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www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 50 • No. 24
2 Sections, 20 Pages • Wednesday • June 16,2021
INSIDE »>
Forsyth judge
moves to
U.S. Samoa
SEE PAGE IB
Hospital gift
shop reopens
SEE PAGES IB
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Calandra Hunter
Teri Gibson
Henry Durden
Leon Fuller
Annette Goodson
Brent Rosencrantz
J D Miller
Laurie Long
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS A
Lillie Allen
Johnny Blackmon
Jack Spill ers
Molly Smith
Joe Rhodes
Diane Bailey
6 06605 “1341b
6
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3
Yardman
survives
tumble
into creek
A Forsyth man broke his leg on Friday
when fell down a steep bank into a
creek while cutting grass at Simple Air
Solutions on his zero turn. Larry King,
64, of Forsyth was cutting grass around
10:30 a.m. Friday morning when the
accident happened. Simple Air owner
Fred Simpson said King cuts the grass
for him regularly. On Friday Simpson
saw him on his zero turn headed toward
a steep bank that spills into a creek.
“I said ‘you’re going to wind up in that
creek,”’ Simpson told King. Sure enough,
moments later, Simpson said King
Forsyth firefighters help Larry King out
of the truck after he broke his leg.
called him and told him he was hurt
after falling down the bank. King was
able to get out from under the zero turn
and get his cell phone but couldn’t walk.
Forsyth firefighters gave him a shot and
put him on a backboard and used tracks
to move him up the hill and put him in
an ambulance. Simple Air employees
said on Tuesday that King was going
to be OK but had broken his leg that
would require surgery and was still in
the hospital.
“It could’ve been tragic,” said Forsyth
fire chief David Herndon.
Falls View restaurant
site of new fire station?
Monroe County com
missioners have reportedly
reached a tentative deal to
buy the former Falls View
Restaurant property for a new
High Falls fire station. Com
missioners had planned to
buy property from High Falls
State Park for the new fire
station and community center
but then they learned that the
state park property deed says
it must be used for recreation.
So now commissioners have
a preliminary deal to buy 2.3
acres where the Falls View
Restaurant has long oper
ated, for years by the family of
superior court judge Tommy
Wilson. The property at 42
Towaliga River Drive is cur
rently owned by Arthur and
Ricci Linn Estes according to
the county tax assessors web
site. Commissioners report
edly met behind closed doors
to discuss the deal on land for
the proposed $1 million fire
station on Tuesday but noth
ing has been finalized yet.
Brandon Starr is Father of the Year
Brandon and Jessica Starr and their daughters Sadie, Abby
and Emmy.
Brandon Starr of Forsyth has been named
Monroe County’s 2021 Father of the Year.
Fie was nominated by his wife Jessica Starr.
Brandon wins a $30 gift certificate from The
Pickled Okra, a $50 gift card for Blanche
Farms, and a gift basket from the Old Mill
Market. Here’s the nomination:
T he saying goes, “Anyone can be a
father, but it takes a real man to be
a daddy’ I am so grateful that our
girls have an amazing daddy. With
that being said, I nominate Brandon Starr
as Father of the Year.
There are so many reasons for this nomi
nation, but the main ones are: He is the
hardest working, God fearing man, who
loves his family more than life itself.
Brandon works tirelessly, six days a week,
so that I can be home with our girls more.
His phenomenal work ethic is one of the
things that makes him such a great man.
He teaches his daughters that working hard
in life is key. He also shows them by loving
me the way he does how a good, Christian
man should treat them in the future.
There are days when he is so tired, but
he will still find the energy to make time
for his children, no matter what they ask.
Last year was a very trying time. I became
very sick and ended up being hospitalized
for 19 days. He was always there and never
complained about having to play the part
of mama and daddy.
He held me up when I could barely put
one foot in front of the other. He made sure
our girls had everything they needed, went
to work and still kept the house cleaned
and food on the table. For that, I will be
forever grateful.
Brandon is the most selfless person and
loves with his whole heart. You will not
hear him say an ill word about anyone, no
matter how they treat him.
I am so thankful that God placed him
in my life and that I can watch him be an
amazing Daddy to our sweet girls. Thank
you, Brandon Starr, for being Father of the
Year!
Good Samaritan
gets truck stolen
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A Macon man thanked a
Florida man who had given
him a ride by stealing his truck
at the County Line Store on
Hwy. 74 on Tuesday. He was
captured and the truckwas
recovered however in Turner
County on Tuesday.
Audie Stokes, 62, of Crys
tal River, Fla, flagged down
Monroe County Cpl. Nicholas
Ortiz on June 14 while he was
patrolling Hwy. 74 near mile
post 14 and told him his truck
had been stolen by a guy with
brown curly hair. He told Ortiz
he didn’t have the name of the
man who stole his truck.
Stokes said he saw the subject
walking on Hwy. 74 near the
Upson County line and offered
to give him a ride if he helped
him find his lost phone. Stokes
stated he stopped at the gas sta
tion and got the man a biscuit.
Stokes said he then went to
Hwy. 74 near milepost 8 and
got out of his pickup, leaving 2
spare keys in the vehicle. One
was in the cupholder the other
was in the toolbox. Stokes said
he left his vehicle unlocked
and when he came out of the
woods approximately 1 hour
later his vehicle was gone.
He said he then walked to
the County Line Store on Hwy.
74 and called 911 to report his
vehicle stolen. Stokes said that
Bibb County showed up and
told him that the vehicle wasn’t
stolen in his county and left.
He said he then began to walk
back to milepost 8 to look for
his phone.
Stokes said the vehicle was
gold but had a white quarter
panel, a white front bumper,
an aluminum toolbox, and no
tailgate. He said the vehicle was
worth $20,000. Dispatch put a
BOLO out to all surrounding
counties with the vehicle’s de
scription and Turner County
authorities stopped the truck,
arrested the suspect and the
truck was towed back for its
owner.
Whiz in public leads to
drug trafficking charges
Two south metro Atlanta men face
felony cocaine trafficking charges after
one of them was found urinating on the
side of the 1-75 off ramp in Forsyth on
Friday night.
Deputy Anthony Thompson told the
Reporter he was on his way to the sher
iff’s office coming off the
exit 188 ramp at Collier
Road around 10 p.m.
Friday when he noticed a
white SUV with the pas
senger door open on the
side of the ramp. Then he
saw a man urinating on
the ground.
“Hey man, are you
serious?” Thompson told the man. “You
couldn't hold it?”
Thompson noted the man was about
100 feet from the Shell gas station on
Hwy. 42.
Thompson said the man kept apologiz
ing and said he just couldn’t hold it. That’s
when Thompson said he noticed the man
smelled of alcohol.
“Maybe if you hadn’t been drinking so
much you could’ve made it,” said Thomp
son. Thompson then directed the man,
later identified as Roderick Winkfield,
64, College Park, back to the white GMC
Arcadia in which he was a passenger. The
vehicle had moved since the encounter
began. As they approached the vehicle
Thompson said he detected the odor of
raw marijuana. He asked the driver for
his license and he was identified as Lovell
Padgett Jr., 37, of Hampton. Padgett’s
license was suspended
and he was wanted out of
Tallapoosa County for a
traffic offense.
Padgett told Thomp
son he had just finally
paid his tickets and just
hadn’t gotten the charges
WINKFIELD dismissed yet. He admit
ted he probably had
active warrants on him.
Thompson said due to smelling mari
juana he was going to search the vehicle.
Thompson said he found 10 ounces of
cocaine in a brief case in the back seat,
which he said have a street value of about
$14,000. Thompson also found four
small baggies of marijuana. Padgett and
Winkfield were charged with felony drug
trafficking and remain in the Monroe
County Jail at press time. Thompson said
Padgett has a long history of drug arrests.
‘All because he couldn’t hold it another
100 feet,” said Thompson.
PADGETT