Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JULY 14. 2016
Noise...
continued from page 1A
noise, noting that note every
one works regular shifts.
Some people sleep during
the day.
County attorney Mike
Pruett presented the board
with the ordinance at a
Thursday morning meeting.
WHAT DOES THE
ORDINANCE SAY?
•No person shall intention
ally make noise that is plain
ly audible beyond the bound
aries of such person’s own
property for the purpose of
harassing and intimidating
another person...The terms
“harassing” and “intimidat
ing” mean a knowing and
willful course of conduct
directed at a specific per
son or persons which would
cause emotional distress to
a person of reasonable sen
sibilities.
•Upon a complaint by a
resident of the unincorporat
ed area of Madison County,
an officer of the sheriff’s
department shall respond
to the location of the com
plainant to determine wheth
er the noise is in violation of
this ordinance.
•If the officer determines
the noise is harassing, the
officer shall instruct the per
son! s) creating or permit
ting or causing the noise
to reduce or eliminate the
noise to comply with the
ordinance. If the person(s)
neglect or refuse to com
ply, the officer may: issue
a citation returnable to the
Madison County Magistrate
Court or impound the
instrument, device, object
or mechanism employed to
create the noise. Additional
citations may be issued in
the event of subsequent or
repeated failure to comply,
as well as in the event the
noise is returned to a level
that violated the ordinance
after initial compliance.
•Any instrument, device,
object or mechanism
impounded may be claimed
and returned to the pos
session of the person from
whom it was taken at the
sheriff’s office from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m.. Monday
through Friday for up to
60 days after impound
ment. Any property not
so claimed within 60 days
may be deemed abandoned
and remitted to the Georgia
Commissioner of Revenue.
•Nothing in this chapter
shall prevent the sheriff
from petitioning the judge
of the Magistrate Court of
Madison County to sum
marily and without notice
order the abatement of any
nuisance where the case is
an urgent one and the health
or safety of the public or a
portion thereof are in immi
nent danger.
•Any person charged with
the violation of this ordi
nance shall, upon convic
tion in the Madison County
Magistrate Court, be pun
ished by a fine to be estab
lished by the judge of that
court in an amount not more
than $1,000 or imprison
ment for not more than 60
days.
Zoning.. • continued from page 1A
of the proposed develop
ment Monday, but numer
ous people approached the
podium to plead with com
missioners to turn down
the proposal. They said the
low-budget homes would
attract a criminal element to
the community and likely be
rental property before long.
They said the development
would lower their proper
ty values. Opponents said
septic tanks in the devel
opment would not be con
tained to the property and
would cause environmental
problems. They said water
quality in the area is already
bad and that the addition of
20 residences would make
it worse, while also putting
water pressure burdens on
fire services. They said the
development would strain
the school system.
Randy Daniel, who owns
48 adjacent acres to the pro
posal, calculated that the
county needs new homes of
at least $212,000 to break
even on property tax reve
nues and services provided.
“$115,000 homes will be
a drain on the services of the
county,” said Daniel, add
ing that Madison County’s
government should protect
residents already here.
A number of opponents
said they feared what kind
of people would inhabit the
residences and they had no
trnst in Pridgen saying that
he would not put manufac
tured homes on the prop
erty. One resident said the
development would be an
“ant colony,” full of “goats”
and that it would bring the
business of “pharmaceuti
cals” to the area.
Patricia Adams said she
feared letting her grand
children play outside if the
development is approved
and said her property will
lose its value.
“Our land will be so
devalued we might as well
give it away,” said Adams.
John White voiced con
cern about “evil, wicked
influences.”
“Don’t foster growth that
promotes that possibility.”
said White.
Leon Veal spoke against
the proposal, saying he
moved from Elbert County
to Madison County to get
away from a trailer park.
But he said he owns 104
acres nearby and that if the
board approved Pridgen’s
request, the BOC could
expect him to approach
them to get the same for his
property.
“Y’all change this, you
got 104 acres coming up
too,” he said.
Adam Stewart talked
about growing up on neigh
boring, family land and
what a great experience it
was — an experience he
now wants for his son who
is due in a few months. He
said he doesn’t want to see
his son’s nice homeplace
mined by someone seeking
quick profits.
“For someone to have a
quick dollar, we don’t need
to change all that,” he said.
Johnson took the podi
um again after opponents
spoke. He reiterated that
“this is not a mobile home
park” and told the BOC that
they could put a condition
on the property that “no
manufactured housing” be
allowed.
“They (the Pridgens)
won’t agree to it, but they’ll
abide by it,” said Johnson.
The attorney said he heard
a lot of fear and loathing
from the crowd that was
misdirected. He said not
everyone can afford pricey
houses and that he doesn’t
know that an elitist attitude
toward affordable housing
is a fair position for county
leaders to take. He also pre
sented board members with
a petition with 14 signatures
from people supporting the
development.
“I don’t know that I
want to live in a county
where everyone has to own
a $250,000 home,” said
Johnson, who urged the
board not to make a deci
sion based on the crowd’s
fears but on what the county
land use plan dictates.
After the input from the
audience, BOC member
Jim Escoe made a motion
to deny Pridgen’s request
for a rezoning.
Commissioner Stanley
Thomas said the proposal
didn’t include a clear pic
ture of what would come on
the property — stick built,
modular or manufactured
homes.
“I never got a clear picture
of what was going to be
done,” said Thomas.
Commissioner Theresa
Bettis said she felt the coun
ty has enough affordable
housing already.
“I strongly feel we have
enough affordable housing
right now,” she said.
The board voted 4-0 to
turn down the develop
ment. A couple of board
members initially voted
“No” on Escoe’s proposal
to deny the development,
until Escoe caught the mis
hap and pointed out that the
board needed to vote “Yes”
to denial.
Commissioner John
Pethel, the board’s vice
chairman, did not vote since
he was serving in chair
man Anthony Dove’s seat
Monday while Dove was on
vacation.
The zoning matter was the
first contentious subdivision
debate in Madison County
in nearly a decade, since
before the housing market
crashed.
Death...
continued from page 1A
Segars was dispatched to
the Food Mart regarding a
fight in progress. While en
route, Segars was informed
by dispatch that the assail
ants had left in a black and
silver Ford F-150.
Segars found two men
standing in front of the
store. Ryan Bowles told
Segars he was the victim
and had been jumped on by
three guys. He named the
Haggards, father and son,
who he said live on Sammy
Haggard Road, but said he
didn’t know the other man.
He also said he had not seen
the Haggards in two years
and had no idea why they
would assault him.
He went on to say that
they had “stomped him in
the face and attempted to
put his face in a mud pud
dle in an attempt to drown
him.”
Bowles told Segars he
was choked to the point
of passing out stating “he
about did kill me” and said
he (Bowles) “could see his
(deceased) mother.”
Bowles said he fought
back and that he may
have bitten part of the C.
Haggard’s thumb or finger.
A witness. Jeffery Caudle,
who happened to be in the
store at the time, said he
didn’t know any of the men
but came to assist Bowles
when they jumped on him,
according to sheriff’s inves
tigator Jimmy Patton.
According to the incident
report. Caudle told Segars
that C. Haggard began
chasing him, punched him
twice, and told him if he
called 9-1-1 he would kill
him.
Cpl. Shawn Rhoades was
able to record the video
from the store’s surveillance
camera that corroborated
the victims’ statements as
to who the aggressors were,
according to Patton.
While still on scene, dis
patch told Lt. Segars that
Madison County EMS was
out on a call on Bonds Lake
Road with one of the men
from the fight and that he
was having a heart attack.
Patton said EMS was
called to the scene where
they assisted Randy
Haggard, who was still in
the Ford F-150. After he
was transported to North
Ridge Medical Center in
Commerce, officers learned
that he had died.
After Haggard was pro
nounced dead at the hospi
tal, Commerce police officer
Eric Vance was dispatched
to North Ridge regarding
disruptive family members
at the scene. Vance reported
that they found a white male
(Clay Haggard) dressed in a
bloody T-shirt in the room
yelling that he was going to
kill someone.
Haggard told Vance that
he and his father had been
in a fight with another man
in Madison County. He said
his father collapsed after
the altercation and he knew
that he was dead. Vance
was able to calm him down,
according to the report,
and escorted him to the
hospital chapel where he
met with Madison County
Investigators when they
arrived.
Patton said the incident
remains under investigation
as of press time.
Trial
continued from page 1A
• • •
that courtroom in 2001 - 15
year ago - for the murder
of her former boyfriend,
body builder Doug Benton.
She was found guilty on
all counts: malice murder,
felony murder, two counts
of aggravated assault and
attempted arson.
Then Judge Lindsay Tise
sentenced Fortson to life
in prison on both murder
charges, 20 years in con
finement on both assault
charges and 10 years in
jail for attempted arson.
He said the assault charges
would run concurrent to
each other, but consecutive
to the life sentences.
This time around,
Hodges heard her plea for
a new trial and said he will
make a decision on wheth
er or not to grant Fortson’s
request within the next
30 days, sheriff’s investi
gator Jimmy Patton said
Tuesday.
Fortson is serving her
sentence in Arrendale State
Prison for women in Alto.
TRACY FORTSON
Fortson was convicted
of shooting Benton in the
head with a 22 caliber rifle
in June 2000 as he slept
in his Colbert home. She
then stabbed him, wrapped
his body in two show
er curtains and put it in
a water trough which she
filled with cement, using a
rope or cable tied to a tree
to pull the entombed man
off the back of her pickup,
leaving him in a wooded
area in Oglethorpe County.
Afterwards, she went back
to his home and doused it
with kerosene in an attempt
to bum the house down.
Rental
• • • continLied from page 1A
types of businesses couldn’t rent county buildings.
“If you open it up to profit-making companies, you
must consider which ones are not appropriate for gov
ernment property,” said Pruett.
The attorney noted that the county would have to
establish a fair-market value for any property it rents.
Failure to meet the market value could constitute an
unfair gratuity, he said.
Commission chairman Anthony Dove said he heard
from constituents in the rental business who were con
cerned that they would have to compete with the county
government for renters.
“They were concerned about us being in competition
with private businesses,” Dove told commissioners.
Commissioner Jim Escoe said he didn’t favor renting
to businesses. He said he favored selling the properties
that are needed for county use instead of renting them
to commercial enterprises.
The commissioners talked about renting facilities
to non profit organizations. They noted that whatever
organization rented a facility would have to prove its
tax-exempt status.
Dove pointed out that this would open the door to
religious groups.
“It might not be a religion in agreed with, but it would
still have to be treated the same,” he said. “.. .In govern
ment, it’s always more complicated than it first looks.”
The board agreed not to take any action on opening up
county properties for rental by businesses or non-profit
organizations.
Madison Co. IDA
to meet Monday
The Madison County
Industrial Development
and Building Authority
will meet at 6 p.m.,
Monday, in the historic
county courthouse in the
center of Danielsville.
Agenda items include:
•Financial report.
•Water requests.
•Other IDA-related
For the best
buys, read
The Madison
County
Journal
classifieds.
issues: a. water project
Hwy 72; b. Elberton con
nection project: c. review
2017 budget:
•Closed session to dis
cuss personnel matters
and land acquisition.
THE STARTER &
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WAYNE, Owner rfjja
245-0055 Batteries
481 College Street $40
Royston, GA 30662
HOURS: 8-5:30 M, T, TH, F 8-12 Wed. • 8-11 S«
Address signs available at
Madison Co. 9-1-1 office
Reflective address signs are available for sale at the
Madison County 9-1-1 office.
The signs help law enforcement, fire, rescue and EMS
officials find homes during emergencies.
The signs are $20 and posts are $3. Call the 9-1-1 office
at 706-795-0893 for more information.
Early Voting
General Primary Runoff
July 26, 2016
Early Voting for the General Primary Runoff will begin Tuesday, July 5 and end Friday, July 22,
2016. Hours will be 8:00 am until 5:00 pm each day in the Board of Elections and Registration
office at the Government Complex.
There will be NO Saturday voting for this election.
In order to be eligible to vote in the runoff you must have met one of the following requirements:
• Voted a Republican or Non Partisan Ballot in the May 24, 2016 Election
• Not voted at all in the May 24, 2016 Election.
• Be registered or have registered by the cutoff date of April 26,2016
For questions please contact the Board of Elections & Registration Office
at (706) 795-6335
tdean @ madi sonco.us
Headmaster’s
Comer
by
Steve Cummings
Prayers for Peace - While
reading the newspaper head
lines the last few days, one
word comes to mind - “cha
os.” Reports on protests in
major U.S. cities indicate that
race relations are worsening
in the U.S., while suicide
bombers seem to be a weekly
news item in the Middle East.
Romans 12:18 says this:
“If possible, so far as it de
pends on you, live peaceably
with all.” This, of course, can
be difficult to do, but it is
one characteristic that should
separate believers from
non-believers. Jesus does not
call us to a life of violence,
but to a life of serving oth
ers in peace. May the violent
ultimately find peace in the
Prince of Peace.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970"
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com