The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current, July 21, 2021, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextTHIS WEEK’S INSIDE DEALS ►►► cvs. ingles . save . smartsource www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 50 • No. 29 BICENTENNIAL * CELEBRATING 200 VERR5 * E5T. 1821 STILL JUST $1 IN RACKS BUT ONLY 77 CENTS FOR HOME DELIVERY usps997-84o 4 Sections, 24 Pages • Wednesday • July 21,2021 INSIDE ► ►► Monroe Co.’s Dallas Ward wins national championship SEE PAGE 2C Anna Fletcher new local vet SEE PAGE B1 WELCOME TO THE FAMILY Joel Collins Mark Hatcher Linda Head Dohn Bonner Alana Burleson Dale Woodward Jan Moore John Daniel Mary Hendrick Kristen Courson Sandra Howard NEW SUBSCRIBERS OF THE WEEK DEATHS >»6A Ouida Harwell Johnnie Wimberly Samuel Calloway Thomas Smith Miracle on Hwy. 18 Cruz Newton points to the window he crawled out of after his fathers truck overturned when the brakes went out on Saturday. At right he went to the hospital as a precaution. 4 I i ] r* ^ , j w w ■ ■ 1 Y \ . ” Father, son crawl out of overturned truck OK after brakes fail By Steve Reece stevereece@gmail.com The top of the south bound exit ramp at Hwy. 18 was more than just an accident scene on Saturday afternoon, it was the site of a miracle. According to the Georgia State Patrol, Brandon Lee McLenden, 30, of Lee King Road, had the brakes go out on his 1997 GMC as he towed a bobcat up the 1-75 exit ramp at Hwy. 18 on Saturday. That forced him to make a hard right turn to try to stop, flipping McLenden and his 9-year- old son, Cruz Newton, upside down as the giant truck and bobcat crashed to the road around 4:01 on July 17. Cruz, a rising 4th grader at T.G. Scott Elementary, was able to crawl from the passenger side window without even a scratch while McLenden received only minor cuts and bruis es to his right arm. Both were taken to the hospital in the same ambulance. According to the report, McLenden planned to turn left at the top of the ramp. But there was a truck See MIRACLE Page7A Fleeing Jackson woman crashes into pumps A Jackson woman was hospitalized and then jailed on Thursday after crashing into two vehicles and then the gas pumps at the Hwy. 42 Shell station with her 3-year-old girl in the car while fleeing deputies. Butts County deputies alerted Mon roe County deputies around 2:38 p.m. on Thursday, July 15 that they were ending pursuit of a Honda Pilot on Hwy. 42 south because the woman had a small child in the back seat. Monroe County deputies picked up the pursuit around the Shell station on Hwy. 42 across from the rec department and boxed the driver, Kimberly Dye, 33, of Jackson, into the parking DYE lot. Dye tried to reverse out, but struck an un dercover Monroe County investigators truck. She then went forward and crashed into the gas pumps and another truck. No gas leaked from the impact but there was damage. The child was quickly secured. Dye was arrested on scene. She was taken to Monroe County Hospital for minor injuries. She is charged with multiple traffic vio lations including felony fleeing, driving on a suspended license, DUI refusal, obstruction, four counts of reckless conduct, escape, felony criminal damage to property, cruelty to children. Dye will also face charges from the Butts County. Monroe County deputies work the scene where a flee ing woman wrecked into gas pumps on Thursday. 6 OfiflOS 3341b 6 County has three votes for tax hike Commission chairman Greg Tapley said he doesn t see that commissioners have an option but to raise the millage rate. (Photo/Will Davis) By Will Davis publisher@mymcr.net Monroe County com missioners appear to have the votes to raise property taxes 1.5 mills this year despite $2.1 million in new revenue from rising prop erty values. Commissioners Greg Tapley, John Ambrose and Lamarcus Davis, three of the five, all voiced sup port for raising the millage rate 1.5 mills at a meeting Tuesday. The owner of a $200,000 home would see their property tax bill go up about $80 on top of any increase in value. The three commissioners said they See TAX Page 7A ‘If somebody doesn’t speak up, were about to have a tax increase.’ - Commissioner George Emomi Sour grapes? Slate probing Evans complaint on Davis qualifying signatures By Will Davis publisher@mymcr.net A state investigator is going door to door in Monroe County af ter former commis sioner Larry Evans filed a com plaint that the man who beat him fudged his qualifying petition to run. Commissioner Marcus Davis ousted Evans by more than 500 votes in November. That ended Evans’ long tenure of more than 33 years as the countys District 1 (city of Forsyth) commissioner. But Ev ans hasn’t gone qui etly. Even before the Nov. 3 election, Evans had asked election superintendent Kaye Warren in October to remove Davis’ name from the ballot. Evans accused See PROBE Page 7A DAVIS EVANS

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The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current, July 21, 2021, Image 1