A sea of white covered the home stands at Cedartown High School Memorial Stadium Friday night as a packed house saw the Bulldogs in dramatic fashion defeat the Rockmart Yellow Jackets 13 to 7 in overtime. The Bulldogs would not touch pay dirt until the final quarter as the Dawgs took advantage of some Rockmart penalties and drove the ball inside the one yard line. John Poulin would cross the goal line to put Cedartown on the board 7-7. With Cedartown missing a go-ahead field goal late in the 4th quarter, the clock would expire in regulation and the dead locked game went into overtime. The Dawgs would score first but miss their PAT making the score 13 to 7 giving the Jackets a last chance to score. With a 1st and goal at Cedartown’s 4 yard line, the Jackets would fumble it away with Cedartown recovering to give the Dawgs the win in overtime. Cedartown wins for the second year in a row against the Rockmart Yellow Jackets 13 to 7. The Bulldogs face the Pepperell Dragons in Lindale next Friday.
Cpl. Eddie Jimenez
A family dispute has landed two brothers in jail, one being a school resource officer with the Cedartown Police Department. According to Polk County Police, 33 year old Cpl. Eddie Jimenez of a Dry Creek Road address is charged with battery under the Family Violence Act, cruelty to children, and discharging a firearm under the influence. His brother, 34 year old Martin Julian Jimenez, of a separate Dry Creek Road address was also charged with battery under the Family Violence Act, but was released on a $500 bond. Cedartown Assistant Police Chief Jamie Newsome said that Cpl. Jimenez has been placed on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted. Newsome also says that he has contacted an outside agency to perform an independent investigation. Both Cpl. Jimenez and his brother were arrested early Wednesday morning after Polk County Police responded to a domestic disturbance call. The Polk County Police Department is handling the criminal side of the investigation.
Officials in Bartow County said they arrested a teacher and charged her with aggravated child molestation. According to Sheriff Clark Millsap, investigators arrested 39 year old Gina Leigh Sabin of Cartersville. She is charged with two counts of aggravated child molestation. Officials have not said at which specific school Sabin taught – only that she is a Bartow County school teacher. Bartow County Sheriff’s Office officials said the investigation is ongoing. Sabin was being held in the Bartow County Jail pending a bond hearing Tuesday. Superintendent John Harper said Thursday has been suspended with pay pending a decision by the school system.
The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office said two area schools were placed on lockdown and a deputy was injured when man ran off while they were trying to serve a warrant Monday. The Cartersville Police Department said the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office was attempting to serve a warrant to a man in a home on Pine Grove Road when the suspect ran. During the confusion, a deputy shot himself in the leg when a police dog jumped on him. He is expected to be OK. Police immediately began to search the area for the man just before 1 p.m. – which caused the lockdown of Cartersville Primary School and Cartersville Elementary School as a precaution.
Local law enforcement agencies last week seized nearly 4,000 marijuana plants in both Polk and Haralson Counties. According to Polk County Sheriff Kelly McLendon, his department, along with the Drug Enforcement Agency, Georgia National Guard Raid Unit, and others participated in the search. Reports state that most of the confiscated plants were found along the Polk and Haralson border, growing in extremely rural and hard to access areas. Sheriff McLendon estimates the street value could be close to a million dollars, though no official amount has been determined. The searches were prompted by several complaints and others were found by flying overhead. No arrests have been made yet, but officials say that several seized marijuana plants are being held for evidence while some was destroyed. McLendon also said that these areas have long been prone to frequent use for cultivation of marijuana.
Greenwood Mills Inc. said that a government agency will take over paying the benefits for former Lindale Mill employees. Former Lindale mill employees who receive pension benefits through the Greenwood Mills Pension Plan were notified by mail that the company has intentions of terminating pension plans as of Sept. 1. Greenwood Mills took over operations at the former West Point Pepperell Mill in Lindale in 1985. The Lindale mill, which produced cotton fabrics, remained in operation under Greenwood Mills until it closed down all operations in 2002. The letter sent out by Greenwood Mills to each former Lindale mill employee with pension benefits calls the action a distress termination. The letter also states, “The plan does not have sufficient funds to pay all promised benefits. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a federal government agency, will assure that you receive pension benefits that are guaranteed by law.” Former Lindale mill employees who receive Greenwood Mills pension benefits may receive additional information by contacting the company’s Executive Vice President of Finance & Treasurer, J. Thomas Davis, at (864) 941-4012. If the proposed termination does not occur on Sept. 1, Greenwood Mills Inc. will notify former Lindale mill employees in writing.
Local health officials have confirmed a case of the swine flu in Haralson County on August 21. A middle school student tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Kersha Cartwright, Communications Specialist for the Haralson County Board of Education, says parents were notified and urges people not to panic. This news comes as a student at Atlanta’s Grady High School is diagnosed with the swine flu.
An arrest has been made following a shooting over the weekend in Cartersville. Cartersville Police say 26 year old Joshua Lee Moore was killed in a shooting incident Saturday night. Another victim, 27 year old Danny Dewayne Westbrook was injured in the shooting. Police now have arrested a 29-year old man in connection with the incident. Michael Thomas Morris was taken into custody at around 12:30am Sunday. According to Cartersville Police, the shooting occurred during at the Amberwood Apartments on North Tennessee Street at around 9pm Sunday night. It is not clear if the three men were residents of the apartment complex. A witness who called 911 said the dying man’s last words were a plea for help. Westbrook was transported by Lifeflight helicopter to Grady Hospital in Atlanta.
Cedartown High School’s DECA club is planning a whiteout for the cross-county rivalry football game against Rockmart on August 28th at Doc Ayers field …”WhiteOut” t-shirts are on sale at the high school for $10 each…Bulldog rally towels will also be available for $5…please show your Bulldog spirit and wear white to the game as the Dawgs hope to beat the yellow out of the Jackets.
A Cedartown resident was involved in a car wreck with a Floyd County school bus Monday afternoon. According to reports from the Floyd County School District, two Pepperell students were injured in the accident involving a school bus on Cedartown Highway in Floyd County. The driver of the other vehicle, John Waits of Cedartown, was also injured. The two children and Waits were transported to hospital for treatment. A Floyd County EMA official said that the two girls may have suffered back and neck injuries, but those injuries appeared to be minor. Reports state that while the school bus was at a routine stop on Cedartown Highway close to Miller Mountain Road, a Toyota 4Runner driven by Waits rear ended the bus. The school bus sustained only minor damage, but another school bus was brought in as a precaution. It is not known what specific traffic violations Waits might receive. The wreck tied up rush hour traffic on Highway 27 for nearly two hours Monday afternoon.
