News from MadisonJournalTODAY - Topics from April, 2011
Gov’t complex closed Friday
The Madison County Government Complex will be closed Friday in observance of Good Friday.
Ila council implements agenda requirement
The city of Ila changed the way residents will be allowed to voice concerns to the city. If a citizen wishes to address the council, he or she must be placed on the agenda prior to the meeting. The council approved the change April 4 to require residents to be on the agenda after council member Peggy Freeman voiced the concern that if the ...
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City of Colbert gets beautification grant
By Jeremy Elrod The city of Colbert was one of 20 Georgia governments to receive state beautification grants. The city was awarded a grant of $25,000. A total of 54 applications were submitted to the Department of Transportation for the GATEWAY Grant. “I have good news on the GATEway Grant,” said Mayor Chris Peck. “We got it!” Peck ...
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Heaton stepping down as Colbert Elem. principal
Colbert Elementary School principal Billy Heaton sent a letter home with Colbert students Wednesday, informing parents of his decision to step down from the principal’s post. Heaton, who has been principal at the school for three years, said he wants to work closer to his daughter, who has health issues that sometimes require quick attention. ...
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Teens charged after false emergency calls
Two teens were arrested recently after the Madison County 9-1-1 center reportedly received false emergency calls from them ranging from fights in progress involving firearms with multiple subjects, to aggravated assault/domestic violence incidents.
The calls were traced to a Verizon cell phone.
Justin Lee Carter, 19, 210 Amberly Drive, Hull, and Steven Scott Gunderson, 18, 5405 Hwy. 174, Danielsville, were each charged with false report of a crime and unlawful conduct during 9-1-1 calls or other contact 9-1-1 and make false report.
In another incident, a man previously charged with indecent exposure was spotted by an off-duty officer standing in front of the open window of his home, naked, with a pair of binoculars looking at a residence next door. The officer approached the man and asked him to close his window.
Other incidents on file at the sheriff’s office included:
•A dispute over an allegation of child molestation was reported at Neese Mobile Home Park on Willis Glenn Road last week. According to the incident report, officer Michael Moore responded to the scene where he was met by a couple who said that earlier in the day two males approached the husband while he was in the front yard of his residence and asked him if everything was OK. He told them to leave and not to return. The wife of one of the men then came to the residence in her vehicle and asked the man if she could talk to him. He then allegedly told her to leave the premises and to leave them and his child alone. She then got out of the car and at that point the man reportedly got a pistol from his vehicle and pointed it in her face and pressed it against her nose and said “you molested my child.” The woman said she then left the premises and went back to her home. Moore noted she was visibly upset. All parties were advised that due to the ongoing child molestation investigation they needed to remain separated.
•A woman on Country Lane reported that her juvenile daughter was being unruly. She said that her daughter was arguing with her and had struck her in the face, knocking her glasses off. The child denied the allegations, but continued to behave in an unruly manner while the officer talked with her. She was taken into custody but later released to her mother per a juvenile justice worker. They were advised they would be contacted with a court date.
•A resident of Childers Road reported that her home was burglarized while she took her daughter to school. She found the front door kicked open, the house ransacked and two jewelry boxes and an X-box missing.
•Harassing phone calls were reported on Kimberly Way after a man said he had received an unsolicited, disturbing e-mail from an unknown source.
•A woman on Transco Road reported that three of her goats, valued at $400 total, had been stolen from a pen on her property. She also reported that someone had cut off the horns on two of her other goats. She also said that at least once a year someone comes onto her property and cuts the horns off several of her goats.
•A five-gallon can of gas was reportedly stolen from in front of a garage on Ivywood Drive.
•A woman on West Briarwood Drive reported that for the past two weeks she and her husband have been receiving phone calls from three different men saying they are calling from Publisher’s Clearing House and that they have a check for them and need to “get the delivery process started.” One man allegedly said he was from the IRS and had a certified check and needed some information so he could deliver it. The men’s names and phone numbers were placed on file at the sheriff’s office.
•A woman reported that three fraudulent transactions had been made on her checking account at a JC Penney Store in Atlanta.
•Copper wiring was reportedly stripped from the heat pumps at two vacant homes on McCarty Dodd Road.
•Cash, medication and jewelry were reported missing from a home that was burglarized and ransacked on Hwy. 29 North last week. There was no sign of forced entry.
•A woman on Grady Lane reported that her and her neighbor had a dispute. She said her neighbor came over to her residence and started arguing with her about a friend she had at her house. She said the offender drove off fast, spinning tires on the truck, throwing gravel up on her porch and striking her in the back. The warrant process was explained to her.
•A home on Parham Town Road was burglarized last week. Entry was made by breaking a basement window. The inside of the residence had been plundered, according to the report, and it was unknown at the time of the report what items were missing.
•A woman on Joe Graham Road reported that her debit card had been used fraudulently to make purchases at two online retailers.
•A domestic dispute was reported on Foote McClellan Road last week. According to the report, a woman said her husband came home drinking alcohol, became irate and started calling her names. The woman said she retaliated by kicking him in “his privates” and he then allegedly snatched the glasses off her face and punched her. She said her husband then left driving a green Dodge Caravan. She said she did not want to prosecute, but that she did not want him to come back to the residence. She was informed of the TPO process and told to contact an attorney if she wanted a divorce.
•Warrants were taken out last week on a man who allegedly damaged two vehicles and stole another on Belhaven Lane. According to the incident report, the suspect’s father called to report that his son had flattened three tires on his mother’s car and busted his wife’s back windshield. He then fled the scene in another vehicle he allegedly stole from a third person. That vehicle was found parked on Belhaven Lane at Amberly Drive, where the suspect allegedly fled on foot. Warrants were to be filed for two counts of criminal damage to property and theft by taking motor vehicle.
•A woman on Neese Commerce Road reported that sometime during the night someone drove a vehicle through her fence. The report stated it looked like the vehicle came off of Nowhere Road, did not stop at the stop sign and skidded into the ditch before going through the fence.
•Someone allegedly attempted to enter a barn on Old Kincaid Road last week.
•A woman on Maplewood Lane reported that a man she knows had struck her in the neck. EMS was dispatched to a difficulty breathing call and found the woman on the floor when they arrived. She told the responding officer that the man had punched her in the neck and thrown her against a couch in the living room. She said he had also taken money from her pocketbook. The man had left the scene on foot and called his mother from a cell phone.
•Warrants were to be secured last week for a Madison County inmate who allegedly struck another inmate in the Madison County Jail. According to the report, the inmate allegedly followed another inmate into a cell and struck him, causing a laceration to this forehead that required stitches by the detention center nurse.
•A man on Eugene Hardman Road reported that someone had broken into two cars. A purse was stolen from one vehicle and a Sony CD player was stolen from another. The officer noted that whoever stole the items left “in a hurry” because there were many valuable items left in both cars.
•Three campers and a building at a hunting club on Helican Springs Road were allegedly broken into.
•A grill was stolen from an out building on Peachtree Street that had been pried open.
•A woman on Eugene Hardman Road reported that her purse had been stolen from under her pillow while she slept. She said she suspects her niece of the theft.
•A stereo was reportedly stolen from a vehicle in a yard on Hwy. 98 West overnight.
•Wiring was stolen from an a/c unit at a bank-owned home on McCarty Dodd Road.
•A man on Pine Valley Farm Road reported that two guns, several pieces of jewelry and a chainsaw were missing from his home. He said the last time he knew for sure that the items were there was when he returned from a football game in Tennessee back in January.
•A man on Woodale Street said a $20 bill was stolen from his wallet after he went to bed. He said he suspects his live-in girlfriend took the money and that she has taken his money on several other occasions. The girlfriend denied taking the money. The man was advised of the warrant process.
•An employee at the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter on Colbert-Danielsville Road reported that $543 had been stolen from her purse while she was at work. She said she had left her purse under the desk in the front lobby area to go to the back and that when she went to get her money for lunch, she found her wallet upside down and open. She said a community service worker was in the front lobby while she was in the back.
The calls were traced to a Verizon cell phone.
Justin Lee Carter, 19, 210 Amberly Drive, Hull, and Steven Scott Gunderson, 18, 5405 Hwy. 174, Danielsville, were each charged with false report of a crime and unlawful conduct during 9-1-1 calls or other contact 9-1-1 and make false report.
In another incident, a man previously charged with indecent exposure was spotted by an off-duty officer standing in front of the open window of his home, naked, with a pair of binoculars looking at a residence next door. The officer approached the man and asked him to close his window.
Other incidents on file at the sheriff’s office included:
•A dispute over an allegation of child molestation was reported at Neese Mobile Home Park on Willis Glenn Road last week. According to the incident report, officer Michael Moore responded to the scene where he was met by a couple who said that earlier in the day two males approached the husband while he was in the front yard of his residence and asked him if everything was OK. He told them to leave and not to return. The wife of one of the men then came to the residence in her vehicle and asked the man if she could talk to him. He then allegedly told her to leave the premises and to leave them and his child alone. She then got out of the car and at that point the man reportedly got a pistol from his vehicle and pointed it in her face and pressed it against her nose and said “you molested my child.” The woman said she then left the premises and went back to her home. Moore noted she was visibly upset. All parties were advised that due to the ongoing child molestation investigation they needed to remain separated.
•A woman on Country Lane reported that her juvenile daughter was being unruly. She said that her daughter was arguing with her and had struck her in the face, knocking her glasses off. The child denied the allegations, but continued to behave in an unruly manner while the officer talked with her. She was taken into custody but later released to her mother per a juvenile justice worker. They were advised they would be contacted with a court date.
•A resident of Childers Road reported that her home was burglarized while she took her daughter to school. She found the front door kicked open, the house ransacked and two jewelry boxes and an X-box missing.
•Harassing phone calls were reported on Kimberly Way after a man said he had received an unsolicited, disturbing e-mail from an unknown source.
•A woman on Transco Road reported that three of her goats, valued at $400 total, had been stolen from a pen on her property. She also reported that someone had cut off the horns on two of her other goats. She also said that at least once a year someone comes onto her property and cuts the horns off several of her goats.
•A five-gallon can of gas was reportedly stolen from in front of a garage on Ivywood Drive.
•A woman on West Briarwood Drive reported that for the past two weeks she and her husband have been receiving phone calls from three different men saying they are calling from Publisher’s Clearing House and that they have a check for them and need to “get the delivery process started.” One man allegedly said he was from the IRS and had a certified check and needed some information so he could deliver it. The men’s names and phone numbers were placed on file at the sheriff’s office.
•A woman reported that three fraudulent transactions had been made on her checking account at a JC Penney Store in Atlanta.
•Copper wiring was reportedly stripped from the heat pumps at two vacant homes on McCarty Dodd Road.
•Cash, medication and jewelry were reported missing from a home that was burglarized and ransacked on Hwy. 29 North last week. There was no sign of forced entry.
•A woman on Grady Lane reported that her and her neighbor had a dispute. She said her neighbor came over to her residence and started arguing with her about a friend she had at her house. She said the offender drove off fast, spinning tires on the truck, throwing gravel up on her porch and striking her in the back. The warrant process was explained to her.
•A home on Parham Town Road was burglarized last week. Entry was made by breaking a basement window. The inside of the residence had been plundered, according to the report, and it was unknown at the time of the report what items were missing.
•A woman on Joe Graham Road reported that her debit card had been used fraudulently to make purchases at two online retailers.
•A domestic dispute was reported on Foote McClellan Road last week. According to the report, a woman said her husband came home drinking alcohol, became irate and started calling her names. The woman said she retaliated by kicking him in “his privates” and he then allegedly snatched the glasses off her face and punched her. She said her husband then left driving a green Dodge Caravan. She said she did not want to prosecute, but that she did not want him to come back to the residence. She was informed of the TPO process and told to contact an attorney if she wanted a divorce.
•Warrants were taken out last week on a man who allegedly damaged two vehicles and stole another on Belhaven Lane. According to the incident report, the suspect’s father called to report that his son had flattened three tires on his mother’s car and busted his wife’s back windshield. He then fled the scene in another vehicle he allegedly stole from a third person. That vehicle was found parked on Belhaven Lane at Amberly Drive, where the suspect allegedly fled on foot. Warrants were to be filed for two counts of criminal damage to property and theft by taking motor vehicle.
•A woman on Neese Commerce Road reported that sometime during the night someone drove a vehicle through her fence. The report stated it looked like the vehicle came off of Nowhere Road, did not stop at the stop sign and skidded into the ditch before going through the fence.
•Someone allegedly attempted to enter a barn on Old Kincaid Road last week.
•A woman on Maplewood Lane reported that a man she knows had struck her in the neck. EMS was dispatched to a difficulty breathing call and found the woman on the floor when they arrived. She told the responding officer that the man had punched her in the neck and thrown her against a couch in the living room. She said he had also taken money from her pocketbook. The man had left the scene on foot and called his mother from a cell phone.
•Warrants were to be secured last week for a Madison County inmate who allegedly struck another inmate in the Madison County Jail. According to the report, the inmate allegedly followed another inmate into a cell and struck him, causing a laceration to this forehead that required stitches by the detention center nurse.
•A man on Eugene Hardman Road reported that someone had broken into two cars. A purse was stolen from one vehicle and a Sony CD player was stolen from another. The officer noted that whoever stole the items left “in a hurry” because there were many valuable items left in both cars.
•Three campers and a building at a hunting club on Helican Springs Road were allegedly broken into.
•A grill was stolen from an out building on Peachtree Street that had been pried open.
•A woman on Eugene Hardman Road reported that her purse had been stolen from under her pillow while she slept. She said she suspects her niece of the theft.
•A stereo was reportedly stolen from a vehicle in a yard on Hwy. 98 West overnight.
•Wiring was stolen from an a/c unit at a bank-owned home on McCarty Dodd Road.
•A man on Pine Valley Farm Road reported that two guns, several pieces of jewelry and a chainsaw were missing from his home. He said the last time he knew for sure that the items were there was when he returned from a football game in Tennessee back in January.
•A man on Woodale Street said a $20 bill was stolen from his wallet after he went to bed. He said he suspects his live-in girlfriend took the money and that she has taken his money on several other occasions. The girlfriend denied taking the money. The man was advised of the warrant process.
•An employee at the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter on Colbert-Danielsville Road reported that $543 had been stolen from her purse while she was at work. She said she had left her purse under the desk in the front lobby area to go to the back and that when she went to get her money for lunch, she found her wallet upside down and open. She said a community service worker was in the front lobby while she was in the back.
Teens charged after false emergency calls
Two teens were arrested recently after the Madison County 9-1-1 center reportedly received false emergency calls from them ranging from fights in progress involving firearms with multiple subjects, to aggravated assault/domestic violence incidents. The calls were traced to a Verizon cell phone. Justin Lee Carter, 19, 210 Amberly Drive, Hull, ...
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Baird receives international award for Children with Disabilities Who Excel
Madison County’s Hannah Baird will be honored with a 2011 Yes I Can! Award from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) later this month. The 21-year-old Madison County resident was born with Down Syndrome and has “overcome great obstacles to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, inspiring people across her ...
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Canon man charged with terroristic threats
An intoxicated Canon man was arrested in Hull recently after he allegedly threatened a woman and her son. Brent James Shubert, 41, 367 Unawatti Road, was charged with terroristic threats and acts, reckless conduct and pedestrian under the influence of alcohol or drugs after he allegedly showed up at a woman’s home on Bedford Drive in Hull and ...
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Comer gets good news, bad news on wastewater treatment
Comer residents received good news and bad news about the city’s wastewater treatment plant April 4. The good news: recent tests show a great improvement in the system after an aerator was installed. The bad news: The city was fined $300 for installing the equipment without permission. The city council voted to pay the fine. In another ...
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County spared from storm’s wrath
The storm system that caused significant destruction and claimed upwards of 40 lives in the Southeast rolled into Madison County Friday night, but the county was spared from the worst of the weather. Madison County 911 director David Camp provided the following list of storm-related calls in Madison County Friday night and early Saturday ...
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