Newspaper Page Text
10A
♦ THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005
POUCE
From page 1A
conduct in the incident.
Phelps said that police also
arrested Fredrick Marshall,
25, of 1018 King Blvd.,
Perry, who was charged with
reckless conduct.
Police were still investi
gating the incident about an
hour later when a second
report of shots fired filtered
into the department. Phelps
had intended to stop the
party around midnight, but
changed his mind after he
heard about the second inci
dent.
“My intent was to process
the crime scene before it got
contaminated any further,”
Phelps said. “But my inten
tion was to let the party con
tinue until the crime scene
was processed, probably
around midnight.”
When police tried to dis
perse the party, the situa
tion became more serious.
Police from Warner Robins,
Centerville, the Houston
County Sheriff s
Department and the
Georgia State Patrol were
called in to assist. The
Sheriffs Special Response
Team was also assembled.
Phelps said that it took at
Econo Lodge robbery part of spree
By RAY UGHTNER
HHJ Staff Writer
Saturday’s armed robbery
at the Perry Econo Lodge is
part of a spree of similar
robberies along Interstate
75, said Perry Police Capt.
William Phelps.
During the late-night inci
dent, three men jumped the
counter, gagged and bound
the clerk and stole an undis
closed amount of cash.
Phelps said the owners of
the motel were in the next
room and saw the incident
on surveillance video and
called 911. Officers and
deputies were on scene with
in minutes, but the suspects
had fled the scene in an
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least 45 minutes to subdue
and disperse the crowd.
Patrolman John Kessler
suffered a concussion in an
altercation with Benjamin
Earl Mertant Jr., 29, of 1507
Lucille Ave. Police allege
Mertant was trying to incite
a riot.
“He could have stayed on
his porch, but he decided to
argue with us and cause a
scene,” Phelps said. “When
you’re trying to get other
people involved, you’re try
ing to start a riot.”
Phelps said that Mertant
argued with police before he
was taken into custody.
Phelps said Mertant was
charged with attempting to
incite a riot, obstruction of a
police officer, and disorderly
conduct.
Shakika Sneed, 22, also of
1507 Lucille Avenue, was
also arrested in the scuffle.
Sneed was also charged
with attempting to incite a
riot, obstruction of a police
officer and disorderly con
duct. Kessler was still in
neurological intensive care
at the Macon Medical
Center at press time
Wednesday. Phelps said
Middlebrooks was in stable,
unknown vehicle.
Phelps said a BOLO (be
on the look out) was issued,
and he got calls referring to
similar incidents in Macon,
Cordele and Florida. The
clerk identified the suspects
from the Perry incident,
which were also caught on
tape at and identical inci
dent in St. John’s County,
Fla.
Phelps showed the video
shows how the suspects
have committed the rob
beries each time.
“One was sitting in a
chair, one was checking the
door and one jumped over
the counter,” Phelps said,
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Macon Medical Center.
“These people were out of
control,” Phelps said.
“People were acting crazy all
night.”
Potter told the council
Tuesday night that revelers
from across Middle Georgia
converged on the Old Field
area Saturday night.
“Most of these people
were from all over,” Phelps
said. “They were there to
cause problems.”
“You have some good peo
ple from Old Field, but you
also had some people that
caused problems.”
Potter told the council
that T-shirts were made
advertising the event at
other parties. He said party
goers refused to move out of
the road for police patrolling
the area.
Potter said Perry Police
officer Marlin Adams also
suffered a torn fingernail in
the scuffle with Mertant,
and Phelps was hit in the
back by an unopened can of
beer by an unidentified
assailant - but Phelps was
wearing a bulletproof vest.
“The vest took the shot
from the impact,” he said.
followed by the other two.
The gunman in that case,
was identified as a suspect
in the Perry case, Phelps
said. He is described a slen
der black man with dread
locks, about six feet tall.
Phelps praised the quick
response on the police and
sheriffs deputies who were
in the area at the Perry
Kroger. He said the suspects
probably got away because
they could drive straight out
onto the interstate and
headed south.
Anyone with any informa
tion on the incident is asked
to call Perry Police at 988-
2812.
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LOCAL
Phelps said police put up a
roadblock Sunday along
Houston Lake Road at the
Fourth Street and Kings
Chapel Road intersection.
The Perry PD was assisted
in the operation by the
Houston County Sheriffs
Department. Potter said
that police handed out 47
citations at the roadblock
Sunday and were called to
no other incidents in the
area over the rest of the
Independence Day weekend.
Potter told the council
that police logged more than
100 hours of overtime in the
incident.
“Every taxpayer now has
to pay for it because a few
people wanted to be selfish,”
Potter said.
Phelps said that the
department will have to
absorb the additional costs
out of its budget.
The City Council handed
down a block party ordi
nance last year that requires
anyone who’s planning a
party of more than 80 people
to apply for a permit from
the city at least 14 days
beforehand, and pay for off
duty police to provide secu
rity. Also, at least 90 percent
Robert A. Ross
Air Force Airman Ist
Class Robert A. Ross has
graduated from the missile
facilities apprentice course
at Malmstrom Air Force
Base, Great Falls, Mont.
Students were taught the
fundamentals of electrical
circuits, components and
symbols, internal combus
tion engines and systems,
microprocessor/monitor for
electrical power systems,
and refrigeration and envi
ronmental systems and
components.
Ross, a facility mainte
nance apprentice with one
year of military service, is a
of the people who live in the
neighborhood have to sign
the application. Phelps said
that the minimum off-duty
police are paid is $lB per
hour. At least two off-duty
police are required for par
ties less than 100 people. If
more than 100 people are
expected to be present,
organizers are required to
hire another off-duty police
officer for every 50 people
expected.
Peggy Davis, who lives in
the area, said Tuesday night
that her family has been
organizing reunions along
the street for several years.
Davis told the council that
she has a large family, and
that other families in the
Old Field area also gather
over Independence Day
weekend. Davis said that the
hourly rate the police charge
is unfair and said her family
should not have to suffer
because the party grew out
of control.
Davis said she came to
Phelps and Potter with the
idea of giving each invited
guest an armband or ticket
to identify them, but Phelps
said that police did not know
how many parties were
HOMETOWN NEWS
2004 graduate of Perry
High School.
Jason A. Repass
Air Force Airman Jason
A. Repass
has grad
uat e d
from
basic mil
ita r y
training
a t
Lackland
Air Force
Base, San
Antonio,
Texas.
During the six weeks of
training, the airman stud
ied the Air Force mission,
u I
H .ft
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
going on. He said that sever
al people claiming to be
organizers approached him
and Potter, but no one
applied for a permit or fol
lowed the city’s ordinance.
Last year, organizers held
the reunion at James Street
Park nearby with no prob
lems.
“She seemed to act like we
didn’t try to help her,”
Phelps said. “We did.”
Under the city code, the
organizers could face
charges, but Phelps said
that police are still trying to
identify who was responsi
ble.
“Trying to find out who
they are now will be diffi
cult,” Phelps said.
Councilman Joe Kusar sug
gested that the families keep
a checklist of who’s invited
to go. Council members also
invited Davis to talk about
the issue at its next public
safety committee meeting.
Phelps said that police are
still investigating the inci
dent and could press more
charges against those
involved. Potter said that
the department is already
planning a roadblock for the
area next year.
organization, and military
customs and courtesies;
performed drill and cere
mony marches, and
received physical training,
rifle marksmanship, field
training exercises, and spe
cial training in human rela
tions.
In addition, airmen who
complete basic training
earn credits toward an
associate degree through
the Community College of
the Air Force.
Repass is the son of
Jeffery Repass of Kathleen.
He is a 2004 graduate of
Houston County High
School.
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