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www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 50 • No. 26
4 Sections, 24 Pages • Wednesday • June 30,2021
INSIDE ► ►►
A VBS mud
bath for
missions
SEE PAGE 3A
Free men’s
workout
group begins
Forsyth club
SEE PAGE 7A, 6C
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
John Ersoy
Vicky Gaydosik
Yong Mi Davies
Joanna Blythe
Carolyn Sapp
Julie Rogers
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS ►►►7A
Jimmy Atkinson
James Perkins
Betty English
OfiflOS
^34ib
Report: Boss refuses medical
care after tree falls on man
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A Forsyth tree worker
told deputies his boss
refused to take him to the
hospital after he broke his
collarbone when a tree fell
on his Bobcat and ejected
him on June 18.
According to the incident
report, Alvin Orlando
Smith, 37, of 82 Murray
Road, told deputy Dalton
Mosely on June 24 that he
was injured around 7 p.m.
on June 18 while working
a job for Central Georgia
Tree Service. Smith said
they were at 266 Robert
Farm Road where his
supervisor, Mike Costlow
and another worker were
cutting down a tree on the
property. Then he was told
by Costlow to get inside a
Bobcat and push the tree so
it would fall in a different
direction.
Smith said the tree fell
on the Bobcat he was
operating and flipped it,
ejecting him through the
glass, breaking his collar
bone and injuring his neck.
Smith stated he was in and
out of consciousness, but
instead of taking him to
the hospital, Costlow took
him to Walter Goodson’s
house at 510 North Lee
Street. Goodson is a friend
of Smiths.
Smith told Mosely he
kept telling Costlow he
needed to take him the
hospital, but Costlow told
him he just needed to sleep.
Goodson confirmed that
Costlow left Smith at his
home and said Smith was
finally taken to the Monroe
County Hospital by his
girlfriend to be treated for
his injuries.
Smith said the hospital
told him he had a broken
collar bone and referred
him to a specialist. He said
he called Costlow and was
told that an incident form
was not filled out and they
would not be covering his
medical expenses. Mosely
made a report for the inci
dent and gave Smith a case
number. The deputy was
unable to reach Costlow by
phone and left a voicemail.
Kitty rescued from beer van
Forsyth fireman Hunter McLendon holds a baby kitty that firefighters pulled from inside the frame of a Miller Lite beer
van in the Tractor Supply parking lot on Tuesday. Fireman Kevin Bunn said the driver heard noises in his truck and
called for help. City and county firefighters worked together, pulling the air filter box and plastic fender wheel off the
truck and jacking up the front end to gain access to the kitten. Bunn estimated the kitty is only about 10 days old. Bunn
said if the driver hadn’t stopped to ask for help, the kitten would likely have been eaten up by the van. Bunn said he
already had someone who wants the kitten. (Photo/Seth Berkebile)
Forsyth
man gets
25 years
for rape
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcrnet
A Forsyth man will spend
the next 25 years in prison
after he was found guilty
on Thursday for raping a
mother at Forsyth Garden
apartments in 2016.
A Monroe County jury
of six men and six women
See RAPE Page 7A
Decorious Davis is led back
to jail after being found
guilty of rape. (Will Davis)
Tapley rips newspaper at unity meeting
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
A facilitator told Forsyth and
Monroe County officials after a
7-hour conclave aimed at bringing
them together on Friday that she
didn’t think they should bother with
continued discussions because they
were too far apart.
Facilitator Mary Beth Brownlee of
the Associated of County Commis
sioners of Georgia (ACCG) told the
gathering of Forsyth and Monroe
County officials that she didn’t
think they should continue with the
“Setting Priorities & Confirming
Next Steps” segment of the meeting
because they were too far apart to
do so.
“We’ve had some good conversa
tions, but y’all are all over the map,”
said Brownlee. “You’re close but not
ready. You are real apart on growth.”
The meeting was facilitated by
Brownlee and Artiffany Stanley of
the Georgia Municipal Association
(GJMA). The county’s newest com
missioner, Lamarcus Davis, who
took office last January, initiated the
meeting in an effort to unify the cit
ies, county and related entities.
“I hope this will be the first one, not
the last one,” said Davis as he wel
comed approximately 23 participants
to the meeting.
The meeting was punctuated by
Monroe County commission chair
man Greg Tapley twice blasting this
newspaper, which wasn’t part of the
discussions but was the only media
covering the meeting.
Brownlee began the meeting citing
five areas which they seemed to
agree needed addressing, according
to surveys sent in beforehand by
participants. They were commu
nications, infrastructure, schools,
economic development and housing.
Participants included four elected of
ficials and four employees of Monroe
County, three elected officials and
three employees of Forsyth, four
elected officials and one employee
of Monroe County Schools, two
representatives of Forsyth-Monroe
Take your prob
lems to your broth
er and God alone.
You’re not helping
with a tirade here.’
- Commissioner
George Emami to
Greg Tapley
County Chamber of Commerce, one
representative of Monroe County
Development Authority and one
representative of Monroe County
Hospital Authority.
They separated into five groups to
discuss Monroe County’s strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and
threats.
Brownlee said demographers
predict steady growth for Monroe
County of just over 1 percent for the
Greg Tapley
next 40 years but not fast growth.
County manager Jim Hedges, Tapley
and school superintendent Dr. Mike
Hickman said they are seeing faster
growth than that.
In the group for which Davis was
spokesman, opportunities discussed
included consolidation, the Col-
See TAPLEY Page 6A