STAFF REPORT :::

A criminal investigation that began in November 2017 has resulted in the arrest of Gregory C. Byard on charges of child pornography.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, his agency has during the past month been working cooperatively with investigators from the United States Department of Homeland Security, which Dix said was working to gather information regarding child pornography being distributed to and by persons in Spalding County.

Authorities say the investigation reached a turning point on March 22, when agents of the SCSO Special Operations Unit, Criminal Investigation Division and Warrant Division, along with deputies of the Uniform Patrol Division, with the assistance of Homeland Security agents, executed a search warrant at a West McIntosh Road location.

Officials say computers and electronic devices belonging to the 57-year-old Byard were seized as a result.

Dix reported a preliminary search of the devices conducted by Department of Homeland Security agents specializing in computer forensics uncovered evidence of child pornography.

He said during that brief onsite preview of computer hard drives, fifteen images of child pornography were located.

Two computers and a cellphone were seized for further investigatory purposes, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Byard was taken into custody and has been charged with fifteen (15) counts of possession of child pornography.

He is currently being held in the Spalding County Jail.

“It has not been determined in this ongoing investigation if any of the children depicted in the images are residents of the Spalding County or Griffin area,” Dix said. “This type of filth is just sickening. These children are victims of this perversion and we are going to do all we can to make sure those responsible for doing this pay the highest price possible. This further drives home why we all need to be more observant and do all we can do to protect our children. Please be aware and closely monitor what they are doing.”

STAFF REPORT :::

A traffic stop has resulted in multiple arrests on gang, drug, firearms and a variety of other charges.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, the traffic stop was conducted by personnel of the Criminal Apprehension and Gang Enforcement Unit.

Dix said the deputies knew the driver, Jacob Henley, had outstanding felony warrants for his arrest.

Officials say the C.A.G.E. Unit agents made contact with Henley, Sherry Alloway and Charles Redding, and took Henley into custody. At that time, deputies reported noting the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

Dix said a subsequent search of the vehicle’s passenger compartment resulted in the discovery of synthetic marijuana and actual marijuana, along with digital scales.
This led to the arrest of the vehicle’s other occupants.

Through interviews and surveillance, investigators were able to link the vehicle and Henley to a residence located at 298 Hosanna Road, Dix said, adding that it resulted in the seizure of a quantity of methamphetamine, digital scales and other drug related objects and a stolen firearm.

Arrests and charges include:
Jacob Henley, possession of Schedule I controlled substance, possession of Schedule I controlled substance with the intent to distribute, possession of drug related objects, possession of methamphetamine, theft by receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, disorderly house, driving on a suspended license, open container, failure to maintain lane, and violations of the Criminal Street Gang Act. This is in addition to warrants for possession of methamphetamine and Violation of the Criminal Street Gang Act.

Sidney Jordan, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug related objects, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, false name and date of birth of two counts of violation of probation.

Charles Redding, charged with possession of Schedule I controlled substance, possession of Schedule I controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug related objects and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Brittany Patton, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug related objects and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Sherry Alloway, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug related of objects and permitting an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle.

Keyondria Guider, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug related objects and failure to appear.

“Henley is a well-known, well-documented gang member that has been selling narcotics and committing other crimes in our community for years. He has an extensive arrest and conviction record that reflects that fact and yet he continues to plague this community. Because of his record and disregard of the law we have requested that he be granted no bond until his court date. Records show that he was out on bond when he committed these new crimes,” Dix said. “This was the second time this year that Special Operations has been to this particular residence for narcotics investigations and made arrests.  As I have stated in the past, gang members and their illegal activities are no longer welcome in Spalding County and we will arrest them in bunches or one at a time if we have to. Henley chose not to heed the warnings given to him by this community and through multiple convictions through the criminal justice system. He has now been given the opportunity to meet our Gang Unit and become more familiar with our Special Operations Unit. We will continue to enforce the law, day or night, and will continue to pursue gang members, drug dealers and those that assist them regardless of where they live or who they know, or who they think they are. The law is clear on the subject and my warning is clear – you can stop or we will stop you.”

STAFF REPORT :::

After many hours of searching, a missing elderly Spalding County man has been located.

According to a press release issued by Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, 82-year-old Eddie Owens was reported missing at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday night.

Deputies responded to the area of Owens’ West Ellis Road residence, and a search of the area immediately ensued.

Dix activated the Land Air Water Search Unit (LAWS) and requested assistance from the Spalding County Fire Department and the Georgia Piedmont Region K9 Search and Rescue Team.

Searchers and K9s canvassed the area on foot and the Sheriff’s Office drone was utilized in the search.

The search continued until late Saturday night and resumed at daybreak Sunday.

Owens was ultimately located by K9s and the search team. He was just north of his residence in a wooded area on West Ellis Road.

Dix reports Owens is safe and being medically evaluated at WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital.

“We are so grateful that Mr. Owens has been found and is safe,” Dix said. “I can’t express enough my gratitude to the men and women of the Spalding County Fire Department and the Georgia Piedmont K9 SAR. These team members worked alongside Spalding deputies and were able to coordinate a search and rescue that led to Mr. Owens being located.”

STAFF REPORT:::

An investigation conducted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office C.A.G.E. Unit resulted in the execution of a search warrant and the arrest of Kerry Wellmaker.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, the investigation and subsequent search warrant conducted on Wellmaker’s residence originated with multiple complaints about alleged drug activity.

Authorities describe Wellmaker as a documented member of the Alley Boys, a founding group of the Alley Mob Bosses, which claims to represent the CRIPS gang.

Dix said Wellmaker was located in his home as was a distribution quantity of marijuana.

Agents also discovered and collected paraphernalia associated with criminal street gang activity, as well as documents related to the rules and laws of the gang organization itself, the release stated, adding that the finding of the documents as invaluable for intelligence purposes to help combat the spread of the gang’s influence.

Kerry Demetrius Wellmaker was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana more than one ounce, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of drug related objects, two counts of violations of the Georgia criminal street gang and terrorism act, violation of parole and tampering with evidence.

“As Agents attempted to enter Mr. Wellmaker’s drug house, he fled to a bathroom, and attempted to flush his marijuana. His efforts to flush his product, which has become commonplace, were unsuccessful because agents were able to bust the toilet out of the floor and recover it. That has become our common response to this means of disposing of evidence and it has proven to be successful,” Dix said. “Mr. Wellmaker has an extensive history of drug distribution and gang affiliation dating back to the 1990’s and he has chosen to make a career out of being a drug dealer and gang member. The C.A.G.E. Unit reminded him today that this was a poor choice. Known gang members and drug dealers need to understand that no matter who you are, where you are from, or who you know, we are coming for you. We will be making your lives miserable every chance we can. Efforts by the SCSO over the past several months have driven those points home as we have been hitting drug dealers and gang members in a diverse variety of neighborhoods across the county. We are continuing the message that we have been sending for months that you can stop, or we will stop you.”

STAFF REPORT :::

Two investigations being conducted by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit concluded this week, resulting in the arrests of seven people. Additional warrants have been obtained for four more individuals.

Special Operations agents executed search warrants at 104 Gainer Road in northeast Spalding County and 1210 Ethridge Mill Road, just outside the southern limits of the city of Griffin.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, both search warrants led to the recovery of quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana and objects associated with the sale and distribution of both substances.

“The residence at 104 Gainer Road has been visited twice by our Special Operations Division, once in October of last year and now this week. Michael “Slack” Davis and his brother Johnny Davis have allowed this residence to become a known drug den used for the purchase and use narcotics. Agents located some of the exact same people doing the exact same thing again this week that were there previously. Their behavior did not change, so our response was more direct this time,” Dix said, who added that once on scene, agents noted what were referred to as “obvious” code violations and animal control issues. “We were able to work with Spalding County Animal Control and Spalding County Code Enforcement and they responded with us. Once on scene, they were able to gather evidence and issue multiple citations to the homeowner. This neighborhood is comprised of good, hard working people and the Davis’ have allowed their drug house to become an eye sore and blight on an otherwise good community. We hope that this ended this week. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of the other occupants of this residence for their continued participation in the crimes occurring there.”

Arrested as a result of the search warrant executed at 104 Gainer Road were:

Michael “Slack” Davis, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, disorderly house, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of drug related objects.

Johnny Davis, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug related objects and disorderly house.

Cristi West, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug related objects.

Janelle Dinkins, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana less than one ounce and possession of drug related objects.

Ellis Williams, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of drug related objects.

Warrants were also obtained for Salina Ross and Christopher Arnold stemming from that investigation. Authorities say they are now being sought on those outstanding warrants.

Special Operations agents on April 6, executed a second search warrant at 1210 Ethridge Mill Road after their investigation indicated that Keith Seiber was allegedly using and selling methamphetamine from the residence.

During the investigation, agents reportedly located intelligence that placed Seiber in possession of handguns and rifles. Based on this information, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team conducted the entry and secured the residence.

Seiber was not home at the time of the search warrant execution. However, other residents identified as Brandi Queen and Courtney Thomas were at the residence.
Investigators learned that Thomas had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of the city of Griffin, which led to his arrest for that warrant.

Officials say the search of the residence yielded quantities of prescription medication, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Arrested at the Ethridge Mill residence were:

Brandi Queen, who was charged with possession of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of Schedule IV narcotics, possession of drug related objects and possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.

Courtney Thomas, who was charged with possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, possession of drug related objects and the outstanding warrant from the city of Griffin.

Warrants were issued for Keith Seiber and Michael Queen for multiple violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. They are both being sought on these outstanding warrants.

“Those that were not arrested at these scenes have had warrants issued for their arrest. They need to turn themselves in immediately; there is no prize to win for running. Prior to our search warrant execution at his residence, Seiber was already wanted on outstanding warrants from both Henry and Butts counties. We believe he thought Spalding County would be a safe place for him to hide, but he thought wrong,” Dix said. “Our pursuit of stopping crime in this county no matter where it’s at or who it is will be relentless. I want to stress that the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office takes drug complaints seriously. Even though we are unable to act on some as quickly as others, they are all still looked in to. If you have information on drug activity, no matter where it is occurring, call us. Ask to speak with a narcotics investigator or leave a tip on our anonymous tip line. This week, these subjects were shown what I have said from the start – you can stop or we will stop you.”

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

With the ribbon cutting for The Iris at Park Pointe, the Griffin Housing Authority has completed its multi-phase refurbishment of Sunshine Homes on Meriwether Street.

Griffin Housing Authority Director Bob Dull said the project has exceeded his expectations.

“Even our residents are freaked out. Unfortunately, our program lowers expectations a lot, but this exceeded everyone’s expectations. They’re happy,” he said.

In addition to the quality and design of the homes, Dull said the work has surpassed anything he could have anticipated.

“The process ended up giving us the benefit of the doubt, so to speak,” he said. “We got tax credits every for three years, which is unheard of in this state. We also got federal home loan bank grants – three in a row – so, to me, that’s either God or someone looking out for us. I’ve been in the business a lot of years, and I’ve never seen it happen as fast as it’s happening in Griffin now.”

When asked what he attributes that surprising success to, Dull said, “It has to do with the community; it has to do with my Board of Commissioners, which is 100 percent behind the vision we lined out; and making sure you always have the next project lined up. If we’re not thinking two years out, we’re not doing our job.”

That forward-thinking perspective means the next area of construction – The Terrace at the Park – is well underway, and plans are already moving forward for the next locations.

“We had some transition because we’ve already emptied out Nine Oaks. We’ve transferred all our residents from Nine Oaks and we’re about to begin rehabbing over there,” Dull explained. “I’m trying to keep the pace to get one project done a year, and I’m a little bit ahead of that schedule. We’ll be finishing up the Terraces in the Park by the end of this year, and then the early part of next year we’ll be working on Nine Oaks and Fairmont, so literally we have a project going every year.”

Dull is driven by a passion and love for Griffin, the only hometown he has ever known.

“I love this town,” he said, choking back emotion. “I never really had a home town growing up. I went to 12 different schools growing up. My Mom was a product of public housing; I’m a product of public housing; and Griffin is the longest I’ve ever been in one place, so it’s the only hometown I’ve ever had. To me, morally, I can’t drive through the town without seeing the things other people have seen for so often and forget about it. My moral compass, if I see someone living someplace I wouldn’t want my relatives living, I have to address it, clean it out or say something, and that’s where I think there’s been a paradigm shift in Griffin because other people have adopted that sentiment. Part of the problem is people have been blind to the neighborhoods they don’t drive through.”

The Iris at Park Pointe, however, is one residential development people cannot help but notice as they drive through the area.

“Phase II is a total of 85 units. We have 78 one bedrooms and seven two bedrooms, and the two-bedroom units are designed for a caregiver – if someone needs a caregiver or if two seniors want to be roommates,” he said. “They are income based. Half of them are subsidized – assisted housing that we help subsidize – that’s for retired seniors who are on a fixed income getting Social Security. There’s 43 percent of the units that are subsidized based on a percentage of the area income, and 43 are based on tax credit income, which, those rents go up as high as over $700 a month.”

The senior units are designated for those age 62 and above, which is often the demographic most in need of assistance.

“These are people who are really our most vulnerable. We can’t sit back and throw stones,” Dull said, adding that this phase is nearly at full capacity. “We’ll be done by the second week of April. We’re almost 68 percent leased now.”

He said there are units remaining on the tax credits, but not on the assisted units.

“But now we have 68 more units coming right behind it in the Park, so some people are waiting for those units,” he said. “Seniors in need of housing need to get on the waiting list right now.”

Seniors in need of housing assistance are urged to contact the Griffin Housing Authority at 770.227.7657.

The Iris at Park Pointe provides not only quality housing, but beautiful homes, as well, with dish washers, microwaves, cherry wood cabinets, simulated granite countertops, simulated hardwood flooring and carpeted bedrooms.

Neighborhood amenities include arts and crafts area, a TV lounge, three decks, a community room with large screen television and dining area, a fitness and wellness center with exercise equipment and blood pressure checks.

“My words don’t even do it justice. Griffin does not have anything else like this,” Dull said. “The good part is we started with 120 units at Meriwether Homes. We tore down those 120, and now, we’re already up to 86 family units and 85 senior units, which takes it up to 170 for the original 120, and we’re adding 68 more in the park, so we’ve increased housing opportunities for our seniors – almost doubling it. When we redo Nine Oaks and Fairmont, we’re originally starting with about 250 units and we’ll end up with 370 units.”

Asked if he views Griffin as being on the cutting edge of advances in the public housing arena, Dull said, “Yes. Even other cities are asking how did you do it? The time was right for Griffin.”

Members of Camelot Theatre Company recently performed well at the 2018 Junior Theater Festival is attached. Photo credit James Barker Photography

SUBMITTED :::

Students from Camelot Theatre Company earned praise and recognition at the 2018 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, in January at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

The Junior Theater Festival Atlanta united 6,000+ students and educators from 130 educational musical theater groups representing 30 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Camelot Theatre Company Ben Daugherty and Madison Bush were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of outstanding performers attending the festival. The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 6,000 festival attendees.

The 21 Camelot Theatre Company students, ages nine to 18, presented selections from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty KIDS for performer, music director, composer and teacher Brad Simmons (“Camp”, Broadway’s Lysistrata Jones, Mr. & Mrs. Fitch with John Lithgow) and Disney Theatrical Group Director of Education and Audience Development Lisa Mitchell.

“I was so engaged with the retelling of this pretty unknown piece,” Simmons said.

“Camelot Theatre Company found the charm, magic, and heart of Sleeping Beauty,” Mitchell added.

Produced by the Junior Theater Group in partnership with iTheatrics, a leading educational theater company that creates innovative experiences and products for the public and private sector, the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta is the world’s largest festival celebrating young people and the transformative power of musical theater. This year’s title sponsors were Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group, and Playbill, Inc. The Junior Theater Festival was founded in 2003. In 2010 the festival became an annual event.

In 2013 student Keeley Adkisson won a Freddie Outstanding Individual Performance award.

In 2011 cast members Faith Flanders and Madeline Stephens were two of 25 students festival-wide who were selected to fly to New York to record instructional choreography DVDs for Music Theatre International titles Doctor Dolittle JR., Finian’s Rainbow JR., Disney’s Winnie the Pooh KIDS, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR.

About Camelot Theatre Company
Camelot Theatre Company is a youth-focused, family-oriented community theatre in Griffin, GA. The group has enjoyed past recognition at the Junior Theater Festival.
At the 2017 Junior Theater Festival Camelot Theater Company student Melody McElroy won a Freddie G Broadway Junior Slam Award. The Broadway Junior Slam is a theatrical challenge in which students who don’t know each other must stage and perform a song from a musical in an hour.

This editorial column by Dusty Takle was previously published in a print edition of The GRIP.

I have found myself the past few weeks correcting Jett and how he responds to me.

“Remember who I am,” I’ve told him.

“You are not allowed to talk to me like that,” I’ve told him.

This has not been his normal tone with me. It’s been frustrating. And, then, he had his clipped moved twice the other day for lacking self-control. I mean, that’s easy for Jett, especially if he’s excited, but moving it twice in one day doesn’t happen very often.

I zoned in on his behavior. I talked to Kris about the most effective way to discipline and correct it, but I didn’t zone in on his heart.

Tuesday morning, I was gathering all the things I gather to load three children and take them to school. Jett was focused on his Legos and asked if I would help him find a certain one.

“I’m busy right now. We are getting ready to leave,” I replied.

His response should have hit me in the gut then, but it didn’t until later that night.

“Parents never want to help,” he said.

I hardly gave that comment a thought other than my flippant response back, “Jett! That is ugly.”

I went about my day as usual. The noises of the day drowned out a seven-year-old boy’s feelings.

Until the noises stopped, and I was alone and silent, that is.

OH. MY. HEAVENS.

“Parents never want to help,” he’d said.

Was this true for me as a parent? The answer really didn’t matter. What mattered was Jett had internalized this as a belief system in his young heart.

Sometimes, it’s easy to justify or overcome comments from our children by elevating ourselves thinking we know more.

Sometimes we don’t validate the comments because we know our intentions.

I decided to get quiet and let the Spirit reveal whatever needed to be revealed. Like always, it did.

I immediately texted Kris the story of our morning and Jett’s comment, and then I shared what the Spirit revealed.

“There’s an underlying belief system there we have contributed to. I need to create some time with him where I do something HE wants me to do with him. Not just something I orchestrate for us to do together.”

These are not just in the big things like a child wanting to go the movies with you or go get ice cream. It could be in the little things where they simply want us to help find something. I work hard to create time with Jett, but I’m usually the orchestrator and the director. Sometimes. he wants to be that, too. It’s his way of saying, “This matters to me. Would you let it matter to you, too?”

The next day, I meditated on these thoughts. I gave energy to Jett’s truth, and I gave energy to addressing me, and not Jett’s behavior.

Friends, I immediately saw and felt a difference.

This is the power of spirit and energy.

Last night as he was getting ready for bed, he climbed to his top bunk and said, “This is a mess. I’m going to straighten this up, so I can sleep up here tonight.”

“I will help you, bud,” I told him.

As I helped him and engaged in a task HE orchestrated, he said to me, “You’re the best mom ever.”

It was the simplest thing to engage him in, and he felt heard and he felt valued because that top bunk suddenly mattered to me because it mattered to him.

God knows I hate trying to make up a top bunk, but I love making Jett feel valued more than I hate making up a top bunk.

Sometimes, the smallest tweaks in our parenting make the biggest difference.

When your children make comments that sting, don’t allow your own ego to dismiss them, and don’t see them as a parenting failure. Instead, see them as indicators that something is correcting itself, and let it do its job and correct itself by getting quiet, listening to Spirit and flowing in something new and better. Parenting doesn’t have to be hard. It just must be intentional work, but it’s the best work.

The following is a press release issued by Spalding County State Court Judge Josh Thacker pertaining to errors involving the resubmission of traffic citation dispositions to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. If you received a traffic citation that was processed through Spalding County State Court in the past few years, you could have been impacted by this error, which resulted in some valid driver’s licenses being reported to the state as suspended.

Earlier this year, the Spalding County State Court began (for the first time ever) electronically submitting traffic citation dispositions to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).
Unfortunately, we experienced an internal error regarding our new processes and inadvertently resubmitted many citation dispositions to DDS.
If you have received a citation in the Spalding County State Court in the last few years, this error may result in a temporary negative impact on your driver’s license.
Please know that we undertook immediate action and are presently working diligently to correct this error. We are optimistic that this matter will be promptly resolved.
First and foremost, I want to personally apologize to each and every one of you who may be negatively impacted by this error. We here in the Spalding County State Court take very seriously the trust which you have given us, and we promise to continually strive to provide excellent customer service to each and every one of you.
In the meantime, you have the following options to check on the status of your license.
First, you can call the DDS automated phone line to receive information as to whether your driver’s license has been suspended or is valid. The phone number to DDS is 404.657.9300. When the automated message begins, choose option #1 to check the status of your Georgia driver’s license.
You will then use your keypad to enter your nine-digit Georgia driver’s license number, then press the pound sign to hear your license status information.
Second, you may also go to the DDS website at https://dds.georgia.gov/.
Third, you can visit your local DDS office and speak to a representative in person:
https://dds.georgia.gov/locations/customer-service-center.
Fourth, if you need any documentation regarding your citation disposition, you may contact the Spalding County State Court Clerk at 770.467.4747.
Again, I deeply regret the inconvenience this error may cause to anyone.
You have my promise that we are working diligently to resolve this issue.

UPDATE – Spalding County State Court Judge Josh Thacker has issued a second press release pertaining to errors involving the resubmission of traffic citation dispositions to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. If you received a traffic citation that was processed through Spalding County State Court in the past few years, you could have been impacted by this error, which resulted in some valid driver’s licenses being reported to the state as suspended.

Earlier this year, the Spalding County State Court began (for the first time ever) electronically submitting traffic citation dispositions to the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).

Unfortunately, we experienced a user error regarding our new internal processes and inadvertently resubmitted many citation dispositions to DDS.

As a result of this error, many Georgia driver’s licenses were errantly and negatively impacted. Additionally, some Georgia driver’s licenses were errantly suspended.

Although this matter has not been fully resolved, we have made substantial progress towards correcting this error.

We can now report that a majority of errantly suspended Georgia driver’s licenses have been identified and the suspensions have been removed.

The Spalding County State Court wants to sincerely thank the Georgia Department of Driver Services, who responded quickly and robustly. Specifically, DDS Legal, DDS IT, DDS Customer Service, DDS Public Relations, and many other DDS departments and team members, have all worked tirelessly to identify and correct most of the errantly suspended driver’s licenses.

If you believe this error may affect you, and you plan on operating a motor vehicle, please be certain to call the DDS automated phone line to receive information as to whether your driver’s license has been suspended or is valid. The phone number to DDS is 404.657.9300. When the automated message begins, choose option #1 to check the status of your Georgia driver’s license. You will then use your keypad to enter your nine-digit Georgia driver’s license number, then press the pound sign to hear your license status information.

Again, I deeply regret the inconvenience this error may cause to anyone.

You have my continued promise that we are working diligently to fully resolve this issue and I will provide future updates.

This editorial column written by Maria McCoy previously appeared in a print edition of The GRIP.

Why do the problems of social justice and reform belong to us all? After visiting the Civil Rights museum in Atlanta this weekend, I read a quote that really struck a chord.

“First, they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out- because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out- because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- because I was not a Jew. Then they came from me-and there was no one left to speak for me,” said Martin Neimoller.

We have a duty to each other to speak out on the injustices we see and the ones we hear about. We live in a time when it is incredibly simple to look the other way because whatever is happening doesn’t concern us. Maybe it is easy to refuse to believe that racism still exists because we do not want to see it or believe it, and maybe it’s because we are white.

Maybe it is easy to believe that owning high powered rifles is okay because it wasn’t our child and it wasn’t our school.

Maybe it is easy to believe that deporting mothers and fathers is more important than finding a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants, because we are not illegal immigrants, and we are not being separated from our children or parents.

Maybe it is easy to believe that cutting social welfare programs is more beneficial than providing food benefits for millions of low income families because we aren’t a low-income family.

Maybe it is easy to believe that killing innocent babies in utero doesn’t really matter because they aren’t our babies.

You can draw a line in the sand and see which political party agrees with the individual issues stated above, but that is not what is important. Political parties do not matter in 2018. These aren’t party issues. These are human issues.

We cannot continue to see the suffering of our fellow man while quoting the infamous “thoughts and prayers,” but never truly acting on the issue. Thoughts and prayers are only as good as the action you put behind them.

How many times have you said, “We’re praying for you,” without ever praying? Stop it now. I am a Christian and I frequently pray, so do not think I am maligning anyone who prays. What I am saying is that many times we tell ourselves that praying is enough. If saying one prayer that one time was enough, the Bible wouldn’t tell us to pray without ceasing.

You have the ability to act.

We have the ability to make this world a better place – one by one, and then again, collectively.

Quit thinking about your religion and your political party and your race and your wealth and all of those other factors that tell you what to think and how to think. Start thinking about what you can do to help humanity. Start paying attention to the suffering going on around you because today the suffering belongs to someone in another country, but tomorrow the suffering belongs to you.

Aubrey Carroll, a teen missing from Spalding County since May 2016, has returned home. On Tuesday, Carroll met with Lt. Mike Morris, left, and Sheriff Darrell Dix. Dix described stories of Carroll’s travels as “absolutely amazing.”

STAFF REPORT :::

Aubrey Jayce Carroll, the Spalding County teen missing since May 2016, has been located and chose to return to his Georgia home.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, a joint effort of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Texas Rangers led to the discovery of information that allowed the cooperating agencies to track possible locations where Carroll had been over the past almost two years.

“Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office met with Carroll’s parents on April 10, 2018 at Spalding SO and briefed them about the progress of the investigation, and where we were at now. During the briefing we showed them pictures of Aubrey and shared with them a Facebook page that he had launched under an assumed identity. We also found out that over the time since Aubrey left he had no less than five personal contacts with law enforcement agencies ranging from Alabama to Arizona under his assumed identity,” Dix said as he described Carroll’s time away from Georgia. “He travelled extensively on the west coast and mid-west. During this time, he became a part of a group of people who live by bartering, operating with cash only, and travelling from state to state. They basically looked like a group of people from the Woodstock era in their clothing and life style.”

Dix said upon gathering this information, he and other officials met with Carroll’s parents to determine the best course of action to take.

“After meeting with his parents and considering all options, it was determined to not reach out to him and wait until he had another law enforcement encounter. He had a support group that he was with and all indications were that he was happy and was thriving. He did not appear to be in any danger. We felt that if we reached out to him too soon he would disappear again, lose what support he had, and the search would have to start all over again, more than likely under a new alias,” Dix said. “It was determined by all that this would be the safest course of action since we were so close.”

After leaving home, Carroll turned 17, which qualified him as an adult under Georgia law. This left law enforcement officials with no legal recourse to compel him to return home.

“Since Carroll was now 17, he was no longer a juvenile and in consulting with the FBI and District Attorney’s Office, it was determined that there was no lawful way to force him to come back to Georgia,” Dix said. “We made preparations to leave Spalding County immediately if he had an encounter with officers in another state that would detain him until we could go to him and question him. At this point we were about 99 percent sure where he was and who he was with, the main point is that he was alive.”

Although Carroll’s parents agreed not to make contact with their son, another family member did reach out to the teen.

“After the briefing information was released to other family members by family members who had been briefed. One of those family members went out on a limb and sent Aubrey a message and Aubrey responded. That family member explained what was happening and was able to convince Aubrey to call his mother. Aubrey called his mother and told her that he was ready to come home; however there were certain conditions that he wanted in place such as who he would talk to and where he would go when he got home. Aubrey’s mother reached out to me and told me that she had been contacted and that he was on the way home from out of state. Aubrey’s mom relayed messages from me to him assuring him that he would not be arrested and that he could live as he wanted. These messages occurred over several days, and we allowed Aubrey to pick a location where he felt safe,” Dix said. “Last night I received a call that Aubrey was with his mom and was safe. He agreed to meet with me and Lt. Mike Morris so we could question him about why and how he disappeared, and basic questions about his wellbeing and safety. We met with Aubrey this morning and he is happy, healthy and fine. He told us that he left on his own, and had not been abducted, hurt, abused, exploited, or harmed in any way. He did ask that information about the circumstances surrounding this case be kept private. I can add that there is no indication that he was aided or helped by anyone in this area. All indications are that he did this on his own.”

Dix described Carroll’s stories of his time away from home as amazing and expressed gratitude that the young man is well.

“We sat for quite a bit of time with him and listened to his story. His tale was absolutely amazing. He has seen and done things that make your jaw drop. These things and places line up with the information we had and things just fell in to place,” Dix said. “How the story ended doesn’t matter, who gets credit doesn’t matter. Aubrey’s family, supported by friends and the tenacity of the investigators working on this case saw this through to the end. What matters is that he is safe, healthy and unharmed. “In speaking with Aubrey and his mom, they both want to send the message that if you have a missing loved one to not give up hope. Keep praying, keep looking, and keep your faith. Miracles happen.”

NOR

NORMA RICHARDSON :::

Main Street Players is proud to present “The Diviners,” its fourth production of the 2017/2018 season.

This moving, critically-acclaimed drama is sure to captivate you and touch your heart.

The story takes place in the small town of Zion, Indiana, and centers on a mentally challenged boy named Buddy Layman, played by Jack McGinnis. Buddy is gifted with the unique ability to “divine” water – whether it’s finding subterranean water sources or predicting the weather – yet is afflicted with a serious case of aquaphobia.

The boy is a kind-hearted soul who has a positive impact on everyone he meets, and he is beloved by the entire town. Buddy forms a particularly strong connection with C.C. Showers, played by Chris Gansel, a former preacher who is battling some personal demons. Buddy’s sister, Jennie May, played by Alli Childers, has a different sort of affection for C.C., developing a serious crush on him.

However, when the town finds out about C.C.’s past, things take an unexpected turn.
The Diviners is written by Jim Leonard Jr., and began life as Hanover College’s contribution to the American College Theatre Festival. Shortly after, it received its first professional production from Circle Repertory in New York City, and later went on to appear at the New Playwrights’ Theatre in Washington, D.C.

At one point, director Robert Altman planned a film adaptation of the play that would have starred William Hurt, but the film never came to fruition. Leonard went on to write several additional plays and now works in television as a successful writer and producer, but “The Diviners” remains the defining work of his career.

Main Street’s production of “The Diviners” is directed by B.J. Hughes, who also serves as the theatre’s scenic designer.

The play features a combination of Main Street veterans and newcomers. In addition to McGinnis, Gansel and Childers, there are memorable supporting roles played by Brian Love as Buddy’s father, Ferris; Taylor Blake as local dry goods store owner Norma Henshaw; Alex Quick, as Norma’s niece, Darlene; Betty Mitchell as cafe owner Goldie Short; Floyd Walker as local farmer and amateur doctor Basil Bennett; Karen Stanford as Basil’s wife, Luella; and Andrew Stewart and Benjamin Daughtery as a pair of farmhands.

The assistant to the director is Marian Sorensen, while Janice Aiken serves as the rehearsal stage manager.

The show runs April 18-29. Tickets for “The Diviners” are expected to sell quickly, so call the Main Street box office at 770.229-.9916 to reserve your seats.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Remaining tickets will also be available at the box office the evening of each performance.

A reminder – Main Street Players is now offering Wednesday night performances, giving you additional opportunities to check out the show.

Wednesday-Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinee performances at 3 p.m.

Don’t miss this remarkable, poignant production.

This editorial column by Dusty Takle was previously published in the print edition of The GRIP.

“I know.”

I can remember growing up responding to my parents with “I know” when they would say something to me. Every time, my dad would say, “Don’t say ‘I know.’ Say, ‘yes, sir’ or ‘yes ma’am.’” I had a really hard time with that growing up.

I think most of us still have a hard time with that. Even as adults, it is an easy and automatic response to say, “I know.”

For the past couple of years, I have been working on removing that phrase from my communication. It’s still hard but being conscientious of it has made it easier.

When we respond with “I know,” we immediately shut off any potential for learning something new. We shut off any opportunity to grow in new information or revelation. Even when someone shares something with us that we feel we truly already know, we close off the potential to expand in it.

Refraining from the phrase also honors the person sharing his or her heart with us. It places value on their thoughts and their communication.

Now, instead of saying “I know,” I may something like, “That is really good.” Now, I’ve not only honored the person sharing, but I’ve also opened the door for growth.

I never really appreciated my dad’s reprimand in this when I was growing up, but I most certainly do now.

I appreciate how I hear my father’s voice when I correct my own children when they say it, but now, I am able to share with my children why it’s important to refrain from it. I tell them, “I know stops the flow.”

It stops the flow of information. It stops the flow of anything new coming to you that might grow you and expand you. It stops the flow of honoring our relationships and placing value on the words of someone else.

I know stops the flow.

We see the flow stop on social media outlets as people comment, “I know, but…..”
No one is able to hear the other person. No one is able to honor the other person because we are pre-wired to “know” and respond with what is already in our hearts instead of reading and listening to understand. Reading and listening to grow.

I want to grow. I want to expand. There is always so much more for us to learn. Even in the things we feel secure and solid in, there is always more, and what a beautiful way to honor the people in our lives. What a beautiful way to value all people, even those behind the computer screen that we may not see every day.

What a beautiful way to grow. I know, right? Just kidding, but seriously, the world could use a little more listening, a little more honoring and a lot more loving.

This editorial column by Maria McCoy was previously published in the print edition of The GRIP.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to eat a little later than normal. We met at Applebee’s and unfortunately, there were only two waitresses there, so the wait for our food was pretty long.

Upon leaving, my 16-year-old asked me to take him by a business (that was open) so he could turn in his application. I had been up since 6 a.m. I worked an eight-hour shift, spent almost two hours in traffic getting to class, spent a few hours in class and then had another hour and a half drive home.

After all that, we had waited a good bit at Applebee’s. Looking at the clock, it was 10:30 p.m., so I told my son, “No,” and then immediately felt guilty.

He’s trying to work, trying to get a job.

It would have taken me an extra 15 minutes to go do this for him. You guys. That’s when it hit me. It HIT me. Lightning quick. We have taught our children that their wants will come before our needs. I had been up for a long time. I had a migraine. I just survived Applebee’s with five kids (three of whom are teenagers).

My body was crying for rest, but my son didn’t understand. Why would he though?

Because we have taught them that their wants matter a great deal more than our needs.

Every time we capitulate, we teach them this. Every time we allow them to get the newest shoes out there when we know we are taking from our bill money to do so. Every time we run out to the store to get new pajama’s for “PJ Day” at the school (And I know y’all are doing this, too, because I just do not believe that every kid suddenly has matching, fitting, sparkly PJs. Anyway, I digress). Every time we try to upgrade their phones, knowing it will cause our bill to go up another $20. Every time we leave work to take something to school that they forgot at home.

Every time we do these things, we justify this.

We justify these things by telling ourselves that we do not want them showing up to PJ day in their real jammies – old t-shirts and shorts that are a tad too short.

We justify this by rushing home to get the thing because the thing is all that stands between our kid and that “A”, or more importantly, that “F”.

Guys, this isn’t because we are bad parents. We do this out of love, but this love is misguided because they aren’t learning the lessons they really need to learn. Instead, we are teaching them the entitlement we so love to condemn.

It isn’t about money; it is about convenience. We inconvenience ourselves so that our children will not be inconvenienced, and that does not teach them to adapt to situations. No, sir. It teaches them to rely heavily on someone else to save the day.

They do not learn to think. If we continuously teach our children that their wants are more important than our needs, we are doing them a disservice. We are teaching them that they can have what they want, pretty much any time they want it. No, we aren’t saying that to them, but our actions are screaming it loud and clear.

It isn’t reasonable. More importantly, it isn’t reality because when they get thrust into the world as adults, they still expect someone else to fix their problems and when that doesn’t happen, who knows how these child-adults will act because we never taught them to think for themselves. We must teach these kids to think of different ways to adapt to situations and then to overcome them.

We will have to actually parent them by showing the difference between a need and a want. We are just going to have to buckle down and teach these kids that there are multiple ways to overcome a problem and all they really need to do is think of more than one.

The needs of my children will always, ALWAYS come before my own, but their wants no longer will.

STAFF REPORT

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an ongoing investigation into the death of Griffin City Court Judge Bill Johnston.

According to GBI Director of the Office of Public Affairs Nelly Miles, Johnson, who was 53, was found deceased after having been reported missing.

“On May 1, 2018, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was requested by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the death of Municipal Court Judge William G. Johnston, age 53,” Miles reported. “On April 30, 2018, at approximately 6:20 p.m., Judge Johnston left his residence stating that he intended to meet a client in Lamar County.  The following morning, family members contacted the Police Department because they had not heard from him. On May 1, 2018, Griffin Police Department began making inquiries as to Judge Johnston’s whereabouts and contacted the GBI to assist at approximately 5:05 p.m.  Shortly thereafter, the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Police Department and stated that Judge Johnston had been located in the vicinity of Jewel Drive and Pearl Circle in Spalding County.  He was discovered by two EMC workers in his personal vehicle.”

The GRIP will continue to follow this developing story and report additional information as it becomes available.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Crime Lab on Thursday conducted an autopsy on Griffin City Court Judge Bill Johnston.

According to Nelly Miles, director of the GBI Office of Public Affairs, preliminary autopsy findings indicate Johnston’s death was noncriminal.

Miles said the Griffin Police Department initially requested GBI assistance in locating Johnston, who was first reported missing by his family.

According to the GBI, Johnston’s family reported he left his residence at approximately 6:20 p.m. April 30, stating he had a business meeting in Lamar County.

Johnston, age 53, was located May 1 in the back seat of his vehicle in the vicinity of Jewel Drive and Pearl Circle in Spalding County.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Spalding County Board of Commissioners by a 4 to 1 vote have denied approval of a firearm discharge ordinance.

Commissioners Raymond Ray, who initially proposed the ordinance, Commissioner Don Hawbaker, Commissioner Rita Johnson and Commissioner Bart Miller voted in opposition to the ordinance.

Commissioner Gwen Flowers-Taylor opposed the vote denying approval.

The GRIP will later post a detailed article of the discussion prior to the vote.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Violation of his oath of office – one of two felony charges for which the Griffin Police Department in 2017 arrested Matthew Boynton, one of its own officers – was reportedly at risk of being dismissed because his sworn oath of office, the signed document, could not be located.

According to Jessica Lester, Boynton’s ex-wife who filed a police report that ultimately led to Boynton’s arrest, she became aware of this development during a meeting with representatives of the Griffin Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Office.

“I actually called them. I was trying to figure out when Matthew’s court case was going before a grand jury,” Lester said.

She recounted having been put in touch with the Spalding County D.A.’s Office Victim Advocate Denise Miller, with whom she had a series of phone calls.

“Finally, she just said why don’t we set up a meeting, so you can ask about whatever you want to know,” Lester said.

A meeting with Assistant District Attorney Kate Lenhard was held April 13.

Lester said Lenhard explained the basis of the scheduling delay in presenting the case to a grand jury and addressed the violation of the oath of office charge.

“She also said that they could only charge him for one (false statements and writings) because his oath of office paperwork couldn’t be found,” Lester said. “She said she’d called and they can’t find it. I asked her who they are, and she said the Police Department. I said, ‘Oh, that figures. That isn’t the first time that’s happened.’”

Asked if Lenhard had elaborated on efforts to locate Boynton’s oath of office, Lester said, “She just said that she’d called, and they said they didn’t have it. That was it.”

Lester said she then inquired about a potential alternative to dismissing the charge.
“…..I asked her if it could be found, would she be able to use it?” Lester said. “She (Lenhard) said as long as we can prove where it came from.”

An associate of Lester’s soon contacted The GRIP, seeking assistance in locating Boynton’s oath.

Upon learning of the missing oath, The GRIP on April 24, submitted an Open Records request to Spalding County Magistrate Court, where judges swear in new officers of the Griffin Police Department by administering the oath of office.

On April 25, less than three hours after the Open Records request was received by June Rainey, The GRIP was provided with a copy of Boynton’s official oath that had been administered June 15, 2015, by Judge Brennan T. MacDowell.

That same day, The GRIP made contact with Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ben Coker, who said he was unfamiliar with the missing oath or the meeting between Lenhard and Lester.

Coker did agree with Lenhard’s assessment that a charge of violation of oath of office – a felony – would require the prosecutor to establish the oath had been administered, which would necessitate production of the oath.

When The GRIP informed Coker the oath had been obtained, he said he would research the matter and call back the following day, April 26.

Coker did not call that day, nor has he responded to multiple subsequent requests for an interview.

When asked to call, Coker instead emailed, “We have received the oath on the Boynton case.”

Asked again to call to further respond to questions pertaining to the Lenhard-Lester meeting, Coker emailed, “When ADA Lenhard met with Jessica Boynton (Lester), my office was not in receipt of the oath of Matthew Boynton. We have since received it and will respond accordingly.”

Unable to obtain further information through the previously agreed upon interview, The GRIP on April 26 submitted Open Records requests to Coker’s office and the city of Griffin.

Sought were “all email communications, notes, memos, records, reports, text messages and any additional information pertaining to providing the District Attorney’s Office with the oath of office of Matthew Boynton, formerly of the Griffin Police Department.”
Although the same information was sought from each office, different materials were produced.

The city of Griffin made available only text messages between GPD Chief Mike Yates and Coker, and text messages exchanged by Yates and Diane Martin, also of the GPD.

Coker’s office, however, produced records indicating his staff spent more than six months attempting to obtain Boynton’s oath from the Griffin Police Department.

In an email dated Oct. 20, 2017, from Coker’s Chief Investigator John Wright to Lt. Karen Yancey, who at that time headed the GPD’s Criminal Investigation Division, Wright requested not only the oath be made available, but numerous additional pieces of evidence, as well.

“Karen, I am working on Matthew Boynton’s case and according to your check list, there is a lot missing. I have a case summary and a criminal history. Please provide the following…..”

Wright then listed a series of 12 items he said were missing from the records Yancey had cited in her case check list. Number 12 on Wright’s list was Boynton’s oath of office.

There is no indication Yancey responded in writing to Wright’s email, but another representative of the D.A.’s Office said several D.A.’s Office employees had spoken by phone with multiple GPD personnel regarding Boynton’s missing oath.

With the Police Department reporting it was unable to locate the missing evidence, by March, efforts to obtain the oath of office had expanded beyond the GPD, with Wright seeking the assistance of city of Griffin Human Resources Director Miles Neville.

In an email to Neville dated March 27, 2018, Wright wrote, “Just wondering if you had a chance to send me the oath of office on Matthew Boynton?”

That same day, Neville replied, “Sorry it took so long. I had to go to our archives to find his file. I searched the file, looking at every page, and there is not an oath of office in the file. I have the official police file in my possession and it isn’t there.”

Despite the months the oath reportedly could not be located, once The GRIP informed Coker it had acquired a copy, the GPD reported Boynton’s original oath of office had been found.

Text messages exchanged by Yates and Martin beginning at 2:35 April 26, pertained to that day’s search for the missing evidence.

Martin wrote, “Nothing found,” to which Yates replied, “Thanks.”

Martin sent two additional messages to Yates. The first read, “I’m checking with Karen to see if in all her files she has a copy,” and the second stated, “Karen thinks she put one in the file she is checking (sic).”

Soon after, Yates sent to Coker via text message a photograph of Boynton’s oath.

A subsequent text message from Yates stated, “It was in case file sent over and original is in evidence.”

An Open Records request for the digital report on the photo Yates sent Coker indicated the photograph was taken at 3:19 p.m. April 26, less than 24 hours after The GRIP’s interview with Coker.

The following day, Martin emailed a copy of the oath to Neville for placement in Boynton’s personnel file. In turn, Neville emailed a copy of the oath to Wright and reported, “I’m not sure if it’s too late, but the PD found a copy of Matthew Boynton’s oath of office.”

The GRIP attempted to interview Yates, but little information was provided.

When asked where the oath had been located, Yates stated, “It was in evidence.”

Asked if it had been in evidence for the six months it had been sought and reported as missing to the District Attorney’s Office, Yates said, “I don’t know anything about their efforts to try to find it or anything about that, but it has been in evidence since we concluded the case.”

He said he did not know when the case was concluded.

As for when the case file was submitted to the Coker’s office, Yates said, “It was submitted after we concluded it and finished our paperwork. I don’t know what date that was. It was shortly after we concluded the case.”

Yates then abruptly ended the interview by stating he would not answer any further questions at that time, but that questions could be emailed to him.

When The GRIP attempted to schedule a time to meet for an interview, Yates said, “It won’t be tomorrow because my day is pretty much booked, and I don’t feel comfortable doing a sit down interview with you unless I have my camcorder going.”

The GRIP readily agreed to comply with Yates desire to record the interview, but Yates then said, “Like I said, you have the same offer you always have. If you have some specific questions you want to aske me, send them to me and I’ll respond in writing.”

When The GRIP said it does not conduct interviews by email, but reiterated there are no objections to recording the interview, Yates responded by saying, “I’m not really interested in doing an interview with you. If you have questions, send them to me and I’ll answer them. I would respectfully decline the interview.”

No further information was forthcoming regarding the missing oath or the potential dismissal that could have resulted had it not been located.

The GRIP is continuing to work this story and will report additional information as it becomes available.

Griffin Police Department Chief Mike Yates – Photo courtesy of the city of Griffin

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The GRIP’s efforts to provide news coverage of matters involving the Griffin Police Department are being hindered by Chief Mike Yate’s refusal to be interviewed or to allow The GRIP to work with anyone else in the agency, including the recognized public information officer.

Most recently, Yates refused to meet with The GRIP regarding a significant issue – missing evidence that nearly resulted in the dismissal of a felony case against Matthew Boynton, a former Griffin P.D. officer – insisting instead that questions be submitted only by email.

When told emails are not the method in which interviews are conducted, Yates replied, “That’s how I do them.”

When asked if that is his standard policy with all media outlets, Yates said, “That’s enough. If you have questions, email it to me and I’ll answer it, but I’m not gonna sit here and debate with you. When I have issues with being misquoted, that’s how I do it…No, my policy differs with the media outlets depending on the manner by which previous things have been done.”

Asked to specify his concerns with The GRIP’s previous work, Yates said, “I’ll be happy to explain that to you in writing.”

Thus began the following email exchange –

The GRIP:
Chief Yates,
In reference to our telephone conversation this afternoon, can you please clarify your media policy in general and as it specifically applies to me? In addition, can you please elaborate on your objections to my prior work that has resulted in your refusal to be interviewed?
Thank you,
Sheila Mathews

Yates:
Ms. Mathews,
In regards to our brief phone conversation today the answers to your questions are as follows:
I do not do phone interviews or otherwise with you or any media outlet regarding the operations or actions of other agencies or entities (GBI, DA’s Office etc…) especially when I don’t know the answer or do not have firsthand knowledge.
I don’t do the above types of interviews where I feel that the interviewer has previously not reported my comments accurately or in the proper/intended context, or has reported inaccurate or false information.
When I consider the above and do not feel comfortable with such I offer to answer any questions you (or any media outlet) might have in writing, by email so as to insure absolute accuracy and avoid mistakes, intentional or not, regarding my statements or the context in which they were made.
I trust this addresses your concerns.
Regards,
M. Yates

The GRIP:
Chief Yates,
It’s truly unfortunate that you feel I’ve previously either reported your comments inaccurately, out of context or have reported inaccurate or false information. I strive for accuracy in all my work, but errors can occur. If you would be so kind as to provide specific examples of your concerns and copies of your recordings indicating such errors were indeed made, I’ll be quite happy to review my work and records, and will most certainly make any necessary public corrections.
Thank you for offering once again, but as I’ve explained on numerous previous occasions, email interviews simply aren’t an acceptable option. They are far from an industry standard, and while I appreciate your wish to prepare for the subject matter on which we may speak, email interviews are the equivalent of offering an interviewee tacit quote approval prior to publication. That is far from acceptable, and is actually contrary to a free and independent press. However, to facilitate an amicable working relationship, I’m completely willing to meet any reasonable demand you feel is necessary to protect your interests that will allow me to do my job ethically and professionally.
As I stated earlier this afternoon and have stated on numerous previous occasions, I am willing to have you video and/or record any and all interactions and interviews. If it would make you more comfortable to also have present a witness of your choosing, I have no problem with that, either. Those options should certainly put to rest any concerns that I may commit the acts you’ve alleged.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sheila Mathews

Yates:
I have explained and offered to answer your questions and concerns but I have nothing to add. If you have a question you may ask, in writing, and I will respectfully answer.
Thank You

Publisher’s note: At this time, The GRIP has no immediate source of contact with the Griffin Police Department.
Additional reports pertaining to this ongoing situation will be published in the May 24 print edition of The GRIP.