Newspaper Page Text
August 10, 2022
iReporter
Page 5C
man indicted for killing girlfriend
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
A Forsyth man was indicted
on Tuesday, Aug. 9 for killing his
girlfriend and taking
her body in his car
to Lake Juliette in
March.
Jadarius Watts,
22, was indicted by
the Monroe County
Grand Jury for mur
der and obstruction
in the death of his
girlfriend Teri Proc
tor.
Monroe County
deputies had found
Proctor dead in a car
at Lake Juliette and ar
rested her boyfriend 8 hours after
the family had told Forsyth police
she was missing.
Forsyth police say Proctors
parents called police around
1:47 a.m. on March 23, and city
officers went to 235 Union Hill
Drive. There, Proctors parents
said they had not heard from
their 21-year-old daughter in
several hours. Her mother,
Latosha Proctor, said that Tori
Proctor had called her earlier but
the call had been disconnected
before they could talk. Then, she
received a text message from Tori
around 8:55 p.m. saying she was
on her way home. It was now 2
a.m. and she still wasn’t home
and they hadn’t heard from her.
Latosha Proctor said her boy
friend Jadarius Watts lived in
Union Hill Apartments 12C and
asked them to check to see if she
was there. But no one answered
the door. Officers had dispatchers
call both of their cell numbers,
but there was still no answer.
Next, the officers had a dis
patcher call Watts’ mother to
come unlock the door to his
apartment. Officers asked
dispatchers if they could
ping Tori’s phone. Dispatch
said they could not because
Tori’s parents had said they
didn’t think it was a life or
death situation.
Officers determined that
Tori Proctor’s car was at her
parents’ home. So officers
patrolled the area looking
for Watts’ black Chevy Malibu.
While patrolling they saw Tori’s
parents in their car on Lee Street.
The Proctors said that Mrs. Watts
had opened the apartment and
no one was there.
The Proctors said they were
going home and that Tori would
probably call in the morning.
The officer said because Tori was
an adult, they could not enter
her name into the state-wide
computer system until 24 hours
had passed. But the next morn
ing, Proctor was still missing and
so the family called the sheriff’s
office around 8:40 a.m, and they
were able to work the case as a
missing person because she had
been missing for 12 hours, said
Harris.
Deputies traced a cell phone
of one of them to the Brownlee
Road area of northern Monroe
County, setting off a massive
search for the phone. That led
next to the Holly Grove boat
ramp off Juliette Road on Lake
Juliette.
At about 11:57 a.m„ deputies
found the Malibu at the Holly
Grove Boat Ramp in Monroe
County backed in a parking
space. Watts was sitting in the
front seat of the vehicle. Watts
exited the vehicle and deputies
began a pat down search. Watts
then started running and jumped
into Lake Juliette. He was unable
to swim and was rescued by the
deputies. Watts was handcuffed.
Proctor was found dead in the
Malibu. Watts remains in the
Monroe County Jail charged with
Obstruction of Law Enforcement,
Possession of a Firearm Dur
ing the Commission of a Felony,
Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault,
and Murder.
The Forsyth Police Depart
ment did an internal probe of its
response to the missing persons
report and determined that offi
cers did nothing wrong while re
sponding to reports that Proctor
was missing. Then-police chief
Eddie Harris said that his officers
only erred in telling Proctor’s
family that they would have to
wait 24 hours before putting her
name in the state-wide computer
system as missing. Harris said
they should have said it was 12
hours. But he noted that the fam
ily never filed a missing person
report anyway.
Adams said the murder doesn’t
fit the requirements to pursue the
death penalty.
Forsyth teen indicted for Walmart murder
BOWDEN
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
A 17 year old Forsyth
man was indicted on
Tuesday, Aug. 9 for shoot
ing and killing another
teenager at the Forsyth
Walmart back
in January.
The Monroe
County grand
jury indicted
Tarmaine
Jontavion “T.J.”
Bowden, 17,
of Forsyth for
the murder of
Cedric Mayes,
17, of Forsyth,
also known by
his nickname
PJ Rue, on Jan.
2,2022. Bowden was also
indicted for aggravated
assault for almost shoot
ing a female witness who
was near the victim and
for possession of a firearm
during the commission of
a felony.
Bowden reportedly
pulled out a pistol and shot
several times at Mayes
around 6 p.m., said police.
Monroe County coroner
Joey Proctor said Bowden
was only about 3 feet away
from Mayes and shot him
3-4 times in the chest,
face and arm. Mayes was
pronounced dead at the
scene. Police say Mayes did
not have a gun. There were
reports that the murder
was retaliation because
Mayes had slept with
Bowden’s girlfriend and
sent him the video.
Shoppers and employees
stampeded out of the For
syth Walmart after the gun
fire erupted in the frozen
food section.
Forsyth police and
Monroe County deputies
rushed to the scene amidst
a hail of 911 calls. Bowden’s
mother Sonya Bowden
was waving a flashlight at
the intersection in front of
Walmart and told deputy
Shania Hawkins, “my son
just killed someone, he is in
my car!”
Hawkins and deputy
Morgan then grabbed
Bowden from the ve
hicle and took him to the
ground. As he was being
handcuffed Bowden said,
“He tried to shoot me first.”
A loaded pistol was found
tucked inside the back of
his pants.
The shooting occurred
after an argument, ru
mored to be over a girl,
that started in the produce
section and continued to
the frozen food area. A
witness told the Reporter
she had been in the store
for around 5 minutes when
suddenly she heard a dog
growling and barking, and
5 seconds after that, she
heard a series of gunshots.
MAYES
She said people started
screaming and running
and shoving to get outside.
She said she waited to leave
until the rush was over
because she was afraid of
being trampled.
Some customers left
items behind after paying
and waited in the parking
lot for permission to go
back in while GBI and local
law enforcement investigat
ed. A couple who had just
bought a prescription told
the Reporter they left $90
worth of medicine on the
pharmacy counter in their
rush to safety after hearing
5 or 6 loud shots. They said
the medicine was needed
and they had no choice but
to wait. Walmart employ
ees were not permitted to
speak with the Reporter.
Mayes’ family members
were also standing outside
the store, including his
distraught mother who
was crying, “they killed
my baby... they killed my
baby!” while family mem
bers tried to console her.
Around 10 minutes after
the shooting, Hawkins
and Morgan
were blocking
the entrance
of Walmart
when
Hawkins
noticed two
men running
up the hill
from Hwy. 42
N and Rus
sell Parkway
and ordered
them to stop.
One of the
men, Jeremy Roshad Davis,
19, of Forsyth, feverishly
told Hawkins his brother
was inside the store, and
he needed to get to him.
Hawkins told him he
needed to calm down while
Morgan went to the other
man, Jermaine Bernard
Davis, 19, of Forsyth. Sud
denly, Jeremy snatched
away from Hawkins
and tried to rim toward
Walmart.
Hawkins tackled Jeremy
to the ground where he
continued to resist and
Jermaine broke away from
Morgan and jumped on
her back, trying to shove
her off Jeremy. After a short
struggle, both men were
handcuffed. Jeremy had
an unloaded black Smith
and Wesson .380 in his
right front jacket pocket.
Jermaine was carrying a
9mm Ruger Max with a
round in the chamber in
his pants pocket. The serial
number on the pistol was
scratched off.
To separate the two
men, Jermaine Davis was
put in the back of deputy
Ramsey’s patrol car while
Jeremy Davis was put into
Hawkins’ vehicle. While
in her car, Jeremy brought
his handcuffed hands in
front of him and damaged
the back windows by hit
ting them with the hand
cuffs. He also ripped out
Hawkins’ radar antenna
from its mount and yanked
out the wires. Hawkins will
be seeking warrants against
him for obstruction, inter
ference with government
property, and receiving
stolen property. Warrants
will also be sought against
Jermaine for possession of
a firearm during the com
mission of a felony, altered
ID on the weapon, and
obstruction.
Forsyth police turned the
murder investigation over
to the GBI. Bowden is be
ing held without bond. His
brother, Deon Bowden, was
just sentenced to 35 years
in prison for a May 2020
shootout with local police
and deputies. District attor
ney Jonathan Adams said
his office had already had
to deal with TJ Bowden in
juvenile court. He com
mended Mrs. Bowden
for turning her son over
authorities. Because he’s
just 17, Adams said he can
not seek the death penalty
in the case. Mayes was also
familiar to authorities. He
was charged in August with
stealing a Monroe County
school bus with two other
teens and taking it on a
joy ride. Bowden had been
enrolled in the Monroe
County Achievement
Center, but Mayes was not
enrolled in school.
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CITY OF CULLODEN
P.O. BOX 38 • CULLODEN, GA 31016
FOR GENERAL ELECTION
FOR THE CITY OF CULLODEN
Notice is hereby given that the governing
authority of the City of Culloden has set the
following dates for filing of candidacy of persons
seeking office in the General Election for the City
of Culloden that shall be held on Tuesday,
November 8, 2022.
For the Office of Alderman - Two (2) Positions -
4 year terms - August 15, 2022 thru August 18,
2022 from 8:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m.
For the Office of Mayor - 4 year term - August
15, 2022 thru August 18, 2022 - from 8:00 a.m.
thru 1:00 p.m.
The City of Culloden has set the qualifying fee
at $10.00 for persons wishing to seek office for
Council and for Mayor for the November 8, 2022
Election.
Filing of Notice of Candidacy must be made in
person at the City Hall with the City Clerk during
the times and dates specified and within business
hours.
Council of the City of Culloden.
The City Council of Forsyth hereby announces that the millage rate for the City will be set at a meeting
to be held at City Hall, 23 E Main Street on the 15 day of August, 2022, and
pursuant to OCGA Section 48-5-32, hereby publishes the following presentation of the current year tax digest
and levy along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
CURRENT 2022 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
YEAR
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Real & Personal
114,493,083
116,532,639
118,549,862
123,347,883
136,423,985
153,004,240
Motor Vehicles
2,461,130
2,041,590
1,594,760
1,492,750
1,263,620
1,292,340
Mobile Homes
80,969
-
71,902
70,915
70,915
Gross Digest
111,950,984
114,491,049
116,955,102
121,783,231
135,089,450
151,640,985
Less M& O Exemptions
2,768,376
2,774,083
2,833,223
2,885,381
3,220,149
3,407,954
Net M & O Digest
109,182,608
111,716,966
114,121,879
118,897,850
131,869,301
148,233,031
Gross M&O Millage
Less Rollbacks
3
3
3
3
2.5
2.5
Net M&O Millage
3
3
3
3
2.5
2.5
Net Taxes Levied
327,548
335,151
342,366
356,694
329,673
370,583