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Two men have been arrested and charged in the deaths of three Chauncey residents.

According to law enforcement reports, Ronnie Wayne Hackle, Jr., age 27, Mercedes Maelyn Hackle, age 17 and Bobbie Lynn Moore, age 22, had been missing from their Chauncey residence since Tuesday, March 12, after Moore’s car was found burned off of Highway 135 at the Alapaha River near the Atkinson County line in Berrien County.

None of the three had responded to attempts to make contact with them. The three lived off a dirt road in Chauncey.

By Thursday, March 14, all three deceased bodies had been found. All three bodies were found just miles from where the car was discovered. The bodies were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab to be identified and later were identified as the three persons that were missing. Wayne Hackle and Bobbie Lynn Moore’s bodies were found in Atkinson County on Wednesday, March 13 and Mercedes Hackle’s body was found in Berrien County on Thursday, March 14.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Jonathan Douglas Vann, age 20, of Nashville, has been charged in Atkinson County with two counts of malice murder in the deaths of Wayne Hackle, Jr. and Bobbie Lynn Moore. Vann is also being charged with malice murder in Berrien County in the death of Mercedes Hackle and arson in regards to the burned vehicle, according to the GBI.

A second person has been arrested in the case and is charged with concealing the death of another in Berrien County and was also charged with two counts of concealing the deaths of another person in Atkinson County. He is Keyante Greene, age 25.

By Cindy M. Eckles

In a prepared statement, Dodge County Manager Spence Barron told a group of approximately 30 citizens an update on the situation and proposed solutions for the issues involving the Dodge County Courthouse closing. He stated that the meeting was two fold, being (1) to make sure the public was informed of what has occurred up to this meeting and (2) for the board of commissioners to make a decision to either bid the repairs to the temporary courthouse for a period of four weeks or more or to declare an emergency situation exists and waive the formal bidding process and begin work on the AT&T building.

Barron stated, “Our goal is to make the process as transparent as possible, to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money and to consider the will of the citizens of Dodge County”.

Barron went on to explain to citizens about the electrical and noxious smells in the courthouse along with the water flowing in the basement that had visible mold growing on the walls. He reminded citizens that the front attic space of the courthouse had most recently been remodeled in the late 1990s or early 2000s and that visibly there was termite damage, some leftover debris and even burned timber and scorch marks on some of the bricks in the attic from when the courthouse had burned.

With no visible pigeon debris or odor, he went on to explain how hard it was to gain access to the back attic, which was heavily infested with pigeon debris, live pigeons, dead pigeons and active nests. Barron added that there were still other attic spaces that they did not find a way to get in without removing interior drop ceilings in the offices.

Following the discovery of the pigeon problem, several abatement companies and certified industrial hygienist were consulted and all recommended that the courthouse be tested and inspected to determine the extent of possible contamination from the pigeon droppings. None of the abatement teams would commit to a firm price but speculated between $600,000.00 and $1.5 million to just clean and abate the pigeon infested areas. These costs did not include repairs to what was removed, repair and sealing of the basement, rewiring the building or replacing the contaminated air conditioning system.

After receiving this information, a joint decision between the county commissioners and court officials was made to close the courthouse until the risk could be accurately assessed.

County manager Barron was given authority by the board of commissioners to spend $25,000.00 to relocate the county offices and for testing at the February 6, 2019 meeting and a Judicial Emergency Order was issued and signed by Oconee Superior Court Chief Judge Sarah F. Wall and judges C. Michael Johnson and Howard C. Kaufold, Jr. that suspended deadlines and continued court terms immediately following the meeting.

Most of the offices were relocated to the back room of the Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce. When the testing results came back, contamination was found on both the first and second floors of the courthouse.

With county services and court functions having to continue, Barron and county commissioners met with the Eastman-Dodge Development Authority to find the most cost effective and functional solution for the county offices. They determined that the old AT&T building on Pearl Bates Avenue near the Dodge County High School would work and the county purchased the building for $5.00. It was determined that it was large enough to hold all the court officials, county officials and include functioning courtrooms.

Barron made it clear to citizens that no decisions regarding the future of the current courthouse had been made because accurate estimates of the cost of repairs to bring it back into operation had not determined. He added that he is preparing a detailed request for proposals to obtain accurate and time estimates to repair and upgrade the courthouse. Once those estimates are available, Barron stated that they (the estimates) would be made available to the public for input and discussion.
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Dodge County Manager Spence Barron announced that beginning Tuesday, March 5, 2019 the Dodge County Tax Commissioner’s Office would be selling vehicle tags out of the annex building across from the Dodge County Courthouse.

According to Interim Dodge County Tax Commissioner Jackie Smith, they hope to be able to process tax payments before the end of the week.

In their Monday, March 4 meeting, Dodge County commissioners voted unanimously, after coming out of executive session, to hold a public meeting on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at the courthouse annex to discuss the renovations to the building (old AT&T building) located at 643 Pearl Bates Road for use as an additional courthouse annex building. [Full Story »] 

Dodge County Courthouse offices and the courtroom will be moving into the old AT&T building on Pearl Bates Avenue after renovations to that building are complete.

This comes after the Dodge County Eastman Development voted unanimously on Friday, February 22 to lease or sell the building and property to Dodge County for a nominal fee.

Renovations to the AT&T building are expected to take approximately six to eight weeks.

Currently, since the courthouse has been closed, county offices have been temporarily moved into the Eastman/Dodge County Chamber of Commerce building on College Street.

On February 6, 2019, Professional Environmental Management (PEM) was contacted by Dodge County Manager Spencer Barron, to discuss the results of a building inspection conducted in the Dodge County Courthouse, along with photographic documentation. The information provided indicated visually gross areas of contamination in interior building spaces, primarily the attic (bird/pigeon droppings/excrement) and basement (mold). It is noted, other animals (bats, squirrels, etc.) may also be inhabiting areas of the building.
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By Cindy Eckles

According to Dodge County Manager Spence Barron, preliminary results are starting to come in from the from Professional Environmental Management Certified Industrial Hygienist Erin Garmon. Barron added that they are still waiting for the more preliminary and final results of the testing for the potentially hazardous air quality conditions at the courthouse.

Until then, and pending results of those tests, the Dodge County Courthouse will remain closed.

The Dodge County Commissioners voted at their meeting on Monday night to sign a resolution to designate the courthouse annex, located at 5016 Courthouse Circle, and the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center (DCLEC), located at 85 Industrial Boulevard, as the alternative courtroom locations for motions and non-jury matters because of public health concerns relating to air quality conditions and the ongoing need for testing at the Dodge County Courthouse.

A motion for the resolution was made by commissioner Jr. Howell and seconded by commissioner Terry Niblett. The motion passed unanimously.

Oconee Superior Court Chief Judge Sarah F. Wall then stated for the public that the DCLEC courtroom has a separate door for the public and that the law requires that it is open to the public.

Dodge County Attorney John Harrington added that unless there was a special motion or juvenile court matter that is sequestered, all court matters are to be deliberated in open court.

Judge Wall then commented that after an amended order to the declaration of judicial emergency pending expert testing into the air quality of the courthouse is filed with the Georgia Supreme Court (which will be Tuesday, February 19, 2019) then court will resume.

The order also suspends deadlines relating to filing requirements, designates alternative courtroom locations for motions and non-jury matters and authorizes juvenile court to resume normal operations.

Offices that are officially working out of the Eastman-Dodge County Chamber of Commerce chamber hall are Dodge County Probate (478-374-3775), Dodge County Clerk of Superior Court (478-374-2871), Dodge County Tax Commissioner (478-374-2154) and Dodge County Registrar (478-374-8123). Dodge County Building Inspector/Tax Collector Rob Stanley is working out of the chamber hall and an office at the courthouse annex and can be reached at 478-374-8127.

Commissioner Howell then made a motion, which was seconded by commissioner Brian Watkins, for a resolution to go into a temporary lease with the Dodge County-Eastman Development Authority to take control of what has been identified as the AT&T building, for the temporary time period, for the purpose of continuing services and the potential future designation of some courtrooms.

Attorney Harrington stated that the location (AT&T building) was not added in the first resolution as a designated court location until the modifications that are made are approved by the court system.
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In addition to electrical, ventilation and heating and cooling problems, inspectors found pigeons roosting in the attic of the Dodge County Courthouse.

At a called meeting on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 the Dodge County Commissioners officially closed the courthouse until further notice.

County commissioners voted to allow Dodge County Manager Spence Barron to spend up to $25,000.00 to relocate the county offices and for testing.

Due to the interruption of government services and temporary unavailability of the courtroom, Oconee Superior Court Chief Judge Sarah F. Wall and judges C. Michael Johnson and Howard C. Kaufold, Jr. signed a Judicial Emergency Order that suspends deadlines and continues court terms immediately following the meeting on February 6. Within the order it states, “The nature of this emergency is due to hazardous air quality conditions in the Dodge County Courthouse”. (A copy of the order is printed in this edition of The Dodge County News’ legal section.

Professional Environmental Management (PME) Certified Industrial Hygienist Erin Garmon and PEM Industrial Hygienist Dan Hutto conducted a site visit on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

After reviewing information from the building inspection and photographic documentation, PEM reported to county manager Barron that there were visual areas of contamination in the interior building spaces, primarily the attic (bird (pigeon) droppings) and mold in the basement.

Because of the conditions founds, PEM recommended to evacuate occupants and restrict access until further assessment and testing could be conducted.

PEM also provided a plan to gather additional information with samples collected from designated areas inside the building and the building’s exterior and obtain the results in an expeditious and efficient manner.

The proposed fee from PEM will be $27,500.00. The majority of it, $22,356.00, being the cost of laboratory testing and shipment of the samples. The remainder includes their costs for preparing the final report with recommendations, the cost of the field investigation and travel. Barron also advised that he has met with two abatement/restoration companies over the past week and both companies stated they would need the results of the environmental testing before they could determine a final cost to repair the courthouse.
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Electrical, ventilation and heating and cooling problems on the second floor of the Dodge County Courthouse has stopped court from being held in the upstairs courtroom until further notice.

Dodge County Manager Spence Barron stated, at the regular meeting of the Dodge County Commissioners Monday night, that for safety reasons the small court cases would be held in the courtroom located in the annex building beside the courthouse. He added that regular court would reconvene in February and the larger cases would be held at the chamber of commerce.

County manager Barron told The Dodge County News that he had specialist arriving this week to evaluate the condition of the courthouse and what their recommendation for resolving the problems would be.

County manager Barron complemented the Dodge/Wilcox 911 center and reported that during January 2019 that the operators answered 4,644 phone calls. From those calls the Wilcox Law Enforcement, 1,047 calls; Eastman Police Department, 978 calls; Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, 738 calls; Dodge County Emergency Medical Services, 260 calls; Eastman Fire Department, 137 calls; Wilcox Emergency Medical Services, 130 calls; Dodge County Fire Departments, 103; Wilcox Fire Departments, 37; Chauncey Police Department, six calls and Milan Police Department, one call.
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The Eastman Police Deartment reported the following arrests for January 21, 2019 through January 29, 2019.

Victoria Beard, age 20, of Eastman was arrested for drugs-marijuana sale/deliver/distribute, possession and use of drug related objects, MFG, distribute, dispense, possess controlled, damage to property-private 2nd degree, public drunkenness, battery (simple) and enter autow/intent to commit theft.

Juvenile, age 12, of Eastman was arrested for obstructing law enforcement officers, disorderly conduct and battery (simple).

Jerry Perry, age 49, of Eastman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, open container violation, failure to maintain lane, lighted headlights/other lights required and possession and use of drug related objects.

Talusia Johnson, age 26, of Eastman was arrested for drugs- cocaine possession of, possession of methamphetamine, open container violation, possession of ounce or less of marijuana and possession and use of drug related objects.

Miles Ivory, age 29, of Eastman was arrested for obstructing law enforcement officers, disorderly conduct and FTP bench warrant.

Juvenile, age 15, of Eastman was arrested for obstructing law enforcement officers and firearms: possession by a minor.

Jayci Cox, age 40, of Eastman was arrested for Obstructing law enforcement officers, driving under the influence (DUI) and safety belts violation (adults).

David Muntford, age 21, of Eastman was arrested for theft by taking.

Juvenile, age 12, of Eastman was arrested for obstructing law enforcement officers, terroristic threats and acts and battery (simple)

Gregory Wilcox, age 39, of Eastman was arrested for Obstructing law enforcement officers and pedestrian under the influence (P.U.I)

Delfenia Shearin, age 70, of Eastman was arrested for FTP bench warrant.

Ethan Bradford, age 17, of Chester was arrested for shoplifting less than $500.00.

Cindy Evans, age 34, of Eastman was arrested for license-driving while license suspended/revoked.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office reported the following arrests for the week ending January 25, 2019.

Michelle Allen, age 37, of Dublin was arrested for trafficking in cocaine, illegal drugs, or methamphetamine and illegal possession of controlled substance marijuana.

Donald Earl Beck, age 58, of North Port, Florida was arrested for suspended license, violation of intermediate license and operation of unregistered motor vehicle.

Rickie Blackshear, age 38, of Eastman was arrested for probation violation.

Cedric Charles Deering, age 62, of Eastman was arrested for driving while license suspended or revoked (misdemeanor)
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A Dublin man was killed when the pickup truck that he was driving ran off the roadway and flipped over several times.

Robert Lee Johnson, age 57, of a Dublin address, was driving south on Georgia 117 (Dublin Highway), when he ran off the right side of the roadway near the intersection of Ocmulgee Church Road, struck several road signs, traveled over an embankment and overturned several times.

The accident happened at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two vehicles collided at the intersection of Rocky Springs Road and Georgia 27 (Terry Coleman Parkway) on Saturday, January 19 at approximately 12:23 p.m.

According to the Georgia State Patrol report, Jonna Merle Wilkes, age 52, of Eastman, was driving a 1999 Toyota Camry east on Rocky Springs Road approaching the intersection of Georgia 27.

Robert H. Witherington, age 32, of Cochran, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet S10 pickup north on Georgia 27.

Wilkes failed to yield the right of way to Witherington and she ran into the pickup on the driver’s side.

The Eastman Police Department reported the following arrest for January 14, 2019 – January 22, 2019. [Full Story »] 

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will be held on January 21, 2019. The grand Marshall will be Mrs. Martha B. Sauls, age 85 of Yonkers. She attended schools in Chester and Peabody. After briefly traveling up to North Oklahoma and Florida Mrs. Saul’s became a mother of two, Grandmother of three and a Great Grandmother of two. Joining the church, her membership at Annis chapel Baptist church of Eastman, serving in many departments, President of the usher board, home and church missionary and Sunday school class and assistant teacher of the adult class, also chairman of the fundraising committee for the Dodge county progressive Baptist association in Eastman.

Mrs. Saul’s began a long work history in many establishments in Eastman such as the three fourth one café, the cotton mill factor and a host of many household and families in the community. Other projects and accomplishments served have helped to make a difference in the betterment for the people and the community. [Full Story »] 

An Eastman woman lost her life as the result of a head-on vehicle collision at approximately 9:18 p.m. on Thursday, January 3. Tina English, age 48, of Hawkinsville, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by Dodge County Coroner Joe Smith. The accident occurred at 2930 Chester Highway.

English was traveling north on the Chester Highway and did not maintain her lane, traveling across the center line and hitting a pickup truck in the side with the side of her vehicle. She then continued traveling north into the southbound lane and hit another truck head-on. No more details of the accident were available at presstime.

The Eastman Police Department reported the following arrest for December 24, 2018 – January 7, 2019.

Sheila Goolsby, age 51, of Eastman was arrested for cruelty to children 2nd degree.

James Bridges, age 37, of Milan was arrested for public drunkenness, possession of methamphetamine.

Callie Spires, age 24, of Milan was arrested for possession of schedule II drugs, possession of schedule IV drugs, possession and use of drug related objects.

James Patterson, age 33, of Eastman was arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of ounce or less of marijuana.

Nathaniel Belford, age 25, of Warner Robins was arrested for disorderly conduct, interference with government property.

Jason Seifert, age 22, of Camden, South Carolina was arrested for impeding the free flow of traffic.

Anthony Fowler, age 25, of Eastman was arrested for license: driving while unlicensed or expired/new resident, no brake lights or working turn signals.

Amy Jackson, age 43, of Eastman was arrested for license: driving while license suspended/revoked, seat belt violation (ages 4-18).

Lashaunda Jackson, age 25, of Eastman was arrested for license: driving while license suspended/revoked.

Kelsi Grinnery, age 20, of Eastman was arrested for license: driving while license suspended/revoked.

Gregory Pole, age 55, of Mcrae was arrested for failure to maintain lane, DUI – combo any combination of A1/A2/A3.

Joshua Johnson, age 29, of Eastman was arrested for Battery.

Bevevrly Welch, age 57, of Cochran was arrested for possession of drug related object, license, driving while license suspended/revoked, driving unsafe/improperly equipped vehicle.
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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives thousands of complaints each year alleging that customers were auto-billed for a product or service that they never wanted or realized they signed-up to receive. Anyone that makes purchases online is vulnerable.

When customers buy something with continuing service or regular product shipments, they should be asked to “opt in.” If customers are asked to “opt out” of continued service or additional product purchases, it is called a negative option sale.

If you haven’t heard the term “negative option” before, you’re not alone. This sales tactic is called a “negative” option because, unless you specifically opt-out of the additional purchase, the seller automatically takes your lack of a response to mean that you want to keep buying their product or some additional service, sometimes indefinitely. Consumers have unknowingly made these payments for months or years at a time and lost hundreds or thousands of dollars. 

According to the FTC, there are four types of negative options:

Automatic Renewal: The default setting is to renew the subscription at the end of each billing period, unless consumers specify not to renew.

Continuity of Service: Consumers will continuously be billed for and receive products until they opt-out of the program.

Free-to-Pay Conversion: The product will be free for a limited time, then the business will begin to auto bill your account until you opt-out of the program.

Pre-Notification: Consumers will receive notices offering products or services, receive the items, and then be charged unless they opt-out. 

In some cases, businesses will make this enrollment clear. However, very often this information will be hidden deep in the fine print or omitted altogether.

Businesses have been fined millions of dollars by the FTC for these potentially deceptive advertising practices. According to FTC’s .com Disclosures: “A disclosure that is buried in a long paragraph of unrelated text will not be effective. Even though the unrelated information may be useful, advertisers must ensure that the disclosure is communicated effectively.”
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