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www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 50 • No. 14
4 Sections, 20 Pages • Wednesday • April 7,2021
INSIDE
Monroe (o.'s
Thompson
leads Ga.
Southern
to title
PAGE 4B
anche
Meats opens
Bolingbroke
store
PAGE 1C
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Mary White
Robert Moore
Christopher Fiveash
Trish Thomas
Dawn Moore
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Morgan Andrews
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Ellen McLeroy
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3
Deputies called to lizard custody spat
By Steve Reece
stevereece™ gmail.com
Monroe County depu
ties had to be called after
a High Falls man and his
ex-girlfriend were fighting
over a pet lizard he had
given to her mother.
According to the inci
dent report, deputy Larry
Sullivan was dispatched to
24 Boxankle Road around
6:30 p.m. on March 29
and met with Christi East,
40, who told him her
daughter’s ex-boyfriend
had given her a pet lizard
as a gift but now wanted
the lizard back after they
had an argument. She also
told Sullivan she did not
wish for the ex-boyfriend
or his mother to stay at
her home.
The ex-boyfriend’s
mother, Mary Danser,
39, of High Falls told the
deputy her son, Dylan,
took a lizard to the house,
they had an argument and
East asked him to leave
without giving back the
lizard.
Sullivan told both parties
the case was a civil matter.
Walk of suffering, day of hope
Members of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church and New Providence Baptist
Church, neighboring churches both in Smarr, held their annual CrossWalk on
Good Friday. Members sang hymns as they walked the cross from Mt. Zion to
New Providence. Above, from left, Jadah Moore, Asher Moore, Holder Thur
mond and Titus Moore carry the cross up New Providence Baptist Church Road.
Churches across Monroe County held in-person worship services for the Easter
holiday, a welcome departure from Easter 2020 when COVID panic left most
people at home. (Photo/Will Davis)
Monroe Co. rallies to support
12-year-old girl after stroke
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On Saturday, March 13 a
local family got an abrupt
reminder of how quickly life
can change for no apparent
reason. Justen and Stepha
nie Chambers were busy
raising three active children
and their son, Caspian, had
a baseball tournament in
Henry County that day.
Justen, who teaches 7th
grade social studies at Mon
roe County Middle School
and coaches basketball
and baseball, had been at
a double header at Mary
Persons before going home
to get his wife and daughters
to go to Caspian’s game.
Justen said they were
enjoying a good family day,
with nothing to warn of
anything unusual to come.
Oldest daughter Isabella,
“Izzy”, was walking the
family’s puppy at the ball
park when she suddenly
fell backward and then
didn’t get up. Stephanie
tried to help her up, but she
flopped back down and her
mother knew something
was wrong. There was a call
to 911.
Izzy was taken to Chil
dren’s Healthcare of Atlanta
and on March 16 she had
a blood clot removed at
Emory University Hospital.
Shortly afterwards she was
moved from the Egleston
campus to the Scottish
Rite campus of Children’s
See STROKE . Page 5A
Macon man charged in third
Monroe chase in eight years
JOHNSON
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A Macon man was
captured and arrested after
reportedly leading Monroe
County deputies on a high
speed chase for the third
time in eight years.
“This ain’t his first rodeo,”
said sheriff Brad Freeman.
According to the report,
Nicholas Calvin Johnson, 35,
was driving a 2016 Dodge
Charger with dark window
tint when he fled from
deputy Larry Sullivan on
1-75 south near Johnstonville
Road. Johnson activated his
flashers, changed lanes twice
and quickly accelerated in
the left lane, driving er
ratically, moving all the way
across the interstate, passing
traffic on both the left and
right shoulders. He contin
ued to drive recklessly to the
1-475 split, driving through
the median several times at
speeds in excess of 140 mph.
Cpl. Tyler Rodgers began
to catch up to Johnson
near Riverside Drive and
performed a P.I.T. maneu-
See CHASE . Page 4A
Gregory
out as
county's
economic
developer
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
The Development Au
thority of Monroe County
on
Tues
day
parted
ways
with its
presi
dent,
Bo
Greg
ory,
after
five
years
on the
job.
Au
thority
chairman Tom Baugh said
they’re separating on good
terms.
“Meaningful progress was
made during Mr. Gregory’s
tenure and the Develop
ment Authority wishes
him the best in his future
endeavors,” said Baugh.
“The authority remains
positive about the outlook
for economic development
in Monroe County’
Gregory had been hired
by the authority in 2016
from Arkansas after his
predecessor Tiffany An
drews moved to Florida.
Gregory helped recruit the
Five Below distribution
warehouse to Smarr and
the Royal Seven/Zaxby’s
project to Forsyth in 2018.
More recently he’s been
involved in the new Swint’s
candy factory coming to
the industrial park.
Authority members had
signaled their own reserva
tions last year when they
only extended Gregory’s
contract by four months.
Those four months expired
and the contract wasn’t
renewed. Back in 2018 the
authority had extended his
contract two years with a
raise to $93,000 per year. A
severance package ob
tained by the Reporter says
Gregory will be employed
through the end of April
and will continue to receive
his regular salary May-July,
$23,250. The agreement
also calls for both parties to
say nothing negative about
the other party.
Authority members told
the Reporter that they have
several good candidates for
the job already in mind.
GREGORY
