Newspaper Page Text
TUESDAY
December 21, 2004
Volume 135, Number 249
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
Inside TODAY
■r-3r,|Vjri!p’ JR
WR Supply: They
came, they saw
Warner Robins
Building Supply celebrat
ed its grand opening
recently at its Perry loca
tion on Ball Street.
The company now has
five locations. Garry
McDuffie, marketing
manager, said the compa
ny saw a need in Perry for
this type of business.
McDuffie said Warner
Robins Supply has been
well-received since people
have been longing for a
full service supply store.
Business, page 6A
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Jannette Carter
Wesley Fondal
Robert W. Minter
Bobby Tuggle
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or
anniversary is, and we'll put their
names in the paper that day. Just
send the name and date at least
a week in advance, and we’ll do
the rest. E-mail to
hhj@evansnewspapers.com, or
mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please.
Many happy returns!)
Area DEATHS
Lowell C. Bennett
Frances Busby
Francis Preston Calloway
Ruby Lee Fowler
Paul Allen Hering
Barbara Louise Hooper
Cleave Eugene Ross
Obits, page 5A
I INDEX
BUSINESS 6A
CLASSIFIED 5B
COMICS 4B
CROSSWORD ... .4B
OBITUARIES 5A
OPINION 4A
TV LISTINGS 4B
WEATHER 2A
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* LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY \
city of Perry ; city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
Former Perry employee loses appeal
Judge upholds Stack-Thorpe’s conviction on theft charges
From staff reports
A former city of Perry employee
appealed her theft conviction, and lost.
Sandra Aileen Stack-Thorpe, a for
mer bookkeeper for the city of Perry
who was found guilty of theft by taking
by a Houston County jury Aug. 8,
2003, lost her appeal in the Georgia
Court of Appeals.
Stack-Thorpe, 41, of 405 4th St.,
Elko, appealed her conviction based on
claims that, among other things,
Senior Judge L.A. McConnell abused
his discretion when he allowed evi
dence from the state of severe financial
difficulties suffered by Stack-Thorpe,
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HHJ/Teresa D. Southern
Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus greet visitors on the Walk Through Bethlehem, held at Shirley Hills Baptist Hills Baptist
Church in Warner Robins. The eighth annual event received over 10,000 visitors during the three days it was held.
Over $1,500 raised in Fun Run
Saturday’s was second annual event for local American Red Cross chapter
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS - The
American Red Cross of Houston
County held its second annual 5K
Holiday Fun Run/Walk on Saturday.
The event and the sunny day
brought out 57 participants - and
raised about $1,500.
Catherine Carchedi, executive
director of the Houston-Middle
Georgia Chapter of the Red Cross,
said the funds will go toward Red
Cross programs such as disaster
relief.
The other programs also include
community service events such as
blood drives, youth services and
classes provided for the community
for health safety, life saving, educa
tion and certificate courses such as
CPR.
Carchedi explained that the funds
would help lower the cost for those
who register for these courses.
Another service the funds raised
will go toward is emergency com
munication. This is a service provid
ed to military families that will pro
vide messaging to a soldier on a tour
of duty anywhere in the United
States or overseas.
Carchedi said she would like to
thank everyone for participating
and for sponsors getting the word
out.
The planning for the event took
See RUN, page 3A
www.hhjnews.com
including a bankruptcy filing.
She also claimed that the trial court
committed error regarding evidentiary
rulings and claimed the state present
ed insufficient evidence that she was
responsible for the thefts.
Georgia Court of Appeals Judge
John J. Ellington rejected Stack-
Thorpe’s claims, saying that the state
“presented sufficient evidence to prove
that Stack-Thorpe intentionally
embezzled funds from the city over a
three-year period.”
The court rejected every claim by
Stack-Thorpe in upholding the convic
tion.
JUS 11 ~ ■■HP •«-- bBI - ■ .
HHJ Teresa D. Southern
Winners of the American Red Cross Holiday 5K Run/Walk are (from left) Zack Osbourne, Brandilyn Cook, Trish
Perry, Nick Haas, Kyle Beck, Garret Scarborough, April Beck and Megan Strandburg.
Houston Circuit Assistant District
Attorney Jason E. Ashford, who tried
the case last year, said that Stack-
Thorpe’s conviction stands in part
“thanks to the hard work of our legal
team, especially Mercer law intern Tim
Marlow, who assisted greatly in draft
ing the brief.”
According to Ashford, Stack-Thorpe
has an expected parole date of April
2006.
Stack-Thorpe was a clerk for the City
of Perry finance office from 1995 to
2000. She was found guilty of three
felonies in her 2003 trial: theft by
See APPEAL, page 3A
TWO SECTIONS • 14 PAGES
STACK-THORPE
Shirley Hills
Baptist Church
hosts eighth
annual Christmas
extravaganza
By TERESA D. SOUTHERN
HHJ Staff Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
“Shalom,” was the greeting
received as over 10,000 peo
ple visited Shirley Hills
Baptist Church’s Walk
Through Bethlehem this
weekend.
This was the eighth annu
al presentation of the pro
duction.
Participants paid their
penny tax to Caesar and
entered the gates of
Bethlehem. On the walk
through the ancient city
were markets selling
smoked fish, along with a
lamp and oil stand complete
with the bride keeping her
lamps trimmed and burning
awaiting her groom.
See WALK, page xA
an Evans Family Newspaper
500