Former gynecologist George “Mack” Bird III, age 59, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison and fined $20,000.00 on Tuesday, September 18, for dispensing and prescribing addictive opioids and other drugs to people who received little or no medical services from clinics in Dublin and Eastman. Bird also agreed to forfeit $2.7 million of seized assets and real estate that he admitted were traceable to proceeds of his crimes.
Bird, who pled guilty in March before Senior U. S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. to charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, was indicted in 2017 on multiple felonies. The negotiated plea with a sentence of 100 months in prison does not include the possibility of parole, and Bird will be subject to 36 months of supervised release following his incarceration.
Starting in 1992, Bird owned and operated a gynecology practice in Eastman, Ga., about an hour southeast of Macon, and later opened a weight loss clinic in Dublin. He admitted the offices sold and prescribed drugs including the opiate hydrocodone, along with alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodol (Soma), phentermine (Adipex), and phendimetrazine (Plegime) to customers who typically paid in cash and received no legitimate medical services. In the years leading to his arrest in 2015, Bird increasingly delegated his patient care responsibilities to unqualified employees who used pre-signed prescription forms and preprinted medical notes to give the appearance that Bird was performing examinations.
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Top Stories - Topics from September, 2018
Commissioners seek new county manager
Even though a letter stating his (Bobby Peacock’s) desire to resign from his position of interim county manager was given to two county commissioners last week, the Dodge County Board of Commissioners have not, as a body, been given a copy of the letter nor have they approved the resignation.
In the September 12, 2018 issue of The Dodge County News, Dodge County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman W.T. ‘Junior’ Howell stated that Peacock had not officially presented the letter during a meeting with the commissioners.
Yet, after a 10 minute executive session on Monday, September 17 during the board’s monthly meeting, chairman Dan McCranie asked for a motion to approve a job advertisement for the role of county manager for two weeks in the newspaper.
When asked Tuesday, September 18, 2018, if the board as a whole had officially accepted Peacock’s resignation, McCranie said, “Well, I don’t know… I don’t think so.”
He was then asked how could an advertisement for the job be allowed? “But then, as you all (The Dodge County News) have stated, he has been the interim county manager, so I believe under the charter of Dodge County, an interim’s status is really at the discretion of the board. I am not sure why they did it that way. He said he would stay until we got someone and he could help train them.”
The advertisement, which can be found on page 4B of this edition, states that the Dodge County Board of Commissioners is accepting resumes for the position of county manager. Resumes will be accepted until noon on Friday, September 28, 2018.
During Monday’s meeting, Charles Williams, representing the Eastman-Dodge County Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Authority, spoke about the October 20, 2018 event to be held in downtown Eastman, called ‘ Music on Main Street.’
According to Williams, “this is a community event which we are partnering with the Dodge County Farmers’ Market and downtown merchants. It will feature food and craft vendors, and entertainment throughout the day.”
[Full Story »]
In the September 12, 2018 issue of The Dodge County News, Dodge County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman W.T. ‘Junior’ Howell stated that Peacock had not officially presented the letter during a meeting with the commissioners.
Yet, after a 10 minute executive session on Monday, September 17 during the board’s monthly meeting, chairman Dan McCranie asked for a motion to approve a job advertisement for the role of county manager for two weeks in the newspaper.
When asked Tuesday, September 18, 2018, if the board as a whole had officially accepted Peacock’s resignation, McCranie said, “Well, I don’t know… I don’t think so.”
He was then asked how could an advertisement for the job be allowed? “But then, as you all (The Dodge County News) have stated, he has been the interim county manager, so I believe under the charter of Dodge County, an interim’s status is really at the discretion of the board. I am not sure why they did it that way. He said he would stay until we got someone and he could help train them.”
The advertisement, which can be found on page 4B of this edition, states that the Dodge County Board of Commissioners is accepting resumes for the position of county manager. Resumes will be accepted until noon on Friday, September 28, 2018.
During Monday’s meeting, Charles Williams, representing the Eastman-Dodge County Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Authority, spoke about the October 20, 2018 event to be held in downtown Eastman, called ‘ Music on Main Street.’
According to Williams, “this is a community event which we are partnering with the Dodge County Farmers’ Market and downtown merchants. It will feature food and craft vendors, and entertainment throughout the day.”
[Full Story »]
Peacock resigns?
Dodge County Interim County Manager Bobby Peacock has unofficially resigned and decided to retire after seven years of serving as the interim county manager.
After the Tuesday, September 4 meeting of the county commissioners was adjourned, Peacock handed letters to commissioners Terry Niblett and Brian Watkins that stated: “This is to advise that I have been here almost seven years and I think it is time for me to go. I have enjoyed my time here and appreciate the fact that I have enjoyed the strong support and I do not think our working relationships with the board of commissioners, the county employees, elected officials and the citizens of Dodge County could have been better.”
Peacock told The Dodge County News on the phone before lunch Tuesday, September 11, that he felt his letter stated exactly how he felt about his role and years of service. “I have no complaints. I have enjoyed working with all of the commissioners and the county employees and the elected officials, and of course, the citizens.” Prior to his role as interim county manager, Peacock had served two terms himself on the board of commissioners and, during one of which, he had been the commission chairman.
As per his last date of employment before beginning his retirement, Peacock said, “I didn’t put a date on there because I wanted to give them enough time to find someone to do the job.” He didn’t say what he planned to do when he retired.
Dodge County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman W.T. ‘Junior’ Howell stated Tuesday that Peacock had not officially presented the letter during a meeting with the commissioners as of yet. “He told me he would stay at least until the end of the year. I am very sad to see him go, but also very happy for him. He has been very positive for us and has been able through his conservative spending and management to get us out of debt, and back into the black. He is really easy to get along with.”
[Full Story »]
After the Tuesday, September 4 meeting of the county commissioners was adjourned, Peacock handed letters to commissioners Terry Niblett and Brian Watkins that stated: “This is to advise that I have been here almost seven years and I think it is time for me to go. I have enjoyed my time here and appreciate the fact that I have enjoyed the strong support and I do not think our working relationships with the board of commissioners, the county employees, elected officials and the citizens of Dodge County could have been better.”
Peacock told The Dodge County News on the phone before lunch Tuesday, September 11, that he felt his letter stated exactly how he felt about his role and years of service. “I have no complaints. I have enjoyed working with all of the commissioners and the county employees and the elected officials, and of course, the citizens.” Prior to his role as interim county manager, Peacock had served two terms himself on the board of commissioners and, during one of which, he had been the commission chairman.
As per his last date of employment before beginning his retirement, Peacock said, “I didn’t put a date on there because I wanted to give them enough time to find someone to do the job.” He didn’t say what he planned to do when he retired.
Dodge County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman W.T. ‘Junior’ Howell stated Tuesday that Peacock had not officially presented the letter during a meeting with the commissioners as of yet. “He told me he would stay at least until the end of the year. I am very sad to see him go, but also very happy for him. He has been very positive for us and has been able through his conservative spending and management to get us out of debt, and back into the black. He is really easy to get along with.”
[Full Story »]
Man is charged with 13 counts in fatality wreck
Charles Bradley Howell, age 29, of a Helena address is now being held in the Dodge County jail after the Georgia State Patrol charged him as being the driver of the fatal accident that took the lives of three adults, Jonathan Long, age 37, and Alicia Cherry, age 35, both of Milan, and Casey Kroesser, age 30, of Eastman and Kroesser’s unborn child on Wednesday, August 22, 2018.
Howell was air lifted from the scene and transported to Navicent Health in Macon because of injuries sustained from the accident.
In the August 29 edition of The Dodge County News, it was reported that Howell had warrants against him for three counts of vehicular homicide and one warrant for feticide.
Howell was released from Navicent Health in Macon on Sunday, August 26, 2018. He was picked up by Dodge County deputies on Wednesday, August 29 and taken to the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center to be booked.
Howell has 13 charges against him because of the accident. Those include: three counts of homicide by vehicle in first degree, a felony; one count of feticide by vehicle – first degree, a felony; fleeing and eluding an officer, a felony; one count of expired or no driver’s license; one count of failure to maintain lane; one count of speeding in excess of maximum limits (state speed and zone limits); one count of passing in no passing zone; one count of seat belt violation; one count of passing within 200 feet of oncoming traffic; driving under the influence and reckless driving.
As of September 4, 2018, Howell is still incarcerated in the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center and no bond had been set.
Howell was air lifted from the scene and transported to Navicent Health in Macon because of injuries sustained from the accident.
In the August 29 edition of The Dodge County News, it was reported that Howell had warrants against him for three counts of vehicular homicide and one warrant for feticide.
Howell was released from Navicent Health in Macon on Sunday, August 26, 2018. He was picked up by Dodge County deputies on Wednesday, August 29 and taken to the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center to be booked.
Howell has 13 charges against him because of the accident. Those include: three counts of homicide by vehicle in first degree, a felony; one count of feticide by vehicle – first degree, a felony; fleeing and eluding an officer, a felony; one count of expired or no driver’s license; one count of failure to maintain lane; one count of speeding in excess of maximum limits (state speed and zone limits); one count of passing in no passing zone; one count of seat belt violation; one count of passing within 200 feet of oncoming traffic; driving under the influence and reckless driving.
As of September 4, 2018, Howell is still incarcerated in the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center and no bond had been set.
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