Newspaper Page Text
August 17, 2022
Page 7A
FIRED
Continued from 1A
department.
It was a quick reversal that
started when Cross’ son,
Andre Cross, who lived in
Miami, learned in 2020 that
Dent had been bragging
that she had the home put
into her name. Cross said
his father, a retired teacher
and Korean War veteran,
was suffering from demen
tia. He said that Dent knew
her fathers weakened state
and moved in to claim his
assets under the guise of
caring for him.
Cross said his parents
found Monroe County in
1981 while traveling from
Miami to Memphis. They
wound up buying 13 acres
and building a home on
Gibson Road off Shi Road.
The “city couple” wound up
learning to enjoy country
life with a tractor, scup-
pernong vines and a pecan
grove.
“It was dad’s dream to
have property by a lake be
cause he liked to fish,” said
Andre Cross. “This was his
dream.”
But the Crosses later got
a divorce and Fred Cross
lived alone. Andre Cross
said his father met Dent
when he would go by the
Monroe County water
department to pay his bill.
Cross had trouble paying
his power bill on the inter
net, and Dent helped him.
As Cross developed demen
tia, Dent claimed she and
her mother had a group
that took care of elderly
folks, and said they were
doing daily visits to take
him food and make sure he
was OK. But Andre Cross
said he got a phone call
from someone saying that
Dent bragged that she was
getting his property. Sure
enough, property records
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show his 3,200-square-foot
home and 13 acres on Gib
son Road were deeded over
to Dent, who listed a Blount
Street address, in 2018.
When they realized what
was happening, Andre
Cross said he came from
Miami and his sister from
England to try to meet with
Dent at the home. But Dent
wouldn’t let them inside.
Cross said his dad was re
ally afraid of her, and that
she only took care of him so
she could swindle him.
“Once she got the papers
signed,” said Cross, “she
dropped him like a hot
potato.”
Cross said that Dent
took his dad’s tractor,
his furniture, tools and
everything in his garage
and replaced them with
something cheaper so that
his father wouldn’t suspect
anything. Cross said Dent
even took his dad’s car and
gave it to her son. When he
wrecked it, she put it back
in the yard. Meanwhile she
was driving around in a
Maserati.
“Who can afford a Mase
rati working for the govern
ment?” wondered Cross’
ex-wife Barbara Cross.
Dent acted as her own at
torney during the trial. The
Cross family was represent
ed by attorney Alan Toney
of Macon.
Andre Cross said that
Dent gave riveting, award
winning testimony, even
getting choked up when she
said that Fred Cross was
like a grandfather to her.
In her closing argument,
Dent noted that several of
her co-workers had testified
that they had witnessed
Fred Cross signing the deed
to his home over to Dent.
They testified that they
think Cross was doing so
of his own free will and not
under pressure. Dent also
noted that Cross’ doctor,
Craig Caldwell, testified
that he saw no evidence
that Cross was abused by
Dent.
And Dent said that Cross
had a strange relationship
with his family members.
She said Andre Cross
testified that his father had
beat him up and had hit
his ex-wife Barbara. Dent
also noted that Cross had
not called his son to bail
him out of jail when he had
been arrested for writing a
bad check. Dent said when
he got out of jail, Cross
came straight to her. That,
said Dent, is when she
realized she had better get
his property deeds in her
name.
Barbara Cross, however,
told the Reporter that Cross
only bounced the check
because Dent had drained
his checking account.
Dent’s efforts weren’t
enough to win the case.
“They didn’t buy it,” said
Andre Cross. He noted
that the family had to get
a restraining order on this
same woman when he was
with his father through his
last nine months of his life.
Fred Cross died at age 88 in
October 2021.
“I’m so thankful,” said An
dre Cross. “We got justice.
I’m a firm believer in my
Father in heaven. The jury
knew the evil she portrayed
and confidence game she
played, almost like she felt
she was owed this. This was
meant to happen.”
Cross’ former wife Bar
bara Cross told the Re
porter that the family came
forward not only to get
justice for themselves, but
for anyone else that Dent
has victimised.
“Were fighting for those
who didn’t have a voice,”
said Cross, “so that maybe
they’ll be heard.” Andre
Cross said he thinks she
has probably done the same
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thing to other people.
Sheriff Brad Freeman told
the Reporter that his office
does have an active crimi
nal investigation into Dent
that preceded the civil trial.
If anyone has information
that Dent may have com
mitted crimes related to the
finances of elderly people,
call the sheriff’s office at
994-7048. He said it would
be a while before they could
determine if charges were
warranted.
Freeman and county
commissioner John
Ambrose, however, both
said they don’t expect the
investigation to turn up
any criminal acts by Dent
related to her time working
for the county water de
partment. Several Monroe
County water customers
have questioned why their
water bills have been much
higher than normal lately.
Ambrose however said in
almost every case it has
turned out that the home-
owner either had a leak or a
pool or an irrigation system
which uses a lot more
water.
On-line government
records show that Alleta
Mays Dent also got two
loans of $10,966, a total
of more than $21,000, in
2020-21 from a forgivable
Paycheck Protection Plan
government loan for a log
ging business. She also ran
unsuccessfully for Forsyth
city council in 2013 and
2015.
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