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Tifton's Eaton Memorials marketing slogan.

EATON MEMORIALS' UNFILLED ORDERS TOTAL MORE THAN $280,000, COURT TOLD

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The co-owners and an employee of two Tifton cemetery monument companies, charged with taking at least $280,000 from customers without filling their orders, faced their accusers Wednesday in court during a bond hearing.

“I was cheated and lied to,” victim Rosalyn Donaldson told the Tifton Grapevine outside the courtroom. "Very sad what they have done to grieving families.”

On July 14, a Tift County Grand Jury indicted Tifton residents Emmett Fred "Tony" Eaton, 73; Emmett Cameron "Cam" Eaton, 40; and Amanda Nichole Aubrey, 45, on 175 counts involving a total of 525 charges of theft by conversion, said Tifton Judicial Circuit District Attorney Patrick Warren.

The trio were initially arrested in November. They were charged with additional felonies and misdemeanors following a Tift County Sheriff’s Office investigation into scores of complaints of headstones, slabs, and monuments being purchased but never placed on graves. 

The Eaton father-son team own Tifton Monument & Memorials LLC and Eaton Memorials LLC. Aubrey was their employee.

During Wednesday's hearing, Chief Superior Court Bill Reinhardt granted bond to all three defendants over the objections of the state, which requested they remain incarcerated pending trial, said District Attorney Warren.

Tony Eaton received a $250,000 bond on the new charges with the special condition that he not have contact with any victims, unless they agree to that contact, and that any proceeds from any real estate transactions be held in trust for the victims of the case.

Cameron Eaton received a $250,000 bond on the new charges with the special conditions of no contact with any of the victims, and he cannot work in the funeral or memorial service business other than providing physical assistance to his father, Tony Eaton, in any work to continue to complete contracts for the victims. 

Amanda Aubrey received a $75,000 bond on the charges with the special condition that she not be allowed to work in the funeral or memorial service business or at the cash register of any other business.

All three are subject to the standard conditions of bond regarding not violating the law and not leaving the jurisdiction of the court without permission, Warren said.

More than 100 victims and family members attended the bond hearings. Tift County Sheriff’s Office investigator Capt. Christi Brannon and multiple customers of the Eatons testified before the judge. 

After the initial charges were made in November, Warren said he and Brannon discussed holding off on the investigation to allow the Eatons to “do the right thing” by their clients.

“I was expecting all three would step up and make it right,” Brannon said.

Asked on the witness stand how much money was taken from the victims, Brannon said, “I stopped counting at $280,000.”

The investigator said Aubrey told her that she had a device at home with all the transactions on it and that she would bring it to Brannon’s office. “She did not,” Brannon said.

Also, Aubrey told the Eatons that a camera pointed at her at work made her uncomfortable, so “Tony turned it to point at the customers,” Brannon said. 

Victim Rosalyn Donaldson told the Tifton Grapevine outside the bond hearing that the Eatons “cheated me out of nearly $9,000. "I was cheated and lied to,” she said.

Donaldson is the widow of Bruce Donaldson, and she wanted to order a nice monument for her own grave to match the one on her late husband’s in Oakridge Cemetery. 

“They never answered my phone calls, never returned my phone calls, and I never got a monument" after paying $8,081.59, she said. Tony Eaton kept promising that he would provide the monument, Donaldson said, but "he never provided the monument, but kept and spent my money that I had paid in good faith.”

Donaldson then went to another company, which, she said designed a beautiful monument out of quality marble and placed on her future grave within five months. 

“I have no confidence in the Eaton Company that was once respected in this city,” Donaldson said. “I want my money in full back, but the Eatons will never repay it. They splurged on these monies long ago. Very sad what they have done to grieving families.”

Paula Henderson was a victim who testified during Aubrey’s bond hearing. She spent time researching Bible scriptures to put on the monument for her late father. She paid in full, even though she was told she could put down half. 

“I did not feel like anything like this would have happened. I was excited about the tombstone,” she said, because many family members picked out the three scriptures to put on the monument.

“I would like it to be resolved." She said an employee at Tifton Monument “was giving me the run around.” He told her she could look at headstones that were in the yard outside the location on Highway 41 and pick one. He told her the scriptures she had selected for a slab had too many letters, and they couldn’t do it.

“I think we should get what we paid for,” Henderson said.

Another customer had a lot to say Wednesday about her experience. She spent $2,585 for half of her monument order, which she said was never filled.

“Today wrecked me,” said Susan Stewart Keene. “Being in that courtroom reopened wounds I thought had finally begun to heal. Bond was granted to Eaton Monuments so they can fulfill their obligations on orders. I don't need or want their services any longer; I want my money. The money I gave Eaton in trust is now being funneled to attorneys, not back to the families they hurt.

“It’s not just a financial loss. It’s betrayal. It’s heartbreak all over again.”

The case will proceed in Tift County Superior Court, with a trial date to be determined.

SCHOOL BELL RINGS TODAY IN TIFT, IRWIN, TURNER COUNTIES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Public schools in Tift, Irwin, and Turner counties open their doors to students today, beginning another school year.

In Tift County, more than 7,600 students are expected to start classes with more than 1,000 staff members in the school system.

Among changes Tift students face this school year is a ban on all cell phones and personal electronic devices during the school day. Students may use wireless devices while on school buses or during extracurricular activities outside of school hours. While all students are asked to leave cell phones and smart watches at home, if they are brought to school they will be locked in the school’s designated storage location during the school day.

The General Assembly this year approved banning personal electronic devices, such as cell phones, during the school day for kindergarten through eighth grade in public schools, but the ban doesn't go into effect until July 2026. However, Tift County decided to implement the ban this school year and extend it to all grades.

Another change involves extending the school day by 25 minutes. The new school start time for Tift County schools will be 10 minutes earlier and classes will end 15 minutes later than the past year, adding 25 minutes to the instructional day.

With school beginning, motorists can expect an increase in local traffic. Both the Tifton Police Department and the Tift County Sheriff's Office are advising drivers to be extra vigilant as school buses are loading and unloading, as parents pick up and drop off kids, and as students are walking to and from schools.

Law enforcement officials are reminding motorists to pay attention to school-zone flashing lights and obey school-zone speed limits. Also, never pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children, and also stop when approaching a stopped school bus that has its lights flashing and is loading or unloading passengers.

While summer break is over for Tift County public school students, those attending Tiftarea Academy get a couple more weeks to enjoy the summer: Tiftarea Academy begins its academic year Aug. 13.

TIFT, COOK, BERRIEN FACE HOUSING SHORTAGES – REPORT

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift, Cook, and Berrien are among 94 counties in Georgia facing a housing shortage, according to an in-depth report released this week by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

The report, analyzing 40 years of housing data across the state, finds that Tift County has a shortage of 92 housing units; Cook County, a shortage of 84 units; and Berrien County, a shortage of 33 units.

No other counties in the Tiftarea showed a housing shortage.

Among the 94 counties in Georgia with housing shortages, Fulton County has the biggest shortage with 75,152 units needed, the study found; Candler County has the smallest shortage at 18 units.

The state's total housing shortage is more than 365,000 units, the report estimates based on data during 1980-2020 from the U.S. Census, building permit records, and previous housing studies.

"Ultimately, new home production – at a level consequential enough to meet demand – requires support from the community. Despite traditional laws of supply and demand, the need to build more housing of every type in order to lower home costs does not have widespread support," the report noted.

"Concerns about increased traffic, overcrowded schools, inadequate water and sewer capacity, and lowering the resale value of existing homes are often cited as reasons that citizens and elected officials oppose new large-scale housing developments. Moreover, even existing housing inventory has become politicized in recent years, as institutional investors acquired and rented single-family homes."

Unfortunately, the report stated, "trends since 2020 do not offer an optimistic view for (new housing) production, either. Factors like surging mortgage rates, rising costs of construction materials, and persistent in-migration continue to affect production, and several counties highlighted in this report have seen significant drop-offs (in new housing production) in recent years."

To access the full housing report, Click Here!

Georgia Governor's Office photos

In the governor's office recently, Gov. Brian P. Kemp, right, swears in Stan Stalnaker as a member of the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. Stalnaker's wife Keisha and son look on.

TIFT COMMISSIONER STALNAKER NAMED TO GA PEACE OFFICERS COUNCIL

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Gov. Brian P. Kemp recently appointed Tift County Commissioner Stan Stalnaker to the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, or "POST."

Stalnaker is a 29-year veteran of the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), where he holds the rank of captain and serves as the GSP’s aviation division director.

The Georgia POST Council ensures that only qualified and well-trained persons are employed and remain employed as peace officers in Georgia.

Currently serving his third term as District 4 commissioner on the Tift County Commission, Stalnaker is a certified county commissioner through the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and holds a specialty track certification in public safety.

He has a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University and is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College and of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

Stalnaker and his wife Keisha attend Liberty Baptist Church and have a son attending Georgia Southern University.

FOR THE BENEFIT OF PETS...

Photo by Bonnie Sayles

Hundreds of Tift Animal Rescue supporters mingle at the "Artful Hearts: A Gallery of Giving" event Thursday, sponsored by the Tifton Arts Council at the Syd Blackmarr Arts Center. Artist Crystal Lawson created spontaneous pet portraits for donations, and attendees bid on various artworks and items in a silent auction.

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YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Sunday, Aug. 3, is National Watermelon Day. Here in Georgia, watermelons are our No. 1 produce crop with more than 40,000 acres in production. Georgia's sun and soil provide consistently sweet melons, especially in Cordele, known as the "Watermelon Capital of the World." Georgia is the No. 2 watermelon producer in the United States, just behind Florida. By the way, watermelons are 92% water, making them a refreshing treat on these hot summer days. Watermelons have been popular for millennia – in Ancient Egypt, watermelon cultivation began in the Nile Valley as early as the second millennium B.C. Watermelon seeds were even found in King Tut’s tomb. Nowadays we also have seedless watermelons, developed by treating the un-pollinated flowers of watermelons with an acid.

FRIDAY, AUG. 1

• "Hooked for Life," crochet basics class - Splat Edition, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Syd Blackmarr Arts Center, Love Avenue, Tifton

• First Friday Tifton, two bands: Georgia Overdrive and Ten Mile Bay live in concert; tropical waterslide; food & drink vendors; local shopping, 7-10 p.m., Downtown Tifton

SATURDAY, AUG. 2

• Back to School Bash, local crafts, food vendors, kids' activities, school-supply donations accepted, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Main Street, Adel

• "From King to Country," A Tribute to Elvis and Classic Country starring Jordan Poole, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

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"Miss Scarlett" wears her pink dress and pearls as she prepared to greet all her guests Thursday at the "Artful Hearts" Gallery of Giving event benefiting Tift Animal Rescue Inc. Well, fiddlelee-dee! She thanks everyone who came out to the event at the Syd Blackmarr Arts Center to celebrate and fundraise. And don't let the animals become simply "Gone with the Wind!" Come visit Scarlett 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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