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The American Legion Post 126 of Eastman held the Memorial Day service in front of the Dodge County courthouse on Monday, May 25. This service is held every year on Memorial Day in memory of the former comrades in arms who gave their lives in service to their country. This year Major General (Ret.) James E. Livingston was the guest speaker. He received the Medal of Honor for his role at Dai Do, Vietnam as a U.S. Marine and is one of the few that received this honor before his death as 80 percent are posthumously presented. Macy Pruitt sang the National Anthem and the DCHS JROTC cadets presented the colors and played Taps. Andrea McCranie helped in the recognition of the Gold Star Mother. During the service World War II veterans that were in attendance were recognized and thanked for their service. (Photo by Tracey Graham)

Porshia Johnson, 22, and her boyfriend Travis Jordan, 21, have been arrested in the beating death of Johnson’s son, two year-old Aerick McManus. Aerick died May 14 after Treutlen County 911 received a call around 9:45 a.m. regarding an unresponsive child on Barwick Avenue in Soperton.

The Soperton Police Department and the Treutlen County Sheriff’s Office immediately began working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine what led to Aerick’s death. On May 16, an autopsy was performed on Aerick’s body at the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur. It was determined that the manner of death was homicide with the cause of death being blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

Johnson and Jordan were arrested on May 17 and transported to the Treutlen County Jail where they remain without bond. Johnson was charged with Felony Murder and Cruelty to Children. Jordan was charged with Felony Murder, Malice Murder, Cruelty to Children, and Aggravated Assault.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Soperton Police Department at 912/529-4221 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 478/374-6988.

On Friday, May 29, more than 200 members of Dodge County High School’s Class of 2015 will celebrate personal and academic achievements by walking across the stage at Memorial Stadium and receiving diplomas.

The graduating class of Dodge County High School (DCHS) includes 206 students, 35 earning the title of Honor Graduate and being awarded a gold stole. These students, over the course of their four years in high school, have taken two units of the same foreign language, a half unit of computer applications, a half unit of speech and have earned a cumulative academic average of 94. Additionally, students who do not have a 94 average but have maintained a 90 average and have scored 1,185 or higher on the verbal and math sections on the SAT or 26 or better on the ACT, will also have the distinction of graduating with honors.

Receiving additional academic honors with distinction will be the class’s top four students. Gracie Snyder will receive the first honor of valedictorian, and Griffin Law will receive the second honor as the class salutatorian. Third honor will be awarded to Taylor Thomas, and fourth honor will be awarded to Tyndal Mitchell.

“We at Dodge County High School are very proud of the graduating class of 2015,” says DCHS Principal Dr. Susan Long. “We have seen them grow from ninth graders into young men and women and we are assured that they will make a positive impact in the world wherever their futures lead them.”
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On Monday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m., the annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Dodge County Court House. This ceremony is held to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. Memorial Day is set aside to remember fallen soldiers who gave their all for our freedom and the freedom of other countries.

The guest speaker for the occasion will be Major General James E. Livingston. General Livingston is a native of Telfair County and retired from the U.S. Marine Corps following more that thirty years of service. He was one of two Medal of Honor recipients for actions on May 1 through May 3, 1968, in the Dai Do region of Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam.  

The American Legion and Auxiliary hosts this annual event. Also, participating in the ceremony will be the Dodge County JROTC and individuals from the community. Plan now to attend. 

The Board of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development announces graduates from the 2015 Region 9 Multi-Day Training Program. Milton Johnson, District 1 Eastman city councilman was one of the graduates. Class participants represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators and social service providers from 13 counties in the Heart of Georgia/Altamaha region. The Academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain a unique understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional, and state levels.

Created in 1993, the Academy assembles a cross section of economic development professionals and resources to provide this training in all twelve-service delivery regions in Georgia. The Board of Directors of the Academy represents public and private economic development organizations and agencies from across Georgia.

Since its organization, the Academy has provided training for thousands of professional and non-professional economic developers around the state, and since 1998 the Academy has been offered annually. [Full Story »] 

An Eastman man is in the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon after he was beaten and possibly stabbed.

According to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, Henry Barney Poole, age 60, of 141 Shady Oaks Road, answered the door of his home at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16.

A man and a woman were at the door and the man asked if he could use the restroom. Poole let them in and after the man returned from the restroom, he allegedly hit Poole with a flashlight and possibly stabbed him.

Poole told authorities that he knew the couple.

After allegedly beating Poole, the man allegedly took Poole’s wallet and keys and authorities believe they left Poole for dead. The couple fled in their Dodge Caravan. The alleged assailant, Bryan Carl Eagy, age 36, and his wife Danielle McCullough Eagy, age 36, were located and arrested at his father’s home at 247 Forest Hills Circle in Dexter the following day.

Poole told authorities that he had $1,500.00 in the wallet. Authorities stated that Danielle Eagy told them the whereabouts of the wallet and it was recovered along with a shirt along the side of the road on Georgia Highway 46 (Soperton Road). Authorities recovered $1,400.00.

The Eagys have been arrested and charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.

Authorities believe an argument led to the shooting death of an Eastman man.

According to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, Sonnie Barlow, age 59, of Eastman was shot twice in the chest after an alleged argument at 14 Fountain Road on Tuesday, May 12 at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Barlow was supposedly arguing with Lawton Clark, age 64, of Eastman, and was trying to get him to leave the property when Clark allegedly took out a small caliber handgun and shot Barlow twice.

When deputies arrived, they found that Clark had left the scene in a green Camaro. Dodge County deputies Mike Patterson and Donald Helms began a search for the vehicle and located it near the intersection of New Union Church Road and Golden Road, where Clark was taken into custody.

The weapon that was used to shoot Barlow has not been found. A search warrant was issued for the home of Clark. During the search, the gun was not found, but deputies did discover an inside marijuana grow room at the residence at 3470 Soperton Road. Clark has been charged with felony murder and manufacturing marijuana.

Dodge Pre-K students and staff were honored to have First Lady Sandra Deal tour their school and read the book, T.J’s Discovery, to them. The story is about a little girl who did not want to go camping because she was afraid of the dark. The book teaches children how to overcome this fear and how to enjoy the great outdoors. First Lady Deal is shown with Gerald Williams, Jazavian Williams, Alli Hayes Butler, Claire Jones, M.J Kersey, America Jimenez and Jeremiah McKay. Other special guests in attendance were Rosalyn Kirk, Casey Pruett and Pam Williams, the Governor’s Educational Outreach Coordinator.

Members of the community joined together on the lawn of the Dodge County Courthouse on Thursday, May 7 at noon to join in National Day of Prayer services. Mike Grenade with the Dodge County Baptist Association lead the services and introduced a number of speakers who came to pray for our nation, families, schools, military, the economy, our government officials, our community and our churches. This year’s theme was “Lord Hear Our Cry.” (Photo by Tracey Graham)

Asia Verlez JetAnn Jones, age 18, of Eastman, was injured when she was driving her 2005 Ford Mustang south on the Chester Highway on May 7 at approximately 4:15 p.m. and was attempting to negotiate a curve when she met an unknown vehicle headed north that was attempting to pass a tractor on the curve. Jones made an evasive action to avoid hitting the vehicle and ran off the right shoulder of the roadway. The Mustang then overturned. (Photo by Tracey Graham)

ATTENTION CITY OF EASTMAN RESIDENTS!!!
One of the main water mains in town has burst. The city has tried its best to relieve enough pressure to get in to fix the issue. Water in spots of the city has been shut off. A call may soon be made to shut water completely off in the city in order to cut the water pressure to resolve the issue. I have asked our city manager to try her best to get alerts out via radio and social media if we have to do the citywide shutoff. Sorry for the inconvenience. Our guys are neck deep in water trying to relieve enough pressure to keep from cutting the water completely.
Milton I Johnson

The Heart of Georgia Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors sponsored an Airport Forward Celebration on April 30, 2015 in the Eastman Room at Middle Georgia State College. Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce Interim President and CEO Charles Williams, Dynamic Paint Solutions President Robert Pruitt, Middle Georgia State College Chief of Staff Albert Abrams and Georgia Representative Jimmy Pruett all spoke to a group of approximately 75 people about the potential for growth that Eastman and Dodge County could experience in the future. With Middle Georgia State College becoming a university in July of this year and Dynamic Paint Solutions, Heart of Georgia Metal Crafters and ARAMAC providing parts and materials necessary for companies in Georgia and surrounding states to meet their demands, Dodge County is in the center of the southeast to continue to prosper. (Photo by Cindy Eckles)

Dodge County Cancer survivors took the first lap at the annual Relay for Life held Friday, May 1 at the Dodge County Middle School Track. For more photos see page 11A in this edition of The Dodge County News. (Photo by Cindy Eckles)

No one was injured in a one vehicle accident on Jim Pruett Road in Eastman on Wednesday, April 29 at approximately 2:57 p.m. According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Michael Lanceson Bayles, age 35, of Eastman was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe K1500 registered to Debra Rogerson Davis of Cochran and traveling north on Jim Pruett Road. Bayles was attempting to negotiate a curve when he traveled off the roadway, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. Bayles traveled to the east shoulder striking a utility pole with the front of the vehicle, breaking it into two pieces then rotated counter-clockwise knocking down a fence, overturning and coming to rest on the passenger side. There were two minor children in the vehicle with Bayles, but both were uninjured. (Photo by Cindy Eckles)