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PAGE 2A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 14. 2019
Murder continued from 1A
that he would do something
like this or that anything
was wrong,” he said. ”...
Our thoughts and prayers
are with the victim's fam
ily.”
Moore said Adams was
employed at the sheriff's
office for approximately
one-and-a-half years.
Chief Deputy Jeffrey
Vaughn said Adams came
to the sheriff's office from
Statesboro and “was giv
en high recommendations
from that agency.
“We have never had to
discipline him as a depu
ty sheriff,” he said. “He's
been a model employee.”
Vaughn said Sheriff
Moore immediately sus
pended Adams at the scene
and once an interview with
Athens police was con
ducted, he was terminated.
“Trey was assigned to the
patrol division as a deputy
sheriff and had never had
a single complaint for any
type of use of force,” said
Vaughn. “To be honest,
we are all blown away by
this reaction to a ‘crime of
passion.’ At any rate we do
not justify or sympathize
Trey’s actions for this hor
rific offense. Our thoughts
and prayers are with the
victim’s family.”
Hull
continued from 1A
knew something was going
on with him."
Artie agrees, making a
joke out of it now.
“I say they were trying
to give me a ‘cat scan’ and
nobody was paying at
tention,” he says smiling.
“They knew something
was up with me. We’ll pay
more attention to them next
time."
And something was up,
something big.
About 15 or 20 minutes
later, Christy got a phone
call from her husband,
saying he didn’t feel so
well and asking her to drop
by his office to pick up
his blood pressure meds,
which he’d left at work
on Friday. Both work for
Oconee County, she as the
event coordinator for the
Civic Center and he as the
county’s maintenance su
pervisor.
“When I got out of the
shower and I felt a sharp
tingling run down both my
arms,” Kerns said. “It hit
me just like that.” He also
began to sweat profuse
ly. At first, he thought his
blood pressure was spiking
because he hadn’t taken his
meds, but then he became
sick to his stomach and
light-headed.
His sister-in-law was at
their house doing laundry,
so he told her he wasn’t
feeling well and wouldn’t
be able to help her and his
older brother Danny work
on their home that day.
Suzy asked if he needed
anything and he told her he
thought he’d be OK, so she
left, telling him she’d be
back shortly.
“I guess I was gone
about 30 minutes,” Suzy
said. When she came back
she noticed Artie was pale
and clammy when she
touched his forehead. At
that point she told Artie he
had to go to the hospital or
at least to an urgent care.
She and Danny loaded Art
ie into their small SUV and
started toward Piedmont
Athens Regional. As they
traveled, Suzy was on the
phone with Christy, who
immediately left work and
headed toward Piedmont to
meet them at the emergen
cy department.
Artie, who was sitting in
the backseat, says the last
thing he remembers about
that morning was the SUV
turning onto Hwy. 72 in
Colbert. Then he blacked
out.
“The next thing I knew I
was waking up in cardiac
intensive care,” Artie said.
Meanwhile Suzy, who
was driving, was keeping
an eye on her brother-in-
law in the rear view mirror
when she saw his eyes roll
back in his head and his
body slump over to one
side. She said Danny tried
to wake him as she contin
ued to race toward Athens.
They were passing by the
water tower in Hull when
she remembers praying,
“Lord you’ve got to help
me.”
“I thought I was watch
ing Artie die, I just knew
we weren’t going to make
it to the hospital,” Suzy
said. “Then it just hit me,
I needed to head to the fire
department."
She told Danny where
they were going as they
made the turn onto Old
Elberton Road. She didn’t
take time to think about it
or whether or not someone
would be there, she said
she just knew that's where
she had to go.
For Hull Fire Depart
ment members, it was a big
day — the day of their bar
becue fundraiser and the
whole fire department was
there to help.
“I just pulled up honking
the horn and started yell
ing,” Suzy said. “Danny
opened the back door and
they all came running."
Hull Fire Chief Jason
Austin said fire department
members were scattered
around the fire department
that morning. Some were
in the kitchen, others at
the fire pit and still others
setting up tables, etc. when
the Kerns drove into the
parking lot.
“Frank Edwards, Jim
Creager and Kenny Weav
er were the first to get to
them,” Austin said. “Frank
got the AED (Automat
ed External Defibrillator)
while Jim and Kenny ad
ministered CPR. Mr. Kerns
was fully coded when he
arrived.”
Someone else got on
the radio and called for an
ambulance, which arrived
soon after.
Austin said he’s been
with the fire department 21
years and it’s the first time
to his knowledge that a sit
uation like that has come to
them.
“It’s a very rare occa
sion for something like that
to happen," Austin said.
“Usually, we are coming to
your home, I am just thank
ful that we were there (at
the fire hall) that morning.”
Austin said being able to
make a difference — in this
case to save a life — is why
they do what they do.
As soon as the firemen
reached the car, Artie was
carefully laid out on the
pavement and CPR got un
derway, which included the
administration of the AED
to establish a heart rhythm.
Meanwhile, Christy was
waiting and worrying at
the hospital. She and Suzy
were on the phone with
each other but kept getting
disconnected.
“I kept putting it (cell
phone) on mute without
realizing it and hanging
up,” Suzy said chuckling.
“Christy was just so calm,
she just kept telling me to
breathe.”
Christy said she kept re
membering how her late
mother, a first responder,
always handled things.
“She saw it all and she
always told me to just re
member to breathe, so
that’s what I did and what
I kept telling Suzy to do,”
she said.
When Madison County
EMS arrived at the hos
pital with Artie, he was
conscious, but confused,
Christy said. After a few
quick tests, he was tak
en into the cardiac cath
lab, where the family later
learned that he had coded
again, requiring the use of
an AED a second time. Af
ter he was stabilized, a car
diologist placed stents in
two arteries, one that was
100 percent blocked and
another that was 99 percent
blocked.
“All of that took place in
just over an hour,” Chris
ty said, shaking her head.
“When Artie started asking
me about how long it had
been I was sutprised when
I looked at my watch and
saw it wasn’t even 11 a.m.
yet. So much had happened
in such a short time.”
On Monday, Artie re
ceived two more stents in
a third artery that was 85
percent blocked.
Today, Artie looks like
a perfectly fit man, clear
eyed with a healthy com
plexion. He says he feels
great, but is following his
doctor’s orders and taking
it easy, one day at a time.
He will soon start cardiac
rehabilitation and expects
to return to work in a few
weeks.
“God just had everything
in place,” Christy said of
the day she nearly lost her
husband, her voice break
ing. “They (firemen) were
all there, all of them and
they saved his life. How
do you thank someone for
something like that?”
Last week, Artie and
Christy made a stop at the
Hull Fire Department to try
to do just that. Once again,
all the fireman were there,
this time for their monthly
meeting and a chili dinner.
“Volunteer firemen and
first responders don’t get
the credit they deserve for
what they do,” Christy said.
“They leave their homes,
their jobs at a moment’s
notice to answer a call for
help, to try to make a dif
ference in their communi
ties. What they do, as vol
unteers, is invaluable."
Kerns is a hunter and he
said he plans to give the
firemen a wild hog as a
small token of the gratitude
he and his entire family
feels.
“I mean; how do you ever
repay someone for saving
your life?” Artie said.
Industrial authority to meet Nov. 19
The Madison County Industrial
and Building Development Authority
will meet at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19
in the historic county courthouse in
the center of Danielsville.
Agenda items include;
•Approve minutes
•Review financials: October 2019
- Juanita Strickland, Financial Clerk
•Utility director's report:
•Billing report
•Water requests
•Sewer requests
•Chairman’s reports:
•Approve job descriptions
•Monthly meeting schedule
•Executive director's report:
•ACCG retirement solutions -
Greg Gease
•Around the director’s table:
•Public comments:
•Closed session to discuss person
nel matters, potential litigation, or
land acquisition, lease or sale
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NOTICE OF CHANGE IN MEETING TIME
FOR NOVEMBER MEETING
Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday the November meeting of the Hull City
Council will be held on November 21,2019, at 7:00 p.m. instead of November 28,
2019, at 7:00 p.m.
Sandra B. Pou
City Clerk
BOE cont’d from 2A
the board that State Super
intendent Richard Woods
plans to have a Thanks
giving lunch at Comer
Elementary School on
Wednesday, Nov. 20 and
he invited board members
to attend.
The calendar committee,
headed this year by Assis
tant Superintendent Jody
Goodroe, plans to have
two versions of the 2020-
2021 school calendar for
the board to review by
February.
He also said the school
system is looking into in
stalling air conditioning on
at least some of the school
bus fleet. He said quotes
will be gathered to install
the a/c system on busses
with the longest routes
first.
Williams noted that there
were 4,793 students on the
county roster last month,
up 20 students from the
previous month.
PERSONNEL
BOE members approved
the following personnel re
quests Tuesday night.
•Central office - They
approved FMLA for
school psychologist Lau-
reen Anne Kurtze.
•Colbert - They ap
proved additional duties as
tutors for Mary Ellen Bak
er, Amanda Carter, Lori
Dooley, Tracey Evans, Jen
ny Heath, Jennifer Hub
bard, Tara McGaha. Angie
Ruff, Allison Whitehead
and Megan Whitworth.
•Comer - They ap
proved additional duties in
the BEYOND program for
Ivie Dean.
•Hull-Sanford - They
approved hiring Gregory
Magrum to replace tech
specialist Jenna Hill.
•Ila - They granted in
termittent FMLA to teach
er Amy Dobbs, approved
the resignation of parapro
Laura Scott and approved
Denise Tiecken as a long
term sub for teacher Mal
lory Jordan.
•MCHS - They ap
proved FMLA for teacher
Kaye May.
•School nutrition - They
hired Stacie Konkle to re
place Ila nutrition worker
Donna Butler and they
hired Amanda Poole to re
place Hull nutrition worker
Robin Hendrix. They ap
proved FMLA for nutrition
worker Megan Sorrow.
•Transport - They
changed special ed bus
driver Brenda Duncan’s
duties from full-time to
half-time.
Christmas in Comer
set for Dec. 7-8
Plans are now underway
for the 2019 Christmas in
Comer Celebration sched
uled for Saturday and Sun
day, December 7th and
8th.
The highlight of the fes
tivities will be the Christ
mas Parade that will begin
on Saturday, Dec. 7, at
2 p.m. The theme for this
year's parade is “Christ
mas In Your Homeland.”
The annual Reindeer
Run/Walk sponsored
by the Madison County
Recreation Department
will begin on Saturday at
10 a.m. at Arnold Park. Re
quired pre-registration can
be easily accomplished by
visiting the department’s
web site at madcorec.com.
The downtown festival
will begin at 8 a.m. in the
area surrounding the ga
zebo. Vendors and crafters
from the area will have
booths set up for those that
wish to shop for that spe
cial unique Christmas gift
or purchase decorations of
the season.
The Christmas Tree
Lighting sponsored by
local churches is sched
uled for Sunday evening,
Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. The
downtown Cliff Yarbrough
Memorial Park will be the
location for this event and
will feature choirs from
local schools, churches
and groups performing the
songs of the season. In the
event of rain or inclement
weather, the program will
be held in the Travel Mu
seum.
The numbers to call
for more information are
706-783 4552 or 706-783-
5678. A parade entry form
is available at the Com
er City Hall or online at
www.cityofcomer.com.
Address signs available
at county 911 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 of
fice at 706-795-0893 for more information.
Madisonjournal
TODAYcom
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FOR SEALED BIDS
Madison County Library
Board of Trustees
Madison County Library Board of Trustees
is seeking bids for cleaning service of 17,500
sq. ft. library. Specifications for all cleaning
requirements can be obtained from the li
brary located at
1315 Hwy. 98 West, Danielsville, GA 30633
Any questions can be directed to Jennifer
Ivey, Branch Manager, at 706-795-5597.
Bids should be sealed and clearly marked
“Bid for cleaning of library” and received no
later than 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 22,
2019, in the office of the library manager.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to
reject any and all bids.