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Houston Times -Journol Perry, Ga. this week Volume 125—N0. 66—18 Pages WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31,1994 50 CENTS Get tickets now for annual Masons BBQ The Masons will hold their third annual chicken barbecue on Sept. 2, from 11:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Shriner's BBQ pit on Courtney Hodges Blvd. Plates will contain 1/2 large chicken, cooked on an open pit and brushed with the Shriner's famous barbeque sauce. The group will have several big pots of beans cooked up, also. Tickets are $4 and may be obtained from any Mason and from some businesses in the downtown area. Funds made from the annual barbecue go to the Children's Home in Macon. For further information or to purchase tickets, call James McKinley, (912) 987-2253. ■m Arresting a criminal A detective from the Perry Po lice Department is earning praise this week after nabbing an escaped Bleckley County inmate Aug. 23. Page SA. Smooth flow in traffic The drive to Warner Robins on Houston Lake Rd. should get a little easier in the next few months following improve ments at a busy intersection. Page 6A. Hornets debut with win The Westfield Hornets pass their first test of the year Friday - night by powering past Mt. de Sales. Page 7A. Panthers post region win The Perry High School Pan thers outslug Houston County Bears 10-7 in a softball match up on Wednesday. Page 7A. Couples announce Tina Marie Calhoun and Ja son Lanier Howell, and Sandra P. Webb and Rodney Bogue are united. Page 28. Invalid needs help An invalid Hayneville woman is in need of assistance from community members to help her rebuild her crumbling home. Page 18. The community's sympathy is extended to the families of those who recently died. They include: Don Braswell, Morris L. Bridges, Betty Walker Dennard, Roger Clayton Sullivan, Talmadge E. Tomlinson and George Thomp son Sr. See page 2A. Church news 3B Classified 7B Family News 1B Legal notices 4B Letters to the editor 4A Pauline Lewis 1B Obituaries 2A Police report 3A Veto Roley 4A Jimmy Simpson 4A Sports 7A win! Official Legal Organ for Houston County, City of Perry and the State of Georgia % 'WSF US' 4 aygfr gag , Perry Police Chief Frank Simons displays drugs and cash his department recovered after making a vehicle stop last week. (HTJ photo by Jimmy Simpson) Drug dealers dealt a major blow By JIMMY SIMPSON Staff Writer An estimated $40,000 in crack cocaine and $9,000 in cash has been recovered by law enforcement officials here, uncovering one of the biggest local drug rings in years. Police say 44-year-old Willie Robinson and 38-year old Gloria Gaston, both of Perry, and 32-year-Old Kenny Lester, of Unadilla, were all apprehended following a vehicle stop Aug. 25 at about 12' noon. The arrests were made without incident, according to Perry Police Chief Frank Simons. The three are being held without bond in the Houston County Jail. Simons said police stopped a car the three were traveling in, a white 1991 Chevrolet Corsica, after learning of "significant" drug activity. A search of the vehicle found 19 "cookies” of crack cocaine. After obtaining a search warrant to Robinson and Gaston's 505-A Coventry Circle apartment, three and a half additional crack "cookies", four firearms ml cash were also discovered. A second search warrant was also obtained to a 505- B Coventry Circle apartment. There, police say they recovered a "small amount" of additional cocaine and drug paraphernalia used specifically for crack cocaine. County to vote on slightly lower tax rate at Sept. 6 meeting By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer The Houston County Commission will set the 1995 fis cal year millage rate at 9.55, said commission chairman Sherrill Stafford Monday. The new rate, which is slightly lower than the 1994 fiscal year rate iP'^rrttr DAR Observance Dedication of a DAR Marker for the late Martha Ansley Cooper was held August 30, 1994, in Evergreen Cemetery in Perry. Mrs. Leon Green, Introduced the Daughters and Mayor of Perry, who gave the official welcome. Shown speaking, is Mrs. Peter Hanf, State Regent, Geeorgia NSDAR, who was introduced by Mrs. Robert English, Regent of the General Daniel Stewart Chapter, NSDAR, in Perry. Mrs. E. B. Claxton, Jr. of the John Laurens Chapter NSDAR gave the dedication remarks concerning the DAR Marker. Mrs. Hanf and Mrs. Claxton, expressed appreciation for Miss Cooper’s services contributed to DAR. Mrs. William Richardson of the local chapter, gave the benedicatlon which was followed by TAPS played by Tom Carruth, a senior at Dublin High School. Mrs. Leon Green issued the Invitation for all to attend a reception at her mother’s home, the Cooper Home on Main Street. (HTJ photo by Eric Zellers) Cop nabs escapee Please see Page 5A The three have been charged with trafficking in cocaine. Robinson and Gaston have also been charged as convicted felons in possession of a firearm. Simons said the investigation was the result of "extensive work" by his department and the GBl’s Macon Regional Drug Office. "This was truly a joint investigation,” he said. "I think we're very fortunate to have the assistance of the GBI because they give us support and resources that otherwise we wouldn't have. They were a major part of this case." Paul Musick, assistant special agent in charge at the Macon office, said some persons may not realize the importance of the latest arrest. "These are major dealers, not your street corner dealers," said Musick. "The amount they were caught with certainly doesn't reflect the true activity (of involvement). They had the ability to deal multiple kilos of cocaine at a time," he said. The latest incident brings to four the number of people arrested in the last 45 days considered to be "mid-to-upper level drug dealers," according to Simons. "I certainly expect this (arrest) to disrupt the flow (of drug distribution) in several counties," he said. of 9.63 mills, will be approved at the commission's Sept. 6 meeting. Although the 1995 rate is .08 mills lower than the 1994 rate, the county will receive just under $400,000 more in property taxes in 1995, with just over sll million of the county's budget coming from property taxes. In addition to the 9.55 millage rate, county residents will also pay an additional .82 mills for mandated programs. Stafford said that man dated programs were programs that were established by the Georgia Legislature or the court system after the tax cap went into effect. Residents living in unincorpo Guarding the kids Please see Page 1B Three-hour blaze heavily damages Tolleson Lumber By JIMMY SIMPSON Staff Writer Perry firefighters battled a three hour blaze Saturday evening that resulted in what may be an estimated $1 million loss to a local lumber plant. Tolleson Lumber Company suffered extensive damage to a third story saw sharpening shop after a fire broke out there at 6:02 p.m. The blaze was started after a welder for an outside contracting firm was performing maintenance work on the inside of the building. When the man failed to properly wet the area down where he was working, said Tolleson President Rusty Wood, the blaze ignited. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the third floor of the 903 Jemigan St. building. "In the 20 years I've been here, that's the first time we've ever laid hose for three (fire) trucks," said Fire Chief Gary Hamlin. "It wasn't the largest fire we've ever had, but it was certainly one of the most difficult.'' Hamlin said the only strategy the department could employ was shooting streams of water up to the third story dwelling. But even that method didn't make things any easier, Hamlin said. "The fact that the fire was about 25 feet off the ground made it much harder to get to," he continued. "We tried to get inside of the building, but the catwalk we were on started to collapse and we had to get out of there... in a hurry." Two trucks were initially called to the scene. A third was dispatched just 30 minutes later after Hamlin noticed a wall on a far side of the building had become engulfed in flames. "After that happened, then we asked for assistance from Lakes Volunteer Fire Department," Hamlin said. "We were about worn out." Hamlin said not only were his men exposed to torrid heat, but extreme temperatures that continued to linger most of the evening. At full force, the two rated areas of the county will also have to pay a 2 mills tax : for protection. So, city residents will have to pay a county rate of 10.37 mills, while rural residents will be faced with a rate of 12.37 mills. A mill is one-tenth of a cent. The 1995 tax rate means that city residents will pay $10.37 for each City will hold line on tax rate for '95, mayor says By JIMMY SIMPSON Staff Writer Local residents expecting to see an increase in city taxes may get an unexpected break when city council sets the millage rate at its Sept. 6 meeting. "I feel sure that (taxes) are not going to go up," says Mayor Jim Worrall. "That's all up to (city) council, but they are committed to trying to keep within the budget" The millage rate last year, just as in 1992, was set at 14.54. The tax rate is figured by taking the home’s value, figuring 40 percent of that figure, and multiplying that price by 14.54. A $50,000 home, for example, would be taxed on $20,000, and taxed $290.80. The value of property in the city totals $174,661,661 this year, departments battled the fire for three hours, sending the last truck home at about 9:03 p.m. One fireman was also sent to the Perry Hospital for heat exhaustion and some carbon monoxide poisoning. He was treated and released, according to the chief. "We don't operate on Saturdays, so only maintenance crews were out there. We were fortunate that no more people were out there when it happened," said Wood. Hamlin said a number of people deserve recognition for their part in working with fire officials. "The Perry Police Department had three officers (John Hardage, Eric Adkison and David Wilson) that went beyond their call of duty," Hamlin said. "Two security guards at Tolleson were also very helpful.” Wood also had nothing but praise for city workers, whom he said were "excellent." "Instead of $1 million in damage, we could have lost $6-7 million if that mill had gone (up in flames)," Wood said. "The Perry Fire Department and die Perry Police Department deserve a lot of credit." Damage has not yet been fully assessed but is expected to range from $500,000 to $1 million, Wood said. "Probably closer to the one million (dollar) mark," he said. Despite the setback, the president said workers may not be as severely affected by the fire as earlier thought. "We're completely shut down now at the mill, but have crews working around the clock with cranes," Wood said. The work to clear debris was initially expected to be completed in three to four weeks, according to Wood, but now is estimated at just a few days. "By Monday, we expect to have both shifts out there working," Wood said. "By that time, the mill should be about 90 percent in woiking order." SI,OOO of property. For taxing pur poses, the assessed value is 40 per cent of the actual value of a piece of property. Stafford said the amount paid in taxes could also be affected by various tax exemptions on prop erty. compared to $172,935,758 just one year ago. Not since 1991 has the millage rate seen a change in numbers, when the rate was 13.97. And despite that figure being increased to the current proposed rate, Worrall said residents shouldn't feel shortchanged by any means. "It's getting tougher and tougher to provide the kind of services that (the city) offers for the money," Worrall said. One example the mayor pointed out is garbage pick-up. "There are not too many towns who pick up garbage twice a week," he said. "I think residents are very fortunate in that respect, alone." The public is invited to attend the council meeting at which time the rate is formally adopted. That session starts at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.