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Page 4B
June 20, 2018
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INCIDENTS
Continued from 3B
Officer captures
burglary suspect,
handgun wrapped
in shirt discovered
A 28-year-old black
Forsyth man was arrested
and charged with theft by
receiving stolen property
and disorderly conduct
after an incident on James
Street on May 30. At about
8:32 p.m., Officer Tellas
Daniels of the Forsyth
Police Department was
notified by dispatchers of a
possible burglary attempt
on James Street. When
Daniels arrived, he saw
a Forsyth man walking
around a home. Daniels
ordered the man to exit
the home’s porch and get
on the ground. A witness
told Daniels the man had a
gun. Daniels then searched
the area and found an
RG40 .38 Special handgun
wrapped up in a white
t-shirt on the back porch
of the home. Dispatchers
determined the gun was
stolen from the Forsyth
Police Department, and
the gun was taken as evi
dence. Daniels then took
the man to the Monroe
County Jail.
Man accuses Union
Hill Drive residents
of stealing lottery
tickets, $20 bills
At about 8 a.m. on May
23, Officer Greg Jefcoats
of the Forsyth Police
Department went to
Union Hill Drive about
a robbery. When Jefcoats
arrived at the scene, a man
ran up to the patrol car,
yelling that he was robbed.
When asked what had
happened, the man said
a man and woman came
to his apartment, hit him
in the face, and took five
$20 bills, two $1 bills and
two lottery tickets. Both
suspects were believed
to be residents of Union
Hill Apartments. Jefcoats
then went to the male sus
pect’s apartment, where
his mother said he was at
work at the Dairy Queen
on North Lee Street.
Jefcoats then went to Dairy
Queen but did not find the
male suspect.
Pistol purchased
in 1955 reported
stolen from pickup
truck on May 20
At about 2:59 p.m.
on May 20, a Forsyth
man told Officer Bruce
Hughley of the Forsyth
Police Department that
his black Colt .25 auto
matic gun with a white
pearl handle was missing
from the glove box of his
Toyota pickup truck. The
man said he last saw his
gun, valued at about $300,
a week prior and believed
his truck had been locked
at all times. The man said
he did not know the gun’s
serial number because he
bought it back in 1955.
Female suspect
shoplifts cigarettes
from Freshway
Market on May 24
At 6:45 p.m. on May
24, Officer Terrence
Thomas of the Forsyth
Police Department went
to the Freshway Market
on North Lee Street for
theft of four cartons of
cigarettes. A cashier told
Thomas that a woman
came into the store to buy
several loaves of bread
for a store down the
street. The cashier said
the woman retrieved two
cartons of cigarettes and
then asked for two more.
The cashier said when the
woman proceeded to have
her get a gallon of milk as
well, the woman exited the
store with four cartons of
cigarettes valued at $200.
Store surveillance showed
the woman getting the
cigarettes and leaving the
store.
Walmart reports
theft of $1,248
from cash register,
suspects still loose
At about 6:22 p.m. on
June 5, Officer Terrence
Thomas of the Forsyth
Police Department went
to the Forsyth Walmart
about a theft. An employee
told Thomas that two
black male suspects and
one black female suspect
had walked into Wal-
Mart, stealing money
from the cash drawer. The
store’s surveillance video
showed a black male at
the cash register, where
it appeared he had a key
to open the register. The
employee said $1,248 was
stolen, and after retriev
ing the money, the three
suspects exited the store
together. One of the male
suspects was described
as wearing a black shirt
with jeans and the female
suspect was seen wear
ing a grey shirt. The case
was then turned over to
Inv. Alexander Daniels
of the Forsyth Police
Department.
Deputy discovers
stolen handgun
in vehicle during
1-75 South stop
A 29-year-old black
Warner Robins man was
arrested and charged with
possession of a firearm by
a convicted felon after a
traffic stop on 1-75 South
on June 11. At about 12:17
a.m., Cpl. Thomas Haskins
saw a blue 2006 Hyun
dai Sonata following too
closely behind another
vehicle on 1-75 South near
mile marker 190. Haskins
smelled the odor of raw
marijuana coming from
the vehicle, and dispatchers
notified Haskins that the
male driver was a con
victed felon. Haskins then
searched the vehicle and
found marijuana inside a
female passenger’s purse.
He also found a Glock 23
.40 caliber handgun inside
a locked glove compart
ment that was determined
to be stolen out of Warner
Robins as well as several
pills in plastic bags without
prescriptions. The driver
said he didn’t know to
whom the gun belonged,
so Haskins told him that
both he and the passenger
would be charged for it.
The driver then replied
that the gun was his but
said he didn’t know it was
inside the vehicle. The
driver also said the pills be
longed to his father while
the passenger claimed
possession of the mari
juana. Haskins then took
both the driver and the
passenger to the Monroe
County Jail. The driver was
also charged with theft by
receiving stolen property
and following too closely.
The passenger, a 28-year-
old black Warner Robins
woman, was charged with
possession of marijuana.
Colebrook Drive
resident reports
SUV stolen, found
at The Brickyard
At about 6:15 a.m. on
June 7, Cpl. John Thomp
son went to a Colebrook
Drive home about a
stolen SUV and two
stolen firearms. The male
resident told Thompson
that someone entered his
unlocked truck during the
night and took two pistols,
a Smith and Wesson .380
and a Taurus .410/45 Long
Colt. The resident’s wife
then told Thompson that
her white 2016 Nissan
Pathfinder was also stolen
during the night. The
resident’s wife said she
left her key fob inside the
SUV and left it unlocked.
Then, at about 9:45 a.m.
on June 7, Thompson
received a phone call from
the Brickyard Country
Club on Wesleyan Drive
North. A male employee
told Thompson that he
found a white Nissan
Pathfinder in a vacant
gravel lot on the property.
Thompson determined
the SUV belonged to the
resident’s wife. The SUV
was not damaged, and
the key was left inside of
it. The SUV was returned
to the resident’s wife and
the case was turned over
to Inv. Allen Henderson.
In a separate but possibly
related incident, at about
7:22 a.m. on June 7, a male
Wesleyan Drive North resi
dent told Thompson that
someone had entered two
of his unlocked vehicles
and stole a total of three
firearms sometime dur
ing the night. The resident
said one of the stolen guns
was a Smith & Wesson .38
special revolver, valued at
$400. He said the other
two guns were each semi
automatic pistols, a Smith
& Wesson .380 valued
at $300 and a Glock .40
valued at $400.
Florida driver tells
deputy she doesn’t
understand field
sobriety tests
A 51-year-old white St.
Augustine, Fla. woman
was arrested and charged
with DUI (refusal) after a
traffic stop on 1-75 North
on June 6. At about 12:19
p.m., Dep. Nicholas Ortiz
saw a blue Smart car failing
to maintain its lane on 1-75
North near mile marker
193. The female driver
told Ortiz she was dis
tracted because of her dog
in the front seat with her.
Dispatchers then notified
Ortiz that the driver did
not have a license, and she
was arrested. Ortiz then
inventoried the car and
found a half-empty bottle
of Smirnoff orange vodka
and a bottle of sweet tea.
Inside the cupholder Ortiz
saw a plastic cup with what
appeared to be tea that
smelled of alcohol. When
Ortiz then twice asked the
driver if she would submit
to field sobriety tests, the
driver said both times that
she did not understand be
cause she is from Florida.
Ortiz then took the driver
to the Monroe County Jail,
where she was also charged
with failure to maintain
lane, driving while unli
censed and open container
violation.
Blount Street man
reports damaged
TV, stolen title in
May 22 burglary
At about 11:40 a.m. on
May 22, Officer Bruce
Hughley of the Forsyth
Police Department went
to a Blount Street home
about a stolen SUV title. A
male resident said he came
home to retrieve a few
items and discovered that
his 65-inch TV was dam
aged. The resident said he
was also missing a title.
Hughley then turned the
case over to investigations.
1-75 North driver
reports buzzard
strikes windshield
At about 10:34 a.m. on
June 10, Sgt. Kevin Wil
liams went to 1-75 North
near mile marker 181
where the male driver of
a silver 2016 Chevrolet
Tahoe said a buzzard flew
into his windshield, shat
tering it on the driver’s
side.
Commissioners hire
King, Pritchett to clean up
administrative mess
Former Monroe County clerk Gail King was hired Tuesday
to serve as the county s interim manager/clerk, replacing
Anita Buice. King, pictured alongside District 1 commissioner
Larry Evans received a county service award in 2016.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County
Commissioners approved
by a 4-0 vote on Tuesday,
June 19 to hire Gail
King as the county’s
interim manager/clerk,
replacing Anita Buice,
who was demoted one
week earlier.
King previously served
as Monroe County clerk
more than a decade ago.
Commissioners also
approved by a 4-0 vote
on Tuesday, June 19
to hire recently-retired
purchasing director
Kathy Pritchett as the
county’s interim finance
director, replacing
Ashley Wooley. Wooley
was fired on June 7 after
it came to light that the
county was tardy once
again on paying payroll
taxes to the federal and
state IRS, resulting in a
$50,000-plus fine.
Commissioners
also added King and
Pritchett to the county’s
authorized list to write
checks under its Wells
Fargo account and
allowed Pritchett use
of a BB&T credit card.
King will be paid $45
per hour while Pritchett
will be paid $40 per
hour.
Upon King’s hiring,
Janet Abbott, who was
named interim clerk on
June 12 upon Buice’s
demotion, returned to
her previous role as
deputy clerk/human
resources director.
Once commissioners
settled on interim hires,
they also approved to
begin advertising for
a county manager and
continue advertising for
a finance director.
Monroe County com
mission chairman Greg
Tapley was absent from
the Tuesday, June 19
meeting. At the conclu
sion of the t.wo-hour-long
meeting, acting chair
man John Ambrose
thanked Abbott and
administrative assis
tants Kelsey Fortner
and Suzanne Schultek
for their work over the
previous week in the
midst of a chaotic time.
“We’ve got the best
board that I’ve seen here
in 30 years,” Ambrose
said. “I think we’ve got
a great board. We just
need to get the staff
in place. Because our
county is on the verge of
exploding.”