Cops Probe 9-Year-Old’s Homicide

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

COPS PROBING HOMICIDE OF 9-YEAR-OLD TIFTON GIRL

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

As myriad rumors swirled around the Tifton community, authorities were unusually tight-lipped Tuesday about a homicide involving a nine-year-old Tifton girl at a public housing complex.

The Tifton Police Department called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to aid in the investigation.

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, police were still at the scene in the Nichols Peterson Apartments off Timmons Avenue.

Tifton Police Chief Steve Hyman told the Tifton Grapevine on Tuesday night that his department is working closely with the GBI and did not "have anything we can release right now."

The GBI would only say on social media: "The GBI is investigating the murder of a 9-year-old girl at the Peterson Apartments in Tifton, GA. Anyone with information is urged to contact the GBI Tip Line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or the Tifton Police Department at 229-382-3132."

Late Tuesday afternoon, Shaundra Clark, executive director of the Tifton Housing Authority (THA), released a statement that the Housing Authority "administration was informed of the death of a minor resident which occurred earlier today on THA property. Law enforcement officials are currently on scene and actively investigating the minor’s death. No further details of the investigation are available at this time."

The Housing Authority noted that "this death follows an unrelated shooting at a THA property on Sept. 29, 2020. The identified shooter in September’s incident was banned in 2018 from all properties owned by the Tifton Housing Authority and was at the property illegally. Neither the shooter nor the victim in the September 29, 2020, shooting incident are residents of any Tifton Housing Authority property."

Clark added that “the mission of the THA is to provide safe and affordable housing for eligible individuals, families, seniors, and persons with disabilities. That mission is at the forefront of every decision made on behalf of its residents. The Tifton Housing Authority will continue to work with law enforcement in every way possible to ensure the safety of its residents.”

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TIFT COMMISSION CHAIRMAN TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County Commission Chairman Grady Thompson says that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Thompson is at home under quarantine. He called in by phone to the County Commission workshop meeting Tuesday night.

“I feel OK,” Thompson said. “I haven’t had a bad case of it."

The chairman received his positive test results on Thursday. He said he doesn't know how he contracted the coronavirus.

Thompson is the second member of the Tift County Commission who has tested positive for COVID-19. In early June, Commissioner Melissa Hughes announced that she had the coronavirus and was quarantined at home. She has said that she only experienced minor symptoms.

Based upon data released Tuesday by the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) Tift County would still be in the "Red Zone" for COVID-19 under criteria set by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The Task Force defines “Red” as an area reporting both new cases greater than 101 per 100,000 population and a viral lab test positivity result greater than 10.1 percent. Tift County is reporting 114 new cases per 100,000 population and a positive test rate of 12.5 percent for the two-week period ending Oct. 2.

The percentage of new cases per 100,000 is declining in Tift, based on data from Emory University. On Sept. 24, Tift reported 34.2 cases per 100,000, which has steadily declined to 18.7 by Oct. 5.

Between last Wednesday and Tuesday of this week, Tift had 44 new positive cases, according to the DPH. Since the pandemic began, Tift County has reported a total of 1,831 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths.

On Tuesday, the state of Georgia reported 979 new cases for a total of 324,650. The state had 39 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7,229, the DPH said. There were also 167 additional Georgians hospitalized with the virus.

Southwell’s flagship hospital Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC)

has partnered with The Wellness Network to offer educational health videos

for patients and the general public.

“Healthcare today is not just about getting a shot, treatment or having a procedure done, it’s about overall wellbeing,” said Sherry Ellis, RN, Southwell’s Director of Clinical Informatics. “We are pleased to announce the launch of the HealthClips online resource library, providing patients and the community access to a host of educational videos. Topics range from diabetic care to cancer prevention.”

Ellis added that TRMC is proud to offer this unique opportunity to enhance educational engagement with patients and their loved ones at a time when they’re most in need of key information, and highly motivated to take action to improve their health.

“We think this will encourage discussion among patients, their families and their providers,” said Ellis. “Those discussions can improve understanding of the patient’s condition, steps to improve their recovery, and reduce the risk of readmission.”

Made possible through a partnership with The Wellness Network, this resource library delivers educational tips and information when and where the patient needs it most, Ellis said. Patients, families, and caregivers are invited to access the library online at www.MySouthwell.com and www.TiftRegional.com using passcode 02739. In addition, core education will be airing on TRMC’s in-facility TV system and integrated into education care plans.

In a recent survey by The Wellness Network, patients shared how these tools impacted them:

· 99 percent said they learned about important health issues

· 97 percent said the information helped them make decisions about their health

· 90 percent were receptive to receiving information about lifestyle changes, which is key to influencing modifiable risk factors, and;

· 71 percent felt the information from the channel made their condition less intimidating.

“We strive to provide our patients with the best resources available to help them achieve optimal health,” Ellis said. “We’re excited to now have the HealthClips library to add to our offerings.”

Click Here for the HealthClips Video Library

Please enter code: 02739

Rep. Austin Scott Slams Democrats for Resolution Regarding the Irwin County Detention Center

VIDEO: U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, criticizes a 'misleading and misguided resolution' regarding the Irwin County Detention Center. Click on image to hear remarks.

REP. SCOTT ACCUSES HOUSE OF RUSHING TO JUDGMENT ON OCILLA ALLEGATIONS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton, on the U.S. House floor last week blasted a resolution that condemns the alleged forced medical procedures, including hysterectomies, on migrant women detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Ocilla.

Scott chastised House Democrats for rushing to judgment "before an investigation has even been completed to determine if the allegations are true."

The House on Friday passed the resolution 232-157 condemning "unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without their full, informed consent" and calls for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to comply with investigations into the Irwin County Detention Center, named in a recent whistleblower complaint.

'Nobody wants the facts to come out more than those of us who live in South Georgia. Nobody wants the facts to come out more than the doctor and the staff at the hospital and the people who work at the detention facility. Liberal Democrats are the only ones who don’t want the facts to come out," Scott said.

"They should be embarrassed by their conduct – spreading these allegations as fact before the investigation is complete – even as independent reporting from the Associated Press and Reuters and statements from the Mexican foreign minister have shown that the allegations are, at best, exaggerated."

The whistleblower complaint alleges mass hysterectomies performed on detainees at the ICE facility in Ocilla and cites a lack of adherence to COVID-19 safety precautions, putting staff and detainees at risk.

ICE officials have disputed the allegations, saying that only two Irwin detainees were referred to the Irwin County Hospital for hysterectomies since 2018. Those patients, ICE said, were referred to “credentialed medical professionals at gynecological and obstetrical health-care facilities.”

CITY PROCLAIMS CONSTITUTION WEEK

Several members of the Tallassee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met with Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith on Sept. 17, Constitution Day, as she signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week in the city.

Pictured front row left are Gladys Wiseman, Mayor Julie Smith and Mary Guill; back row from left: Loraine Sullivan, Bobby Fresh and Suzanne Click.

SOUTHWELL NAMES TIFT REGIONAL MEDICAL OFFICERS

Southwell has announced the elected officers for the Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) medical staff for fiscal year 2021.

Dr. William Hancock with Tiftarea Cardiology will serve as president and chief of staff.

Specializing in invasive cardiology, Hancock earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency at the University of Florida and his fellowship at the University of Florida Health Science Center.

Dr. Eric Paulk will be vice president and vice chief of staff. He specializes in emergency medicine and practices in the TRMC emergency department. Paulk attended the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C.

Department chairmen were also named: Dr. David Banks will chair the surgery department; Dr. Thomas Fausett, Southwell medical; Dr. Channing Hampton, medicine; Dr. Todd Lilje, emergency department; Dr. Shannon Price, Ob/Gyn; Dr. Carl Stalvey, radiology; Dr. Rebecca Staub, pediatrics.

TURNER COUNTY ROAD WIDENING UNDERWAY

The widening of State Road 112/SR 107 in Turner County is underway. When completed next year, there will be two lanes in each direction from the Interstate 75 ramps to west of Thompson Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

KIWANIS NAMES OFFICERS, THANKS TREASURER

Incoming Tifton Kiwanis Club President Jane Justice, at left in above photo, and Kiwanis Lt. Gov. Barbara Wilber, at right, congratulate longtime Tifton Kiwanis Club Treasurer Marvin West for his years of service to the club.

Also at the club's Oct. 1 installation fish fry, officers were installed for 2020-2021. They are, from left in photo below, board member Lavonia Hobgood, Lt. Gov. and President-Elect Barbara Wilber, President Jane Justice, Treasurer Deidre Martin, Secretary Renae Woods, and board member Melvin Thompson.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Vista Clinical Diagnostics

72 Kent Road, Suite 8, Tifton

Oct. 1

FORMER TIFTONITE NANCY FRAMPTON, WIFE OF PIANIST MAC FRAMPTON, DIES IN ATLANTA

Former Tifton resident Nancy Walker Frampton, 70, of Atlanta, wife of acclaimed concert pianist Mac Frampton, died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism in her home on Sept. 21.

She was born on May 15, 1950, in Frankfurt, Germany. Her father was a colonel in the Air Force. She moved frequently during her first years, eventually settling in Tifton, living with her mother and her sister, Maudie Walker Malcolm.

She attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and married Mac Frampton on June 25, 1977. In 2010, she had a homecoming of sorts in Tifton when she accompanied her husband when he performed at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center during a fundraiser dinner for the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation.

Her principal love was singing; she was a longtime member of Atlanta Schola Cantorum and a member of the adult choir at the various churches she attended.

She was a docent at the Atlanta History Center, was a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, was an ordained elder at Atlanta’s First Presbyterian Church and served as president of Women of the Church.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

There are several cats available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter just waiting for their new home. Visit the Animal Shelter from 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

TIFTON GETS A STATE PATROL OFFICE

– OCT. 5, 1939

A Georgia State Patrol unit has been established in Tifton, it was announced on Oct. 5, 1939. The GSP unit is headquartered at "what is known as the old Thurman house, 417

Ridge Ave. The telephone number is 696. Cpl. J.Q. Davis is in charge of the station with Troopers W.B. Royal, B.J. Housend, T.C. Greer and D.W. Foster."