District 4 Dodge County Commissioner Archie Dupree (age 62) took his own life on Sunday, July 10.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Eastman police and Emergency Medical Services were called to a shooting at Dupree’s home at 5420 Leitch Street. Dodge County Coroner Joe Smith pronounced Dupree dead at 11:58 a.m. Dupree had been having medical problems recently, including depression.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to look into the incident. Dupree’s body was sent to the Georgia Crime Lab where it was determined that he died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. His wife, Sandra, was at home at the time of the incident.
Dupree was first elected to the board of commissioners in 2004 and began his first term in January of 2005. He was coming up for reelection in 2012. According to the legislation that formed the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, Superintendent of Elections John Kelly will call for a special election within 15 days of the vacancy left by Dupree, to fill his post on the board.
Dupree was also a longtime employee of Rollins Funeral Home. He had been an employee of the business for 43 years, ever since the business was started by John Rollins.
Rollins Funeral Home has charge of arrangements, but at press time, services had not yet been scheduled.
I had the privelege of attending a City Hall meeting with Archie. After the meeting was over we stood outside City Hall and talked,he told me that he wanted to see JOBS for the Community come out of an up comming building project that was about to take place here in Eastman. Mrs Willie Mae Swint had just told me approx. one week ago that Mr Dupree was succssful in getting the County to help her get a job done near her property that was the County's responsibility.
ARCHIE YOU WILL SURELY BE MISSED, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
I am hoping that who ever gets elected in his place as Dodge County Commissioner for District 4 will have the same intrest of the Community at heart as Mr Dupree did. R.I.P. Mr Archie Dupree