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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS • THE COMMERCE NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016
Commerce Police Department incidents
Same man is a suspect in two thefts
Officers of the Commerce
Police Department respond
ed to four theft-related cases
last week, two of them involv
ing the same suspect.
Police went to Doug’s Car
Wash, South Elm Street, on
Thursday, Feb. 25, where
the owner told them that
an employee stole $5 from
a customer’s vehicle. The
owner of the business said
he had seen the money in
the vehicle earlier and want
ed to see if it would be miss
ing when the suspect was
done washing the vehicle.
According to the police
report, the suspect was
searched, but the money
was not recovered, and the
suspect denied stealing it.
The owner of the vehicle
said he did not wish to press
charges.
The suspect’s employer
said that there had been
other incidents in which
the suspect took things,
including a necklace valued
at $600. He asked that the
suspect be barred from the
property, and police issued
a criminal trespass warning
banning the man from the
property.
Two days later, police
responded to a Piedmont
Street residence where a
woman said she found an
extension cord plugged into
her residence and mnning
to a residence next door,
where the power meter had
been removed. The victim
said she had noticed her
power bills seemed higher.
Police went to that resi
dence and knocked on the
door, which was answered
by the man suspected in the
car wash theft. The suspect
said his friend might have
made the connection, but
he (the suspect) “did not
question where help comes
from.” However, according
to the incident report, the
suspect also said he knew
the extension cord was
hooked up and that he had
asked the complainant for
permission to plug the cord
to her house a week ago, and
she had said it was okay.
The officers returned to
the complainant, who said
she had not given the sus
pect permission and that he
was a liar.
Other Incidents
Other incidents to which
police responded during the
past week include:
• a burglary at a Rice Street
residence where a man said
he came home at 9:30 p.m.
to find the back door open.
He said he found footprints
going around the residence
and that this was the second
time he’d returned home
to find his doors open. The
only thing reported missing
was a key to the residence.
• theft by taking at
Northridge Medical Cen
ter, Medical Center Drive,
where a woman reported
that someone took her wal
let from her purse while she
was at work. The purse was
hanging in the break room
area. It contained a driver’s
license, two $50 gift cards,
a credit card, a debit card,
three store credit cards and
$10 in cash.
•battery and cruelty to
children reported on Laura
Lane where a woman said
her boyfriend found a vodka
bottle she claimed was two
years old in a recycling bin,
but her boyfriend accused
her of having a sexual rela
tionship with someone else
because of the bottle. She
said he grabbed her by the
arms while she was hold
ing their 5-month-old child.
Banks County Grand Jury indicts 33
A Banks County Grand Jury
indicted 33 people last week,
including the following:
•Carl Christopher Adkins,
possession of a controlled sub
stance with intent to distribute,
possession of a controlled sub
stance, possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon, posses
sion of marijuana, possession
of a controlled substance, driv
ing with a suspended driver’s
license and failure to maintain
a lane.
•Artavian Edward Gilliam,
possession of a controlled sub
stance with intent to distribute,
possession of a controlled sub
stance, possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon, posses
sion of marijuana, possession
of a controlled substance, driv
ing with a suspended driver’s
license and failure to maintain
a lane.
• Joel Gregory Phelps, sec
ond-degree burglary and three
counts of theft by taking.
•Ricky Lee Angel, sec
ond-degree burglary and three
counts of theft by taking.
• Brianna Shanice
Gholston, second degree bur
glary and three counts of theft
by taking.
•Massiah Sekou Ayinde,
possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute, possession
of marijuana, possession of a
firearm during the commis
sion of a crime, failure to main
tain a lane and possession of a
drug-related object.
• Tabitha Nicole Batson,
making a false statement and
false report of a crime.
•Teresa Lynn Black, two
counts of possession of meth-
amphetamine and DUI.
• Lucinda Reed Bless, pos
session of methamphetamine.
• Cameron Andrew Crowe,
possession of methamphet
amine.
• Donald Ray Dawson,
possession of a controlled
substance and two counts of
possession of marijuana.
•Anthony Castanho, pos
session of a controlled sub
stance and two counts of pos
session of marijuana.
• Stephen Henry Dale,
child molestation, sexual bat
tery against a child under age
16, false imprisonment, battery
and criminal trespass.
•Tiffany Anne Wheeler,
fleeing or attempting to elude
a police officer, possession
of methamphetamine with
intent to distribute, posses
sion of methamphetamine,
possession of a controlled
substance, possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon,
possession of a firearm during
the commission of a crime,
possession of marijuana,
reckless driving, driving with
a suspended driver’s license
and failure to stop at stop sign.
• Amanda Susan Gar-
mond, fleeing or attempting
to elude a police officer, pos
session of methamphetamine
with intent to distribute,
possession of methamphet
amine, possession of a con
trolled substance, possession
of a firearm by a convicted
felon, possession of a firearm
during the commission of a
crime, possession of marijua
na, reckless driving, driving
with a suspended driver’s
license and failure to stop at
stop sign.
• Robert Lee Gossitt,
possession of methamphet
amine, DUI and possession of
a drug-related object.
•Billy Joe Gragg, posses
sion of methamphetamine.
• Larry Steven Grogran,
criminal damage to property
battery, simple battery and
obstruction of an officer.
•Paul Dylan Gross, bur
glary theft by taking, theft by
receiving stolen property and
possession of methamphet
amine.
•David McCulley Jenkins,
cruelty to children and two
counts of simple battery.
•Julio Baltazar Juan, false
imprisonment and rape.
• Tomas Pasqual Juan, false
imprisonment and rape.
•Martin Francisco Martin,
false imprisonment and rape.
•Andrew Wayne Merritt,
possession of marijuana and
possession of methamphet
amine.
• Jennifer Robin Lord,
possession of marijuana and
possession of methamphet
amine.
• Katrina Spurgeon Mahan,
possession of a controlled sub
stance with intent to distribute
and possession of a controlled
substance.
•Timothy Lewis Sr., pos
session of marijuana.
• Tina Marie Miller, posses
sion of methamphetamine
and a tag light violation.
• Sheila Peyton Neave,
aggravated assault, pointing
a gun at another person and
discharge of a gun near a high
way or street.
•Thomas Eugene Roper,
false imprisonment, battery,
simple battery hindering an
emergency telephone call,
criminal trespass and disor
derly conduct.
•Matthew Theodore Sam
ples, kidnapping, battery and
simple battery.
•Jackson Lewis Sanders,
home invasion, aggravated
assault and burglary.
• Zanetta Louise Yearby,
vehicular homicide, DUI,
obstruction of an officer, aggra
vated assault on a police offi
cer, aggravated battery failure
to maintain a lane, reckless
driving and no proof of insur
ance.
CASES DISMISSED
Two cases were dismissed
by the Grand Jury. They are:
• Stanley Ezra Levigne,
aggravated assault and two
counts of cruelty to children.
• Catherine Marie Tate, pos
session of a controlled sub
stance.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Banks County is receiving applications for the following public service opportunities. If
you feel you may be qualified and are willing to serve in this position, please call
(706)677-6800 to request an application and a description of the position or go to
www.bankscountvga.org/volunteer and download the application. Please return the
completed form to the Commissioners' office located at 150 Hudson Ridge, Suite 1,
Homer, GA by March 5, 2016 or you may email the completed application to
jgailev(5>co. banks, ga. us.
Board Term/years
Development Authority
4
Community Services Board
3
Planning Commission
4
Police found a wall decora
tion that had been shattered,
an overturned kitchen chair
and a broken glass decora
tion. The victim said the man
threw a number of things
and that he was “on drugs.”
The suspect told police that
the vodka bottle looked new
to him, and he asked the
victim about it. Following an
argument, he said he walked
back to the garage, and she
came in the garage acting
as if she was going to hit
him, and she butted him in
the mouth with her head.
He said when he’d left the
residence, the chair was in
its normal position and there
were no broken items. The
suspect, the report noted
“did have an odor of burnt
marijuana coming from his
person, but his manifesta
tions strongly suggested he
was under the influence of a
stimulant.” The two separat
ed on their own will.
• a dispute between adja
cent property owners on
North Broad Street. A cou
ple summoned police after
noticing cameras on the
neighboring business they
said pointed at their resi
dence. They asked the offi
cer to talk to the business
owner, which the officer
agreed to do. When the offi
cer talked to the man, the
man said the cameras were
for security purposes and
none faced the complain
ants’ property. Five minutes
after the officer left, he was
summoned back to the busi
ness where the owner said
he wanted to file a report that
the complainant’s dog had
been on his front porch and
that when it was let out of its
cage, it would approach the
victim’s dog.
• terroristic threats and
acts at a Heritage Hills apart
ment where a woman told
police she and her sister
were arguing online and her
sister sent her a text message
saying she “would cut her
(the complainant’s) baby out
of her stomach and feed it
to a rabid dog.” The victim
wanted the other woman
prosecuted for the threat.
•a dispute at a Hillcrest
Street residence where a
juvenile male threatened to
kill his stepfather as police
responded to the location.
The stepfather said the boy
punched him in the mouth
and grabbed his testicles,
went into the kitchen to get
a knife and threatened to kill
him. His mother got the knife
away, but the boy produced
a hammer, threatening to
harm his mother, stepfather
and the police. The boy’s
mother took the hammer
away and when an officer
went in the house, the boy
surrendered. The woman
said the boy came home
under the influence of drugs
and “flipped out.” The cou
ple did not want to press
charges, and police took the
boy to Northridge Medical
Center where he calmed
down. He told police that
he was getting ready to go
to bed when his stepfather
entered his room, pushed
him to the floor and started
elbowing him in the head.
• criminal damage to prop
erty at a North Broad Street
residence where someone
drove off the road and across
a yard.
• damage to property at a
Walnut Street location where
a woman and her ex-boy
friend had separated. The
man said he tried to use his
key in the door and it did not
work, so he knocked on the
front door in an attempt to
awaken his girlfriend. The
glass in the front door shat
tered. After the officer spoke
to both parties, they agreed
that the damage to the win
dow was accidental and that
there had been no physical
or verbal dispute during the
incident.
Banks County Water Quality Report-2015
I-ast year the Banks County Water Works conducted
over 55,508 laboratory tests for more than 80 drinking
water parameters. We arc proud to inform you that
The Banks County water system did not have any
violations of water quality parameters during 2015.
Included in this report is information about where your
water comes from, what it contains, and how it
compares to standards set by regulatory agencies.
Your water department is committed to providing our
Community with clean, safe and reliable drinking
water for all of us. For more information about your
water or this report please call Steve Recce at (706)
677-6889.
Your water comes from a 55-acre reservoir located
between I Iwy 441 and Apple Pie Ridge Road. This
source provides ample volumes of water to our
community. This reservoir is protected from
activities, which could potentially cause contamination
of this water source. The water gravity flows to the
treatment plant where treatment chemicals arc added to
remove impurities from the water, then filtered and
finally chlorinated to disinfect the water.
Your Board of Commissioners meets on the second
Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the courthouse
boardroom. Your participation or comments arc
welcome at these meetings.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may
reasonably be expected to contain at least small
amounts of some contaminants. The presence of
contaminants docs not necessarily indicate that water
poses a health risk. More information about
contaminants and potential health effects can be
obtained by calling the HPA’s Safe Drinking Water
Hotline (800) 426-4791.
Some people may be more vulnerable to
contaminants in drinking water than the general
population. Immuno-compromiscd persons such as
persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy,
persons who have undergone organ transplants, people
with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders,
some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk
from infections. These people should seek advice
about drinking water from their health care providers.
F.PA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen
the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other
microbial contaminants are available from the Safe
Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.
Be Water Wise! Everyone wants to help conserve our
valuable resources. Water is one of our most valuable
resources. We could not live without it!
Our distribution system continues to grow. Over
313.9 miles of water lines have been installed since our
inception. Banks County Water Works is currently
researching several options to supplement our current
water sources to ensure safe and reliable sources in the
future.
The sources of drinking water (both tap water and
bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds,
reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the
surface of the land or through the ground.
It dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some
cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances
resulting from the presence of animals or from human
activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source water before
we treat it include
* Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria
which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic
systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
* Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals which
can be naturally occurring or result from urban storm
runolT: industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil
and gas production. Mining or farming.
* Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a
variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm
water nrnolT and residential uses.
*Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic
and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products
of industrial processes and petroleum production, and
can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff,
and septic systems.
'Rodioactiw canlamirxmts, which can he naturally
occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and
mining activities.
* Ixad contaminants If present, elevated levels of lead
can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant
women and young children. Ixad in drinking water is
primarily from materials associated with service lines and
home plumbing. Hanks County Water is responsible for
providing. I Iigh quality dnnking water, but cannot control
the variety of materials used in plumbing components.
When your water has been sitting for several hours, you
can nunuiu/c the potential for lead exposure by flashing your
tap for 30 seconds lo 2 minutes before using water for
drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your
water, you may wish to have your water tested Information
on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can
take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe
Drinking Water I lot line or at
hlti>://MH'.en<i/eo\safe*ati‘r/lead
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink,
MPA prescribes regulations that limit die amount of
ecrlain contaminants in water provided by public water
systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations
establish limits for contaminants in bonk'd water, which
must provide the same protection for public health
WATER QUALITY DATA
Die table below lists all the drinking w r atcr contaminants that we detected during the 20IS calendar year, The
presence of these contaminants in the water docs not necessarily indicate tluit tlic water poses a health risk. Unless
otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 -December 31,2015. EPD requires us
to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants arc not
expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the data, though representative of the water
quality, is more than one year old.
Terms & Abbreviations used below:
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): the level of a contaminant in drinking w r atcr below which there is
no known or expected risk to health. MCI .(is allow for a margin of safety.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.
MCLs arc set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Action Level (AL): the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other
requirements which a water system must follow.
N/A - not applicable. ND - not detectable at testing limit, ppb - parts per billion or micrograms per liter, ppm -
parts per million or milligrams per liter. NTU- Nephelometric Turbity Units — measure of clarity of water, TT -
Treatment Technique a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.
Inorganic Contaminant Table
Parameter MCL
MCLG Hanks Co.
Range of
Sample
Violation
Typical Source
Water Syst
Detection
Date
Ycs/No
Nome 1°°
10.0
.21
.27
2015
No
Runoff from fertilizer use: teaching from
(Hta)
septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits
Nitrile 10
.21
.27
2015
No
RunolT from fertilizer use; leaching from
(PHI))
septic tanks, erosion of natural deposits
Fluoride 4.0
(PPm)
4.0
1.1
0.84— 1.2
2015
No
Erosion of natural deposits; water additive
which promotes strong teeth
Organic Contaminant Table
Parameter
MCL
MCLG
Banks Co.
Range of
Sample
Violation Typical Source
Water Svst.
Detection
Date
Yes/No
TTHMs [Total Stage
80
N/A
70.6
16.5-54
2015
No By-product of drinking water
2Triha)omcthancs
chlorination
1 laloacctic Acids
60
N/A
33.7
0-41
2015
No By-product of drinking water
Stage 2(11 A AS)
disinfection
Disinfectants and Disinfection By-products Table
Parameter MCL MCLG Result Range Sample Date Violation Typical Source
Chlorine
4.0 4.0
2.0
2.0-2.5
2015
no
Disinfectant
(PPM)
Drinking water
Sample Date
Violation
Typical Source
Turbidity Tabic
NO
Soil runoff and
Parameter
MCL
MCLG
Result Range
Errosion
Turbidity
TT=5 NTU
0
.22
TT = Percentage
of samples <0.3
100% N/A
About Nitrate: Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six months of age.
High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise quickly for short periods of
time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you arc caring for an infant you should ask for advice from your health
care prov ider.
Is our water system meeting other rules that govern our operations? EPD and EPA require us to test our water
on a regular basis to ensure quality and safety. We here at the Banks County Water System are working hard to make sure
that you will have an uninterrupted supply of clean safe drinking water for now and in the future.
I certify that the above information is correct to the best of my knowledge
Date 02/12/2016 Signature
Andrew Strickland
