Page 6B July 24, 2019
AP orter
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commissioners have appointed
county manager Jim Hedges to take over the
renovations to the Hubbard dormitory after a rift
between twocommissioners.
District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose motioned
to appoint Hedges to be in charge of the Hub-
bard dorm renovation project in place of District
1 commissioner Larry Evans, a motion seconded
by District 2 commissioner Eddie Rowland. Evans
had informally been overseeing the dorm project,
which is being partially funded by federal grant
money, for several years and it has not yet been
completed.
After learning of recent water damage at the
dorm, Ambrose suggested condemning the build-
ing and questioned why county funds were being
spent on the renovations Ambrose asked Evans:
"Why didn't we save Bessie Tift College? Why is
that Hubbard Alumni so important to take people's
taxpayer money?"
After Evans fired back that the county did save
Tiff College and presently houses the Georgia
Department of COrrections on the campus, Evans
said sharply: "You (Ambrose) cannot comprehend
helping people, q-hat's not in your vocabulary."
The argument began after Hedges told commis-
sioners there is a considerable amount of water
seeping into the dorm basement and its brick walls.
Hedges said the water could be causing mold or
mildew and said county maintenance supervisor
Ray White took bids on fixing the problem. One
bidder, Juliette-based Greg Rice Waterproofing
Se ces, LLC, suggested installing an outdoor
French.drain system and a waterproofing sealer
while twoo r bidders, Locust Grove-based
American:Crawlspace Solutions and Norcross-
based Foundation Worx, suggested installing inte-
rior tab drain systems. White said he preferred the
exterior system recommended by Greg Rice Water-
proofing Systems, but commissioners unanimously
approved to take other bids for an exterior system
before signing offon a contract.
Ambrose then said he wanted county offices
currently housed on Monroe County Hospital
property to be moved to the Hubbard dorm. But
Evans said the federal grant gives specifics on
what offices can operate in the dorm. Hedges then
clarified that the only grant stipulation is that lo-
cal non-profit Save the Children and the Monroe
County Workforce Development Center must be
housed in the renovated dorm. However, Hedges
said commissioners had the latitude to decide
where in the building the offices are located and
what other county offices would go there. After
Evans then told commissioners a Hubbard history
museum needed to occupy the center room of the
dorm, Ambrose motioned to put Hedges over the
dorm renovation.
After about 15 minutes of discussion, Evans
agreed to allow Hedges to head up the project
as long as he included commissioners and other
stakeholders like the Monroe County Board of
: Education in the decision-making.
Ambrose said he was opposed to BOE involve-
ment: "The Board of Education ain't saying noth-
ing. They let these illegal immigrants go to school
here at my expense Don't let them have a say in
anything"
When Hedges agreed to get input from commis-
sioners, commissioners voted 5-0 to put the county
manager in charge of determining which entities
will have offices in the Hubbard dorm and to for-
mulate a plan for finishing the dorm renovation.
zes a
By Richard Dumas Nicholson told Brown heblack plastic bag contain-
forsyth@mymcr.net just bought the car anding two white tubs filled
wasn't sure its registration with suspected marijuana
A Monroe County deputy was correct, in addition to a black scale
was briefly hospitalized after Brown then determined and marijuana pipe. Depu-
touching suspected drugs Emiel Nicholson's license ties also found a small
during a traffic stop on 1-75 was suspended and he was plastic baggie filled with one
South on July 7. wanted in Clay County, Fla. Ecstasy pill and two more
According to the incident When Brown tried to arrest baggies of suspected mari-
report, at about 11:52 a.m Emiel Nicholson, the driver juana. On the rear passenger
Dep. Jaleel Brown of the resisted, so Brown and seat, Brown found a purple
Monroe County Sheriff's Monroe County Dep. WadeCrown Royal bag contain-
Office saw a blue 1998 Buick Kendrick handcuffed himing a large amount of cash
LeSabre traveling 93 mph against the hood of Brown's wrapped in rubber bands.
in a 70 mph zone on 1-75 patrol car. Brown then seized the
South near mile marker 190. Deputies then found cash and the drugs. As
Brown smelled marijuana on the passenger side Brown became exposed
coming from the car, and floorboard a Morehouse to the salt-like substance,
the male driver, Emiel Saint bookbag containing two his fingers went numb and
Paul Nicholson, appeared blunts filled with suspected his heart rate and blood
very nervous. Nicholson, marijuana. They also found pressure elevated. Brown
whose hands were shak- in the center console a salt jumped out of his car and
ing, said he and his brother, shaker covered with plastic got fresh air. Monroe Coun-
Sean Anwar Nicholson, containing an unknown ty EMTs then instructed
were traveling from their white substance that did Brown to go to the hospital
mother's home in Atlanta not appear to be salt. Inside for treatment, and he was
to Jacksonville, Fla. Emiel the trunk deputies found a released later in the day.
Deputies then took both
Emiel Nicholson and Sean
Nicholson to the Monroe
County Jail. Once at the jail,
deputies watched the salt-
like substance dissolve in
the liquid test solution. They
then put the substance into
a biohazard bag and sent it
to the Georgia Bureau of In-
vestigation (GBI) for testing.
Deputies also confiscated
$6,698 cash from the car.
Emiel Nicholson, 32, and
Sean Nicholson, 28, both of
Jacksonville, Fla were each
charged with possession
of marijuana with intent
to distribute, possession of
drug related objects, posses-
sion of Ecstasy and obstruc-
tion. Emiel Nicholson was
also charged with driving
while license suspended and
speeding while Sean Nich-
olson was also charged with
possession of marijuana.
usiness license requi
By Ric rd Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commissioners
postponed on Thursday, July 18 a
decision on whether to require county
business license,citing a need for
public input on the matter.
County manager Jim Hedges and
Middle Georgia Regional Commis-
sion (MGRC) representatives Susan
Landfried and Sara Dusenberry
recommended Monroe County adopt
a flat fee structure for business licenses
similar to that of Jones County. Jones
County charges an initial license reg-
istration fee of $175 per business with
an annual renewal fee of $125. Hedges
also proposed starting implementation
of business licenses at the beginning of
2020. According to Hedges' proposal,
license fees would be due prior to Janu-
ary I each year, and businesses would
be subject to penalties ffthe fee is not
paid by March 1.
Dusenberry said Jones County took
in $34,425 in revenues from business
licenses in 2018 while Butts County
earned $40,500 in business license
revenue.
District 3 commissioner John Am-
brose said he thinks businesses based
outside of Monroe County who do
work in Monroe County should also
have to get a Monroe County business
license. Ambrose, who said he sup-
ports a graduated fee structure based
upon business size instead of a flat fee
structure, then motioned to approve
the requirement of county business li-
censes, which was seconded by District
2 commissioner Eddie Rowland.
Monroe County code enforcement
officer Dep. Jeff Wilson said requiring
business licenses would better enable
him to crack down on zoning viola-
tions in which business owners are
operating companies illegally in resi-
dential areas. Wilson said he supports
business licenses because they would
give him operational parameters that
he could enforce.
Monroe County zoning officer Kelsey
Fortner said she too supports requiring
business licenses because they would
help the county's law enforcement of-
ricers and fire/EMTs know if hazardous
chemicals exist at locations. She also
agreed with Wilson that they could
identify businesses not complying with
county zoning regulations.
However, Rowland said he's con-
cerned that only "legitimate" business
owners would get licenses and said
the "fly-by-night" business owners
who wouldn't comply with the pro-
posed license requirement could gain
a greater advantage. Rowland said he
wouldn't support requiring business
licenses unless the county has sufficient
manpower to enforce compliance.
Rowland said possible county solu-
tions to his own concerns include:
requiring that any business or sub-
contractor that does work for Monroe
County have a valid business license
in some municipality, hiring neces-
sary labor to inspect businesses to
guarantee compliance and creating and
maintaining a business database on the
county website.
District 1 commissioner Larry Evans
said the county has never required
business licenses because of the dif-
ficulty of enforceability and noted that
county business owners have always
had an option to buy one if they
choose.
Fortner, who said she's in favor of
Rowland's idea of creating a county
business database, said 168 Monroe
County businesses have purchased
licenses in 2019 at a cost of $50 per li-
cense. District 4 commissioner George
Emami said he thinks a system of buy-
ing and renewing licenses could be cre-
ated entirely online at little additional
county expense.
Emami said, "Rt be for it if I knew it
wouldn't cost the county more than we
potentially could take in."
After about 40 minutes of discussion,
Evans said he wants commissioners
to hold a public hearing for citizens to
discuss business licenses before mak-
ing a decision. After Emami agreed
with Evans on the need for citizen
input, Ambrose then withdrew his
motion to approve, and the matter was
postponed to an unspecified date.
At the conclusion of Thursday's
meeting, three county citizens said
they opposed the county requiring
business licenses. Frank Bunn Drive
resident Nipper Bunn said the most
notable reason for the county want-
ing to require business licenses is for
additional information about what
businesses are operating locally. He
said county business owners shouldn't
have to pay a fee for the county to
get that information and suggested
the county issue business licenses for
free. Maynards Mill Road resident
Fred Dungan questioned why com-
missioners would want to copy what
Butts and Jones counties do and said
Monroe County could stand alone by
not requiring business licenses. Sleepy
Creek Road resident Mike Bilderback,
a former commission chairman, said
the problem with requiring business
. ) .
licenses is enforcement, saymg hcenses
won't improve businesses' quality of
work.
I
-i
INCIDENTS
Continued from 5B
Florida driver charged
with meth possession
A 22-year-old white Orange
City, Fla. woman was arrested
and charged with possession of
methamphetamine after a traffic
stop on Hwy. 41 South on July 16.
At about 1:20 a.m Cp1. Chris-
tian Sawley saw a white 2011 Kia
Rio with a Florida tag traveling
northbound with a tag light out on
Hwy. 41 South. Dispatchers told
Sawley the female driver's license
was suspended. The driver, who
had multiple sores on her arms
and neck, admitted to using drugs
earlier in the day. The driver then
revealed a small clear bag contain-
ing suspected methamphetamine
inside her pants near her knee.
The driver then told Sawley she
had a bong in her vagina and
asked Sawley to get it out for her.
When Sawley quickly refused, the
driver reached inside her pants
and pulled out a glass pipe used
for smoking meth. Sawley ordered
her to drop it, and she did so.
When Sawley asked the driver if
she had anything else illegal inside
her vehicle, the driver revealed
there was a loaded syringe in the
glove box, which Sawley found.
Sawley then took the driver to the
Monroe County Jail, where she
was also charged with violation of
tag light requirements and driving
while license suspended.
Four-wheeler driver
riding on Hwy. 42
At about 8:30 p.m. on July 17,
a Forsyth woman told Dep. Judy
Mercer that four-wheelers and dirt
bikes are constantly riding up and
down 42 North. The woman
said she had notified law enforce-
ment numerous times about the
situation and was urged to provide
photographic or video evidence.
The woman then showed Mercer
a video of a male driver riding
a broken green Kawasaki four-
wheeler on 42 North. Dep.
Wade Kendrick then saw the
driver tiding the four-wheeler
down the road and cited him for
operating an off-road vehicle on a
highwa)n The driver said he wasn't
going to pay for the ticket or sign
it and said he would do time in jail
first. When a wrecker driver came
to impound the four-wheeler, he
asked the driver who intended
to pick up the four-wheeler. The
driver replied, "Nobody. You can
keep the thing since y'all are being
nasa." The driver then agreed to
sign the citation.
Deputies find 25 vape
pens with cannabis oil
A 32-year-old white man and
a 22-year-old white man, both
of Melbourne, Fla were each
arrested and charged with pos-
session of marijuana with intent
to distribute and possession of a
controlled substance after a traffic
stop on 1-75 North on July 17. At
about 8:29p.m Sgt. John Thomp-
son saw a gray 2014 Toyota Camry
with dark tinted windows and a
Florida tag traveling on 1-75 North
near mile marker 191. The male
driver handed Thompson a Flori-
da ID card while saying his license
was suspended for a previous
DUI. The driver said he was only
driving because his male front seat
passenger was sleep saying they
were headed to Atlanta's Shepherd
Center to visit the passenger's
younger brother. Thompson
smelled marijuana coming from
inside the car and noticed both
the driver and passenger appeared
overly nervous and would not
make direct eye contact. Both
the driver and passenger denied
smoking marijuana and said they
didn't think there were any drugs
inside the car. The driver said the
car belongs to his aunt, the passen-
ger's mother. Thompson and Dep.
laleel Brown then found inside
the center console two Ziploc bags
containing marijuana. They also
found in an ash tray 25 flavored
cannabis oil vape pens that were
91 percent THC, according to
their labels. Deputies then took
the driver and passenger to the
Monroe County Jail. The driver,
the 32-year-old, was also charged
with a window tint violation and
driving while license suspended.
Deputy sends liquid in
needle to GBI lab
A 21-year-old black Macon
woman was arrested and charged
with possession of marijuana and
a taillight violation after a traffic
stop on 1-75 North on July 18.
At about 9:10 p.m Cpl. Thomas
Haskins saw a red Ford Mustang
with a broken taillight traveling on
1-75 North near mile marker 193.
Haskins smelled a strong odor of
air freshener coming from the car,
and the female driver, female front
seat passenger and male rear seat
passenger all appeared nervous.
Dispatchers then determined the
rear seat passenger was wanted
out of Bibb County. Haskins
then found inside the front seat
passenger's purse small pieces of
marijuana as well as IDs indicat-
ing the front seat passenger had
given him a fake name. The front
seat passenger admitted she gave
a false name because she was
Monroe County Jail. The front
seat passenger, a 21-year-old black
Macon woman, was charged with
giving a false name to law enforce-
ment while the rear seat passenger,
a 23-year-old black Macon man,
was taken into custody for Bibb
County.
Deputy locates truck
abandoned on
railroad tracks
At about 4:44 a.m. on July 20,
Dep. Tyler Rodgers went to Hwy.
41 South near Klopfer Road about
a silver 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche
abandoned on a railroad track.
Rodgers found the truck, which
had a flat tire, stuck in a ditch
perpendicular to the road. The
truck appeared to have been driv-
ing on the railroad tracks. Rodgers
determined the trud& owner had
a Statesboro address.
scared. The driver then admitted Driver reports
she had several grams ofmari- wallet missing
juana in her purse, which Haskins
found inside of a cigarillo package. A man went to the Forsyth
Haskins and Dep. Jaleel Brown Police Department on July 8 to
then found in the center console a report a missing wallet. He said
loaded hypodermic needle with a fell from the
clear liquid inside. "fhe driver ' vehicle when
Haskins the car's previous owner he was near Florence, Kentucky.
left the needle inside and said she
smelled the substance and thought
it was bleach. Haskins then sent
the liquid to the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation (GBI) crime lab
for testing. The driver and both
passengers were then taken to the
The wallet held a few dollars, the
man's driver's license, and a credit
card, which the man cancelled
after the wallet went missing.
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