In a called school board meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, the Dodge County Board of Education named Ken Cofer as head football coach and athletic director. coach Cofer replaces coach Rex Hodges who recently retired.
Cofer comes back to Dodge County after spending 2016 and 2017 on Hodges’ staff. He spent the 2018 season at Wilcox County as head coach and they advanced to the Class A State tournament. Coach Cofer has been in coaching for 23 years. He has previously held head coaching stints in Cook and Bacon County.
Coach Cofer received the job over several good candidates, according to Dodge County School Superintendent Michael Ward. “We picked coach Cofer because he carried himself so well and he focuses well on the student athlete”. Ward added, “you will have a hard time finding a guy that does more for kids than Coach Cofer”. Superintendent Ward also stated that coach Cofer was completely vetted prior to being recommended to the board.
When asked why he returned to Dodge County, coach Cofer said, “it’s the work ethic of these young men that brought me back. I will miss Wilcox but I know the new coaches will do a great job”. Coach Cofer said this team would spend a lot of time in the weight room. “We are going to use our strength and speed to our advantage,” said Cofer. On offense, we are going to run a “smash mouth spread”, we are going to be fast and get things done. It’s going to be a little different,” he said.
Top Stories - Topics from April, 2019
Two dump sites to be shut down
At the recommendation of Dodge County Manager Spence Barron, the Dodge County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to close two of the approximately 18 dumpster sites in Dodge County.
Barron stated that he and commissioner Terry Niblett met with members of the Litter Free Dodge Committee last week to try and come up with a solution to the problem of illegal dumping and littering going on in Dodge County, and that the problem was getting worse by the week.
Because of household trash, household items (mattresses, refrigerators, stoves, etc.), do-it-yourself construction materials and miscellaneous yard debris from Bleckley and Pulaski Counties, the two most problematic dumpster locations were the Dubois and Ben Giddens Road dumpster sites. Barron added that it has gotten so bad, that road crew employees were being pulled several days per week to help sanitation employees.
Barron proposed to the board, “Let’s try something new. It will involve shutting down the Dubois and Ben Giddens dumpster sites, but at the same time we will open up the transfer station on Dodge Avenue starting 12 hours a day (7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.) and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, or whatever Dodge County Public Works Supervisor Richard Harrell and the board think is best.”
Our goal with closing these sites is to reduce the amount of out of county trash while still giving the people a place to go to dump their refrigerators, mattresses and furnishings instead of piling them up all over the county.
Since the surrounding counties have gone to a fee payment system for trash, the people who do not want to pay in Bleckley and Pulaski County are bringing their garbage over to Dodge County to dump it.
County manager Barron continued by telling board members and citizens that he had gone through the budget, and for sanitation alone, $546,000.00 was budgeted for 2019. With all the trash coming in from other counties, Barron estimated an additional $142,000.00 of road department resources would be needed to help the sanitation department keep up with everything Bleckley and Pulaski are dumping in these northern dumpsters (Dubois and Ben Giddens sites).
Barron also asked commissioners to give him permission to hire either two or three part-time employees to monitor the remaining county dumpster sites and to staff the transfer station on Dodge Avenue. These individuals would also have the authority to write citations to violators. He stated that all of the rules would be published in The Dodge County News, put on the Dodge County and Litter Free Dodge Facebook pages and the Dodge County Commissioner website. The changes would go into effect on May 1, 2019.
Commissioner Niblett made the motion to accept Barron’s proposal to shut down the Dubois and Ben Giddens dumpster sites, to open the transfer station additional hours, and to hire two to three individuals part-time to help with the litter problem. It was seconded by commissioner Cheek. Before the vote was taken, commissioner Brian Watkins clarified that the Dodge County transfer station and Dodge County dumpster sites were only for Dodge County citizens. Anyone from another county that goes to the transfer station will be turned away and if they are seen dumping at the other locations they will be cited. The motion passed unanimously.
Barron also asked the commissioners for permission to reinstate the Probation Community Service program using individuals working off their community service hours for DUI’s (driving under the influence) and other misdemeanors sentences. These individuals could pick up trash beside the road or around the dumpsters. “It will take some work to figure it all out, but I would like to try to put it together,” Barron stated. No action was taken on this request.
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Barron stated that he and commissioner Terry Niblett met with members of the Litter Free Dodge Committee last week to try and come up with a solution to the problem of illegal dumping and littering going on in Dodge County, and that the problem was getting worse by the week.
Because of household trash, household items (mattresses, refrigerators, stoves, etc.), do-it-yourself construction materials and miscellaneous yard debris from Bleckley and Pulaski Counties, the two most problematic dumpster locations were the Dubois and Ben Giddens Road dumpster sites. Barron added that it has gotten so bad, that road crew employees were being pulled several days per week to help sanitation employees.
Barron proposed to the board, “Let’s try something new. It will involve shutting down the Dubois and Ben Giddens dumpster sites, but at the same time we will open up the transfer station on Dodge Avenue starting 12 hours a day (7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.) and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, or whatever Dodge County Public Works Supervisor Richard Harrell and the board think is best.”
Our goal with closing these sites is to reduce the amount of out of county trash while still giving the people a place to go to dump their refrigerators, mattresses and furnishings instead of piling them up all over the county.
Since the surrounding counties have gone to a fee payment system for trash, the people who do not want to pay in Bleckley and Pulaski County are bringing their garbage over to Dodge County to dump it.
County manager Barron continued by telling board members and citizens that he had gone through the budget, and for sanitation alone, $546,000.00 was budgeted for 2019. With all the trash coming in from other counties, Barron estimated an additional $142,000.00 of road department resources would be needed to help the sanitation department keep up with everything Bleckley and Pulaski are dumping in these northern dumpsters (Dubois and Ben Giddens sites).
Barron also asked commissioners to give him permission to hire either two or three part-time employees to monitor the remaining county dumpster sites and to staff the transfer station on Dodge Avenue. These individuals would also have the authority to write citations to violators. He stated that all of the rules would be published in The Dodge County News, put on the Dodge County and Litter Free Dodge Facebook pages and the Dodge County Commissioner website. The changes would go into effect on May 1, 2019.
Commissioner Niblett made the motion to accept Barron’s proposal to shut down the Dubois and Ben Giddens dumpster sites, to open the transfer station additional hours, and to hire two to three individuals part-time to help with the litter problem. It was seconded by commissioner Cheek. Before the vote was taken, commissioner Brian Watkins clarified that the Dodge County transfer station and Dodge County dumpster sites were only for Dodge County citizens. Anyone from another county that goes to the transfer station will be turned away and if they are seen dumping at the other locations they will be cited. The motion passed unanimously.
Barron also asked the commissioners for permission to reinstate the Probation Community Service program using individuals working off their community service hours for DUI’s (driving under the influence) and other misdemeanors sentences. These individuals could pick up trash beside the road or around the dumpsters. “It will take some work to figure it all out, but I would like to try to put it together,” Barron stated. No action was taken on this request.
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Woman arrested for man’s murder
On Monday, April 8, 2019, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was requested by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office to assist with a death investigation that occurred earlier on this date at 38 Indigo Lane in Eastman.
A 911 call was received at approximately 12:23 p.m. after family members returned home and found Gary Peacock, age 62, deceased inside the residence.
Cassi Roosa, age 24, was arrested for the murder of Peacock. Roosa resided at the residence with Peacock’s step-son.
Roosa has been charged with one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. Roosa is being held at the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center.
An autopsy will be performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.
If anyone has information about this case, please contact the GBI Eastman office at 478-374-6988 or Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at 478-374-8131.
At the time of the murder, the Eastman Police Department was actively seeking to find Roosa in connection to a domestic dispute that occurred on Sunday, April 7. That incident involved the beating of a 58 year old female with a lamp at 5740 Main Street.
At the time of the murder on Monday, April 8, the Eastman Police Department was waiting on deputies (because the address was in the county and not in the city) to go with them to 38 Indigo Lane where it was believed Roosa may be.
Deputies were currently tied up with a fatality wreck on the Cochran Highway.
A 911 call was received at approximately 12:23 p.m. after family members returned home and found Gary Peacock, age 62, deceased inside the residence.
Cassi Roosa, age 24, was arrested for the murder of Peacock. Roosa resided at the residence with Peacock’s step-son.
Roosa has been charged with one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. Roosa is being held at the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center.
An autopsy will be performed by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.
If anyone has information about this case, please contact the GBI Eastman office at 478-374-6988 or Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at 478-374-8131.
At the time of the murder, the Eastman Police Department was actively seeking to find Roosa in connection to a domestic dispute that occurred on Sunday, April 7. That incident involved the beating of a 58 year old female with a lamp at 5740 Main Street.
At the time of the murder on Monday, April 8, the Eastman Police Department was waiting on deputies (because the address was in the county and not in the city) to go with them to 38 Indigo Lane where it was believed Roosa may be.
Deputies were currently tied up with a fatality wreck on the Cochran Highway.
Authorities investigate murder, stabbing
An Eastman woman has died after she and another woman were stabbed early Monday morning.
Althea Etheridge, age 60, of Eastman, was found stabbed to death in a 2004 Ford Expedition near the corner of First Avenue and Calahan Street in Eastman. Another woman, Alexia Williams, age 38, was also stabbed and was flown by helicopter to Navicent Health in Macon where she was listed in stable condition.
The incident happened at approximately 4:28 a.m. on Monday, April 1. The Eastman police requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to assist in the case.
The vehicle had run into a tree on Calahan Street. The GBI is possibly looking for a black male in connection with the case.
If anyone has information regarding the case, they are asked to contact the GBI Eastman office at 478-374-6988 or the Eastman Police Department at 478-374-7788.
Althea Etheridge, age 60, of Eastman, was found stabbed to death in a 2004 Ford Expedition near the corner of First Avenue and Calahan Street in Eastman. Another woman, Alexia Williams, age 38, was also stabbed and was flown by helicopter to Navicent Health in Macon where she was listed in stable condition.
The incident happened at approximately 4:28 a.m. on Monday, April 1. The Eastman police requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to assist in the case.
The vehicle had run into a tree on Calahan Street. The GBI is possibly looking for a black male in connection with the case.
If anyone has information regarding the case, they are asked to contact the GBI Eastman office at 478-374-6988 or the Eastman Police Department at 478-374-7788.
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