Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Lokeys Ridge Road home on Dec. 15 after the residents reported firing several shots at two individuals.
The residents, a father and son, were awakened just before midnight when their dog began barking. The father and son looked outside and noticed the lights on their four-wheeler had been turned on and that the four-wheeler had been cranked. The four-wheeler was parked in a carport next to a shed. The father noticed that a Honda Shadow inside the shed had also been cranked.
The father armed himself with a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber handgun while the son grabbed a Remington rifle. The pair also took their pet bulldog with them as they went to confront the suspects.
As the father and son approached the shed, two black males exited. One ran to the right and the other ran to the left. The father began pursuing the subject that ran left ordering him to stop. The man said he fired a warning shot into the air. At that point, the suspect turned and reached into his coat. Believing that the suspect was had a weapon, the father fired a second shot in the direction of the suspect's legs. The father said the suspect fled and did not appear to have been hit.
While the father was pursuing one suspect, the son chased the second suspect. The son yelled repeatedly for the suspect to stop and the suspect eventually did. The son warned the suspect that he had been caught and that deputies were enroute. When the son ordered the suspect to begin marching back towards the road, the suspect grabbed the barrel of the rifle. The son pulled the trigger, but the rifle failed to fire. The son and the suspect then began fighting. During the struggle, the suspect was reportedly bitten on the leg by the bulldog.
No arrests or charges have been made at this time.
Top Stories & Breaking News
Suspect sought in Bethlehem robbery
Authorities are searching for a man who escaped with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency after robbing the Dollar General Store in Bethlehem.
The suspect entered the store at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 and forced the clerk to hand over the cash. The suspect then fled on foot. No weapons were used and no one was injured during the incident.
The suspect is described as a white male, 5’8” to 5’10”, stocky build with short hair. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators responded to the scene. The Gwinnett County Police Department provided a K-9 unit to assist in the search for the subject. No arrests have been made at this time, but investigators are pursuing leads.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigations Division, at 770-307-3080 ext. 3083.
The suspect entered the store at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 and forced the clerk to hand over the cash. The suspect then fled on foot. No weapons were used and no one was injured during the incident.
The suspect is described as a white male, 5’8” to 5’10”, stocky build with short hair. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators responded to the scene. The Gwinnett County Police Department provided a K-9 unit to assist in the search for the subject. No arrests have been made at this time, but investigators are pursuing leads.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigations Division, at 770-307-3080 ext. 3083.
Chick-fil-A coming to Hwy. 316
Monday, December 14. 2009
Barrow County residents are likely to “eat mor chikin” in 2010.
Chick-fil-A, Inc., last week closed on the sale of a one-acre site off Ga. 316 where a new restaurant will open as soon as April 1 across from the Barrow Crossing retail center.
It is one of only five new Georgia locations that are planned by the company in the upcoming year, said Chick-fil-A spokesperson Brenda Green.
“We’re looking to build a freestanding unit there sometime during the second quarter in 2010,” she said. “It’s just a good business decision. There are great retailers there and we are looking forward to building out further in Georgia.”
The recession apparently isn’t reducing consumers’ taste for Chick-fil-A products.
“We hit $3 billion in sales last week,” Green said.
Wayne Bartlett of Maynard & Bartlett Realty Group LLP said the sale of the 1.23-acre site closed Dec. 10. The seller was K & J Properties LLC, which owns three acres at that location, according to tax information posted on the county government’s web site. The sales price will not be public information until the new deed is recorded. [Full Story »]
Chick-fil-A, Inc., last week closed on the sale of a one-acre site off Ga. 316 where a new restaurant will open as soon as April 1 across from the Barrow Crossing retail center.
It is one of only five new Georgia locations that are planned by the company in the upcoming year, said Chick-fil-A spokesperson Brenda Green.
“We’re looking to build a freestanding unit there sometime during the second quarter in 2010,” she said. “It’s just a good business decision. There are great retailers there and we are looking forward to building out further in Georgia.”
The recession apparently isn’t reducing consumers’ taste for Chick-fil-A products.
“We hit $3 billion in sales last week,” Green said.
Wayne Bartlett of Maynard & Bartlett Realty Group LLP said the sale of the 1.23-acre site closed Dec. 10. The seller was K & J Properties LLC, which owns three acres at that location, according to tax information posted on the county government’s web site. The sales price will not be public information until the new deed is recorded. [Full Story »]
Rep. England putting support behind Rep. Ralston in wake of Speaker's departure
Wednesday, December 9. 2009
Barrow County State Rep. Terry England said Tuesday he is supporting Rep. David Ralston as new Speaker of the Georgia Houses of Representatives.
A new speaker will have to be elected since Rep. Glenn Richardson has resigned following reported personal issues, including a reported suicide attempt and an affair with a lobbyist.
England supported Ralston last year, making the nomination speech for him. But once Richardson was re-elected, England said he stood behind the incumbent.
“We’ve got several people looking at the position this year,” England told the Barrow Journal. “We’ll see how it all works out.”
Ralston is from Blue Ridge and is serving his third term in the House of Representatives.
Neither England or State Rep. Tommy Benton, who represents a small portion of Barrow County, spoke about the Speaker of the House issue directly during Tuesday morning’s chamber of commerce eggs and issues forum.
Benton said it has been a “difficult week-and-a-half in the House and we hope to get everything pointed in the right direction.”
England said the whole state has been in a “little turmoil” over the recent news regarding Richardson.
A new speaker will have to be elected since Rep. Glenn Richardson has resigned following reported personal issues, including a reported suicide attempt and an affair with a lobbyist.
England supported Ralston last year, making the nomination speech for him. But once Richardson was re-elected, England said he stood behind the incumbent.
“We’ve got several people looking at the position this year,” England told the Barrow Journal. “We’ll see how it all works out.”
Ralston is from Blue Ridge and is serving his third term in the House of Representatives.
Neither England or State Rep. Tommy Benton, who represents a small portion of Barrow County, spoke about the Speaker of the House issue directly during Tuesday morning’s chamber of commerce eggs and issues forum.
Benton said it has been a “difficult week-and-a-half in the House and we hope to get everything pointed in the right direction.”
England said the whole state has been in a “little turmoil” over the recent news regarding Richardson.
Brown’s office broken into
Wednesday, December 2. 2009
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has broadened its investigation of a terroristic threat made against Barrow County’s human resources director after someone broke into her office over Thanksgiving.
Sheriff Jud Smith said the holiday burglary of Norma Jean Brown’s county office may have been an inside job because her door was locked, no one outside of the Human Resources Department has a key and there was no forced entry.
Asked if that meant the burglar could have been someone working for the county government, Smith responded, “It could be construed that way.”
The sheriff said he received a call from Brown at about 11 a.m. Monday and asked a deputy to respond.
Deputy Richard Weed went to Brown’s office to take a report and then called for a crime scene investigator who took photos and dusted for fingerprints.
“This is a crime scene,” Smith said. “We took photographs and will put them in a file and turn it over to the GBI and let them include it in their file. We are taking photographs of stuff that was moved and touched.”
The incident occurred sometime between 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, and 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Brown first noticed that her window blinds, which she keeps open, had been closed.
“She stated that she then noticed that a picture book of her children had been opened to a page containing photographs of all of her children and laid face down on a side desk,” states Weed’s report of the incident.
A candle also had been placed on the floor of her office and a framed newspaper article about Brown also was on the floor and face down, the report states. The only items missing were Brown’s notary public stamp and a computer disc of photographs, according to an incident report.
For more information, see the Dec. 2 issue of the Barrow Journal.
Sheriff Jud Smith said the holiday burglary of Norma Jean Brown’s county office may have been an inside job because her door was locked, no one outside of the Human Resources Department has a key and there was no forced entry.
Asked if that meant the burglar could have been someone working for the county government, Smith responded, “It could be construed that way.”
The sheriff said he received a call from Brown at about 11 a.m. Monday and asked a deputy to respond.
Deputy Richard Weed went to Brown’s office to take a report and then called for a crime scene investigator who took photos and dusted for fingerprints.
“This is a crime scene,” Smith said. “We took photographs and will put them in a file and turn it over to the GBI and let them include it in their file. We are taking photographs of stuff that was moved and touched.”
The incident occurred sometime between 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, and 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Brown first noticed that her window blinds, which she keeps open, had been closed.
“She stated that she then noticed that a picture book of her children had been opened to a page containing photographs of all of her children and laid face down on a side desk,” states Weed’s report of the incident.
A candle also had been placed on the floor of her office and a framed newspaper article about Brown also was on the floor and face down, the report states. The only items missing were Brown’s notary public stamp and a computer disc of photographs, according to an incident report.
For more information, see the Dec. 2 issue of the Barrow Journal.
BOC votes to add fire manpower
Wednesday, November 25. 2009
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners took action Tuesday night to resolve a manpower shortage at Barrow County Emergency Services.
And for the second time this year, the commissioners voted to mothball an ambulance that has a welding problem that reportedly could pose safety risks to both emergency personnel and to patients.
Both actions were taken on unanimous votes that circumvented the leadership of commission Chairman Danny Yearwood, who has been accused of micromanaging the department and ordering the defective ambulance back into service after the BOC had voted for it to be sold.
Leading the board’s charge was commissioner Steve Worley, who said it isn’t the commissioners’ or chairman’s job to supersede the authority of department managers.
“It’s not our job to micromanage any department,” he said. “It’s not the chairman’s job to micromanage any department.
“It is our job to oversee those departments, to make sure they have what they need and make sure it’s going the way it’s supposed to go. Department (managers) are hired to run these departments.
“If we’re going to micromanage, we don’t need department heads. And if department heads can’t do the job they were hired to do, they need to step down.” [Full Story »]
And for the second time this year, the commissioners voted to mothball an ambulance that has a welding problem that reportedly could pose safety risks to both emergency personnel and to patients.
Both actions were taken on unanimous votes that circumvented the leadership of commission Chairman Danny Yearwood, who has been accused of micromanaging the department and ordering the defective ambulance back into service after the BOC had voted for it to be sold.
Leading the board’s charge was commissioner Steve Worley, who said it isn’t the commissioners’ or chairman’s job to supersede the authority of department managers.
“It’s not our job to micromanage any department,” he said. “It’s not the chairman’s job to micromanage any department.
“It is our job to oversee those departments, to make sure they have what they need and make sure it’s going the way it’s supposed to go. Department (managers) are hired to run these departments.
“If we’re going to micromanage, we don’t need department heads. And if department heads can’t do the job they were hired to do, they need to step down.” [Full Story »]
Winder ends year $900,000 in red
Tuesday, November 24. 2009
Winder’s city government ended fiscal year 2009 nearly $900,000 in the red, but city administrator Bob Beck told the city council at its November meeting that it could have been worse.
“That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s a far cry from where I thought it would be a year ago,” said Beck. “I thought it would be in the $1.5-2 million range...”
According to the 132-page comprehensive annual financial report distributed at the Nov. 10 meeting by finance director Leslie Ginn, the city government saved $440,000 in operating expenses by laying off about 30 employees four months before the end of the fiscal year.
The city’s bottom line also was aided by a 39-percent increase in the millage rate for the fire district tax.
Winder officials said the city levies no property tax and technically it is Barrow County that levies the tax. However, the tax is levied for the city and the county also rolls back the county tax rate on properties inside the city limits by 2.15 mils to help offset the impact on property owners.
With the rate now 3.00 mils, the fire tax in FY2009 generated almost $1 million, nearly a fourth of the tax revenues collected by the city during the last fiscal year.
The additional $272,000 in fire tax revenues helped offset a 20-percent drop in Local Option Sales Taxes. Sales taxes are the biggest single source of tax revenue for the city, but dropped last year by about $372,000.
All together, taxes generated about $4.5 million for the city in FY2009. But the greatest source of revenue for the government was from the city’s own utility operations.
According to the financial report, about $5.2 million in utility profits was transferred to the general operating fund.
More than $3.9 million was transferred from the Water and Sewer Fund, and $1 million was transferred from the Gas Fund.
“That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s a far cry from where I thought it would be a year ago,” said Beck. “I thought it would be in the $1.5-2 million range...”
According to the 132-page comprehensive annual financial report distributed at the Nov. 10 meeting by finance director Leslie Ginn, the city government saved $440,000 in operating expenses by laying off about 30 employees four months before the end of the fiscal year.
The city’s bottom line also was aided by a 39-percent increase in the millage rate for the fire district tax.
Winder officials said the city levies no property tax and technically it is Barrow County that levies the tax. However, the tax is levied for the city and the county also rolls back the county tax rate on properties inside the city limits by 2.15 mils to help offset the impact on property owners.
With the rate now 3.00 mils, the fire tax in FY2009 generated almost $1 million, nearly a fourth of the tax revenues collected by the city during the last fiscal year.
The additional $272,000 in fire tax revenues helped offset a 20-percent drop in Local Option Sales Taxes. Sales taxes are the biggest single source of tax revenue for the city, but dropped last year by about $372,000.
All together, taxes generated about $4.5 million for the city in FY2009. But the greatest source of revenue for the government was from the city’s own utility operations.
According to the financial report, about $5.2 million in utility profits was transferred to the general operating fund.
More than $3.9 million was transferred from the Water and Sewer Fund, and $1 million was transferred from the Gas Fund.
Worley sees firefighter staffing problem up close
Saturday, November 21. 2009
On the same day that Commissioner Steve Worley chastised the Barrow County Professional Firefighters Association for going to the media about the staffing shortage in the county’s fire stations, a couple in his district witnessed the county’s problem up close.
The man and woman, who asked not to be identified, own a home on Harry McCarty Road in Bethlehem. [Full Story »]
The man and woman, who asked not to be identified, own a home on Harry McCarty Road in Bethlehem. [Full Story »]
Supt. Saunders delays Internet policy; idea getting a second look
Wednesday, November 18. 2009
With international media attention having swept down upon the Barrow County School System, superintendent Ron Saunders requested a delay in voting on a policy which would set up guidelines establishing strict boundaries for student-teacher relations.
The policy would deal with items that would be appropriate for Facebook and MySpace accounts. A case is currently pending involving the resignation of an Apalachee High School teacher after the school system allegedly received a complaint over photos taken on a non-school related trip. (See related story).
Saunders said during Tuesday night’s meeting 13 school systems have a similar policy in place.
“I want to go back and look at it,” the superintendent said. “I want to bring it back up at a later date and take into account the comments I have received.”
Board member Mark Still requested copies of the policies other school systems are using. Still initially expressed concern over regulating what school system personnel post on personal websites. Saunders had modeled his proposed policy after one used by the Coffee County School System in South Georgia. Reports indicated that some citizens were upset that the proposed policy would be a violation of privacy for teachers and other school system employees.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission has a policy prohibiting student-teacher relationships, but Saunders wanted to have a local policy for principals and school officials to be able to use as well. [Full Story »]
The policy would deal with items that would be appropriate for Facebook and MySpace accounts. A case is currently pending involving the resignation of an Apalachee High School teacher after the school system allegedly received a complaint over photos taken on a non-school related trip. (See related story).
Saunders said during Tuesday night’s meeting 13 school systems have a similar policy in place.
“I want to go back and look at it,” the superintendent said. “I want to bring it back up at a later date and take into account the comments I have received.”
Board member Mark Still requested copies of the policies other school systems are using. Still initially expressed concern over regulating what school system personnel post on personal websites. Saunders had modeled his proposed policy after one used by the Coffee County School System in South Georgia. Reports indicated that some citizens were upset that the proposed policy would be a violation of privacy for teachers and other school system employees.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission has a policy prohibiting student-teacher relationships, but Saunders wanted to have a local policy for principals and school officials to be able to use as well. [Full Story »]
New details emerge regarding teacher resignation; death threats made toward school officials
Documents released by the Barrow County School district contradict several claims made by former Apalachee High School teacher Ashley Payne in her lawsuit against the school system. The lawsuit, which is garnering international media attention, has generated both hate mail and death threats directed towards school officials.
Payne resigned August 27, 2009 after Apalachee High School principal David McGee confronted her regarding questionable online activity on the social networking site Facebook.
According to documents provided by the school system, Payne’s online activity was brought to their attention by a concerned parent.
In an email to Superintendent Ron Saunders, the parent complained that her daughter used profane language and, when reprimanded, defended herself by saying her teacher, Ashley Payne, used the same language on her Facebook page. According to the email, the daughter and Ms. Payne were Facebook friends. The parent further complained that Payne had “unacceptable pictures of herself smiling with alcohol for all her online friends to view.”
The parent provided Saunders with a copy of the photograph and requested the matter be investigated saying, “I am repulsed by Ms. Payne’ profane use of language and how she conducts herself as an example to my teenage daughter. Her behavior is intolerable.”
While the school system has yet to publicly identify the parent, Barrow County Schools public relations coordinator Lisa Leighton said, “To the best of my knowledge, the administrators are aware of who this parent is and who this student is.”
Payne denies that any student or parent of a student had access to her Facebook page. [Full Story »]
Payne resigned August 27, 2009 after Apalachee High School principal David McGee confronted her regarding questionable online activity on the social networking site Facebook.
According to documents provided by the school system, Payne’s online activity was brought to their attention by a concerned parent.
In an email to Superintendent Ron Saunders, the parent complained that her daughter used profane language and, when reprimanded, defended herself by saying her teacher, Ashley Payne, used the same language on her Facebook page. According to the email, the daughter and Ms. Payne were Facebook friends. The parent further complained that Payne had “unacceptable pictures of herself smiling with alcohol for all her online friends to view.”
The parent provided Saunders with a copy of the photograph and requested the matter be investigated saying, “I am repulsed by Ms. Payne’ profane use of language and how she conducts herself as an example to my teenage daughter. Her behavior is intolerable.”
While the school system has yet to publicly identify the parent, Barrow County Schools public relations coordinator Lisa Leighton said, “To the best of my knowledge, the administrators are aware of who this parent is and who this student is.”
Payne denies that any student or parent of a student had access to her Facebook page. [Full Story »]
Recent Comments