A Trion man was charged with possession of Hydrocodone earler this week after being stopped at a road safety check on Butler Dairy Road.

20-year-old Joshua Brown, of a Old Highway 27 address, came through the road check just after noon on Monday, April 15 on Butler Dairy Road at Maddux Lake Road. After providing identification, it was determined that Floyd County had a warrant for the arrest of a passenger in the vehicle, Brandon White. 

Deputies searched the vehicle and while that was going on, Brown reportedly kept digging through his pockets, though he was told not to do so several times. A search of Brown turned up a clear cigarette wrapper containing one white  pill believed to be Hydrocodone, a schedule III narcotic. He was charged with possession of a schedule III drug.

Work is continuing at Hays State Prison in Penville to make the prison safer for inmates and staff, according to Hays Warden Rick Jacobs.

Jacobs says work in B building is almost complete and work on replacing locks in A Building has already begun. He say is all goes as expected, A building should be complete by May 30th. He said that date could shift because of the availability of materials but right now, all is looking good.

That means the return of visitation for prisoners is not too far off, Jacobs explained.

He said after all work is complete, a strategic plan will be laid out, inmates will be reassigned beds and cells and they will come off of lockdown entirely.

A maximum lockdown was instituted on January 18, after Jacobs took the helm at the prison after the murders of three inmates at the end of last year and beginning of this year, and the stabbing of two correctional officers.

The initial lockdown mandated that prisoners not be allowed to move out of their cells with the exception of fundamental needs, such as showers, medical reasons, etc. No visitation was allowed. The prison transitioned to a modified lockdown on February 18, at which point prisoners were allowed restrictive movement.

The third transition, according to Jacobs will be a "slow roll off of lockdown."

Jacobs said, "We won't be opening the doors and letting them out (of their cells) but they'll get a little more freedom each day, one day at a time.

Jacobs said that freedom will be dictated by the inmates and depend on how things transpire.  It will be sometime after this transition that inmates will be allowed visitation with family members and loved ones.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. with eight safety violations following the death of a worker who became caught in an unguarded hopper while attempting to remove a piece of cardboard at the company’s facility in Canton. OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office initiated its inspection in October 2012 in response to the fatality.

Two repeat safety violations have been cited for failing to include the process needed for the removal of locks and start-up following lockout/tagout. Additionally, the electrical cords did not have an effective strain relief device. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Similar violations were cited following a 2011 inspection.

Four serious safety violations involve the employer failing to conduct annual periodic inspections of the energy control procedures since 2005 and not providing effective machine and equipment guarding, so that workers cannot enter areas of operation and be exposed to struck-by and caught-in hazards. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Two other-than-serious violations involve failing to consider safety and health standards for the refrigeration process and not including safety systems and their functions in the refrigeration operating procedures. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

“Establishing safety and health programs that identify and remove hazards before a worker gets injured or sick goes to the very core of providing a safe and healthful workplace,” said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office. “In this case, a tragic loss resulted from equipment that could easily have been guarded.”

The citations for the repeat and serious violations carry $58,755 in proposed penalties. No monetary penalties have been assessed for the other-than-serious violations.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. employs approximately 38,500 workers with operations in 12 states, Mexico and Puerto Rico. 

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Atlanta-East area director or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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If you're planning to travel Highway 337 in Walker County this week be aware that there is road work going on. Georgia DOT crews are sealing pavement cracks on the roadway through Friday. Crews will be working from 7:30 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. each day.

Listed on the April 17 Arrest Report are:

Ronald Morrell Blansit — probation violation

Christy Dawn Cooper — VGCSA/ Possession of meth; Possession/use of drug related objects

Tommy Joe Cooper — VGCSA/ Possession of meth; Possession/use of drug related objects; Simple Battery/FVA; Cruelty to children, 3rd degree; Fugitive from justice

David Leon Marks — probation violation

Brenda Sue Young — 1st degree arson

John Darrell Anthony — disorderly conduct

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Northwest Georgia Credit Union released a statement on Tuesday regarding a potential debit card breach. `Due to a recent security breach, members may have issues using debit cards at certain merchants. A security breach includes (but isn`t limited to) a successful or unsuccessful hacking of a merchant database or merchant processor system (a company that processes card transactions for a merchant). Please note that the recent breach was NOT a breach of Northwest Georgia Credit Union database, but rather that of a merchant.`

The release went on to say, `When a breach like this occurs, the credit union monitors ATM and debit card transactions to attempt to identify usage that is inconsistent with normal activity on your account. If we believe your ATM/debit card may have been compromised, or if we are notified by Visa ® that your information has been compromised, we may reissue you a new card as a precaution or to prevent further fraud. We will always notify you if we take any action on your account.`

Please make sure always keep your phone number and contact information up to date, and let us know if you move or change your phone number so that we can contact you in the event of a breach. Also, please note that credit union staff members are currently working to contact those members we believe to have been affected by this most recent breach.

It is always a good practice to closely monitor all activity in your accounts. You may do so by calling our toll free TellerLine (1.855.UNBANK1) or by enrolling in Online Banking, free of charge. If you note suspicious activity in your account, please notify the credit union immediately by calling 706-291-9290 or visiting one of our branches.

You can reduce the risk of becoming a victim by following these safety tips; 1) carefully inspect devices before swiping your card, 2) store your card in a safe and secure place, and 3) never reveal your PIN to anyone, not even a credit union employee. Remember, credit union employees will never ask you for your PIN. Please know that ATM/debit card fraud is much different from other types of fraud and does not mean you will become a victim of identity theft.

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