Newspaper Page Text
Page 6B
March 16, 2022
iRfcporter
Everyday Hero: protecting & serving
walk up and tell her what a
good job the department is
doing, and the department
appreciates the support they
receive from the citizens.
She is thankful that we don’t
have the same issues larger
cities have against law en
forcement and that there is a
very supportive community
here. She said even when
she writes a local driver a
ticket, the person usually
understands she is doing
her job and they appreciate what she is do
ing. They know traffic citations are meant
to correct dangerous behaviors.
The worst thing about her job, said Bar
nett, are the crimes she sees against kids
and seeing despondent people who are at
the breaking point. She said those things
are the stuff that puts images in her head
when she closes her eyes at night.
Her advice to the young folks just start
ing out: “Find something that makes you
happy and dedicate yourself to learning
that craft. Give it your all and you will
never truly work a day in your life.” Wise
words from a real everyday hero.
The Reporters Everyday Heroes series fea
tures men and women doing thankless, ordi
nary jobs to keep our businesses and commu
nitygoing. Jason Connell of Volume Chevrolet
is giving each of them $150for their loyalty
and willingness to serve. This
weeks recipient is Cpl. Kimberly
Barnett, who serves with the City
of Forsyth Police Department.
Thankfully our community
has someone like Cpl. Kim
berly Barnett of the Forsyth
Police Department on the front
lines to maintain peace and order. Her
job is like no other and she never knows
if she will encounter the best or the worst
humanity has to offer when she starts her
shift.
She grew up in Byron but came to
Forsyth in 2004 to work for the National
Guard as a civilian after being medically
discharged. She later ended up as a dis
patcher for the Crawford County Sheriffs
Office but could never get them to send
her to mandate school which is where
police officers receive their
training. She applied to the
Forsyth department in 2007
and within two weeks, the
police chief told her the job
was hers. A week later, she
was enrolled in a mandate
school in Macon and fell in
love with her job.
When asked what she loves so much
about it, she said she really enjoys traf
fic enforcement, but her favorite part of
her job is that she is now a field training
officer.
Barnett said we have a good community
here in Forsyth and people constantly
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VOTE
Continued from page 1A
submit about 213 signatures from District
4 voters to appear on the November bal
lot. Hunter is the Chief Construction and
Facilities Officer at the Atlanta Housing
Authority.
Emami will be running on his record as
having led the efforts against a property
tax increase, to bring high-speed internet
to Monroe County and to keep Monroe
County open during COVID.
All four seats on the Monroe County
school board will have competition on the
ballot on May 24.
Long-time District 1 board member JP
Evans passed away of course earlier this
month. Former Mary Persons teacher
Sherrye Battle and Forsyth mother Diane
Soule have qualified for that post.
In District 3, incumbent Greg Head will
get a challenge from Melissa Mixon. Both
have children at Mary Persons.
In District 5, long-time board member
Nolen Howard opted not to run again. His
cousin, Georgia Power employee Robert
E. Jenkins, has qualified to run as has Bibb
County teacher Kristi Varnadoe.
In District 7, incumbent Eva Bilderback
faces a challenge from “Rick” Lanford,
the regional vice president of the Georgia
United Methodist Foundation.
Monroe Countys legislative delegation
also drew challengers. State Sen. John Ken
nedy, who lives in Monroe County, faces
a GOP primary challenge from registered
nurse Diane Vann. The primary win
ner will face Democrat Chris Benton of
Thomaston in November. Benton works in
telecommunications according to his filing
papers.
State Rep. David Knight of Griffin, whose
district would now include the northern
part of Monroe County, faces Democrat
Anthony Dickson in November. Dickson
lists his occupation as director of recre
ation for the corrections department.
State Rep. Dale Washburn faces a chal
lenge from Jayson Stonne, who lists his
occupation of writer and predictor, in the
GOP primary. The winner will face a chal
lenge from Democrat Nettie Conner, who
says she’s a retired analyst and student, in
November.
State Rep. Robert Dickey of Roberta gets
another 2-year term representing southern
Monroe County as he is unopposed.
BUSTED
Continued from page 1A
1000 grams of cocaine, about 300
grams of marijuana, about 20
grams of synthetic marijuana and
about 35 grams of ecstasy. They
also seized 9 guns in possesion
during in the commission of a
felony (drugs).
The following individuals have
been arrested and charged:
• Quincy Brantley, trafficking
cocaine (2 charges)
• Derek Watts, trafficking
cocaine (2 charges), fleeing,
abandoment of dangerous drugs,
use of a communication facility
in committing a drug transaction
(11 charges)
• Christopher Battle, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction (22
charges), distributing marijuana,
distributing synthetic marijuana,
possession of a firearm by a
convicted felon, crack cocaine
possession, possession of drug-
related objects
• Keith Green, distributing
marijuana, distributing systhetic
marijuana, possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon, posses
sion of drug-related objects
• Decouris Brown, distributing
marijuana, distributing synthetic
marijuana, possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon, posses
sion of drug-related objects
• Mactavius Basley, distributing
marijuana, distributing synthetic
marijuana, possession of a fire
arm by a convicted felon, posses
sion of drug-related objects
• Shywood Hughley, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction (2
charges), distributing marijuana,
possession of drug-related objects
• Horace Wise, trafficking
ecstasy, distributing marijuana,
hydrocodone possession, pills not
in original container, possession
of drug-related objects
• Ann Hendrix, disorderly
house, drug possession, pills not
in original container
• Antron Hendrix, possession
of synthetic marijuana
• Kayla Barfield, possession of
synthetic marijuana
• Antonio Brantley, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction
• Marcia Banks, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (3 charges)
• Joshua Hicks, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (3 charges)
• Jamie Talmadge, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (13 charges)
• John T Grier, use of a commu
nication facility in committing a
drug transaction
• Kendreith Bowden, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction (17
charges)
• Maurice Mills, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (9 charges)
• John D Jakes, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction
• Dave Brantley, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction
• Rodriqus Warren, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction
• Sheddrick Threatt, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction
• Bennie Frank Watson, use
of a communication facility in
committing a drug transaction (4
charges)
• Sonia Mays, use of a commu
nication facility in committing a
drug transaction (4 charges)
• Alben Dupree, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (2 charges)
• Berry Virden, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (3 charges)
Gordon Sherard Dewberry, use
of a communication facility in
committing a drug transaction (2
charges)
• Bobby Webb, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (2 charges)
• Timothy Wade Padgett, use
of a communication facility in
committing a drug transaction (4
charges)
• Dwayne Jones, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (2 charges)
• Darren Pryor, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (4 charges)
• Lewis Mays, use of a commu
nication facility in committing a
drug transaction (7 charges)
The following are still at large
in the sting but have warrants
outstanding:
• James Mathis, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (19 charges)
• Antonio D. Searcy, use of a
communication facility in com
mitting a drug transaction (4
charges)
• Leonard Walker, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (5 charges)
• Keith Perkins, possession of
crack cocaine, driving without a
license
• Adam Dudley, use of a com
munication facility in committing
a drug transaction (5 charges)
SLOAN
Continued from page 5A
able future. That $4.25 gas is more
than 100% higher than December
2020, President Trump’s last full
month. So yes, “Big Guy” Biden
lied when he said that he wanted
to raise taxes only on rich people
- wink, wink. It is Biderfs war on
petroleum that has created historic
high gas prices - i.e. your Biden
tax.
If you don’t realize that Demo
crats want higher energy prices,
then you haven’t been paying atten
tion for the last 15 years. Beginning
with Obama, every Dem, in one
manner or another, has favored
higher energy prices. Why? So
that you’ll buy (and use) less fossil
fuels. It’s all about their worship
of Climate Change. Following are
specific examples of Democrats
telling us exactly what they will do
with energy and petroleum.
• January 2008 - Obama, in an
interview with the San Francisco
Chronicle, said, “under my plan of
a cap and trade system, electrical
rates would necessarily skyrocket.”
• September 2008 - Steven Chu,
Nobel winning physicist, “Some
how we have to figure out how to
boost the price of gasoline to the
levels in Europe.” (European gas is
over $8/gallon.) After making that
statement, Obama picked him to
be Energy Secretary.
• October 2008 - Jay Hakes,
headed the Energy Information
Administration under Clinton, in
his book A Declaration of Energy
Independence he said, “There’s no
way we can create abetter future
without the price of (fossil-fuel)
energy going up.”
• Obama’s 1st Term (2009-2013)
- Banned drilling in the eastern
Gulf of Mexico, banned offshore
drilling on the Pacific and Atlan
tic coasts, banned drilling in the
richest oil fields in Alaska, and
implemented onerous regulatory
barriers to drilling where drilling
was permitted. Also, March 2012,
Obama said he wanted to raise
taxes on oil companies to increase
spending on wind and solar power.
• July 2019, CNN presidential
debate, Candidate Biden said he
would “work out, eliminate” fossil
fuels, that there was no place for
fossil fuels, including coal, in a
Biden administration.
• September 2019 campaign
rally, Biden said “I guarantee you
were going to end fossil fuel.”
• Dec 2021, Wall Street Journal
published a lengthy article about
John Kerry’s crusade against oil
and gas. Kerry is Biderfs climate
czar.
For at least 15 years, Demo
crats have worked hard to
increase energy costs with the
ultimate goal of eliminating fossil
fuels. They have used bureau
cracy, the media, academia, and
now demand banks stop funding
oil and gas production all under
the guise of saving the planet.
Biden and the White House
are lying about the causes of
rising energy prices. (Yes, Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine is partly
responsible but gas prices were
spiking long before.) Increased
energy prices are a direct result
of decades of Biden and Demo
crat policies. Yet, they’re blaming
everyone but themselves. Jen
Psaki is actually blaming the oil
companies. She’s trying to shift
blame from the Dems’ hostile
attitude toward fossil fuel. Also,
Psaki said, “the only way to protect
the United States over the long run
is to become energy independent.”
Hahaha - seriously?
Hey Biden, hey Psaki, because of
President Trump’s energy poli
cies, we were energy independent
when Joe took office. We were a
net exporter of energy. Democrat
and Biderfs energy policies have
created a hostile environment for
fossil fuels, and because of those
policies were no longer energy
independent. On Day 1, Biden
cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline
scheduled to bring 800,000 barrels/
day from Canada. He’s shut down
leases on federal land and stopped
drilling in Alaska’s ANWR - all
with the goal to reduce production
to increase energy prices.
To make matters worse, in a
humiliating display of weakness,
Biden begged Iran, OPEC, and
Venezuela to pump more oil,
and sell to us. And in an epic slap
down, Saudi Arabia and the UAE
refused to take Biderfs phone call.
So Biden refuses to ask U.S. oil
companies to increase produc
tion but asked Iranian terrorists
(who chant “death to America”)
and asked Venezuelan dictators
to pump more oil. You can’t make
up such stupidity. Unfortunately,
Georgia’s Senators Warnock and
Ossoff agree with Biderfs high
energy prices. How do I know?
Because they’ve done nothing,
and said nothing to implement
common sense policies to reduce
prices. Like Biden, Warnock wants
higher energy prices.
Final Thought: President Trump
must be clairvoyant because he
precisely predicted the Dems “eco
nomic disaster of epic proportions.”
Sloan Oliver is a retired Army of
ficer who lives in Bolingbroke. Email
him at sloanoliver@earthlink.net.
'Monroe County is the perfect
setting for entertainment about
Southern small town living'
High. Praise for
“On the Porch”
"This book is like Georgia weather. It changes quickly! Yes, every story is
different but interesting! I learned about John Wesley, Garth Brooks, Winston
Churchill, and a few of my Rock Springs members! You will enjoy!"
- Rev. Benny Tate
Senior Pastor, Rocksprings Church
“As a subscriber to his newspaper, I can tell you Will’s columns are almost as
interesting as the ones I write. And that’s high praise. You’ll enjoy being On the
Porch.”
- Erick Erickson
State-wide Radio Talk Show Host
"A great read! Will has a way of capturing the essence of life growing up in
small town America. His writing style will draw you in and keep you there!”
- Jim Cole
Athletic Director, Mercer University
“Monroe County is the perfect setting for entertainment about Southern small
town living. Davis’journalistic skills and observations make the perfect read
for all ages. Words that come to my mind - sensitive, reflective, open to
discussion, but also great appreciation for rural Georgia living and the people
who have and continue to impact Davis’ life.”
- Robert Dickey
State Representative, Peach Farmer
AVAILABLE AT:
FORSYTH: The Reporter, U-Save-lt Pharmacy, Castleberry Drug, & Ocmulgee Outfitters
SMARR: Rumble Road BP • BOLINGBROKE: Southern Charm, Henry’s, & Country Station General Store - Exxon