Newspaper Page Text
January 26 2022
Page 2A
iReporter
Spreading it Around’ opens Friday
The Backlot Players
will present “Spread
ing it Around at The
Rose Theatre on Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays,
Jan. 28-30 and Feb. 4-6.
Order tickets online at
www.thebacklotplayers.
org/tickets or call the Box
Office at 478-0443. The
play is a family comedy
about a wealthy widow
who starts a plan to give
to those truly in need
instead of to her unap
preciative children, which
panics her greedy son. The
Backlot Players are pro
viding free tickets to the
play to healthcare workers
at senior living facilities in
order to say “thank you
for their dedication and
contributions. See story on
page Cl.
Burruss guard charged with giving sex, phone to murderer
A guard at the A1 Burruss
prison in Forsyth has been
charged with having sex and
giving a cell phone and tobacco
to a convicted murderer.
Gloria Wilcher, 31, of Macon,
was charged with trading with
inmates, sexual assault, giving
contraband to inmates and
violation of oath on Jan. 21.
Warrants say she gave tobacco,
a cell phone and sex to inmate
Duente Parks, age 44. Parks
is serving a life sentence for
murdering someone in Fulton
County in 1996. Joan Heath of
the Department of Corrections
said that Wilcher has been
terminated. She had been with
the GDC since 2018.
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JORJA
Continued from Front
Jorja by my fence in the
edge of the yard. I immedi
ately knew who she was. I
called out asking if she was
okay. She hesitated, and I
just walked over and asked
her to let me help her.”
Williams said Pepper is
typically obnoxious with
any stranger, but not this
time.
“She went straight over to
Jorja and quietly sat down,”
said Williams. “She seemed
to sense this girl needed
sympathy and assistance.”
“I was just in the right
place at the right time. Any
parent would have helped
her. She was ready to go
home!”
Sheriff Brad Freeman
said Jorja realized the first
day she had messed up, but
was kind of embarrassed
and scared to come out.
She told deputies she heard
the helicopters overhead
but didn’t think they were
looking for her.
When they put her in the
patrol car of Lt. Anthony
“Rock” Thompson, he told
her he just wanted to see
this girl he had been chas
ing for 3 days to see what
she looks like.
After reuniting with her
family, Monroe County
EMS took her to the
hospital since she had had
nothing to eat or drink for
three days and was likely
dehydrated.
“She ought to teach a sur
vivor class,” said Freeman.
“But were happy and she’s
happy. We don’t always get
to say that in law enforce
ment and in cases like this.”
Jorja was found just one
day after Monroe County
deputies had ended their
search of the grounds
around the North Rivoli
Farms home she ran away
from early Sunday morn
ing-
“We searched everywhere
we know to search,” said
sheriff Brad Freeman.
A junior at Tattnall
Square Academy, Jorja had
been at a party at Lake To-
besofkee on Saturday night.
She was to spend Satur
day night with a friend
in North Rivoli Farms.
Freeman said Jorja had put
her phone in the mailbox
at the North Rivoli home,
probably so her parents
would look on the Find My
iPhone app and think she
was there. Freeman specu
lated that the girl wanted
to stay out past her 11 p.m.
curfew. The sheriff’s office
released photos of Jorja at
the Circle K on Zebulon
Road around 11:45 p.m.
that night. Then she rode
with her friend and friend’s
brother to their home in
south Monroe County.
Meanwhile, her stepfa
ther had tried to call her
phone and when she didn’t
answer, called the fam
ily where she was staying.
When they said she wasn’t
there, he realized she didn’t
have her phone with her
and went to the home.
So, when Jorja and her
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friends approached the
home around 12:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jorja apparently
saw her stepfather’s vehicle,
got out of the car, and
began running.
“She knew she was
busted,” said Freeman. “She
realized the gig was up.”
Jorja’s whereabouts
remained a mystery and a
subject of fierce specula
tion for 3 days. She had no
wallet and no phone and
no car. She was wearing a
jacket, but temps fell into
the 20s the first two nights
she was missing. Freeman
said they searched the area
using helicopters, blood
hounds, K-9 units, search
parties, and drones, all for
naught. He said they did
find some footprints that
may have been Jorja’s, but
they only led to a dead
end. They also had to
sift through a lot of false
reports and rumors from
people.
Jorja has been called a
very bright and athletic
young lady. Her dad lives
in Jones County and her
mother lives in north
Macon.
After seeing numer
ous Facebook posts and
receiving alerts from the
sheriff’s office, Williams,
who is the mother of a
22-year-old son, had been
keeping a lookout for the
girl and checked her shed
every day. Williams said,
“She’s a sweet, smart girl
and I’m sure she’s happy to
be home.”
Nathaniel Persky Invites Forsyth
to a Crypto Meet and Greet
Nathaniel Persky has issued an open invitation
to the town of Forsyth for citizens looking to
learn more about the developing crypto mining
farm project that was announced for the town
earlier this year.
Community members are invited to join Persky
on February 6, 2022 at the La Quinta Inn and
Suites by Wyndham Forsyth 400 Russell Pkwy,
Forsyth, GA 31029 for the 4 hours window that
we are using for the conversation, extending
the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to
the project, meet Nathan, and learn more about
the crypto mining industry and what this could
mean for the town of Forsyth.
Coffee and doughnuts will be provided for all
attendees. This is an open invitation, with no
ticket or follow up necessary.
“We want to ensure that the community knows
we hear them, and that their feelings and
opinions matter in our decisions regarding the
development of this project.” This is an informal
event that will run from 2PM to 6PM, prioritizing
open conversation and informed involvement.
As for any public event, safety is a number one
priority. Attendees are encouraged to wear
masks or non-medical face coverings and the
number of attendees within the location may be
limited and regulated to ensure proper
social-distancing practices can be applied.
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