Griffin PD Makes Meth Bust

On Wednesday, December 8th, The City of Griffin Police Department Criminal Apprehension and Gang Enforcement (CAGE) Units conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and driver for a traffic violation. 

After stopping the car and speaking with the occupants, probable cause was established and the vehicle was searched. Officers found two ounces of methamphetamine on the driver during that search. 

Linda Bash, age 44, of Barnesville, Georgia, was arrested and charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of Methamphetamine, Failure to Use Turn Signal, and Obstructed Tag. Bash is being held at the Spalding County Detention Center.

Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

The Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame announced the 2022 inductees Thursday night on Fun 101 FM.

The first member of the 2022 class is Phyllis (Yates) Long. Phyllis is a 1970 graduate of R.E. Lee Institute where she was a three-year starter and four-year letterman on Coach Jim Cavan's Lady Rebels’ basketball team. She was named to the AAA All-State team for three consecutive years. After college she became head coach of the Worth Middle School girls’ basketball team. Her teams compiled a record of 104-11 from 1976-86.

The second member of the 2022 class of the Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame is Gary Thornton. Gary is a 1989 graduate of R.E. Lee Institute where he was a three-year letterman on the Rebels football team. As a wide receiver he earned the Coaches Trophy on the 1988 state champion Lee football team. Following the 1988 season, he was named All-Middle Georgia by the Macon Telegraph. Thornton received a football scholarship to Valdosta State University where he was a starter and two-year letterman.

The third member of the 2022 class of the Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame is Tyrone Perry. Tyrone is a 1995 graduate of Upson-Lee High School. He was a one-year football letterman at R.E. Lee then earned three letters at Upson-Lee. Perry was named Upson-Lee’s Best Offensive Back in 1992, 1993, and 1994. He was named to the honorable-mention AAA All-State team in 1993 and 1994. Perry still holds the Upson-Lee record for most yards gained in one season with 1553 yards in 1993.

Receiving the Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame Merit Award this year is Buford Daniel. Buford was a loyal and very supportive R.E. Lee football and basketball fan. In 1986, Daniel was honored by Lee for attending his 57th straight Lee football home opening game.

The team member of the 2022 class of the Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame is the 1975 R.E. Lee boys’ basketball team. The Rebels of Coach Wallace Rhodes had an overall record of 22-3 and won the Region 6AAA championship with a 17-1 record. They captured 3rd place in the AAA state tournament losing out to eventual national champion Southwest-Macon.

The induction banquet will be held March 12th at the Civic Center. 

(Time To Be Determined)

Commodores Entertain Seniors At State Fair

A group of senior citizens from Upson County traveled to Perry to see the Commodores perform at the Georgia State Fair.

Photos by Rico Andrews

Senior Citizens Visit Pumpkin Fest

A group of senior citizens from Upson County visited the Pumpkin Fest at Callaway Gardens Monday.

Mayor Pro Tem Doug Head Seeks Reelection

Mayor Pro Tem Doug Head

The City Council, together, has accomplished a lot in the last 5 years. But there is more to do and the best is yet to come. I would like to look at what I think is important and some of what we have accomplished in the last 5 years regarding Finances, Public Safety, Infrastructure and Quality of life:

Finances:

The city has 7-9 months’ worth of unrestricted operational reserves for primary government. A goal for many governments is 3-6 months so we are in good shape financially to run our everyday operations and deal with emergencies that could come up. My 38 year banking career gives me the experience, knowledge and skillset to be able to read and understand financial statements, cash flows and financial projections.

Public Safety:

Police: We have enacted a take home policy for cars for officers and worked on pay and classification plans to help recruit and maintain adequate staff. We are seeking to set up a Crime Suppression Unit to deal with increasing gang and violent crime activity.

Fire: We anticipate finishing our new Fire Station by Christmas. We have purchased a new aerial Ladder truck and will add a new much needed replacement pumper truck. We hope to continue the training that has helped us lower our ISO rating from 4 to 3. I want to encourage our working toward being certified as a Licensed Medical First Responder Unit to help in critical care needs of our constituents, particularly when the ambulance service needs help.

Infrastructure:

We have executed a long needed Intergovernmental agreement between the city and county to upgrade and increase the capacity of our sewer system to take care of current needs and to help facilitate recruitment of future industries.

We have made $20 Million worth of upgrades in Sewer, $3 Million in Storm water upgrades, and $3 Million in paving of streets. We also got, with the help of taxpayers, a TSPLOST passed to help further paving of streets.

Quality of Life

We have completed Phase 2 of the Greatest Generation Park and looking forward to the October 8 ribbon cutting to open Lake Thomaston to the public. That is exciting!

We are also working toward the redevelopment of Downtown Thomaston by commissioning the first ever master plan of downtown, authorizing a Façade Grant program, working toward Rural Zone designation, and commissioning the redrafting of both alcohol and zoning ordinances. I believe that these things will lead to investment downtown that has simply not had as much interest before.

There is a lot more that we have done in the last several years that has been made possible with the great team of our council, our city manager, our financial officer, and all of our city employees. Yes, we have done a lot, but I am here to say that there is still more to do and believe me when I say that the best is yet to come!

Pike Surpasses Lamar In Population

Pike County has surpassed Lamar County in population according to the 2020 Census data released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pike County increased by 1,020 residents (5.71%) and now has a population of 18,889 compared to Lamar County's 18,500. Lamar saw an increase of 183 residents (1%) over the past 10 years.

Upson County experienced a 2.01% growth, 547 residents and now has a population of 27,700.

Spalding County's percentage of growth, 5.05% was slightly smaller than Pike's 5.71% but the 3,233 increase makes Spalding larger than Upson, Pike and Lamar combined at 67,306 residents.

Fayette County's growth rate was again in double digits at 11.85% (12,627 residents) and now has a total population of 119,194. Coweta County saw the largest percentage of growth in the area at 14.8% (18,841 residents) and has a total of 146,158.

Meriwether, Talbot, Taylor and Crawford counties all saw a loss of population.

Spalding SO Has An Accused Russian Drug Dealer In Custody

On August 4th, Jonathan Vandekerkhoff, aka” The Russian”, was taken into custody by the United States Marshal Service on outstanding warrants stemming from an investigation into a major drug trafficking organization that effected the Griffin-Spalding County area. 

The investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s West Metro Drug Enforcement Unit, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations and CAGE units, and the AtlantaCarolinas HIDTA DEA Task Force. 

According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, “In the early part of 2020, Investigators with the Spalding County Special Operations Unit began receiving bits of information about a major source of methamphetamine distribution that supplied a number of dealers in middle Georgia including Spalding County and the city of Griffin. During their initial investigation, it was learned that the source known to his clients as “The Russian”, was living in Atlanta while coordinating deliveries of methamphetamine, heroin and GHB across the state. Additional information was received about “The Russian” that led us to believe that he was also tied to fentanyl distribution, weapons, and violent crimes. Because of the broad area he was supplying, we contacted the GBI’s West-Metro Drug Enforcement Office and asked them to partner with us and take the lead in the investigation.” 

“As the investigation grew, the DEA came to the table with more information and additional resources regarding Vandekerkhoff. Because of the combined effort between the GBI, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, and the DEA-HIDTA Team, we were able to disrupt and begin dismantling his operation. During the course of this investigation and the execution of various search warrants, we recovered over 16 pounds of methamphetamine, trafficking amounts of heroin, and approximately 21 firearms.” 

“Without our strong working relationships with the GBI, HIDTA, the United States Marshal Service, and others, this operation would have been very difficult to pull off. Because everyone involved worked together and put in a tremendous amount of time and effort, we were able to shut “The Russian” down and stop his threat to our local community and many other jurisdictions. Right now we are continuing to track down leads and search through records to locate more people that were involved in his network, gather more evidence, and try to determine if the substances he was distributing are tied to any fentanyl related deaths or overdoses that we and other agencies have encountered.” 

“In addition to the Agencies already mentioned, we also assisted and supported by the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder and her staff, Sheriff Gary Long and the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the Riverdale Police Department, the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Sheriff Stacy Nicholson and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, the Atlanta Police Department, Sheriff Pat Lebat and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the DEA Special Response Team, and the Georgia State Patrol. Each one of these agencies were able to bring essential resources to the investigation and we all worked together to stop a main source of illegal narcotics to the area.” 

“Reaching out and working jointly with the GBI, DEA, and other agencies was the key to the success of this operation. These folks were willing to assist when asked, and the citizens of Spalding County should be proud of the teamwork that led to this arrest. I am thankful that our friends and colleagues were willing to help when we called, and we look forward to helping them and other agencies across the state of Georgia when needed or when their investigations lead them in our direction.” 

“He thought he was untouchable, well, he just got touched. He was well-known in this part of the state, we want it to be well known that he is over, and he is being held in the Spalding County Jail without bond. He is now facing the possibility of Federal indictment. When they come for him, he won’t be hard to find, he’ll be right here.

Upson-Lee Scrimmage Cancelled

Due to an increase in COVID cases, quarantines and injuries, the Upson-Lee / Lamar County scrimmage scheduled for Trojan Field in Barnesville Friday night has been cancelled.

The Knights will open their season on Thursday night the 19th at Callaway Stadium in LaGrange against the Grangers in a non-region contest.

Hear all the action on FUN 101 FM!

Miller Named Assistant Superintendent For Curriculum

At the August 10th meeting, the Thomaston-Upson Board of Education approved Dr. Amy Miller as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. 

Dr. Miller, who is in her 26th year with TU Schools, currently serves as Director of Exceptional Children Services and School Improvement Specialist for the district.

Lanning Talks Georgia Defense & Travon Walker

Defensive Coordinator Dan Lanning met with the media via Zoom Tuesday morning and offered the following comments regarding fall camp and the upcoming 2021 season.

Click HERE to read the entire transcript.

Griffin Shooting And Robbery

On June 15th at approximately 2:00 pm, a Griffin Police officer was on patrol near 403 W. Taylor Street. The officer observed what appeared to be an altercation between several males which included an exchange of gunfire. Before the officer could stop and contact the individuals, all parties fled the area in their respective vehicles. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop which led to a brief pursuit. The pursuit ended shortly near the intersection of N 12th St and W. Solomon Street after the officer lost contact with the vehicle/s due to heavy traffic on the roadway. 

A few minutes later, Spalding WellStar Hospital reported that someone had brought a male to the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Investigation revealed that the male with the gunshot wound was involved in the altercation observed on West Taylor Street. Investigative activity and video obtained from a business in the area led to the recovery of the vehicle involved and the identity of all individuals. 

Those arrested and charged as follows: 

Deangelo Johnson, age 32 of Griffin, was arrested for Robbery by Sudden Snatching, Battery, Affray, Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Participation in Criminal Gang Activity. Investigation revealed that Johnson had just recently been released from prison, having served time for Armed Robbery. 

Delshon Pearson, who is also the shooting victim, age 29 of Griffin, has been charged with Robbery by Sudden Snatching, Battery, Affray, and Participation in Criminal Gang Activity. Pearson was out of jail “On Bond” at the time of the shooting for Aggravated Assault and Cruelty to Children. 

Jamarcus Prather, age 32 of Griffin, has been charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault, Affray, Criminal Damage to Property, Reckless Conduct, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime. 

Warrants are pending for a fourth suspect: 

Jamaurius Ponder, age 25, who is still at large. At the time of the shooting incident, Ponder was out of jail “On Bond” for gang-related charges.

Griffin Man Shot And Killed By Officers Following Chase

A Griffin man was shot and killed by Lovejoy police officers following a chase that started in Clayton county and ended at the intersection of Birdie Road and US 19 north in Spalding county.

Twenty nine year old Stephen Neil Weigand of Griffin pointed a gun at officers when he exited the vehicle and was shot multiple times by police, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Weigand hit at least one car as he was leaving a restaurant in Jonesboro at 2:45 am Saturday morning. He was stopped by a Clayton county police officer and struck the officer in the face as he was attempting to handcuff him. Weigand jumped back into his car and headed south on Tara Boulevard with Lovejoy officers in pursuit.

Spalding county officers set up a road block at Birdie Road, just north of Griffin and forced Weigand to stop. No officers were injured, the incident is under investigation by the GBI.

Longtime Radio Personality Bill Chapman Passes Away

Mr. Bill "Billy" Chapman age 78 of Thomaston passed away Monday May 31st at Upson Regional Medical Center. 

He was DJ for many years at WSFT in Thomaston and Sales Manager at WTGA (Fun 101) in Thomaston and Sales Manager at WKEU FM in Griffin. He worked with Rex King as a Disc Jockey also former Sheriff Don Peacock as a Disc Jockey. He was awarded DJ of the year at the CMA Awards show in 1990 and He was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame 1994. 

Mr. Chapman was born on March 17, 1943 in Upson County, to the late, William Carvis Chapman, and the late Mary Ellen Harden Chapman. In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his sister, Betty Louise Johnson.

Survivors include his wife, Sylvia Winters Chapman of Thomaston, daughters, Sherry (Lee) Sumner of Woodland, Michelle (Jim) Smith of Molena, sons, Clay (Lacy) Chapman of Thomaston, Sandy (Pam Worth) Chapman of Fruithurst, AL, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday June 3, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. from Trinity Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Upson Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Coggins Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Trinity Baptist Church at 410 S Church St. Thomaston, GA 30286.

Upson County Commissioners Option Two Properties For New Judicial Center

The Upson County Board of Commissioners heard from several distinguished officials at the Board meeting on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. 

Superior Court Chief Judge Fletcher Sams, District Attorney Marie Broder, Sheriff Dan Kilgore, Superior Court Clerk Teresa Harper and Probate Judge Danielle McRae each addressed their concerns and issues regarding the existing county courthouse related. Judge Stephen Ott, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court, provided the board with a letter addressing his opinion on the challenges his court faces in the existing courthouse. 

After executive session the Board voted to authorize Chairman Allen to execute several options to purchase property for consideration.

The options to purchase include two properties that include property owned by Charles E. Daniel and Charles F. Daniel, approximately 27 acres bordered by West Main and West Walker Streets offered at $550,000. The other property is owned by Chad Murphy, approximately 30 acres located off Hwy 19 South offered at $583,000. The due diligence period for both is 90 days from execution during which time the county will conduct due diligence to determine the best site for construction of the new court facility.

Most of the funding for the purchase for the property will come from the proceeds of surplus property sales, monies that the Board had set aside for this specific purpose. Citizens will have the opportunity to decide on whether funding from the new SPLOST will be used to pay bond indebtedness in this November’s referendum.

Discussions on a new facility began before many of the Board members ever took office and has been an item the current board has worked on for some time. 

Chairman Allen stated, “Addressing the public safety needs of our community is one of our primary responsibilities and for years we have heard the concerns of those people serving in our public safety and justice system of the problems with our current situation. As we continue to review our options, I encourage citizens to offer their suggestions and to reach out to the other elected officials if they would like to learn more about the specific needs and challenges.” 

Update On Murder/Suicide

According to Thomaston police chief Mike Richardson, at approximately 3 pm this afternoon Thomaston Police Officers were dispatched to 110 Thurston Avenue in reference to a welfare check. While enroute they were advised via dispatch that someone had possibly been shot in the residence. 

Upon arrival the officers had to make a forced entry at which time they found the deceased victim near the back of the residence with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as a black female, Rosanna Smith, 32 years of age and resident of 110 Thurston Avenue. There was no one else located in the residence at that time.

After further investigation it was determined that the victim’s ex-boyfriend who is the father of her infant child had come to the residence to return the victims vehicle. He was identified as John Bussey, 42 years of age from Thomaston. While at the residence some type of dispute occurred and evidence indicates Bussey shot the victim and fled the scene in the victims Ford Edge. A BOLO for Bussey and the vehicle was issued to surrounding jurisdictions. Additional information indicated that Bussey was possibly in the south Atlanta area.

At approximately 6:30 pm members of the Georgia State Patrol spotted the suspect vehicle in south Atlanta near Ponce De Leon Ave. They attempted to make a traffic stop at which time the suspect vehicle fled. After a brief vehicle pursuit, the suspect vehicle wrecked at the intersection of Ponce De Leon Ave. and Boulevard NE in Atlanta. Immediately after the wreck the suspect, Mr. Bussey, was found deceased in the vehicle with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The scene in Atlanta is currently being investigated by GSP and the GBI. Thomaston PD with the assistance of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit is still on the scene of the homicide in Thomaston. The case is under active investigations. We have no reason to believe at this time that there are any other victims or suspects associated with this case in Thomaston.

Burglary Arrest In Spalding

On Wednesday May 19th, marked units from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary in progress at a residence on Yamacraw Road. 

Hannah Sikes

Sheriff Darrell Dix, “The homeowner, who was away from home, was alerted when the security cameras at her residence detected motion. The system sent pictures to her phone and when she saw the 2 suspects in the pictures she immediately called the Spalding County 911 Center. As units arrived on scene they began to set up a perimeter to try to contain the suspects. We deployed one of our HAWK drones along with one of our K-9 units in the area to begin a ground search. At the same time, we were able to distribute photos of the suspects that had been provided to us by the homeowner on social media.” 

“Shortly after the photos hit social media, we received a tip that the female suspect in the picture was Hannah Sikes (W/F 29 years of age) and that she lived at an unknown address on Tomochichi Road. Based on that information and in-house records searches, Investigators were able to obtain information that linked the suspect to the address of 753 Tomochichi Road. When investigators and uniform deputies arrived at the residence they located Sikes and the male suspect from the photos and identified him as Lonnie Harper (W/M 39 years of age). They recovered the clothes that they were wearing in the pictures.” 

Lonnie Harper

“Both were taken into custody and are currently being housed in the Spalding County Jail. They have been charged with burglary and are awaiting their first appearance hearing.” 

“These arrests were made possible by the camera system the homeowner used that gave her the ability to quickly notify us that someone was at her residence then forward us very clear pictures of the suspects. This allowed us to get marked units and investigators on scene and in the area quickly, and accurate information out to the public via social media. These facts, coupled with citizens and deputies working together led to the tip that resulted in the arrest of both suspects. Great work by everyone involved.” 

If you do not have access to social media but want to stay informed of what is going on in Spalding County you can subscribe to receive our Nixle alerts by texting Spalding to 888-777. You will receive lookouts, traffic crash information, and severe weather alerts. There are no adds or junk texts. This is a free service provided by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.

Georgia To Stop Federal Unemployment Supplement Next Month

Georgia will stop providing additional federal unemployment benefits that were passed by Congress to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last week that the extra $300 will be paid is June 26th.

Business leaders have said the federal benefits have created a labor crisis across the state. Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber stated that, “Because workers aren’t coming back into these jobs, we had companies tell us they are turning down orders, they’re even looking at shutting down operations.”

There are currently around 250,000 jobs available on the Employ Georgia website.

The pool of workers who are eligible for unemployment benefits, many self-employed, gig workers and freelancers that typically don't qualify for state benefits will be entirely cut off from assistance.

It’s uncertain if the federal money will be redirected, Clark suggested Kemp use the federal unemployment benefits, of $300 a month, for new hires to get a signing bonus or to pay for job training. 

Callista Clark On Kelly & Ryan

Zebulon's Callista Clark will make her television debut Friday morning on Live With Kelly and Ryan at 9:00 am on WSB TV, channel 2.

Callista will perform her new single “It’s ‘Cause I Am” from her EP "Real To Me" that was released on February 12th of this year.

Callista is signed to Big Machine Records, the same label that Taylor Swift was with when her career began and "Real To Me" was produced by Nathan Chapman who joined Big Machine Records with Swift. Callista co-wrote all of the songs on the EP.

Thunderstorm Watch Extended

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City has extended the severe thunderstorm watch through central and northwest Georgia until 10 pm tonight.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued

Severe thunderstorm watch issued for southwest Georgia until 10 pm tonight.

There are several severe storms moving through central and southern Alabama at the present time, at least one of which has spawned a tornado.