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On the Porch 4A
On the Outside Looking In 5A
BREAKING ► ►►
Persons
stuck on
Towaliga
River
As of presstime late
Tuesday afternoon,
Monroe County EMTs
were responding to
High Falls where two
teenagers, a male
and female, were
stuck on the rocks
near where 12-year-
old Christian Bur
dette was swept up
in a Towaliga River
current and died in
October 2017.
The Bibb County dive
team is at the scene,
and the teens are
expected to be okay.
The Reporter will
have full details in
next weeks edition.
(Photo/Will Davis)
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INDEX ►►►
MCR VENT. 3A
Opinion & Letters 4A-5A.
Sports 1B
Community Calendar. 5D.
Church News 6D
Public Record 5B
Classified 1D
Legals 2D-4D
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www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 47 • No. 22
4 Sections • 32 Pages • Wednesday • May 30,2018
Man loses fistfight with deputies
ABONCE CARTER
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
A Riverdale man faces
multiple charges after punch
ing two Monroe County
deputies in the face during a
Weldon Road traffic stop on
May 22. Deputies responded
with pepper spray to the
suspect’s face and then had
to punch him to subdue him
before he could be taken
to the hospital, and then to
jail for obstruction, theft by
receiving, giving a fake name
and possession of meth.
Israel Abonce, 31, of River-
dale, was jailed along with
his driver, April D. Carter,
29, of Forsyth, who was also
charged with obstruction,
theft by receiving, possession
of meth and two headlight
violations.
According to the report, at
about 1:07 a.m. on May 22,
Cpl. Thomas Haskins of the
Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office saw a white 2004
Chevrolet Trail Blazer fail to
dim its high beam headlights
as it passed him while headed
north on Weldon Road.
Haskins stopped the SUV
and noticed that the female
driver, identified as Carter,
appeared very nervous and
See FIGHT . Page6A
Rain breaks for MP graduation
A rare break in the rain allowed thousands to fill Dan
Pitts Stadium on Friday to see 281 seniors receive their
diplomas under the lights. It was the 88th graduating
class from MP and valedictorian Madeline Copeland
noted that the Class of 2018 racked up more than $1
million in college scholarships. Principal Dr. Jim Finch
noted that while its his 11th graduating class at MP, its
the first to include one of his children, senior Kennedy
Finch. Finch commended the Class of 2018 for leaving
Mary Persons better than when they found it. Above,
senior Brock Hulsey shares a laugh with rising MP
freshman Jason Cox. Right, Finch presents a diploma to
Hannah Blessett. (Photos/Will Davis)
Penamon
is sixth to
announce
for sheriff
By Will Davis
publisher f3, mymcr.net
Lt. Stacey Penamon told
the Reporter on Tuesday
that he plans to run for
sheriff in
the special
election to
replace long
time sheriff
John Cary
Bittick.
Penamon
is the sixth
candidate to
announce for
sheriff, join
ing Lawson
Bittick, Michael Bittick,
Troy Copelan, Ronnie
“Jocko” Evans and Brad
Freeman. John Cary Bittick,
sheriff for the past 35 years,
is expected to leave for his
new job as head of the U.S.
marshals office in Macon
in mid-June, precipitating
a special election for his
replacement on Nov. 6.
Penamon, 43, is a lieuten
ant in the criminal investi
gation unit of the Monroe
County Sheriffs Office.
He grew up in Culloden
and was the starting
quarterback for Dan Pitts’
Mary Persons Bulldogs in
1991-92. He now lives in
Forsyth and he and his wife
See SHERIFF . Page 6A
r i r lj
PENAMON
Time to build an ark?
Monroe County has had more than six inches of rain in the past week with mea
surable rainfall almost every day, this week from the remnants of Tropical Storm
Alberto that moved in from the Gulf of Mexico as the first named storm of the
season on the East Coast. Lt. Lawson Bittick of the Monroe County Sheriff s Office
said the rain was a big reason deputies had to respond to 19 auto accidents in
just five days from May 25-29. The sheriff s office also received 20 calls reporting
blocked roads during that time, usually from trees that had fallen and blocked the
road. Last Friday, the rain became so heavy that several roads had to be closed or
washed out, including Edwards Road off of Abernathy Road. Junior Watts, direc
tor of the Monroe County Road Department, said he had to call in four employees
on Friday, when they re normally closed, to handle flooding issues. Watts told the
Reporter on Tuesday that all roads had been re-opened except for Edwards Road,
shown above, which should be repaired by the end of the week. (Photo/Will Davis)
BOE: Howard
re-elected by 16
votes; District 5
headed to runoff
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
One incumbent
school board member
was narrowly re-elected
and another is still
fighting for his job after
Monroe County voters
had their say on May
22.
In District 3, incum
bent Nolen Howard
defeated challenger
Matt Morris by a mere
16 votes, 370-354. In
District 5, incumbent
Phil Walker will face
Greg Head in a run
off on July 24. Head
was the top vote-getter
with 229 (43 percent).
See BOE • Page 8D
FORSYTH CITY COUNCIL (FINAL)
Ronald Bearden - 218
John Howard - 248
MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
GOVERNOR - DEM
HOUSE DISTRICT 141 Stacy Abrams - 793
Gary Bechtel - 310 Stacy Evans - 330
Shane Mobley - 366
Todd Tolbert - 1,177
Dale Washburn - 576
TRANSPORTATION TAX
Yes - 1,979
No - 2,579
GOVERNOR - GOP
Casey Cagle - 1,187
Hunter Hill - 745
Clay Tippins - 866
Brian Kemp - 588
DISTRICT 3
Nolen Howard - 370
Matt Morris - 354
DISTRICT 5
Greg Head - 229
Phil Walker - 175
Tanya Williams - 134
