An Eastman man is in custody at the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center after a car chase and crash involving area law enforcement agencies on January 25, 2018.
Frederick Herman Holton, age 38, was arrested after he made a second attempt to flee from law enforcement officers. The first attempt was on January 19, 2018 as reported in last week’s edition of The Dodge County News. Holton had tried to evade an area law enforcement agency who had attempted to serve a parole warrant on him.
During that event, Holton led law officers from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, the Eastman Police Department and the Oconee Drug Task Force on an almost five mile chase beginning around Golf Course Road north of Eastman. Holton ended up crashing his vehicle on Free Gift Church Road.
Law enforcement officials got Holton out of the car, and he was taken to Dodge County Hospital and was later transferred to a hospital in Macon. It was at the Macon hospital that Holton, according to Col. Mike Patterson of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, walked out of the hospital around 4:00 a.m. Holton was considered at large until the chase on Thursday, January 25, 2018.
It was at 7:12 a.m. Thursday that a second car chase that involved Holton and area law enforcement agencies occurred. This one also resulted in a crash on Isham Springs Road in Rhine, just north of Georgia Highway 87.
According to a report from the Georgia State Patrol, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Walt Turner, in an effort to get Holton to stop, attempted to maneuver around the right side of the 2017 Chevrolet Impala Sedan that Holton was driving. Holton’s Impala’s right side struck the front left of Turner’s vehicle.
After the impact, Holton continued driving. He was arrested later. Both he and a 28-year-old female passenger had no apparent injuries and were not transported for medical treatment. No injuries were reported for Turner either.
“He is being held on a variety of charges from several law enforcement agencies,”Patterson explained.
Charges against Holton included obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers, reckless driving, receipt, possession or transfer of firearm by a convicted felon or felony first offender, fleeing or attempting to elude police officer, aggravated assault, attempt or conspiracy to violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act-felony, failure to maintain lane, speeding in excess of maximum limits (state speed and zone limits), failure to obey stop sign, failure to yield right of way to school bus, criminal interference with government property, four counts of cruelty to children - criminal negligence/causes excessive physical/mental pain-2nd degree and simple battery.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department reported the following arrested from January 22, 2018 through January 30, 2018.
Allison N. Boone, age 27, of Eastman, was arrested for probation violation.
Otis Leon Carr, age 30, of Eastman, was arrested for possession of marijuana, less than one ounce and parole violation.
Kiley Nicole Cooper, age 38, of Eastman, was arrested for probation violation.
Jorge Garcia, age 33, of Eastman, was arrested for criminal trespass.
Tierra George, age 22, of Cadwell, was arrested for theft by shoplifting.
[Full Story »]
Top Stories - Topics from January, 2018

Chase leads to wreck, arrest, escape
A Dodge County man is wanted by several law enforcement agencies for various warrants, including a charge of fleeing and attempting to elude law officers in a vehicle.
Fredrick Herman Holton, age 38, of Eastman, is at large after being involved in a crash that was a result of a nearly five-mile chase involving Holton and law officers from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, the Eastman Police Department and the Oconee Drug Task Force.
According to Col. Mike Patterson of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, around noon on January 19, another agency went to serve a parole warrant on Holton, who fled the scene in his vehicle. The chase was initiated around Golf Course Road just north of Eastman. [Full Story »]
Fredrick Herman Holton, age 38, of Eastman, is at large after being involved in a crash that was a result of a nearly five-mile chase involving Holton and law officers from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, the Eastman Police Department and the Oconee Drug Task Force.
According to Col. Mike Patterson of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, around noon on January 19, another agency went to serve a parole warrant on Holton, who fled the scene in his vehicle. The chase was initiated around Golf Course Road just north of Eastman. [Full Story »]

Buddy Pittman is elected Eastman council chairman
The Eastman City Council held their first meeting of 2018 on Tuesday, January 9 at the Eastman City Hall Council Chambers and elected officers for the new year.
The council elected Buddy Pittman as the new city council chairperson. Previously, Raymond Mullis had held that position for many years. The council then elected Raymond Mullis as vice chairman. They then elected Prince Dawson as the council chaplain. Rita Llop was elected as the council attorney and Joey Marchant was elected as the city recorders court judge.
The council approved replacing a “soft start” on the Rocky Springs pump station that was damaged by water from Hurricane Irma. The cost will be $6,500.00, but city manager Jason Cobb told the council that the city would be reimbursed the cost from funds available through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s Hurricane Irma relief funds.
The council rescheduled their Monday, January 22 regularly scheduled meeting to Monday, January 29 due to the Mayor’s Day conference in Atlanta from January 19-22.
The council elected Buddy Pittman as the new city council chairperson. Previously, Raymond Mullis had held that position for many years. The council then elected Raymond Mullis as vice chairman. They then elected Prince Dawson as the council chaplain. Rita Llop was elected as the council attorney and Joey Marchant was elected as the city recorders court judge.
The council approved replacing a “soft start” on the Rocky Springs pump station that was damaged by water from Hurricane Irma. The cost will be $6,500.00, but city manager Jason Cobb told the council that the city would be reimbursed the cost from funds available through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s Hurricane Irma relief funds.
The council rescheduled their Monday, January 22 regularly scheduled meeting to Monday, January 29 due to the Mayor’s Day conference in Atlanta from January 19-22.

Commissioners won’t fund farmers market
After giving a little glimmer of hope at Tuesday’s meeting of the Dodge County Board of Commissioners regarding the continuation of operation of the Dodge County Farmer’s Market, the commissioners shot down requests for financial assistance at Wednesday’s budget approval meeting.
Tuesday night, commissioner Brian Watkins made the following motion, “I make a motion that the north west side of the Dodge County Courthouse be opened up each Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the use of vendors to display and sell their products to the public with the understanding that Dodge County will not/does not insure the quality, fitness, suitability, or safety of any products sold there. The vendors shall not be allowed to set up any sales areas on the courthouse steps or at any entrance, the park area or the soldier memorial areas.”
After Watkins made the motion, commissioner Terry Niblett seconded the motion. The vote to approve the motion was unanimous.
On Wednesday, commissioner Karen Cheek, prior to the board’s approval of the 2018 proposed county budget, which cut out any financial support to the farmers’ market, made a motion to make an amendment to the budget to include support of $3,035.00 to help the farmers’ market stay open.
Cheek said that she believed Sharon Flanagan, director of the Dodge County Farmers’ Market, had compiled with the board’s wishes of adjusting the financial request she made to the board. “She has even said that we could pay half of that and I think she did an excellent job.”
Flanagan had stated during the public hearing part of Wednesday’s meeting the following: “at the first public hearing I was requested to adjust the monies to a point to where we could continue operating the market as in accordance to the charter … I have carved it down to the bare minimum.”
[Full Story »]
Tuesday night, commissioner Brian Watkins made the following motion, “I make a motion that the north west side of the Dodge County Courthouse be opened up each Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the use of vendors to display and sell their products to the public with the understanding that Dodge County will not/does not insure the quality, fitness, suitability, or safety of any products sold there. The vendors shall not be allowed to set up any sales areas on the courthouse steps or at any entrance, the park area or the soldier memorial areas.”
After Watkins made the motion, commissioner Terry Niblett seconded the motion. The vote to approve the motion was unanimous.
On Wednesday, commissioner Karen Cheek, prior to the board’s approval of the 2018 proposed county budget, which cut out any financial support to the farmers’ market, made a motion to make an amendment to the budget to include support of $3,035.00 to help the farmers’ market stay open.
Cheek said that she believed Sharon Flanagan, director of the Dodge County Farmers’ Market, had compiled with the board’s wishes of adjusting the financial request she made to the board. “She has even said that we could pay half of that and I think she did an excellent job.”
Flanagan had stated during the public hearing part of Wednesday’s meeting the following: “at the first public hearing I was requested to adjust the monies to a point to where we could continue operating the market as in accordance to the charter … I have carved it down to the bare minimum.”
[Full Story »]

Dodge County citizens discuss 2018 resolutions
Every year around January 1, as tradition dictates, pens and pencils and paper are put to good use. People start making resolutions for the new year.
New Year’s resolutions are said to have first been implemented more than 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians. Reported to have held the first recorded celebrations to mark the new year, the Babylonians made promises to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed as they crowned a new king.
According to history, these promises could have been considered the forerunners of what we know as ‘New Year’s Resolutions.’
Making promises to change and improve ourselves has become such a mainstay at the transition to a new year, that it is rare to see someone who doesn’t at least verbalize thoughts of change.
A group of Dodge County citizens shared their resolutions for 2018 with The Dodge County News via social media.
through like grains of sand.”
Driggers continued, “I really do not make resolutions anymore, in the past I never did them for more than two weeks. I do pray that I will take better care of myself and be able to be around to enjoy my family and my precious granddaughter.”
[Full Story »]
New Year’s resolutions are said to have first been implemented more than 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians. Reported to have held the first recorded celebrations to mark the new year, the Babylonians made promises to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed as they crowned a new king.
According to history, these promises could have been considered the forerunners of what we know as ‘New Year’s Resolutions.’
Making promises to change and improve ourselves has become such a mainstay at the transition to a new year, that it is rare to see someone who doesn’t at least verbalize thoughts of change.
A group of Dodge County citizens shared their resolutions for 2018 with The Dodge County News via social media.
through like grains of sand.”
Driggers continued, “I really do not make resolutions anymore, in the past I never did them for more than two weeks. I do pray that I will take better care of myself and be able to be around to enjoy my family and my precious granddaughter.”
[Full Story »]
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