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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MARCH 5, 2009 — PAGE 3A
DA to proceed with
Moon prosecution
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
District Attorney Bob Lavender says he still plans to prosecute Jason
Moon for tire murder of Edouardo Monrico Barnett, whose body was
found off a Madison County road Jan. 5,2007.
No date or locale has been set for the trial.
Last week, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a Madison County
Superior Court judge's decision to exclude a portion of Moon’s self-
incriminating statements to investigators.
"We were prepared to go to trial without that statement,’’ said Lavender.
"So we’re still prepared to go to trial.”
Lavender added that the Supreme Court actually allowed a portion of
Moon's statements back into the trial that had previously been thrown
out.
The Supreme Court ruled that interrogations continued after Moon had
made clear his desire to remain silent.
"Finding that Moon did invoke his right to remain silent during the
interrogation, we affirm the suppression of his responses from that point
on,” the Supreme Court mled.
The court noted that Moon made two statements to police, the first
when Moon was in the rear of the patrol car following his arrest.
“.. .Our review of the jailhouse interrogations fails to disclose a basis
to suppress Moon’s responses prior to his initial invocation of his right to
remain silent,” the Supreme Court judges mled. “Accordingly, tire judg
ment of tire trial court is affirmed in part and reversed in part.”
Dollar figure to be released
soon in D’ville theft case
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Library could land state dollars
By Ben Munro
ben@mamstreetnews.com
Over Si.5 million in state funds
paired with $750,000 in local
SPLOST money could potentially
bring more than just a facelift to
the Madison County Library.
"This would be essentially, a
new library,” Madison County
Library manager Suzi DeGrasse
said. "It wouldn’t be just adding
on a room like we did in ‘94.”
The library will find out in
2010 if it receives state funding.
Madison County is currently 16 th
on the state’s capital request proj
ect list, according to DeGrasse.
If the library landed the money,
the current structure would be
assimilated into the new building.
The money would also furnish
materials for the new-look facil
ity.
The state’s portion would be
$1,517,000. Since this is a match
ing grant, the Madison County
Board of Commissioners have
tagged $750,000 of SPLOST for
the library, but commission chair
man Anthony Dove told the BOC
in early February that sales tax
collections are down and that it
must consider a course of action
should the state provide funding
for the library in 2010.
DeGrasse said the value in this
partially-SPLOST funded project
is that it’s something that would
benefit the entire county.
“Unlike a road project — not
every single person drives on a
road — but with the library, every
single person can use the library,"
she said.
DeGrasse said the library needs
more space to meet the demands
of the county’s population.
It is currently operating below
the recommended square footage
needed per capita.
next year
That's why the Madison County
Library ranks no. 16 on the project
list.
"So we are being held back in
our ability to meet everybody's
needs,” DeGrasse said. “Although
we love what we can do, we could
do so much more.”
DeGrasse, again, stressed the
value of a project that will affect all
of the county’s 28,000 citizens.
"The neatest thing about this, as
opposed to other SPLOST things,
is that if even if it goes to a school,
not everybody has kids that go to
the school,” she said. "This is for
every single person in the county."
DFCS office wants to heighten child abuse awareness
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County
Department of Family and
Children Services office wants
to call attention to child abuse
prevention next month — "pre
vention" being the key word.
“We try to talk more about
prevention and what you can do
to intervene," department director
Lisa Plank said.
April is National Child Abuse
Prevention Month.
Though the theme is preven
tion, Plank doesn't ignore the
numbers during presentations on
the subject.
She says the statistics drive
home the problem of child abuse
and neglect in the county.
"Because people need to know
it happens here," Plank said. "A
lot of times it’s easy for people to
say, 'That doesn’t happen here."’
But the general theme is to be
proactive, and intervention can
be a small thing. Plank said.
"You see mom getting a little
frazzled at the grocery story, if
you know your neighbor is hav
ing a hard time — how you can
intervene in a way that’s non
threatening,” she said.
Plank said the department tries
to help families before a situa
tion escalates to abuse or neglect,
refuting what she said is a com
mon misconception about the
DFCS office.
"People think that if they call
us, that we’re going to go take
their kids," Plank said.
To get the word out about child
abuse prevention month, Plank
suggested running advertisements
with local media outlets. DFCS
board chairman Gary Locke said
the department should contact
county churches about presenta
tions concerning the subject.
Like last year, the DFCS office
plans to hang children’s-sized
T-shirts on a clothesline in front of
the old courthouse in Danielsville
to serve as a symbolic reminder
of the problem.
“It is child abuse prevention
month, so hanging up the T-shirts
shows that there are children in
Madison County that are vic
tims of abuse and neglect," Plank
said.
So how much money did former Danielsville City Clerk Michelle Dills
allegedly steal from the city?
Well, that number should be available soon.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jim Fullington said
Tuesday that his office expected to receive theft investigation files from
Danielsville Monday, but the snowy weather changed those plans. He
said he expects to be able to review city files and release a number within
the week.
Danielsville officials and auditors worked for months, poring over city
records trying to determine what Dills allegedly took from the city, before
handing over their findings to the GBI.
The city council met Thursday with city auditor Ben Vance, who
reported that the 2007 audit findings were essentially the same as in 2006.
Dills was arrested after the 2006 audit revealed that the clerk allegedly cut
herself 70 checks totaling $56,000.
"The findings were the same as in 2006,” Vance told the council. ‘They
really didn’t change in 2007. So, this will go to the state auditor and
they’ll look at all that.”
The 2007 audit shows an "extraordinary item shortage” of $53,000.
Vance said he should have the 2008 audit completed sometime this
month.
The council also met with Vance behind closed doors Thursday to
discuss the criminal investigation into Dills’ alleged thefts.
"We want as much information as possible to be available to the public,
but we cannot endanger the police investigation by the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation," said city attorney Victor Johnson, explaining why the
meeting was closed to the public. Johnson said the council would not
release any figures related to the case, adding that the GBI must disclose
dollar amounts.
Dills was a bonded employee, meaning that the losses the city incurred
from her thefts will likely be reimbursed through the city’s bonding
agency.
Council member Junne Temple thanked Vance for his work in the Dills'
investigation and in helping the city straighten out its financial situation.
She asked Vance to meet with the council again to discuss internal control
measures to help protect city funds.
"I appreciate what you've done and the timeliness in which you did it,"
Temple said to Vance.
In a separate matter Thursday, the council met with members of the
city's downtown development authority to discuss the possible renovation
of an old house off the city square. The DDA asked the city council to
guarantee a $60,000 loan for the renovation project, but council members
said that the timing for such a commitment is not good.
"We're in a bad financial situation," said Mayor Glenn Cross. "We’ve
already borrowed ourselves nearly into a hole ... Hopefully, in about
three months, that will be behind us. But right now that (guaranteeing a
$60,000 loan) is nearly impossible.”
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Stimulus likely won’t increase staff at county DFCS office
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
There’s no word yet if the
national economic stimulus plan
will stimulate Madison County's
Department of Family and
Children Services (DFCS).
But director Lisa Plank said
she doesn’t foresee any funds
adding more employees to the
local office.
The department is under a hir
ing freeze and certain workers
are already taking one day off a
month — furlough days — with
out pay.
“I don't think the furloughs
for social services staff are going
to change, and I don’t think the
hiring freeze is gong to change,”
Plank said. "I don’t think there’s
any money for additional staff.”
In a bit of good news. Plank
has learned Office of Family
Independence (OFI) staff won’t
be subjected to furlough days.
The OFI staff determines eligi
bility for a variety of financial
assistance programs like food
stamps, Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF),
employment services, childcare
and Medicaid.
"We got word (Wednesday)
that, as of right now, they’ve
put those (furloughs) on hold,"
Plank said.
The office will continue to
operate as it has, for now.
"As far as DFCS is concerned,
there’s no change in our budget,"
Plank said.
So far, the office is managing
with the money it has. Madison
County DFCS spent just 6.39
percent of its budget in the first
month of 2009.
"Budget-wise, we’re alright,"
Plank said.
However, the budget situation
at the state level is looking grim,
according to DFCS board chair
man Gary Locke, who attended
the state DFCS board meeting
recently.
"It's not looking good, any way
we go,” he said.
In other financial matters, the
DFCS office returned $3,748 of
$6,000 of supplemental money
the county commissioners gave
the department last year.
Republican Party to hold county convention
The Madison County
Republican Party will hold pre
cinct mass meetings at 9 a.m.,
Saturday, March 14, to elect del
egates and alternate delegates to
the Madison County Republican
Party Convention.
The county convention will con
vene at 10 a.m. that day at the
same location to elect delegates
and alternate delegates to the
Congressional District Convention
and to the state convention.
Additionally, the convention
will adopt the Rule of the Madison
County Republican Party and elect
officers for the 2009-2011 term.
Both the precinct mass meet
ings and the county convention
will be held in the commissioners'
room.
For further information contact
Bruce Azevedo, Chairman of the
Madison County Republican Party
at 706-296-3834, or by e-mail at
Azevedo @ negia.net.
Set your clocks forward
It’s time to "spring forward" by an hour.
Daylight savings time (DST) starts this Sunday morning, March 8.
To have the proper time, set all clocks and other timepieces forward
one hour before retiring Saturday night.Standard time will resume
Sunday, Nov. 1.
The Madison County Journal
is your source for local news.
Subscribe by calling 706-795-2567.
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