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GUILTY: Grovetown councilman convicted of bribery   04/04/13 - 5:59pm

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

A jury convicted a Grovetown city councilman of federal bribery charges Thursday.

A federal jury convicted Leland J. "Sonny" McDowell of two counts of bribery after a three-day trial in Montgomery, Ala., according to U.S. Attorney Clark Morris, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office Middle Alabama District.

"We are just shell-shocked," McDowell said. "This is not what anyone expected up until the moment of the verdict."

 

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Jury deliberating charges against Grovetown councilman   04/03/13 - 5:26pm

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

A jury is considering charges against a Grovetown city councilman after a three-day trial on federal bribery charges.

Testimony finished Wednesday in the trial of Leland J. “Sonny” McDowell and the jury began deliberations mid-afternoon, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Clark Morris, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle Alabama District. The prosecution rested late Tuesday and McDowell’s defense presented its case Wednesday.

 

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Ex-4H worker charged with child molestation

Former 4H worker charged with molestation   04/03/13 - 1:52pm

By Barry L. Paschal


 


An Augusta woman who worked with students in Columbia County’s 4H program has been charged with having sex with a 15-year-old girl.


Jennifer Gayle Davenport, 26, of the 1300 block of Baker Avenue in Augusta, is being held without bond at the Columbia County Detention Center since her arrest Monday, according to jail records.

 

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Dangerous kerosene sold at Martinez store   04/07/13 - 12:09am

Contaminated kerosene sold by a Martinez convenience store could cause an explosion if used, state officials warn.

Kerosene sold on or after March 31 from Sprint Foods, 424 South Belair Road, might have been contaminated with gasoline and should not be used in kerosene lamps or heaters, according to a news release from Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black.

 

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County approves new excise tax   04/07/13 - 12:09am

A new 2 percent excise tax soon will be levied on energy used in manufacturing by Columbia County industries after it was given approval Tuesday.

County commissioners unanimously approved the tax, which replaces a 2 percent sales tax previously charged on energy used by factories.

Industries across Georgia received an exemption from those sales taxes by state legislation enacted last year that allows counties to recoup the lost revenue by imposing the excise tax.

 

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Little change expected in next year's budget   04/02/13 - 5:51pm

Next year’s Columbia County budget will show a spending increase of less than 1 percent with revenue expected to rise by 2 percent or less.

Commissioners held a joint budget committee meeting Tuesday to look through the inch-thick budget for 2013-14, prepared after department heads and elected officials spent the past few weeks revising their proposals for the coming fiscal year.

The total budget shows expenses projected to be $56.4 million, funded by revenues of $57.6 million.

 

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Grovetown councilman's bribery trial continues   04/02/13 - 5:42pm

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

The defense is expected to begin presenting evidence Wednesday in the federal bribery trial of a Grovetown city councilman in Alabama.

The trial of Leland J. “Sonny” McDowell began Monday in Montgomery, Ala.. Government attorney completed prosecution evidence and rested late Tuesday. McDowell’s attorneys are expected to begin presenting evidence Wednesday morning, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Clark Morris, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle Alabama District.

 

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Wanted couple used stolen credit cards   04/02/13 - 4:22pm

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

Columbia County authorities are looking for two people they say used credit cards stolen from an Appling man last week.

The 55-year-old man called deputies Thursday when his daughter walked outside their rural home and discovered his 2010 Ford Mustang missing, according to a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

The car wasn’t locked and the keys were inside. The man’s credit cards also were inside the car.

 

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Woman charged with making false rape claim against deputy   04/02/13 - 3:43pm

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

An Evans woman was charged Tuesday with falsely accusing a deputy of raping her during a weekend traffic stop.

Kelsey Alane Long, 23, of Evans, was charged with making a false report of a crime, possession of a Schedule III drug, possession of a controlled substance, obstruction and several traffic charges. She’s being held in the Columbia County Detention Center without bond, according to Columbia County sheriff’s Capt. Steve Morris.

 

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Grovetown councilman's federal bribery trial begins   04/02/13 - 9:12am

Twitter @ValerieRowell

 

A Grovetown city councilman is facing federal bribery charges as his trial began Monday in Alabama.

The trial of Leland J. “Sonny” McDowell began Monday in Montgomery, Ala., with opening statements and the beginning of testimony, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Clark Morris, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle Alabama District.

McDowell, who pled not guilty to the charges June 15, is accused of offering a kickback to a former Alabama Department of Public Safety employee in 2007.

 

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