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Thirty-five years ago today, 28-year-old Donna Ogletree Johnson was tortured then killed - her battered body found on an old logging road. The crime, arguably the most heinous in Lamar County history, remains unsolved.

At times since the killing, which shocked the community and scared many into locking their doors for the first time, the investigation has lagged but sheriff Brad White and district attorney Jonathan Adams have made it a priority. [Full Story »] 

McKenzie Road will be closed to through traffic for the next two weeks as Dixie Pipeline crews repair a gas line in the area. The closure impacts the stretch of road from Martin Dairy Road to Trice Road.

By Walter Geiger

Its legal battle to relocate over 100 graves from the historic Wadsworth-Clayton Cemetery, which now appears almost certainly doomed, has cost the City of Barnesville $92,610.25 in legal fees, according to an analysis of records obtained by The Herald Gazette following an open records request.

The battle dates back to July 13, 2017 when the county commission voted 3-2 to grant the city a grave relocation permit in order to spur industrial growth. Descendants filed for relief in Fulton County superior court, arguing the issue should have gone before a Lamar superior court judge, and they prevailed.

That led to arguments before Judge Tommy Wilson in Lamar superior court and his ultimate denial of the permit which was upheld by the Georgia court of appeals on June 18.

Two law firms were retained by the city to litigate the matter. Haygood, Lynch, Harris, Melton & Watson of Forsyth was the lead firm on the case. Bobby Melton of that firm did all the city’s work on the case. According to a review of billing records, Melton’s fee is $175 per hour. [Full Story »] 

A man walked (with help) away from a spectacular crash on Hwy. 36 East Monday afternoon. He was taken by ambulance to a Macon trauma center after being extricated from his mangled truck.

The man was driving an older model pickup truck west on Hwy. 36 when he lost control in a curve, ran off the north side of the roadway, took out a highway sign and then traveled another 80 yards in the ditch before striking a driveway with culvert at 728 Hwy. 36 East. The truck went airborne and hit a pine tree about 20 feet off the ground then struck another pine which snapped off and came to rest on the truck which was totaled.

The first 911 dispatch went out at 3:30 p.m.

UPDATE: The driver has been identified by the state patrol as Timothy D. Jefferson, 33, of Barnesville. He told troopers he fell asleep prior to losing control.

UPDATE 2: A spokesperson for the medical center reports Jefferson is in fair condition.

By Walter Geiger

New laws passed by the state legislature earlier in the year went into effect July 1 and one which has received little or no attention adds tight restrictions on young people who desire to marry. The intent of the law is to crack down on child trafficking.

The age of consent for marriage has been raised from 16 to 17 so those under 17 cannot be issued a Georgia marriage license under any circumstances. Those who are 17 can marry but must first be ‘emancipated’ via the court system. The law refers to them as ‘children’. A 17-year-old is also prohibited from marrying anyone over the age of 21.

Children wishing to marry must file a petition for emancipation in the juvenile court of the county in which they reside. The petition must have complete identification information including a certified copy of birth certificate. Also required are names and all contact information for parents, guardians or legal custodians. The petitioner must also provide the name of his or her nearest living relative who resides in Georgia. [Full Story »] 

Sheriff Brad White and his investigators are awaiting results from DNA testing in a sexual assault case that occurred on Camp Road June 24. The initial 911 call came in at about 4:30 p.m.

The female victim reported a white male entered the home, placed something over her head and sexually assaulted her. [Full Story »] 

An 18-year-old white male is in stable condition at Navicent Health/Macon Medical Center after being shot late Saturday night at Magnolia Apartments on Greenwood Street in Barnesville.

The victim was in an apartment when a shot was fired, apparently through a window, and struck him in the neck at 11:43 p.m.

The probe into the shooting is ongoing and there have been no arrests thus far, according to Sgt. Belinda Penamon of the Barnesville Police Department.

No one was seriously injured Friday afternoon when a Mercury Villager pulled out in front of a Norfolk Southern freight train in downtown Barnesville about 1:15 p.m. The train struck the van and dragged it along the tracks for some distance.

The passengers were frightened but unhurt. The van is totaled.

Traffic is a mess. Avoid the area. State troopers are on the way to process the scene and clear the tracks.

A brief farewell ceremony for the old high school building has been set for 9 a.m. Friday. The public is invited to watch as demolition begins in earnest.

The event will be held in the area between the college and career academy building and the rear entrances to the old campus. Parking will be available in the gym parking lot.

A grease fire erupted in the kitchen at the Barnesville Zaxby's Friday morning, shuttering the fast food franchise right at the lunch hour.

All employees made it out safely. BFD and LCFD personnel repsonded and controlled the situation quickly though there was extensive smoke billowing out of the building.

The original 911 call went out at 11:47 a.m.

A 35-year-old Barnesville man is being held in the Lamar County jail on a $10,000 bond after being caught up in a video sting at the Griffin Walmart where he allegedly planned to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy for sex.

James Thomas Crews of 205 Georgia Ave., Apt 4 was charged with one count of enticing a child for indecent purposes by LCSO investigator Kathryn Knapp Monday. His bond was set at a hearing before chief magistrate Karen Jackson Wednesday morning. [Full Story »] 

A Herald-Gazette story on the Aldora mill village and the offer of free sheds and blocks created exrtensive interest and readers flooded the old neighborhood attempting to take city officials up on the offer.

“We jumped the gun on that. The problem is we did not have enough restrictions on those who bought houses. We did not have a time limit for them to come get the sheds that went with the houses they bought and moved. So, they sat there and sat there and we thought they had been abandoned. Then, when other folks wanted them, they came out of the woodwork,” Aldora mayor Jimmy Matthews said.

As a result, there were several confrontations and Aldora personnel and sheriff’s deputies made numerous trips to the village to keep the peace and provide security.

“I hope things have settled down now and I think they have but we have to keep this project moving. We are giving those who own sheds a grace period until the end of the month. At that point, everything out there is subject to be taken to the landfill as we see fit,” Matthews concluded.

A Bluffton, S.C. man was arrested here on Memorial Day after an alleged road rage incident on I-75 during which he fired four shots from a .45 caliber handgun through his own windshield at another vehicle on I-75 South. The vehicle he fired at had twin 9-year-old girls inside. [Full Story »] 

LCSO deputies and agents from the state Department of Revenue, in consultation with the Towaliga circuit district attorney's office and special prosecutor Jessica Rock, decided to seize the assets of alleged puppy mill operators John David Matthews and Latitia Matthews. Teams spent two days removing items which included multiple vehicles, a boat, tractor, phones and computers.

The Matthews were released on $20,000 bonds Thursday after their most recent arrests for tax evasion Wednesday.

For much more on this story, see the 6.11.19 print edition of The Herald Gazette.