Newspaper Page Text
May 16, 2018
Page 6B
^Reporter
Commissioners honor Ogletree with moment of silence
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
At the request of District 1
commissioner Larry Evans,
Monroe County Commissioners
held a moment of silence near the
conclusion of its Tuesday, May 1
meeting to honor the memory of
Doris Ogletree.
Ogletree, who died on April 26,
had served as the District 1 Mon
roe County Planning & Zoning
board representative since P&Z’s
inception in 1987. Ogletree also
served for years as a Monroe
County courthouse bailiff.
Evans said of Ogletree: “She’s
just been a community person
that were going to dearly miss.”
In other Board of Commission
ers’ news:
Monroe County Commission
ers approved 4-0 on Tuesday,
May 1 a variance in agriculture
allowing a Lakeshore Drive
resident to have a 60-foot road
setback.
John Steinhaur of 327 Lake-
shore Drive, owned by Freida W.
Morris, asked commissioners to
allow him to add on to his home,
which would shorten the set
back distance below the required
70 feet from the center of the
road. No one was opposed to
Steinhaur’s request. The Mon
roe County Planning & Zoning
board previously approved Stein
haur’s request by a 3-0 vote at an
April 23 meeting.
District 4 commissioner George
Emami was absent from the May
1 meeting.
Monroe County Commission
ers approved 4-0 on Tuesday,
May 1 a conditional use variance
in agriculture allowing a Hwy. 41
South home to be used as office
space.
Robin Head asked commis
sioners to allow a 0.7-acre tract
at 2735 Hwy. 41 South, cur
rently owned by Phillip and Betty
Mock, to be used as an admin
istrative office for her company,
Head to Head, which specializes
in the sale of handbags on line
and at trade shows. Head said she
and her husband George have put
in a tentative contract to buy the
tract with the intention of stor
ing trade show inventory there
as well. No one was opposed
to Head’s request. The Monroe
County Planning & Zoning
board previously approved Head’s
request by a 3-0 vote at an April
23 meeting.
District 4 commissioner George
Emami was absent from the May
1 meeting.
Monroe County Commission
ers approved 4-0 on Tuesday,
May 1 to allow a Pioneer Trail
resident to place two additional
homes on a 4.12-acre tract.
Jean Dunbar asked commis
sioners to grant her a variance
in agriculture to build a second
home while also maintaining
a trailer at 304 Pioneer Trail, a
property owned by her mother,
Patsy J. Neurohr. Dunbar said her
mother was recently widowed,
and she wants to move her family
onto her mother’s land to care
for her. No one was opposed to
Dunbar’s request. The Monroe
County Planning & Zoning
board previously approved Dun
bar’s request by a 3-0 vote at an
April 23 meeting.
District 4 commissioner George
Emami was absent from the May
1 meeting.
INCIDENTS
Continued from 5B
Man reports niece
stole mailed check,
made it payable to
herself for $400
At about 11:32 a.m. on
May 7, a Forsyth man
told Cpl. Jake Justice that
his niece had stolen his
checks he was expecting
to receive from BB&T.
The man, who is disabled,
said his niece sometimes
stays with him and has
access to his mail. The
man said he was expected
to receive a Social Security
check in the amount of
$1,009 in early May but
said he had not received
it. The man said when he
then checked with BB&T,
he learned his niece had
made a transaction with
his check. The man said
his niece filled out one of
his checks for $400 and
made it payable to herself.
Although the man’s sig
nature was at the bottom
right of the check, the man
denied authorizing the
check. Justice planned to
meet with Monroe County
Magistrate Court Judge
Buck Wilder about secur
ing a warrant against the
niece for fourth degree
forgery.
Motorcycle driver
threatens deputy
after traffic stop
at Hwy. 42 Shell
A 41-year-old white
Forsyth man was arrested
and charged with driving
while license suspended/
revoked and obstruc
tion after a traffic stop on
Hwy. 42 North on May 3.
At about 9:43 p.m., Cpl.
Thomas Haskins saw the
male driver of a white
2001 Kawasaki ZX600
motorcycle pumping
gas at the Shell gas sta
tion on Hwy. 42 North.
Haskins knew the driver
did not have a valid license
and tried to stop the
motorcycle as it exited
the station. The driver
then threw his hands in
the air and blurted out
loudly: “What am I get
ting stopped for?” When
Haskins asked the driver
for his license, the driver
replied on two occasions:
“I ain’t going to give you
s—.” When Haskins tried
to arrest the driver, the
driver instead pulled away
and started walking away
from him to the front of
his motorcycle. Haskins
eventually took the driver
to the ground and was
able to place handcuffs
on him with the help of
Dep. Perry Fitzgerald and
Officer Tellas Daniels
of the Forsyth Police
Department. Haskins
then took the driver to
the Monroe County Jail.
Once at the jail, the driver
continued threatening
Haskins, saying: “I’ll catch
you one day without that
badge,” while adding, “I
can’t wait to catch you on
the streets.”
Juliette woman
reports text scam
concerning grant
funds from Apple
At about 6:47 p.m. on
May 6, a Juliette woman
told Sgt. Willie Brown that
she received a text message
from Apple Foundation
Grant on May 4 asking
her to send it $700 in
exchange for the woman
receiving a $150,000 grant.
The woman said the mes
sage instructed her to
go to a nearby Walmart
and send $700 to John
Balcerzak at an Amherst,
N.Y. address. The woman
said she then sent the
money but later received
a text that the transaction
didn’t go through. She
said she then received yet
another text telling her to
send the money instead
to Rosa Mary De Santiago
of Riverside, Calif. The
woman said she realized it
was a scam when she got
another text asking her to
send $7,000 while adding
that the IRS had stopped
the caller from sending the
grant money to her.
Deputies handcuff
suspect behind El
Tejado after escape
during traffic stop
A 25-year-old black
Forsyth man was arrested
and charged with driving
while license suspended
and obstruction after
a traffic stop on North
Frontage Road on May 5.
At about 1:16 a.m., Cpl.
Thomas Haskins saw a sil
ver 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
without tag lights and
missing a brake light trav
eling on North Frontage
Road. Haskins stopped the
SUV in the New Forsyth
Inn parking lot at which
point the male driver, who
was wearing a gray shirt
and shorts, exited the SUV
and began running down
North Frontage Road in
the direction of North Fee
Street. Haskins chased the
driver down the street,
into the woods and down
a trail, where Haskins and
Dep. Christian Sawley
eventually handcuffed the
driver behind El Tejado
Mexican Restaurant. The
driver refused to reveal his
name or why he ran, but
Officer Wade Kendrick
of the Forsyth Police
Department recognized
the driver. Dispatchers
then determined the driv
er had a suspended driver’s
license. While Sawley took
the driver to the Monroe
County Jail, Haskins
reviewed his patrol car
dash camera and noticed
a male passenger wear
ing a black shirt and beige
pants also exited the SUV
on foot during the stop.
Haskins then searched the
area but was unable to find
the passenger. Haskins
then went to the New
Forsyth Inn, where he met
with the driver’s girlfriend,
who was the SUV’s owner.
The girlfriend revealed to
Haskins who she believed
was the passenger. The
driver was also charged
with having no tag lights.
Warner Robins
driver arrested
after deputies find
hash oil in vehicle
A 27-year-old white
Warner Robins woman
was arrested and charged
with possession of mari
juana after a traffic stop on
1-75 South on May 5. At
about 12:34 p.m. on May
5, Sgt. Kevin Williams
saw a red 2008 Chevrolet
Aveo without a tag travel
ing on 1-75 South near
mile marker 190. Williams
smelled the odor of mari
juana coming from inside
the vehicle, and the female
driver admitted to hav
ing a blunt in her purse.
The driver, who appeared
lethargic, fell to the pave
ment and began shaking
violently. The driver said
she didn’t have a history
of seizures, but Williams
called Monroe County
EMTs to the scene any
way. Williams and Dep.
Cody Maples then found
a marijuana blunt inside
the driver’s glasses case
inside her purse. They also
found three containers
and a piece of wax paper
with wax marijuana on
it as well as a vape pen
containing suspected
hash oil under the driver’s
seat. Williams then took
the driver to the Monroe
County Jail, where she
was also charged with
operating an unregistered
motor vehicle, having no
insurance, possession of
drug related objects and
Violation of the Georgia
Controlled Substance Act.
Man arrested after
allegedly stabbing
wife during dispute
on Brandywine Dr.
A 57-year-old black
Forsyth man was arrested
and charged with aggra
vated assault after he
allegedly tried to stab his
wife during a domestic
dispute at a Brandywine
Drive home on May 7. At
about 3:56 a.m., a female
Brandywine Drive resident
told Dep. Christian Sawley
that about two weeks
earlier Monroe County
EMTs had visited her
home, and she told them
she sprained her elbow at
work. The resident told
Sawley that her husband
had actually beaten her,
but she had lied because
she didn’t want him to get
in trouble. The resident
said earlier that night, her
husband had grabbed her
while they were in the
bedroom, throwing her
onto the bed and choking
her while stating, “I’ll kill
you.” The resident said
she suffered a scratch on
the back of the neck as a
result of the choking. She
said when her husband let
go, he then pulled a knife
and tried to cut her with it,
but she put her hands up
to defend herself, causing
cuts to both of her hands.
The resident said she then
ran out of the room and
called 9-1-1 before escap
ing into the front yard.
Sawley, Sgt. Willie Brown
and Cpl. John Thompson
then searched the home
but could not find the
husband, who appeared
to have escaped out of the
back door. The husband
was arrested and booked
into the Monroe County
Jail later the same day.
Deputy responds
to Whittle Road
home after report
of gunshot wound
At about 12:12 p.m. on
May 3, a female Whittle
Road resident told Cpl.
Timothy Campfield that
she had discovered her
husband dead in their
home. The resident said
her husband had been
battling lung cancer for
several years. The resident
said she left their home at
about 11 a.m. and went
to another home located
on their property. She
said when she returned
at about 12:05 p.m., she
noticed the upstairs door
open. She said she then
went upstairs and found
her husband unrespon
sive in his office chair.
Campfield saw the hus
band appeared to have
a self-inflicted gunshot
wound to his head. A
Smith & Wesson .45
revolver was lying on the
floor at his feet, and a
Monroe County EMT said
the gun had fallen to the
floor when he lifted the
husband’s shirt to check
his vital signs. Several
other guns were found in
the room with the hus
band’s body. The case was
then turned over to Inv.
Allen Henderson.
Motorcycle driver
punches F-150
mirror during
road rage incident
At about 8:54 p.m. on
May 4, the male driver of a
blue 2017 Ford F-150 told
Cpl. Thomas Haskins that
a green 2008 Kawasaki
motorcycle pulled up next
to his truck on 1-75 South
near mile marker 190. The
F-150 driver said the male
motorcycle driver had
hit his truck mirror with
something, shattering it.
The F-150 driver said he
continued following the
motorcycle until Haskins
stopped it at the intersec
tion of Smith Road and
Orchard Ridge Drive.
The motorcycle driver
then denied any such
incident had happened.
The F-150 driver told
Haskins the motorcycle
pulled up along his pas
senger side and said the
motorcycle driver flipped
his middle finger at him
before striking his pas
senger side mirror with
something. Haskins then
spoke with the motorcycle
driver a second time. The
motorcycle driver then
changed his story and said
he was following behind
his girlfriend’s vehicle
when the F-150 driver cut
his girlfriend off, making
him angry. The motor
cycle driver then admitted
to pulling alongside the
F-150 and hitting its mir
ror with his hand. The
motorcycle driver then
displayed his left hand,
which was bleeding, but he
refused medical treatment.
The motorcycle driver said
he initially lied because he
has a provisional motor
cycle license and was not
allowed to drive on the
interstate. The F-150 driv
er then declined to press
criminal charges, saying he
just wanted the motorcycle
driver to pay for his mir
ror. The two drivers then
came to an agreement, and
the motorcycle driver was
not charged with a crime.
Forsyth officer
discovers College
Street resident
dead on May 11
At about 6:34 a.m.
on May 11, Sgt. Willie
Barkley of the Forsyth
Police Department went to
a College Street home after
the male resident failed
to show up for his sched
uled dialysis appointment.
When Barkley arrived, he
saw the resident sitting in
a recliner. Barkley then
knocked on the door sev
eral times and called loud
ly in the resident’s direc
tion but was unable to get
a response. Barkley found
the resident appeared to be
dead and called Monroe
County EMTs to the scene.
Pregnant woman
reports boyfriend’s
sister attacked her
on Union Hill Drive
At about 3:36 p.m. on
April 23, Officer Bruce
Hughley of the Forsyth
Police Department went
to Union Hill Apartments
on Union Hill Drive about
a fight. A Forsyth woman
told Hughley that she
and her boyfriend got off
work from Waffle House
and went to an apartment
on Union Hill Drive to
relax. The woman said her
boyfriend’s sister jumped
on her outside the front
door causing her to fall to
the ground. The woman
said she was five months
pregnant and wanted to
press charges. She added
that her boyfriend’s niece
also assisted her mother in
jumping on her. Monroe
County EMTs then
checked the woman and
the case was turned over
to Inv. Geoffrey Holtzclaw
of the Forsyth Police
Department.
Florida driver
drinks Fireball
shots prior to DUI
arrest on 1-75 N.
A 57-year-old white
Fake Panasofkee, Fla. man
and a 57-year-old white
Bristol, Tenn. woman were
each arrested and charged
with possession of a con
trolled substance, an open
container violation and
possession of drug related
objects prohibited after a
traffic stop on 1-75 North
on May 6. At about 11:10
a.m., Dep. Cody Maples
was notified by dispatch
ers to be on the lookout
for a gray 2002 Chevrolet
Silverado with a Florida
license plate traveling
recklessly on 1-75 North.
Maples saw the truck
nearly hit the guard rail as
well as several other vehi
cles and stopped the truck
near mile marker 189. The
male driver, who smelled
of alcohol and had to hold
on to his truck for support,
said he consumed several
“Fireball” shots about 45
minutes earlier in Macon.
The driver told Maples
he was coming from
Jacksonville, Fla., where he
helped his son move into
a new home. The driver
then failed several field
sobriety tests and tested
positive for alcohol on a
field breath test. Maples
then searched the truck
and found a large bottle of
Fireball whiskey between
the driver and passenger
seats. He also found sev
eral glass pipes containing
suspected methamphet-
amine in a backpack
behind the passenger seat
as well as a clear container
of suspected synthetic
marijuana. The female
passenger then admitted
to having smoked meth-
amphetamine about two
days prior. Both the driver
and the passenger were
then taken to the Monroe
County Jail while a very
large dog traveling with
them was taken to Monroe
County Animal Control.
The driver was also
charged with Violation of
the Georgia Controlled
Substance Act, DUI, reck
less driving and failure to
maintain lane.
Rick Cantrell
478-992-7042
€lite Land Services
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