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GA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TIFTON MURDER CONVICTION

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the murder conviction of a man in the shooting death of a Tifton man in 2008.

Jeremy Aloysius Reynolds Jr. had appealed his conviction for malice murder in the shooting death of Barry Bullard, 20, on July 30, 2008, outside an apartment on 13th Street in Tifton.

Reynolds claimed that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction for malice murder. However, the high court ruled that "we reject Reynolds’s arguments that the evidence was insufficient as a matter of constitutional due process to support his malice murder conviction. .... Because the evidence presented

at trial was sufficient to authorize a rational trier of fact to find Reynolds guilty of malice murder beyond a reasonable doubt, we affirm" the conviction.

In September 2008, a Tift County Grand Jury indicted Reynolds, Neddrick Green, and Allen Williams for malice murder in Bullard's death and separately indicted Reynolds for cocaine possession.

Reynolds and Green were jointly tried before a jury in November 2010, and both were found guilty of malice murder. Reynolds was also found guilty of cocaine possession. The trial court sentenced Reynolds as a recidivist to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for malice murder and a concurrent term of 30 years for possession of cocaine.

Williams was tried individually in February 2011 and also convicted of malice murder. Both Williams’ and Green’s convictions were later upheld by the state Supreme Court.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Bullard had been friends with Reynolds’ co-defendants, Williams and Green, but the men had a dispute in which Williams believed that Bullard had stolen a gun from him. Bullard had repeated confrontations with Williams, according to court documents. After Bullard’s home was shot at, Bullard reported to police that Williams, Green, and Reynolds had been driving by his home in Williams’ gold Lexus and that he thought the three men “were after him.”

According to court testimony, on the evening of July 30, 2008, Reynolds, Williams, and Green confronted Bullard shortly after 9 p.m. in the yard outside his apartment. During the altercation, a witness testified, Reynolds “walked up and just put the gun to (Bullard’s) head and shot him.”

Following the shooting, two other witnesses testified seeing Reynolds running from the scene holding a black handgun. Later that night at the home of WIlliams' girlfriend, she testified, Reynolds was being "hyperactive" and claimed he had "bumbaclot" Bullard. She testified that the term was Jamaican slang for having killed someone.

The following morning, the occupant of a residence across the steet from the apartment complex where the shooting occurred found a handgun in his yard and contatced Tifton Police. A witness testified in court that the gun appeared to be the one Reynolds was seen carrying as he fled after the shooting. An officer compared the outline of the barrel of that firearm to the outline of the wound on Bullard’s face and found that they were the same, according to testimony.

The medical examiner who performed Bullard’s autopsy testified that Bullard had suffered a gunshot wound that entered his left cheek and exited his right cheek, fracturing his facial bones and injuring his tongue. Although the wound would not have been immediately fatal, it caused excessive bleeding that traveled down Bullard’s airway and asphyxiated him. 

The gunshot was fired at contact range, meaning the gun was directly against Bullard’s face when he was shot, according to the medical examiner.

The Supreme Court also noted that the 14-year delay between Reynolds’ sentencing and the docketing of his appeal is another in “a recent raft of cases with lengthy, unexplained, and unjustified delays between trial and appeal.”

The court said it appears the case was essentially dormant between 2010 and 2017. "It then took another seven years to complete the mental evaluation, get a decision on the motion for new trial, and have the appeal docketed in this court. We reiterate that it is the duty of all those involved in the criminal justice system, including trial courts, prosecutors, defense counsel, and defendants to ensure that the appropriate post-conviction motions are filed, litigated, and decided without unnecessary delay.”

TIFT COUNTY, TIFTAREA ACADEMY COACHES PREPARE FOR SEASON OPENERS TONIGHT

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The prep football season officially starts tonight, and both the Tift County High School Blue Devils and Tiftarea Academy Panthers start off with home games.

The Blue Devils host the Griffin High Bears at 7:30 p.m. at The Brodie. The Panthers will host the Central Fellowship Christian Academy Lancers at 7:30 p.m. at the Panther Pit in Chula.

The head coaches of both local teams spoke to the Rotary Club of Tifton on Wednesday. Coach Jeff Littleton said his first season at Tift last year ended with two wins and eight losses, but "most people saw improvement” over the season, he said.

“We were competitive in our region play, although we didn’t win a region game. We were in the game in the fourth quarter; our kids didn’t quit. They got mentally stronger as the year went on. I was really proud of their progress,” Littleton said.

But he noted that two wins is not acceptable. “We’re not going to accept two wins per year,” he said. “I’m not going to accept it; Tift County is not going to accept it; and my administration is not going to accept it.”

He said the team has never stopped working in the weight room to catch up with the physical strength of the teams in the Blue Devils' classification: “December through February, we’ve been mostly focusing on strength. March through April, we start focusing on speed and agility.”

Littleton praised his coaching staff, and there are five new coaches. In June and July, the team had 31 summer workouts, and almost 40 kids made every one of them. The Blue Devils varsity is starting with 109 players this season.

“A school our size, we need to have 150 plus,” Littleton said. “When I got here (last year), it was 56.” The middle school has 155 players.

Ten offensive starters are returning, along with five defensive starters. “Our kids have grown physically and mentally,” he said. 

The Blue Devils face a tough non-region schedule, he said, with the first two games at home with Griffin and Gadsden. Then Tift goes to Lee County, then at home vs. Bainbridge, and then travels to Houston County.

Tiftarea Coach Erik Soliday told Rotarians that the Panthers made it to the state semi-finals last year and have made it there five of the past seven years. His coaching staff has grown from two to three with the addition of his brother, Casey, who retired as head coach of the Irwin County High School Indians, which he led to a state championship in 2020.

Soliday noted that “our kids do everything we ask of them.” He said “technology has made all of our hard jobs a lot easier” so kids today don’t always face adversity like they used to. Football puts the kids in adverse situations, where they learn how to handle adversity, he said.

“It’s our responsibility to teach that hard edge to get them ready for the world,” Soliday said. “Hopefully, it’s a lifelong skill.”

Soliday noted that his football players have to play both offense and defense. "We don't even have 100 boys in the whole school" at Tiftarea Academy, Soliday said, and there is only about 30 kids in each class.

Soliday urged the Tifton community to come out and watch the Panthers play. Of course, he said, “the best game is behind the bleachers” where younger kids gather to play while the football game is being played on the field.

TIFT MAN ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGE IN CRISP

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A Tifton man has been arrested and charged with selling drugs in Crisp County.

Lepoleon Seaberry, 37, of Tifton, is charged with the sale of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), said Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock.

Seaberry has an extensive criminal background with previous arrests in Tift, Dougherty, and Worth counties, and has an active arrest warrant in Berrien County, the sheriff said.

On Tuesday, the Crisp County Sheriff's Office received a report about an individual traveling from Tift County to sell meth in Crisp County. Following the sale, law enforcement took Seaberry into custody.

Sheriff Hancock commended the Mid-South Narcotics Task Force for taking such tips seriously and responding quickly.

ABAC STUDENT NAMED

SUNBELT AG EXPO RODEO QUEEN

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has been crowned Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Rodeo Queen.

Jenna Cain, an ABAC junior, is studying agricultural communications. The Tallahassee, Fla., native hopes to work in public relations for a major ag-based organization or government agency after graduation.

As rodeo queen, Cain will represent the Sunbelt Ag Expo at public events, media engagements, and educational outreach initiatives.

The Sunbelt Ag Expo is the premier farm show in the Southeastern United States. It is scheduled Oct. 14-16 at Spence Field in Moultrie.

Betty Pitts, at center, rings a bell as her family and Tifton officials celebrate completion of upgrades to Pitts' home through the CHIP grant project.

TIFTON OFFICIALS, HOMEOWNERS CELEBRATE HOUSING REHAB PROJECTS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Tifton city leaders on Monday gathered with the families of two rehabilitated homes to ring a bell signifying their completion through Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) grant projects.

In 2023, the City of Tifton was awarded $400,000 in CHIP grants to assist homeowners within its target area with rehabilitation needs.

For Betty Pitts’ home, the CHIP grant provided electrical and plumbing upgrades, a new HVAC system, exterior doors, windows, paint and gutters, new flooring, a new roof, new exterior vinyl, porch upgrades, kitchen upgrades, and bathroom upgrades.

For Celestine Williams’ home, the CHIP grant funded upgrades that included electrical and plumbing, a new HVAC system, exterior doors, windows, roof, paint and gutters, new flooring, the repair and stabilization of the front porch, and bathroom and kitchen upgrades.

The city has now completed three home rehabilitation projects through CHIP grants program and has another home in progress. Tifton has been awarded $500,000 this year from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to assist eligible low- to moderate-income homeowners with housing rehabilitation.

The Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) is a federally funded program designed to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing in Georgia by granting funds to city and county governments, public housing authorities, and nonprofits to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes.

CHIP grants do not provide direct assistance to individual homeowners and homebuyers. 

Tifton is now accepting applicants for the 2025 funds. To be eligible for the grant program, applicants must own and occupy their home, be located within a specified target area, and be able to meet other applicant requirements. For information, call 229-928-5779.

The Celestine Williams family celebrates completion of their home's rehabilitation project with Tifton officials. Upgrades were made through Georgia CHIP grants.

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YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Saturday, Aug. 16, is World Honey Bee Day, observed every third Saturday in August. It is a day to remind us of the beauty and value of bees, which number 20,000 different species around the world. Honey bees are an important part of our world. When bees visit your flowers to get nectar, they also pollinate. Honey bees are crucial pollinators for many crops, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts, contributing significantly to food production. And, of course, honey bees collect nectar and transform it into honey, which they store in their hives. By the way, The Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a citizen science project created by the University of Georgia, is scheduled next weekend.

FRIDAY, AUG. 15

• Homeschool Hangout, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Margaret Jones Public Library, 205 E. Pope St., Sylvester

• Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Griffin High Bears, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton

• Tiftarea Academy Panthers football vs. Central Fellowship Christian Academy Lancers, 7:30 p.m., Panther Pit, Chula

• Irwin County High Indians football vs. Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricane, 7:30 p.m., Buddy Nobles Stadium, Ocilla

• Turner County High Titans football @ Worth County Rams, 7:30 p.m., Sylvester

• Berrien County High Rebels football @ Cook County High Hornets, 7:30 p.m., Adel

SATURDAY, AUG. 16

• Community Gardening Volunteer Day, event by Keep Tift Beautiful, 8-10 a.m., 1415 N. Central Ave., Tifton

• Tiftarea Junior Gardeners' Club, 2 p.m., Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton

• Young Democrats & College Democrats Cookout, 2-6 p.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton

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"Abe" is gentle, calm, and affectionate, always ready to soak up attention from anyone willing to give it. He loves people and has a peaceful presence that makes him the perfect companion for anyone looking for a loyal, loving friend. Come visit him and see other pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, open between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Tifton Grapevine

e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.

Editor & Publisher

Bonnie Sayles

Managing Editor

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