A shoplifting incident was reported at the Walmart in Trion on December 20. According to the report by the Chattooga County Sheriff's Office, Asset Protection Associate Johnnie Smith told deputies that he saw a woman put items into a buggy inside the store. He said when she noticed him looking at her, she put a pair of boots back and left the buggy in the aisle. Smith said there were five perfume gift sets and three holiday ribbons in the buggy. He said he left to see what would happen and watched the woman on the store monitor. He said he then saw the woman put the boots and other items in bags that she had with her, put the bags in another buggy and quickly leave the store. He said he went into the parking lot and saw the woman and a small female child put the bags into a dark mid-size car and leave. Smith got the tag number and showed the deputies the video of the theft. The woman has been banned from the store and will be arrested for criminal trespass if she returns, according to the report. The incident has been turned over to investigators.
A Trion man was tased by Chattooga County Sheriff's deputies before being arrested last weekend. According to the report officers responded to the Wright Drive residence of 19-year-old Marcus Stamper and his girlfriend due to a reported domestic incident. Once officers arrived things got a little strange. First, Stamper refused to allow officers to speak with his girlfriend Stephanie Shireman, who was at a neighbors house. When officers went to the the neighbor's home to speak to the woman, Stamper reportedly became enraged, and refused to comply with the officer's commands. He then began to threatn officers and threatened to release his pitt bulldog on them, at one point unleashing the dog and trying to walk the dog towards officers. When Stamper's girlfriend told officers she wanted to leave the home she shared with the man, Stamper reportedly stood at the door of the vehicle and wouldn't let her leave. According to the report, he told her she wasn't going to leave and if she did he would follow her. When told to calm down and step away from the vehicle, Stamper is reported to have started yelling, while taking off his jacket and shirt, and cursing officers. He is reported to have charged officers a second time before he was tased and cuffed. Redmond EMS was dispatched to remove the taser probes from Stamper's back. Then Stamper refused to get inside the patrol vehicle and began kicking the side of the vehicle and kicked the door closed. Once he was inside the vehicle and while being taken to the Chattooga County jail, Stamper, according to the report, banged his head continuously against the bars and plexiglass divider between the front and rear seats. Stamper was charged with obstruction of law enforcement officers.
If you pull out in front of another vehicle on the roadway, make sure it's not a law enforcement vehicle, and definitely make sure, you're not under the influence of drugs. However, a 24-year-old Trion woman didn't heed that advice recently. According to a report filed by the Chattooga County Sheriff's Department Cpl. Kenneth Craig stopped a vehicle driven by Brandi Nicole Barr, of a Penn Street, Trion address, after she pulled out in front of his vehicle as she turned off Halls Valley Road onto highway 27 almost causing an accident. Upon speaking to Barr, it appeared that she was under the influence of drugs, according to the report, which indicated her speech was slurred and she was squinting her eyes. Barr told the deputy she had taken two Lorcet about an hour before driving and had taken several Xanex a few hours prior to taking the Lorcet. While searching the vehicle the deputy reportedly found several several empty prescription bottles, some of which belong to Barr, but three belonging to three other people. Barr was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.
Chattooga County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a domestic situation on Back Berryton Road Christmas Day where one arrest was made. According to the report by Deputy Charles Myers, upon arrival deputies found 43-year-old Howard Victor Slicker Jr., outside with his girlfriend visibly upset, yelling and cursing, claiming that his sister had taken the straps off his daughter's tennis shoes. Slicker would not calm down, according to the report, and at kept walking away from deputies. When he was asked to not walk away, he reportedly turned around and came at Myers in a fast manner and said, "go ahead, arrest me, I don't care." While Myers was trying cuff Slicker, Slicker reportedly pulled away violently, claiming that Myers had hurt his wrist. At that point, Slicker started making threats that he would "kick my (the deputy's) ass" and said he was not afraid of the deputy, according to the report. The report also indicated that Slicker was posturing and closing and opening his fists. Myers reportedly felt that Slicker was going to strike him and produced his baton in defense. At that point, Slicker allegedly told Myers that he would "take that stick," and perform a crude act with it upon Myers. Slicker was arrested and charged with misdemeanor simple assault/battery. He is also accused of throwing a lap top computer to the ground and breaking it before officers arrived.
A single engine aircraft caught fire Tuesday night during fueling at the Barkwich-Lafayette Airport. The plane, which belongs to Ralph Casey of Villanow, was a total loss. But no one was injured in the fira and there was no damage to airport buildings. Casey told firemen on the scene that there was a spark that ignited the flames. It took Lafayette fire fighters around 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
Erlanger at Hutcheson is operating at a profit once again, but debt continues to cloud the Fort Oglethorpe Hospital's future. Unknown at the time of the merger with Erlanger last year, the hospital's total debt load is around 60-million dollars.
The Catoosa County Commission has approved a short-term 23-million dollar bond anticipation note, so the hospital can rearrange its financing and pay off a portion of the debt load.
Money from the Catoosa County bond will be used to settle the hospital's debt to medicare, which charges 11 percent interest. Two million will go to settle with other vendors, while 11 million will be used for capital improvements.
Walker County government is also being asked for a similar commitment and Commissioner Bebe Heissel appears to be agreeable. Attorneys say that esentially, Catoosa and Walker are being asked to pledge credit backing, not any direct payments. The value of the hospital assets should far exceed the debt, leaving county taxpayers with little or no risk, should the hospital default on the debt.
Catoosa County also wants another representative spot on the Hutcheson board. Their pledge with the bond funding is contingent on their receiving the new board position.
The Rome Police Department is hoping to teach teens how to stay safe while behind the wheel.
On Jan. 31, the department will host “Fear This,” a safe driving class for teenagers.
The class is similar to the defensive driving class police officers have to take, according to Maj. Denise Downer-McKinney.
“Parents are also required to attend and they provide their own vehicle,” Downer-McKinney said. “Parents also get behind the wheel and see what the teens are doing.”
The cost is $150 per team.
“We are looking at this as a partnership,” Downer-McKinney said, noting the department is hosting it but will not make any money from the event. “It’s joint effort (with Fear This) to try to reduce teen fatalities.
Teens must have a learner’s permit and be between 15 and 19 years old.
The day begins with a class at the Rome Municipal Courtroom in the Law Enforcement Center at 5 Government Plaza from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to be followed by driving on a course at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport from 1 to 5:30 p.m.
Class size is limited to 40 people. To register, visit www.fearthis4life.org/road_rome.htm.
All of Chattooga County new and re-elected constitutional officers as well as judges and school board members will be sworn in Friday in the main courtroom of the Chattooga County Courthouse.
Those being sworn in are: Democrats Probate Judge Jon Payne, Tax Commissioner Kathy Brown, and Clerk of Court Laan Cordle; as well as State Court Solicitor Buddy Hill, Chattooga County's only elected Republican, who all ran unopposed.
Those that ran with opposition being sworn are Democratic Sheriff-elect Mark Schrader and County Commissioner Jason Winters also a Democrat. Both Winters and Schrader had faced Republican opposition in November. Also being sworn in today are Chattooga County School Board Members John Turner and Betsy King Dellenback. Both ran as un-opposed Democrats in the July Primary earlier this year and faced no Republican opposition in November.
Judge Payne and Superior Court Judge Christina Cook Graham will swear in the elected officials.
Just about everything shuts down for Christmas, even Walmart, at least for part of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Trion Walmart closed at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve and will reopen at 10 p.m. tonight. Like every year, six off duty Chattooga County Sheriff's Department deputies have been hired to watch the store while it's closed.