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THIS WEEK’S INSIDE DEALS ►►► ingles . smartsource . sears
INSIDE ► ►►
Find your kids’
hoops team
from Rec Dept.
SEE PAGE 6-7C
coaches leaving
SEEPAGE 1C
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Kristi Varnadoe
Susanne Ford
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS m6A
Anne Brasher
Tullye Ralph
Robert Ellis, Sr.
Report: Drunk suspect shoots out
police robot during 2-hour standoff
O’NEAL
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
A south Monroe County
man is charged with firing his
gun while drunk and destroy
ing a law enforcement robot
during a 2-hour standoff with
deputies on Tuesday, April 5.
Monroe County deputies
finally ended the standoff
when Robert O’Neal, 51,
went to retrieve a cold beer in
the garage and was tackled to
the ground.
Deputies were dispatched to
the home at 17 Cardiff Drive
off of Estes Road around 5
p.m. after family members
complained that their grown
son was drunk and want
ing to drive off. Joel West,
80, stood in the front door
and told Sgt. Kirk Seckinger
that his stepson, O’Neal, was
drunk and had pointed a .223
rifle at him earlier and was
sitting inside holding it. His
mother, Brenda West, and sis
ter, Jennifer Graham, came to
the door and Seckinger told
them to leave the home
immediately and called <
for backup.
About 10-15 deputies sur
rounded the home and tried
to talk O’Neal, who lived at
the home with his mom and
stepdad, into surrendering
peacefully. O’Neal tried to
talk a deputy into coming in
side to talk to him, but sheriff
>e STANDOFF Page 6A
Wreck hospitalizes Forsyth woman
A Forsyth woman was hospitalized after she had an apparent diabetic episode and crashed into a power pole in front
of a Johnston Street home on Monday. Wilma Lowe, 69, of Forsyth, shown above on the stretcher, was apparently
heading west on Johnston Street at Indian Springs Drive when she passed out, went through the 4-way stop, plowed
over the stop sign in the yard of Lee and Judy Roberts at 114 W. Johnston Street and then drove over Roberts’ mailbox
before crashing into a power pole. She was driving a red Mazda sedan. A former city council candidate, Roberts said
he thinks its the 43rd wreck in front of their home hes counted in 20+ years living there. He said it hasn’t gotten better
since the city added the 4-way stop. Mrs. Roberts said she was saddened to lose the mailbox which included child
hood writing inside by her late granddaughter. She said she would save the mailbox for that. Mr. Roberts, meanwhile,
sighed that he better head to Lowes for a new one. Monroe County EMS took Lowe to the hospital while city utility
crews worked to secure the fallen power lines. (Photo/Will Davis)
Man goes around road crew,
winds up in floodwaters
A Monticello man got stuck in
floodwaters when he tried to go
around county workers repairing
a washed out Unionville Road last
Thursday. According to the accident
report, Ryan Luther Collins, 32, was
pulling a trailer behind his 2007
Chevrolet Equinox a quarter mile
north of Wise Road on Unionville
Road when he tried to pass Monroe
County road crews working on the
road and went into the swollen creek.
The incident happened around 4:14
pm. Monroe County roads supervi
sor Junior Watts said Collins tried
to go around a county backhoe and
wound up in the water. Watts said
the driver’s side was under water so
Collins had to crawl out the pas
senger side of his vehicle to escape.
Watts said his crews worked all night
on Wednesday dodging lighting bolts
and falling trees to try to repair roads
washed out from two days of hard
rain and storms. Treadwell, Gordon,
McMillan and Unionville Roads were
all closed by flooding last week but
have all been reopened.
Flooding washed out Unionville Road.
County
admits
mistakes
in river
land deal
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
Monroe County didn’t
follow the law when it sold
that 103-acre, river-front
tract last year at a $600,000
loss, perhaps opening the
sale to be legally over
turned.
State law requires local
governments to advertise
property for sale in the
local legal organ newspa
per at least 15 days before
bids are due. However the
county has conceded it
only placed an ad announc
ing the property for sale
on April 28,2021, just two
days before bids were due
to be opened. Only one bid
was submitted, from Ron
ald Woodford and Greg
Jarrell, for $60,000, or $582
per acre. Woodford and
Jarrell, who formed Ca
milla Partners in May 2021,
wound up paying $103,000,
or $1,000 per acre, for the
riverfront property in June
2021. However, minutes of
county commission meet
ings during that period
make no mention of the
See DEAL Page 6A
Monroe
County
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