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Monroe County Reporter • April 25, 2018
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More from the Community
Drunk driver crashes truck into creek on Hwy. 42 South
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
An Americus man was charged
with his fourth DUI after he
drove his truck into a creek on
Hwy. 42 South on April 10.
Terrence Mordecai Walker, 39,
was also charged with failure to
maintain lane after crashing his
truck into the creek.
According to a report, at about
12:26 a.m., Monroe County Dep.
Perry Fitzgerald went to a Hwy.
42 South home where Charles
and Amanda Garrett reported
a suspicious driver, identified
as Walker, had driven his green
1996 GMC Sierra truck into a
Hwy. 42 South creek bed. The
Garretts told Fitzgerald that
Walker had walked up their
driveway and knocked on their
door while asking for help after
being in a car wreck. The Garretts
said Walker told them he had
fallen asleep while driving, driven
into a creek bed and wanted them
to call his parents. The Garretts
said Walkers speech was slurred,
and he was having a difficult time
making coherent sentences. The
Garretts said Walker told them he
did not want an ambulance nor
for the police to be called.
Fitzgerald then met with
Walker in the Garretts’ kitchen.
Walker declined medical atten
tion, but Fitzgerald called
Monroe County EMTs to the
scene anyway. Walker passed
a field breath alcohol test, so
Fitzgerald asked Walker why
he had driven off the road,
and Walker said he had fallen
asleep at the wheel. Meanwhile,
Amanda Garrett called Walkers
father, Zeke Walker, and his
father said Terrance Walker is
addicted to Hydrocodone and
had been arrested previously
for DUI. Walker then told Cpl.
Thomas Haskins that he takes
Xanax and Suboxone daily and
had last taken Xanax about three
hours before his wreck. Walker
then refused to give a blood
sample and was taken to Macons
Medical Center Navicent Health
for treatment.
Fitzgerald later found an empty
bottle of Butalbital and a box of
Zubsolv pills inside of the truck.
He also later learned Walker had
three previous arrests for DUI.
County health claims drop in 2017
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County’s health insurance
broker lonathan Shaw of ShawHankins
told commissioners on Tuesday, April
17 that the total claim amount incurred
by participants on the county’s Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Georgia health
insurance plan decreased by more than
$5,000 per claimant in 2017.
Tammy Starkey, ShawHankins vice
president of consulting services, said the
total amount paid out in health claims
dropped from an average of $17,144
per employee in 2016 to $11,936 per
employee in 2017, a total reduction of
about 30 percent in claims or about $1.1
million.
Starkey said 71 percent of claims
were by county employees rather than
spouses or other family members on
the plan. She said 9 of the top 10 highest
claimants, who made up 49 percent of
all claims, were county employees. She
said the top four highest claimants were
all receiving cancer treatments last year
Starkey said county health plan
members also spent an average of $158
monthly on prescription drugs in 2017,
and a total of 6,587 prescriptions were
filled over the course of the year.
In other Board of Commissioners’
news:
Monroe County commissioners unan
imously approved on Tuesday, April 17
to hire Dianne Walker as a part-time
county employee to operate the county’s
Workforce Development Center four
days per week.
The request was made by District 1
commissioner Larry Evans. Under part-
time status, Walker, whose title is Work
force Center director, is not eligible to
work more than 30 hours per week and
will not be eligible for county benefits.
Anchor of Hope founder Debbie Har
bin urged Monroe County commission
ers at their Tuesday, April 17 meeting to
attend the annual festival sponsored by
her non-profit. Harbin said the festival,
which raises awareness about autism,
will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m on
Saturday at Dayspring Presbyterian
Church on Hwy. 41 South. The event
will include a 5K Trail Race and Family
Fun Run as well as crafts, kids games,
inflatables, live entertainment and food
vendors.
District 1 commissioner Larry Evans
thanked Harbin for her work on behalf
of the community: “You touch a lot of
lives.”
Monroe County commissioners
unanimously approved on Tuesday,
April 17 to adopt an updated county
dog ordinance.
County attorney Ben Vaughn urged
commissioners to make changes to
the ordinance to become in compli
ance with revised state law. Monroe
County code enforcement officer Dep.
Jeff Wilson said there have been 12 dog
bite cases within the county in the past
month alone.
District 3 commissioner John Am
brose said he still wants to make the
ordinance tougher, including requiring
dog owners to purchase pet licenses and
microchips for their dogs. However,
commissioners agreed possibly to hold
a future public hearing prior to making
any additional dog ordinance changes.
Sheriff’s office to
spend $13,250 on
younger K-9 dog
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County commissioners unani
mously approved on Tuesday, April 17 to spend
$13,250 on a new K-9 dog for the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office to replace the retiring
K-9 Nelly.
Sgt. Lawson Bittick requested commissioners
purchase the new dog to be trained and oper
ated by Sgt. Chad Beck, who has had Nelly un
der his watch since 2010. Commissioners then
selected the low bidder, South Georgia K-9, out
of three bids. South Georgia K-9, of Pinehurst,
submitted a bid of $13,250, which includes
a muzzle, leash, fur saver and collar. Other
bidders included: Kasseburg Canine Training
Center, LLC, of New Market, Ala. and Alabama
Canine LEO Training, of Northport, Ala.
Commissioners asked Bittick to use seized
funds, if available, to buy the dog. Beck would
be required to take an eight-week handler
course before the new dog goes into service.
INCIDENTS
Continued from 5D
Old Stewart Road
resident arrested
after threatening
to shoot nephew
A 62-year-old black
Forsyth man was arrested
and charged with disor
derly conduct and pos
session of a firearm by a
convicted felon after he
allegedly threatened to
shoot his nephew on April
12. At about 1:52 p.m.
on April 12, a male Old
Stewart Road resident told
Dep. Jacob Robins that his
nephew was “bugging” his
phone and disconnect
ing his landline at night
so he couldn’t make any
phone calls. The nephew,
who lives across the street,
said his uncle isn’t in his
right state of mind and
denied tampering with his
uncle’s phone. The nephew
said his uncle stays home
drinking all day and has
threatened to shoot him in
the past. The nephew said
his uncle frequently shoots
his white .22-caliber pistol
around his house. Robins
then met a second time
with the resident and spot
ted two .22-caliber spent
bullets on the ground near
his front porch. Robins
told the resident he could
not shoot his pistol inside
his home and suggested
he instead visit a range or
another safer location. The
resident then admitted to
shooting at his home and
became distraught before
agreeing not to shoot
anymore. Then, in a sepa
rate but related incident,
Robins returned to the
nephew’s home at about
2:37 p.m. that day. The
nephew said he had just
posted “No Trespassing”
signs on the trees near
the edge of his property.
The nephew said while he
was posting the signs, his
uncle began threatening
him from across the street,
saying he would “f— him
up.” The nephew said his
mother then went across
the street in an effort to
calm down the uncle,
but the uncle continued
threatening him. The
nephew said the uncle had
been behaving in this way
for some time, but he had
tried to ignore it because
his uncle is part of his
family and he wants his
uncle to get help. Robins
then met with the resident
for a third time and asked
him what had occurred
after he left the last time.
The resident said he saw
his nephew posting signs
in the yard, so he started
yelling at him that he was
going ‘f— him up.” The
resident then said he was
referring to taking legal
action instead of physi
cal violence. Robins then
arrested the resident and
took him to the Monroe
County Jail, where he was
determined to be a con
victed felon. A jail officer
found several .22-caliber
bullets in the resident’s
pocket during a search,
and they were placed
into evidence. Sgt. Jarred
Duncan later obtained
a search warrant for the
resident’s home, so that
deputies could confiscate
the resident’s gun.
Missing Whispering
Pines patient found
safe in Bass Pro
Shops parking lot
At about 7:39 p.m. on
April 13, Dep. Perry
Fitzgerald went to
Whispering Pines care
home on Hwy. 41 South
about a missing person.
A female nurse told
Fitzgerald that a male
patient, who suffers
from schizophrenia, had
walked away about three
hours earlier and had not
returned. Fitzgerald noti
fied Lt. Ricky Davis and
Bibb County deputies
about the situation. Then,
at about 10 p.m. that night,
a Bibb County deputy
spotted the missing patient
in the Bass Pro Shops
parking lot about four
miles south of Whispering
Pines. Fitzgerald and Bibb
County Dep. Edwards
tried to detain the patient,
but he resisted by lunging
and kicking at the depu
ties. The deputies were
finally able to apprehend
the patient and took him
to the Monroe County
Jail. The patient was then
taken to Macon’s Coliseum
Medical Center for a men
tal evaluation. Monroe
County Magistrate Judge
Buck Wilder decided not
to issue a warrant against
the patient for obstruc
tion because of his mental
issues.
Macon man calls
deputies after
identity stolen to
buy cell phones
At about 12:06 p.m. on
April 16, a Macon man
told Lt. Ricky Davis that
someone had opened
an AT&T account using
his name, address, social
security number and date
of birth. The man said
the suspect had bought
five new cell phones and
five wireless plans total
ing $657.99. The man said
when he received the bill,
he immediately contacted
AT&T and notified it that
the charges were fraudu
lent. An AT&T representa
tive told the man that the
suspect had presented a
Virginia state ID or driv
er’s license while opening
the account.
Kitchen appliances
reported stolen in
burglary at home
on Jackson Drive
At about 2:28 p.m.
on April 15, Dep. Jacob
Robins went to a Jackson
Drive home about a bur
glary. A male resident
said sometime between
9:30 p.m. the previous
night and 2 p.m. that day
someone entered his home
through a bedroom win
dow on the right side of
the house. Robins saw the
bottom section of the win
dow was broken from the
frame and was lying on
the floor. The resident said
his LG kitchen appliances,
including a wall-mounted
microwave, a stove and a
dishwasher were stolen.
An ice maker hose, vari
ous mops, brooms, clean
ing supplies and a trash
bag were also stolen. The
stolen items were val
ued at about $2,050. The
resident’s wife said the
interior door inside their
garage, which was found
unlocked, was left locked
the previous night.
Russellville Road
resident reports
being bitten by
roommate’s pit bull
At about 1:39 p.m. on
April 6, Dep. Christian
Sawley went to Monroe
County Hospital where
he met with a female
Russellville Road resident
who had been bitten by
her male roommate’s pit
bull. The resident said
she bent down to pick up
her flip flops from under
a table where her room
mate’s pit bull was sleep
ing when she spooked
him accidentally. The
resident said the pit bull
then jumped up and bit
her on the right side of the
face. Sawley then notified
Monroe County Animal
Control about the inci
dent.
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