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Katharine Anne Kerce, age 23 of Summerville, Charged with VGCSA – Possession of Schedule IV Drug, Possession of Marijuana Less than 1 oz.

Danny Kieth Pickard, age 34 of Summerville, Charged with Failure to Appear

Beverly Ann Barmore, age 40 of Armuchee, Charged with Lanlord Suspension of Utilities, Criminal Trespass, Theft by Taking

Tina Machelle Campbell, age 20 of Trion, Charged with 1st Degree Cruelty to Children

Jeremy Ray Gorham, age 33 of Rome, Charged with Good Behavior Warrant

Valerie Jean Hawkins, age 46 of Summerville, Charged with Failure to Appear

Alison Elanie Wesson, age 32 of Menlo, Charged with Probation Violation

Tony Lee Evans, age 48 of Trion, Charged with Probation Violation

Betty Jo Henderson, age 26 of Summerville, Charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals

John Wayne Lawrence, Jr., age 33 of Summerville, Charged with Failure to Appear

Dakeldrick Laquinton Roberts, age 24 of Summerville, Charged with Probation Violation

Brandon Lane Brown, age 25 of Summerville, Charged with Weekend Superior Court Sentence

Nicholas Little Byars, age25 of Rome, Held on Pending Charges

Lke Cody Campbell, age 24 of Trion, Charged with Cruelty to Children – Excessive Physical or Mental Pain

Kenneth Lamar Cheeks, age 24 of Rome, Held on Pending Charges

A fire at 116 Pebble Stone Drive in LaFayette on Tuesday, Jan. 5, destroyed one home and caused smoke to hang in the air for miles over U.S. 27 during the morning commute.

There were three occupants in the home at the time of the fire. All escaped the blaze to the safety of neighbors’ homes, but the owner’s cat was lost.

Everyone in the home was already awake at the time, but were alarmed by “banging and popping noises coming from the garage,” according to one of the occupants.

The initial report from the first responding truck was that there was 50 percent involvement originating from the garage side of the home.

Wind conditions in the morning caused the fire to spread quickly, rendering the home a total loss.

Walker County dispatch received the first call at 7:39 a.m. The first truck arrived at 7:42 a.m.

Three units responded from Station 1 in Rock Spring, while Chickamauga’s Squad 6 provided a ladder truck and LaFayette’s Engine 11 truck was also called to the scene.

Walker County firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes, and had the fire under control by 7:50 a.m, according to Walker County Fire’s Assistant Chief Robert Stephenson.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but there is no suspicion of foul play, according to Stephenson.

“The owner advised officials that one of the occupants of the home was smoking in the garage prior to the incident,” Stephenson said.

Walker County Messenger

Taxpayers who pay someone to do their taxes should choose a preparer wisely.  If you choose to use a paid tax preparer, it is important that you find a qualified tax professional.

“Taxpayers are ultimately responsible for everything on their return even when it’s prepared by someone else,” IRS spokesman Mark S. Green said. “In addition, never sign a blank tax return and choose someone who is creditable, knowledgeable and accountable.”

Reputable preparers will ask multiple questions to determine whether expenses, deductions and other items qualify and remind clients that they need to keep careful and complete records in order to substantiate information on their tax return. By doing so, they have your best interest in mind and are trying to help you avoid penalties, interest, or additional taxes that could result from later IRS contacts. 

“Knowingly preparing false tax returns is a serious offense, especially under the guise of a tax preparation business,” said Reginael McDaniel, IRS criminal investigations special agent in charge. “As we approach the 2010 filing season, taxpayers need to be cautious of tax return preparers who promise unexpected large refunds. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Most tax return preparers are professional, honest and provide excellent service to their clients; you can use the following tips to choose a preparer who will offer the best service for their tax preparation needs.

• Find out what the service fees are before the return is prepared. Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of the amount of your refund or who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.

• Only use a tax professional that signs your tax return and provides you with a copy for your records.

• Avoid tax preparers that ask you to sign a blank tax form.

• Choose a tax preparer that will be around to answer questions after the return has been filed.

• Ask questions. Do you know anyone who has used the tax professional? Were they satisfied with the service they received?

• Check to see if the preparer has any questionable history with the Better Business Bureau, the state’s board of accountancy for Certified Public Accountants or the state’s bar association for attorneys. Find out if the preparer belongs to a professional organization that requires its members to pursue continuing education and also holds them accountable to a code of ethics.

• Determine if the preparer’s credentials meet your needs. Does your state have licensing or registration requirements for paid preparers? Is he or she an enrolled agent, CPA or attorney?  If so, the preparer can represent taxpayers before the IRS on all matters, including audits, collections, and appeals. Other return preparers can represent taxpayers only in audits regarding a return signed as a preparer.

• Before you sign your tax return, review it and ask questions.

You can report suspected tax fraud and abusive tax preparers to the IRS on Form 3949-A, Information Referral or by sending a letter to Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA, 93888.  Download Form 3949-A from www.irs.gov or order by mail at (800) 829-3676.  

Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Jr. yesterday began a one-year term as Chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commission (Commission) for 2010, taking the gavel from outgoing Chairman Doug Everett. The Commission Chairmanship is rotated annually among the five Commission members based on Georgia law and Commission rules.

McDonald is serving his second tour on the Commission, having won election in November 2008 to a full six year term. He previously served on the Commission from 1998 to 2002. Commissioner McDonald’s complete biography is on the Commission web site, www.psc.state.ga.us.

Calhoun Times

Last week The Summerville News broke the story about two parents in Chattooga County tatooing their children – the story has since gained national attention.  The Associated Press, UPI, NBC, Fox News and CNN have all had reports about the couple.

Patty Jo Marsh and her husband, Jacob Bartels, admitted giving six of the seven children in their care tattoos using a tattoo machine and guitar strings as needles, according to reports Marsh stated "I’m their mother," Marsh said. "Shouldn’t I be able to decide if they get one?"

Under Georgia state law, children under the age of 18 cannot get tattoos and no tattoos can be given by anyone other than a licensed professional.

Marsh and her husband have been charged with cruelty to children, reckless conduct and tattooing.

Police and Division of Family and Children Services officials learned of the tattoos after the biological mother of two of the kids noticed the tattoos during a weekend visit.

A pregnant Ft Payne woman, died in a house fire occurring early Monday morning, while two others inside the home were injured. 

According to Ft Payne Fire Chief Steve Cunningham, 22 year old Sherry Ann McCauley, was found dead inside the home, located at 1908 Gault Avenue South.

Ft Payne Police Commissioner Ron Ogletree said McCauley was four months pregnant.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at 6:39am with the three fire engines and a rescue unit arriving to find high flames and heavy smoke coming from the structure.

Bystanders reported that McCauley was still inside the home and firefighters searched for the woman, but were unable to search the entire house due to heavy flames according to Chief Cunningham McCauley reportedly had safely gotten out of the home at one point  however, she apparently went back inside in an attempt to retrieve the family dog.

43 year old Mark Goodwin, and 17 year old Kimberly Dutton, were both taken to DeKalb Regional Medical Center, where they were treated for non life-threatening injuries.

WEIS Radio

A man reported a briefcase with thousands of dollars in cash and checks was taken from his car over the weekend.

According to Floyd County police reports:

The victim stated early Sunday when he returned to his vehicle, which was parked for several hours at a business in the 4300 block of Calhoun Road, he discovered his trunk was open and a briefcase was missing which he had placed in the trunk earlier. The briefcase reportedly contained a wallet with a driver’s license, credit cards, a Social Security card, passports and cash and checks valued at more than $43,000.

No suspects were listed in the report.

RNT