The man suspected in the armed robbery of The Prescription Shop in Dublin was captured by Dodge County deputies on Wednesday, June 22.
Brent Lee, age 22, of Dodge County, was captured after Dodge/Wilcox 911 was alerted by a couple that spotted him trying to get a drink of water at their home. Around noon on Wednesday, George and Margo Watson heard a loud noise in the back yard of their residence. Margo went to the back window to see what the noise was.
She saw a man (Lee) trying to get water on their back porch. Margo went and told her husband and they called 911.
Dodge County deputies were dispatched to the scene where they found and arrested Lee. Dodge County Emergency Medical Services carried Lee from the scene to Dodge County Hospital for treatment of numerous insect bites and dehydration.
[Full Story »]
Top Stories - Topics from June, 2016
Officer saves man's life
An Eastman police officer pulled an Eastman man from his vehicle, saving his life, just moments before a train hit the vehicle. According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Noe Ciriaco Enriquez Olivera, age 31, was driving his 1996 Ford Explorer on 14th Avenue at approximately 3:05 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15. The driver missed the railway crossing and drove down the left side of the tracks on the gravel before pulling onto the tracks. Eastman Police Officer Kale Dunn saw the Explorer and went up to the vehicle where he found Enriquez Olivera asleep at the wheel. Dunn pulled Enriquez Olivera from the vehicle just moments before a southbound Norfolk Southern train hit the vehicle, knocking it approximately 170 feet off the train tracks.
Authorities seek armed robbery suspect
Law enforcement authorities from Dodge and Laurens Counties and the Georgia State Patrol are searching for a lone armed robbery suspect.
According to authorities, the suspect, Brent Lee, age 22, of Dodge County, allegedly went into The Prescription Shop at the corner of Industrial Boulevard and Bellevue Avenue in Dublin and robbed the pharmacy at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21.
The suspect then fled in an alleged stolen Ford full size van with North Carolina plates and headed for Dodge County. He came into Dodge County on Georgia 117 (Dublin Highway). Dodge County deputies were parked near the Dodge/Laurens County line working on another case when the van sped by. They gave chase. The van turned right onto Taylor Mill Road, near Plainfield. The van continued onto the dirt part of Taylor Mill Road before turning left into a cotton field. The van traveled approximately a quarter of a mile around the edge of the field before the suspect stopped, got out of the van and fled on foot.
Officers from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, Eastman Police Department, Laurens County Sheriff’s Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies have been searching for the suspect since approximately 10:30 a.m. the same morning.
As of press time on Tuesday, the suspect had not been captured. Citizens are warned not to approach Lee if they spot him. He may be armed and dangerous. They should immediately call Dodge/Wilcox 911.
According to authorities, the suspect, Brent Lee, age 22, of Dodge County, allegedly went into The Prescription Shop at the corner of Industrial Boulevard and Bellevue Avenue in Dublin and robbed the pharmacy at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21.
The suspect then fled in an alleged stolen Ford full size van with North Carolina plates and headed for Dodge County. He came into Dodge County on Georgia 117 (Dublin Highway). Dodge County deputies were parked near the Dodge/Laurens County line working on another case when the van sped by. They gave chase. The van turned right onto Taylor Mill Road, near Plainfield. The van continued onto the dirt part of Taylor Mill Road before turning left into a cotton field. The van traveled approximately a quarter of a mile around the edge of the field before the suspect stopped, got out of the van and fled on foot.
Officers from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, Eastman Police Department, Laurens County Sheriff’s Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies have been searching for the suspect since approximately 10:30 a.m. the same morning.
As of press time on Tuesday, the suspect had not been captured. Citizens are warned not to approach Lee if they spot him. He may be armed and dangerous. They should immediately call Dodge/Wilcox 911.
Train Hits Lowboy
On Monday, June 13 at approximately 10:11 a.m., a Norfolk Southern Railway train struck a tractor trailer’s lowboy trailer that was stuck on the track crossing at Fifth Avenue in Eastman. There was an excavator on the lowboy. The 2005 Kenworth that was pulling the lowboy trailer was not hit by the train. No one was injured in the crash, but traffic had to be diverted around the crossing until approximately 4:30 p.m. (Above) Eastman Fire Chief Carl Johnson surveys the damage. (Photo by Chuck Eckles)
Chamber seeks one mill for development
By Taelor Rye
Eastman Dodge County Chamber of Commerce President Charles Williams approached the Eastman City Council at its June 13 meeting to present information regarding Georgia Read for Accelerated Development (GRAD) sites and funding for the chamber.
Williams opened his presentation with statistics, noting that Dodge County has decreased in population by 560 people over the past two years and that the projected population decrease by 330 is by 2,208 people to reach approximately 18,513 people, the lowest number since the 1950s. However, nearby counties Laurens, Coffee and Toombs are projected to increase in population.
“Of course, the reason is jobs,” Williams said. “We’re not attracting the industries that we’re going to have to attract in order to make our community grow.”
“In 1958, Coffee County instituted… $1 million set aside in its county property tax base to support directly the development authority… This year, that $1 million generated $800,000.00 to fund development in Coffee County,” Williams explained.
He continued, “In 1992… (Toombs County) city officials and county officials elected to add a $1 million tax increase to their property owners in the county… That results in $650,000.00 annually that they spend to promote the development of their county through the development authority.”
Additionally, according to Williams, Laurens County “funds the development authority with $300,000.00 as a cash contribution direct from the taxpayers as a result of property owners. They also give the development authority 25 percent of the collected SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) every year so Laurens County is operating with $3.4 million every year toward development.” Williams noted that these are examples of necessary investments in the future.
Currently, the Eastman Dodge County Chamber of Commerce gets just under $80,000.00 in combined city and county funds, according to Williams; the development authority gets no regular funding from either the county or the city. However, “to grow, it’s going to take an investment on the part of the city and county for us to move forward,” Williams stated. “It’s something we’ve got to do.”
One particular investment opportunity, Williams proposed, is to set aside $1 million for GRAD sites. When calculated, that amount is only $22.01 per parcel within the city limits per year and only $29.00 per parcel for all properties in the county. Total, those who own property within the city limits would pay around $50.00 more per year.
With this money, GRAD sites could be set aside on property in the city or county. A GRAD site is in lieu of a spec building, which is built to a specification. Eastman has one, but Williams noted that businesses seeking to come to Eastman may not be interested in particular aspects of an already constructed building. Eastman’s has not been used in 10 years.
A GRAD site, on the other hand, requires outside hiring for legality as well as 50 acres of land already cleared for ecological questions. A road must be built into it, it must have water and sewage lines, and it must have electricity and natural gas, among other usual requirements.
This plot could then be sold to an interested business, as construction of the preferred building could be done within 120 days, Williams stated. With a spec building, however, a business has to decided whether to buy or refuse what is already built.
There are only around 45 GRAD sites available in the state of Georgia; all three regularly improving counties that Williams mentioned earlier in his presentation, Toombs, Coffee and Laurens, utilize GRAD sites.
“It will demonstrate a community willing to invest in itself rather than just sitting back. It’ll be the difference in simply trying to hold on to where we are versus building a road to a much brighter future. This is an idea that will work,” Williams said.
[Full Story »]
Eastman Dodge County Chamber of Commerce President Charles Williams approached the Eastman City Council at its June 13 meeting to present information regarding Georgia Read for Accelerated Development (GRAD) sites and funding for the chamber.
Williams opened his presentation with statistics, noting that Dodge County has decreased in population by 560 people over the past two years and that the projected population decrease by 330 is by 2,208 people to reach approximately 18,513 people, the lowest number since the 1950s. However, nearby counties Laurens, Coffee and Toombs are projected to increase in population.
“Of course, the reason is jobs,” Williams said. “We’re not attracting the industries that we’re going to have to attract in order to make our community grow.”
“In 1958, Coffee County instituted… $1 million set aside in its county property tax base to support directly the development authority… This year, that $1 million generated $800,000.00 to fund development in Coffee County,” Williams explained.
He continued, “In 1992… (Toombs County) city officials and county officials elected to add a $1 million tax increase to their property owners in the county… That results in $650,000.00 annually that they spend to promote the development of their county through the development authority.”
Additionally, according to Williams, Laurens County “funds the development authority with $300,000.00 as a cash contribution direct from the taxpayers as a result of property owners. They also give the development authority 25 percent of the collected SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) every year so Laurens County is operating with $3.4 million every year toward development.” Williams noted that these are examples of necessary investments in the future.
Currently, the Eastman Dodge County Chamber of Commerce gets just under $80,000.00 in combined city and county funds, according to Williams; the development authority gets no regular funding from either the county or the city. However, “to grow, it’s going to take an investment on the part of the city and county for us to move forward,” Williams stated. “It’s something we’ve got to do.”
One particular investment opportunity, Williams proposed, is to set aside $1 million for GRAD sites. When calculated, that amount is only $22.01 per parcel within the city limits per year and only $29.00 per parcel for all properties in the county. Total, those who own property within the city limits would pay around $50.00 more per year.
With this money, GRAD sites could be set aside on property in the city or county. A GRAD site is in lieu of a spec building, which is built to a specification. Eastman has one, but Williams noted that businesses seeking to come to Eastman may not be interested in particular aspects of an already constructed building. Eastman’s has not been used in 10 years.
A GRAD site, on the other hand, requires outside hiring for legality as well as 50 acres of land already cleared for ecological questions. A road must be built into it, it must have water and sewage lines, and it must have electricity and natural gas, among other usual requirements.
This plot could then be sold to an interested business, as construction of the preferred building could be done within 120 days, Williams stated. With a spec building, however, a business has to decided whether to buy or refuse what is already built.
There are only around 45 GRAD sites available in the state of Georgia; all three regularly improving counties that Williams mentioned earlier in his presentation, Toombs, Coffee and Laurens, utilize GRAD sites.
“It will demonstrate a community willing to invest in itself rather than just sitting back. It’ll be the difference in simply trying to hold on to where we are versus building a road to a much brighter future. This is an idea that will work,” Williams said.
[Full Story »]
Hilliard named new school superintendent
By Taelor Rye
The Dodge County Board of Education selected Thomas Michael Hilliard to succeed Dr. Melinda Dennis as the Dodge County Superintendent of Schools.
The search for a new superintendent had come down to Hilliard and Dr. Elvis B. Davis, the principal of South Dodge Elementary School.
Hilliard, currently the principal of Dodge County Middle School (DCMS), will take on the role of superintendent, effective July 1. Further personnel actions to accommodate Hilliard’s move from DCMS will be taken in the near future.
Hilliard’s early work experience includes stints in business construction. However, his curriculum vitae states, “Following college graduation, I discovered that my value system was more compatible with the educational system than the business ethos.”
Hilliard, who holds an Educational Specialist in educational leadership in addition to two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree – began teaching at Eastman Middle School in 1982, working with students with mild intellectual disabilities in a self-contained classroom. He took on a similar role the following year at Dublin High School in addition to coaching basketball, football and golf.
After a couple of years as a nursing home administrator at Golden Age Properties in Hawkinsville, Hilliard returned to the classroom, teaching vocational classes and coaching at Dodge County High School from 1986 to 1994. Soon after, Hilliard adopted a more administrative position within the system of education.
Before Hilliard became the principal at DCMS, a position that he has held for nearly two years, he served as a central office administrator for the Dodge County Board of Education. His specific positions under this umbrella included the district testing coordinator, the district evaluations coordinator and the pre-k director, among others.
Hilliard was also the assistant principal at North Dodge Elementary School (NDES) from 1996 to 2003 and the principal of NDES from 2003 to 2014.
Regarding his impending promotion, Hilliard stated, “I’m very humbled, very excited and very thankful, and I look forward to serving the Dodge County School System in this new role.”
The Dodge County Board of Education selected Thomas Michael Hilliard to succeed Dr. Melinda Dennis as the Dodge County Superintendent of Schools.
The search for a new superintendent had come down to Hilliard and Dr. Elvis B. Davis, the principal of South Dodge Elementary School.
Hilliard, currently the principal of Dodge County Middle School (DCMS), will take on the role of superintendent, effective July 1. Further personnel actions to accommodate Hilliard’s move from DCMS will be taken in the near future.
Hilliard’s early work experience includes stints in business construction. However, his curriculum vitae states, “Following college graduation, I discovered that my value system was more compatible with the educational system than the business ethos.”
Hilliard, who holds an Educational Specialist in educational leadership in addition to two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree – began teaching at Eastman Middle School in 1982, working with students with mild intellectual disabilities in a self-contained classroom. He took on a similar role the following year at Dublin High School in addition to coaching basketball, football and golf.
After a couple of years as a nursing home administrator at Golden Age Properties in Hawkinsville, Hilliard returned to the classroom, teaching vocational classes and coaching at Dodge County High School from 1986 to 1994. Soon after, Hilliard adopted a more administrative position within the system of education.
Before Hilliard became the principal at DCMS, a position that he has held for nearly two years, he served as a central office administrator for the Dodge County Board of Education. His specific positions under this umbrella included the district testing coordinator, the district evaluations coordinator and the pre-k director, among others.
Hilliard was also the assistant principal at North Dodge Elementary School (NDES) from 1996 to 2003 and the principal of NDES from 2003 to 2014.
Regarding his impending promotion, Hilliard stated, “I’m very humbled, very excited and very thankful, and I look forward to serving the Dodge County School System in this new role.”
Memorial Day service held here
By Wayne Ragan
On Monday, May 30, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., Eastman American Legion Post 126 held a Memorial Day service at the Dodge County Courthouse. The Dodge County High School (DCHS) Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) assisted the American Legion.
Prior to the service beginning, stirring patriotic music was played by fellow legionnaire Jim Wells, who is also a professional disc jockey. Commander Danny Mullis opened with a welcome to the large crowd. He then called for the colors, the American flag and the Georgia state flag, to be posted by the DCHS JROTC.
After colors were posted, a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was sung a cappella, by Macy Pruitt, DCHS student. JROTC cadet Alisha Coleman said the opening prayer. “Taps”, a bugle call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by the United States armed forces was played and the American flag was raised. Commander Mullis then recognized special guests Representative Jimmy Pruett and his family. The JROTC cadets then placed four wreaths around the monument to the fallen, representing the four directions they come from in our community.
Andrea McCranie and MSG (Ret.) Johnny Blacke then honored Dodge County’s Gold Star Mothers, mothers whose sons were killed in action. MSG Blacke then presented three plaques to Dodge’s living World War II (WWII) veterans, Fred Bracewell, Delma Veal and Jim Spradley, honoring their WWII service 70 plus years ago.
Following these awards, commander Mullis introduced the guest speaker Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Steven J. Greer, head of the JROTC program at DCHS. CSM (Ret.) Greer spoke not of his valor or deeds, but of honor, duty and respect for those who died fighting for our freedoms that we enjoy today. His speech was short and uplifting.
There was a prayer and final remarks from commander Mullis, ended the ceremony.
On Monday, May 30, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., Eastman American Legion Post 126 held a Memorial Day service at the Dodge County Courthouse. The Dodge County High School (DCHS) Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) assisted the American Legion.
Prior to the service beginning, stirring patriotic music was played by fellow legionnaire Jim Wells, who is also a professional disc jockey. Commander Danny Mullis opened with a welcome to the large crowd. He then called for the colors, the American flag and the Georgia state flag, to be posted by the DCHS JROTC.
After colors were posted, a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was sung a cappella, by Macy Pruitt, DCHS student. JROTC cadet Alisha Coleman said the opening prayer. “Taps”, a bugle call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by the United States armed forces was played and the American flag was raised. Commander Mullis then recognized special guests Representative Jimmy Pruett and his family. The JROTC cadets then placed four wreaths around the monument to the fallen, representing the four directions they come from in our community.
Andrea McCranie and MSG (Ret.) Johnny Blacke then honored Dodge County’s Gold Star Mothers, mothers whose sons were killed in action. MSG Blacke then presented three plaques to Dodge’s living World War II (WWII) veterans, Fred Bracewell, Delma Veal and Jim Spradley, honoring their WWII service 70 plus years ago.
Following these awards, commander Mullis introduced the guest speaker Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Steven J. Greer, head of the JROTC program at DCHS. CSM (Ret.) Greer spoke not of his valor or deeds, but of honor, duty and respect for those who died fighting for our freedoms that we enjoy today. His speech was short and uplifting.
There was a prayer and final remarks from commander Mullis, ended the ceremony.
High school graduation set for Friday
On Friday, June 3, more than 183 members of Dodge County High School’s (DCHS) Class of 2016 will celebrate personal and academic achievements by walking across the stage at Memorial Stadium and receiving diplomas.
The graduating class of DCHS includes 183 students, 31 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 or higher. Additionally, students who do not have a 94 average but have maintained a 90 average and have scored 1185 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. Jayde Mullis will receive the first honor of valedictorian and Peyton Clements will receive the second honor as the class salutatorian. Third honor will be awarded to Anna Kate Hickman and fourth honor will be awarded to Jaycie Rollins.
“We at Dodge County High School are very proud of the graduating class of 2016,” says 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.”
Juniors who serve as marshals and ushers at the DCHS graduation ceremony represent the top five percent of their graduating class and are awarded the University of Georgia Certificate of Merit. [Full Story »]
The graduating class of DCHS includes 183 students, 31 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 or higher. Additionally, students who do not have a 94 average but have maintained a 90 average and have scored 1185 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. Jayde Mullis will receive the first honor of valedictorian and Peyton Clements will receive the second honor as the class salutatorian. Third honor will be awarded to Anna Kate Hickman and fourth honor will be awarded to Jaycie Rollins.
“We at Dodge County High School are very proud of the graduating class of 2016,” says 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.”
Juniors who serve as marshals and ushers at the DCHS graduation ceremony represent the top five percent of their graduating class and are awarded the University of Georgia Certificate of Merit. [Full Story »]
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