Newspaper Page Text
Page 6C
August 10, 2022
Drugs
found as
driver’s
license
worker
stopped
in moving
violations
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
An employee of the
Georgia
Depart
ment of
Driver
Ser
vices was
stopped
in her
2014
Dodge
Charger
for following too closely
and dark window tint and
deputies found nearly 2
pounds of marijuana in
her car. According to the
incident report, Cpl. Jaleel
Brown made the stop on
Deena G. McDowell, 36,
Decatur on Aug. 1 on 1-75
S near Juliette Road and
could smell marijuana as
he made a passenger side
approach on the vehicle
and asked for her license.
Her male passenger, Mar-
quize Deshawn Griggs, 41,
of Decatur told Brown they
were coming from Atlanta
and headed to a relatives
home in Macon. While
speaking to him, Brown
noticed a pre-rolled mari
juana cigarette sitting in the
center cup holder ready to
be smoked.
When asked about the
window tint, McDowell
told the corporal she just
bought the vehicle, and the
window tint came on the
vehicle. Brown explained
that she now owns the ve
hicle, and she is responsible
for any equipment infrac
tions. He then asked her to
step out of the vehicle and
sit inside of his patrol unit
to receive her tickets.
McDowell told Brown
she was surprised he pulled
her over due to her em
ployment at the Depart
ment of Driver Services.
Brown replied that her job
does not give her an excuse
for the vehicle violations,
and it does not excuse the
odor of marijuana com
ing from the vehicle. She
said she does not smoke
marijuana and Brown told
her the vehicle smelled like
marijuana and there was a
marijuana cigarette in the
cupholder. He then told her
there would be a search on
the car.
Deputy Jeff Thomp
son arrived to assist, and
Griggs stood at the front
of Browns vehicle while
the deputies removed the
marijuana cigarette from
the cup holder and found
a gray bookbag with 2 one-
pound size bags contain
ing suspected marijuana.
Griggs said McDowell had
nothing to do with the
weed and he was hand
cuffed. He also gave up a
marijuana cigarette he had
stuffed in his pants along
with another small baggie
of marijuana. There was
a Hi Point firearm found
with no record and was
returned to the vehicle.
McDowell was cited for
following too closely and
window tint violation
then released. Griggs was
charged with distributing
marijuana and taken to the
Monroe County Justice
Center for processing.
GRIGGS
a
Beporter
City OKs 41
in Manor at
more houses
Montpelier
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
Forsyth will be getting
41 new homes after city
council approved the third
phase of the Manor at
Montpelier subdivision on
Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Council voted 4-1 to
approve developer Matt
Gilbert’s plans for phase
3 of Manor at Montpelier
across the street from
phases 1 and 2. Gilbert’s
plan is to put 41 home on
35 acres in Phase 3.
Only councilman Chris
Hewett opposed a variance
allowing some lots slightly
smaller than the 1 acre
required in R-1 zoning.
The city planning and zon
ing board had voted 3-2
on July 6 to recommend
that council not approve
the variance. But Gilbert
told council he’s done
everything the city asked
him to do, including fewer
and bigger lots, adding a
green buffer and adding
a turn lane on Montpe
lier Road. Gilbert had
originally asked for R-3
zoning which would have
allowed 3 lots per acre, but
dropped that idea upon
city opposition.
Gilbert said houses will
be a minimum of2,000 sq.
ft. and will be priced in the
low to mid $300,000 range.
In other city news:
• The city of Forsyth
will erect Christmas
decorations starting in late
October and beginning on
the courthouse square and
working out from there to
ensure no neighborhoods
feel slighted this year.
Councilman John How
ard has raised concerns
that some neighborhoods
feel they were excluded
from the decorations last
year. Council has dis
cussed the fact that the
city needs more decor
for lightpoles throughout
town.
City electrical superin
tendent Mike Batchelor
said the city has decora
tions for roughly 24 light
poles. He said he’ll start
at the square and work
outward a few blocks in
all directions until he rims
out.
“I like that idea,” said
Howard. “If we don’t have
enough to cover all the
areas, just to be fair, just
cover the main square
areas.”
Council Mike Dodd
said he got a business card
of a guy that sells Christ
mas decor to cities while
at the Georgia Municipal
Association (GMA) in Sa
vannah. He suggested the
city consider buying more
decorations. But council
members said it was prob
ably too late for this year.
“Maybe for next year,”
said Mayor Eric Wilson.
• Council approved the
Mary Persons homecom
ing parade around the
town square from 5-6:30
p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22.
• After meeting behind
closed doors with MEAG
(Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia),
the city’s power co-op,
council agreed to forgo
an opportunity to bail on
the Plant Vogtie project
despite long construction
delays. Forsyth and other
MEAG cities had the op
tion to sell their shares to
Georgia Power but Forsyth
and the other MEAG cities
all agreed to stick with
the project to expand the
nuclear plant in Waynes
boro.
• Council agreed to hire
a crew of 10 inmates from
Burruss prison in 2022-23
for $49,318 to handle work
details. The funds will pay
for the prison guard.
• Council voted unani
mously to have city at
torney Bobby Melton
develop a blight ordinance
like Macon-Bibb has that
will make it easier for the
city to force a cleanup of
unkempt property in the
city. Councilman John
Howard has been pushing
for the change. The city
has identified 17 proper
ties it considers blight and
has begun mailing letters
to property owners.
Animal cruelty charges after starving
dogs seen in fight over canine carcass
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
Starving dogs were
reportedly eating and
fighting over the remains
another deceased dog at
a trailer on Juliette Road
by the trailer’s owner who
went to collect the rent
on Aug. 2. According to
the report released by
the sheriff’s office, Susan
Truluck told deputy James
Brooks she was the owner
of the property and has
been renting the trailer at
3209 Juliette Road lot 3A
out to Vernon Winslow
and Regina Braswell since
June. She said that she
came to the property to
collect rent from Braswell
and to retrieve some of
her belongings from the
residence and noticed a
deceased dog next to the
front door and the other
dogs were fighting each
other trying to eat it. She
added she has not seen
or heard from Braswell in
around three weeks and
that Winslow has been in
the Monroe County Jail
since June.
Witness Lisa Brass of
Culloden told Brooks she
tried going into the home
and noticed a dead dog
inside the home. She said
that Winslow and Braswell
had ten dogs all together
and that the trailer was
clean and in great condi
tion before they moved in.
Brooks saw a small, stiff,
deceased dog laying on the
concrete pad outside of the
front door that appeared
to have been dead for a
while. He also saw severe
other visibly malnour
ished dogs running in and
around the trailer. The
dogs’ ribs and hip bones
were protruding and there
was a terrible odor coming
from inside the home.
Brooks found the trailer
to be covered in dog feces
and urine. He did not find
any dog food or clean
drinking water for the
dogs, only a pot contain
ing a brown liquid in it.
After looking around the
house and taking photos
he called animal control
who was able to remove
six dogs at that time but
was unable to catch two
others. An autopsy will be
done on the deceased dog.
Brooks spoke with
Winslow at the Monroe
County Jail who told
him he never lived at the
residence but stayed on
Charlie Benson Road. He
stated that Brasswell, who
is his girlfriend, lived there
and she is highly addicted
to methamphetamine and
that her addiction could be
a contributor to the messy
trailer.
Warrants were sought
on Braswell for cruelty to
animals.
Forsyth men charged for Ernest T.-style rock-throwing
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
Two Forsyth men were
jailed after they admitted to
mutual combat by throw
ing metal objects and rocks
at each other on Aug. 3.
According to the incident
report, deputy Shania
Hawkins was dispatched
to 401 Colvin Road where
she found Hugh Jeremy
Crowder, 46, with visible
injuries to his head and
with blood running down
came
his face. Crowder told the
deputy that he was work
ing on
a car,
when
Jessie
Carrol
Smith,
53,
ofthe CROWDER
house
yelling “I hope you all die.”
Crowder stated the next
thing that happened was
Smith was hitting him over
the head with a metal object
then
walked
away
down
the road.
Sgt.
Todd
Haskins
arrived
to help
find
Smith and was told that he
got a ride to town. Haskins
later found him near Mize
SMITH
Man charged in meth rage on ex s home
A Forsyth man allegedly high on meth
went to jail after damaging his ex-girl-
friend’s home on July 23 around 8:15 p.m.
According to the incident report, dispatch
advised deputy Christopher Marsh that
William Andrew Casler, 37, of Forsyth had
ripped off the siding, removed the
steps and kicked down the door
of a home at 552 Weldon Road
and was still inside the residence.
Marsh found the victim, Leslie Ni
cole Taylor, 34, near Weldon Road
who told him Casler was high on
meth and there was a temporary
protective order between the two.
On the porch there were piles of
clothes and trash scattered around
as well as broken personal items. The front
door was ripped off the hinges and was
propped up against the door frame. Marsh
moved the door out of the way and saw
Casler standing inside the kitchen mum
bling. The deputy told him to come to the
front porch where he was handcuffed.
As he was being placed in the rear of the
patrol car Marsh noticed Casler appeared
to be under the influence of drugs due to
his dilated pupils, sweating profusely, and
rambling about inanimate objects. He
told Marsh that he ripped the steps off the
house because he could replace
them.
Taylor stated that she had not
been at her house for a few days
due to Casler being in the area.
Taylor and Marsh then walked
through her home so that she
could determine what Casler
has damaged. Besides the dam
age to the exterior of the house,
the couch was ripped, vases and
mirrors were broken, clothes were thrown
around and a dresser was broken.
Casler was charged with burglary, aggra
vated stalking, and property damage.
CASLER
Street at Paul’s So Easy
Body Shop. Smith also had
injuries to his face and told
Haskins they were both
throwing metal objects
at each other. Smith said
Crowder hit him in the
head with a rock. No other
witnesses saw what had
happened, besides a child
who said that she saw one
hit the other.
Haskins asked Crowder
about Smith’s injuries and
he said that when Smith
hit him, he started hitting
and throwing objects back
at him. Crowder stated he
threw Smith to the ground
and punched him 3 times
with a closed fist.
Hawkins then handcuffed
Crowder and placed him in
the back seat of her patrol
vehicle. Warrants were
obtained on both men for
affray.