-
old daughter
Heaven.
First
responders
were dis
patched to the home
around 9 a.m. after a 9-
1-1 call reported that
Heaven was unrespon
sive. They immediately
started CPR. The child
was taken to the Monroe
County Hospital’s
Emergency Room and
was pronounced dead a
short time later. An
autopsy at the GBI
crime lab determined
she died of blunt force
trauma to the abdomen.
At Thursday's hearing,
GBI special agent
Charles Woodall testi
fied that the autopsy
also showed Woods had
previously broken ribs,
broken her left upper
arm and numerous
bruises new and old
throughout, indicating a
history of
abuse. He
said that
when he first
questioned
the mother,
Hendrickson,
she claimed
that Heaven
had been in
Rome until
being
dropped off
around 11
p.m. the
night before,
and then
began feeling
sick.
Hendrickson
later admit
ted that was
a lie and that
Heaven had
been there for
days, said
Woodall.
Meanwhile,
a neighbor by the last
name Lucear told
Woodall she saw
Buckner outside striking
Heaven in the abdomen
with his knee and elbow
the day before she died.
Woodall said he
opposed bond for the two
defendants on concerns
they would intimidate
witnesses or flee. He
Amanda Hendrick
son’s attorney asked
Judge William Fears
to set bond saying
she needs psycholog
ical help after having
her new baby and not
being able to hold it.
noted that Heaven's
teacher in Rome had
reported bruises to
DFACS, but those cases
had never led to
charges.
Hendrickson's attor
ney, Pam Bettis, said
her client should get
bond in part because she
had recently delivered
the baby thought to
belong to her and
Buckner. Bettis said her
client wasn't even
allowed to hold it before
being taken back to jail.
Thus she was having
psychological issues for
which she needs treat
ment, said Bettis. She
noted that Hendrickson
didn't run away from
the scene when her
daughter was dying like
Buckner did, and that
she in fact turned her
self in.
But Buckner's attor
ney, Rusty Knox, called
two witnesses to support
bond for his client.
Latasha Lowe of
Forsyth testified that
Buckner was a good
daddy to the child they
had together, Mary
Persons junior Kendrell
Taylor. She said he
attended his sports
events. "If he can be
there," she said, "he was
there." She did concede
that he doesn't pay child
support, noting she has
a husband now who sup
ports them.
Buckner's uncle,
Dwayne Buckner, testi
fied that Buckner had
lived in Forsyth all his
life and that he didn't
consider his nephew a
flight risk. Asked if he
was willing to pledge his
home to get his nephew
out of jail on bond,
Buckner said, "That
would depend on my
wife," drawing laughter
from the audience.
Fears said that since
the defendants had not
been indicted within 90
days, he was bound by
state law to set bond,
but put it at $1 million.
Assistant district
attorney Mark Daniel
said he is still waiting
for all the evidence back
from the GBI crime lab
before taking the cases
to the grand jury.
District attorney
Richard Milam told the
Reporter that two
Monroe County cases
from the past five
months, the deaths of 5-
year-old Heaven Woods
and of sheriffs deputy
Michael Norris, are the
two biggest cases he's
worked in 40 years of
practicing law.
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