LOGANVILLE — An accident involving a motorcycle and a sport-utility vehicle Thursday on Highway 81 resulted in the third traffic fatality in Walton County this year.
According to reports, Tracy Wilson Harrison, 41, of 6434 High Point Ridge, Loganville, was driving south on Highway 81 heading toward Loganville. As she approached the intersection with Lee Byrd Road, Harrison attempted to turn left early as Paul D. Beason, 32, of 4715 Rock Springs Court, Loganville, was traveling northbound on Highway 81.
Beason, who was on a motorcycle, was unable to avoid the impact with Harrison’s vehicle and scraped along the passenger side of the car before striking the wheel well, where he was then thrown from the motorcycle, according to Loganville Police Department Lt. J. H. Fain II.
WALTON COUNTY — A fire early last week claimed the life of a Walton County resident.
Ossie Hanson, 86, died of smoke inhalation at the burn center in Augusta after a space heater caused a fire at the home of her sister Edna Hester at 1628 Barton Bridge Road.
“The space heater in the back bathroom was the cause of the fire,” said Walton County Fire Rescue Chief Mike Moore. “It was an old space heater and while it’s unclear whether there was anything nearby to catch fire, the fire marshal determined the heater was the cause of the fire.”
WALTON COUNTY — Some people take their work home with them at the end of the day.
Walton County homeowner Mark Brown, however, had it follow him home — then nearly fall on him.
Brown came to his Pleasant Valley Road home after a ride through the country Wednesday night to find an airplane tire stuck in his attic after it crashed into his roof from above.
MONROE — A recent fire at the Broad Street offices of Angel Food Ministries occurred due to an employee’s smoke break.
“It was accidental,” said Lt. Bill Owen, of the Monroe Fire Department. “It started through careless smoking which ignited some pine straw and from there the building.”
The building was a small storage shed behind the main offices of the local charity and the fire burned quickly, throwing massive clouds of smoke into the air.
I was driving up 400 and a cop stopped me for speeding. There was traffic to my right so I pulled over to the left against the median wall. The officer was agitated with me and I didn't like his attitude. I couldn't pull over to the right because of the traffic. What should I have done? Was I dumb to do that?
Dear Dummy:
Having been there myself, I'm guessing the officer was a bit on the agitated side knowing that he was about to be run over. The only thing that would fit in that lane is a clown car so I'm sure half of yours and the cop's car, which of course is behind yours and will be the first one hit, was sticking out there to be hit by one of our fine drivers who just may be on his or her cell phone, texting something insignificant that could have waited.
WALTON COUNTY — Four years after he lost his re-election bid for sheriff, Al Yarbrough is setting his sights on the man who unseated him.
The 61-year-old Angel Food Ministries employee will take on incumbent Sheriff Joe Chapman in the Republican Primary on July 15.
Chapman defeated Yarbrough in the GOP contest four years ago and then beat Democrat Nathaniel Rakestraw later that year. Yarbrough points to his 33 years in law enforcement as a reason why he should be elected.
MONROE — A man who requested a meeting with the FBI died while agents were driving him in the city Feb. 11.
James Jackson, 56, of Monroe, died after being transported to Walton Regional Medical Center after two men who identified themselves as FBI agents called emergency personnel shortly after 12 p.m. on Feb. 11.
Jackson said he had a head injury “which happened a long time ago,” according to Monroe Fire Department documents, and did not appear to be in custody, according to emergency personnel on scene. He had an extremely elevated blood pressure, according to MFD documents.
LOGANVILLE – A bank robbery two weeks ago that had police officials swarming Wachovia Bank in Loganville and local schools on lock-down turned out to allegedly be an inside job.
Three people, including a teller at the bank, have been arrested in connection with the robbery that took place at Wachovia Bank Feb. 1.
Loganville Police Department Cheif Mike McHugh said Chantale Charles, 33, of Loganville, Travis Benson, 24, of Duluth, and Leon Conley, 28, of Norcross, were taken into custody Thursday by law enforcement officials and will all be charged with robbery. They are currently being held in Walton County jail.
SOCIAL CIRCLE — A 3-year-old boy remains in the hospital after suffering second- and third-degree burns to his arm and stomach early on New Year’s Day.
“What we have right now are conflicting accounts of what happened,” Social Circle Department of Public Safety Chief Steve Shelton said. “We are trying to sort this matter out. It is too early to tell if any charges are going to be filed in this case.”
Emergency officials were called out to a Cedar Street home minutes after the new year started at 12:02 a.m. on Jan. 1.
MONROE — Law enforcement officers will be cracking down on juvenile criminal activity and the perceived gang element in the city with a more stringent enforcement of curfew laws aimed at getting juveniles off the street — and this effort may also result in jail time or fines for parents of offenders.
“We have enforced these laws in the past and given a significant number of warnings in the past 90 days,” Monroe Police Chief Keith Glass said. “That is going to stop. We have given as many courtesy warnings as we can. There won’t be any more warnings to the kids. We won’t just tell them to go home. We will take them home and give both them and their parents or guardian a citation. It is important parents and those responsible for juveniles realize they are responsible for these kids as well.”
Glass said the move to a stricter enforcement of the laws governing curfews for children, loitering and holding parents or guardians responsible for curfew violations is not a direct result of the shooting which took place on Dec. 30.
