Newspaper Page Text
February 14, 2018
Page 3A
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www.MyMCR.net/vent
Sorry BUT Monroe County
is not going to land "new"
industry/jobs with the
current people in office
and power in this two-
horse town/county, votes:
13
Attention all illegal im
migrants: free room and
board available at the
residence of'The Liberal
Queen of High Falls"Mari-
lyn Langford, votes: 12
Ok. New Finance Direc
tor position never hired,
now new assistant county
manager/finance director.
How many assistants do
we need. Do your jobs or
find someone who can.
votes: 9
Maybe your husband with
20 years experience and
a college degree needs
to learn howto conduct
himself at football games
and not yell and scream at
kids and cuss out officers
from other LE agencies
and he would get pro
moted! votes: 8
You guys really need to
run by Advance for some
blinker fluid. Seems like
most of the vehicles in the
county are out. votes: 7
Y'all had a chance to vote
new people in office but
blew it by voting the
same old crooks back in.
votes: 7
Hillary Russia Collusion
HRC. votes: 6
Now DJT wants tanks to
tear up Pennsylvania Av
enue! I now get my "news"
from the Comedy Central
channel at 11 p.m.That's
where this man's antics
belong, votes: 4
We need Marilyn Lang
ford on the Editorial page
with the other columnists.
She's a bright light in the
paper, votes: 4
Christophobes- People
that want to be Christian
but are too scared. Usually
called Atheists, votes: 4
To whoever drives the
black Chevy car that was
on Hwy. 83 this morn
ing coming from around
Culloden or Abercrombie
Road area. You almost
killed me and should
put down the cell phone
before you run another
person off the road. At
least half your car was in
my lane. Put it down and
pay attention, votes: 4
OK bring me up to speed.
Where is this "quick trip"
listed in the vent?? votes:
3
NASCAR: A season when
all able-bodied men stand
for our national anthem,
votes: 3
When the city police are
checking for parking
violations, please ask
them to ticket the vehicles
making U turns to park
on opposite side of street,
votes: 3
Sorry to hear you're not
impressed you non-patri
ot SOB. votes: 3
Impressive official portrait
of Ex-Pres Obama. Won
der why artist painted him
sitting in poison ivy bed?
votes: 3
Why should we study
CLARENCE THOMAS for
BLACK HISTORY MONTH?
votes: 2
You really think the sheriff
will pickyour OLD hus
band over his son?This
county wouldn't know
how to operate with
some fresh blood in office,
votes: 2
^Reporter
Family upset as ex-Barnesville officer who
killed Forsyth man back in law enforcement
By Walter Geiger
news@barnesville.com
When a former
Barnesville police offi
cer struck and killed
a Forsyth man and a
Barnesville man in 2014
in his speeding patrol
car, family members of
the victims were told
the officer had given up
his POST certification
and would never work
in law enforcement
again.
Four years later, that
officer, Terry Belvin, has
had his POST certifica
tion reinstated and was
sworn in last week as a
deputy for the Spalding
County sheriff’s office.
The family of at least
one of the victims is
irate.
On May 16, 2014,
Quenton Byrd, then
21, of Forsyth, and
Just.en Sullivan, 25,
of Barnesville, were
pedestrians when
then-Barnesville police
officer Terry Belvin hit
and killed them with
his police cruiser while
running in excess of 90
mph. Belvin said he had
ended a chase of a sus
pected DUI driver and
was not operating his
emergency lights. He
was southbound on Ga.
Hwy. 7 when he topped
a hill at a high rate of
speed at 1 a.m. and hit
the pedestrians, who
died instantly. They
were crossing the four-
lane near Reliable Mart
in Barnesville when
they were hit.
A Lamar County
grand jury opted not
to indict Belvin, but
family members of the
victims were told that
Belvin surrendered his
POST certification and
wouldn’t work in law
enforcement again.
So Danit.a Taylor,
the mother of the
late Just.en Sullivan,
said she was shocked
when she saw a photo
last week of Spalding
County sheriff Darrell
Dix with newly sworn
deputy Terry Belvin.
“I am overwhelmed.
I am devastated. The
district attorney [then
Richard Milam], out
of his own mouth, told
us Belvin would never
work as a peace offi
cer again. Giving up
his certification kept
him from going to jail,”
Taylor alleged.
Taylor said she and
her family drew comfort
in that assurance and
did not want anyone
else to go through what
they did.
“The district attor
ney [Milam] had a big
family meeting and
that’s what we were
told. I was there. My
kids were there. Both
families were there. My
mother was there. The
district attorney went
back on his word. This
goes against everything
they promised. It is a
slap in the face,” Taylor
continued.
Attempts to reach
Byrd’s family in Forsyth
were unsuccessful.
Belvin did leave law
enforcement for awhile
but applied for rein
statement last year,
according to POST
executive director Ken
Vance.
“He went through
the process. After two
years, you can petition
for reinstatement. He
appeared in front of a
committee. He stated
his case. The committee
votes and then the full
council votes. He was
reinstated in October of
2017,” Vance said.
The POST council con
sists of 11 various state
officers like the direc
tor of investigations for
the GBI or his or her
designee. The governor
also appoints members
who are chiefs of police,
sheriffs, city managers,
mayors, city council
members and county
commissioners.
Current district attor
ney Jonathan Adams
said that the trooper
who investigated the
fatalities testified before
the POST review board
regarding the case. The
fact that Belvin’s sur
render of his certifica
tion was voluntary and
not part of a plea agree
ment is critical, accord
ing to Adams.
“Officer Belvin did
surrender his POST
certification on Nov.
13, 2014 but I cannot
find any documentation
that he surrendered his
license in lieu of pros
ecution which would
have been the only way
to prevent him from
getting it back,” Adams
said.
Vance said POST was
also unaware of any
binding order of sur
render.
Adams said he has no
idea what Milam, his
assistants or victims
advocate told the fami
lies.
Reached by phone,
Milam recalled the case
but not the specifics
regarding the POST
certification. He said he
would be in touch with
Adams this week.
The city of
Barnesville’s insurance
company paid out a
reported $1 million to
settle a suit by the fam
ilies that sought over
$15 million in damages.
“We expect and trust
that our elected offi
cials, especially those
sworn to protect and
serve the community,
will use sound judgment
in determining who
is employed in their
ranks. We call upon
sheriff Dix to recon
Monroe County Board of Commissioners are going to hold
quarterly mobile meetings this year. These meetings will be held
in each of the Commissioners Districts. The location has not yet
been determined but when they are you will be notified ahead of
time. Should you have any questions or concerns
please feel free to contact the Commissioner’s Office at
478-994-7000 and we will be happy to assist you.
First stop for Mobile Commissioners Meetings:
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
6:00 pm
9 College Street
Culloden, GA31016
(Location of City of Culloden Council Meetings)
sider the hiring of Terry
Belvin,” Taylor said.
Adams reported that.,
while the statute of
limitations has not run
out on the original inci
dent, there is nothing
his office could present
to a new grand jury.
“While I agree this is a
terrible tragedy, unless
there is new evidence
presented, we don’t
have anything to pro
ceed on. Officer Belvin,
along with a second offi
cer, was pursuing a sus
pected DUI. The victims
were not crossing in a
crosswalk in the middle
of the night so SC-RT
believed the accident
would have occurred
at 55 mph or 95 mph,”
Adams said.
That news was of little
comfort to Taylor. Her
father, Justen Sullivan’s
grandfather, was long
time Barnesville police
officer Alonzo Taylor.
“We are reliving this
tragedy all over again.
My daddy wouldn’t
stand for this. I am glad
he is not alive to see it.
I am sure he is turning
over in his grave,” she
concluded.
Spalding County sheriff Darrell Dix, left, welcomes new
deputy Terry Belvin. Family members say they were told
Belvin wouldn't return to law enforcement after he struck
and killed two pedestrians in 2014.
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UPDATE FROM THE GOLD DOME
Week five of 2018 Legislative Session
By Rep. Robert Dickey
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov
This past weekfinished up weekfive of the
2018 Legislative Session. The pace of the ses
sion has certainly picked up and the number
of committee meetings and the amount of
legislation to study and review has intensified.
One of our most important responsibilities
is to pass a balanced budget. Over the last
few weeks we have examined the amended
FY2018 budget, which passed the House last
week. With this budget, the total appropria
tion for FY2018 (ending June 30th) is
$25.3 billion.The amended version
of the 2018 budget focuses this
new revenue on required growth in
education, healthcare and human
services, and also provides targeted
funding for key initiatives recom
mended by the House Rural Develop
ment Council (RDC) designed to spur
development and meet needs in rural
communities throughout the state.
Here are some of the highlights:
Education - $102.1 million for the Depart
ment of Education to provide for growth; An
additional $15.5 million to purchase 200 new
school buses.
Higher Education - $10.7 million for
increased participation of 4,720 students who
will enter the Dual Enrollment program; $8.1
million increased HOPE Scholarship needs.
Transportation and Infrastructure - $25.2
million in general state funds, matched with
$3.1 million in federal funds and $9.5 million
in local funds to extend runaways in 11 coun
ties to spur economic development in rural
areas.
General Government - $17.6 million to
fund "Forestland Protection Act"grant reim
bursements for our counties.
Health - $15.1 million increase for out-of-
home care growth for the rising number of
children in Georgia's foster care system, which
has doubled since 2009
In an effort to address Georgia's current opi
oid crisis, the House overwhelmingly passed
House Bill 701 .This bill will update Georgia
law by allowing our state to test candidates
for all forms of opioids during state employ
ment drug testing but would not affect those
with valid and legal opioid prescriptions.The
federal government recently added opioids
to federal drug testing laws, and HB 701
would modify state law to reflect this national
change. According to the Substance Abuse
Research Alliance, Georgia is ranked 11th
in the nation in opioid overdoses, and 68
percent of Georgia's 1,307 drug overdoses in
2015 were caused by opioids and heroin.The
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General Assembly has worked diligently in
recent years to pass measures to tackle Geor
gia's devastating opioid crisis, and HB 701 is
another piece of legislation aimed at fighting
our state's opioid epidemic.
HB 159 finally passed the Senate which up
dates Georgia's adoption laws for the first time
in almost three decades and streamline and
expedite all types of adoptions in Georgia, al
lowing thousands of children to more quickly
and efficiently find their forever families. State
Representative Bert Reeves (R-Marietta), who
authored HB 159, spent nearly two-and-a-half
years refining the bill. Its final passage
was a major victory for all of Geor
gia's current and future foster care
children, birth mothers and adop
tive parents.This legislation is one of
the first bills of the 2018 legislative
session to go to the governor's desk
for final approval, and I am proud to
see such a significant and meaningful
measure pass the General Assembly.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with sev
eral groups this week and last. I enjoyed visit
ing the large delegation from Monroe County.
You are fortunate to have very informed and
involved officials, Chamber members, and
others making sure the issues of concern for
Monroe County are heard. Magistrate Judges
and Realtors from all over the state had
meetings at the Capitol. Over 300 Girl Scouts
provided a Milk and Cookies Reception.The
Georgia Agribusiness Council with leaders
from all over the state had their annual legisla
tive breakfast with over 400 in attendance. I
am proud to be a member of this organization
which values agriculture and agribusiness, our
#1 industry in the state.
As your representative under the Gold
Dome, your thoughts and opinions are impor
tant to me, and I want to know which issues
are significant to you and your family. If you
find yourself in Atlanta during the legislative
session, please feel free to visit my Capitol
office, which is located on the second floor of
the Capitol - Room 245. You may also call my
Capitol office at 404-656-2246, or email me at
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for allowing me to
serve as your state representative. Please
keep our state and national leaders in your
prayers as we all strive to make our state and
country a better place to work, live and raise
our families.
Robert Dickey - District 140
Rep. Robert Dickey • 404-651-7737
245 State Capitol • Atlanta, GA 30334
robert.dickey@house.ga.gov
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