Tifton Man Charged in Power Outages

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

TIFTON MAN CHARGED WITH CAUSING LOCAL POWER OUTAGES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A Tifton man has been arrested and charged with deliberately causing two recent power outages and with other damage to government property, the Tift County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Erik Stephens, 34, is charged with two counts of interference with government property, criminal damage to property in the second degree, two counts of criminal damage to property in the first degree, and damaging, injuring or interfering with property of public utility companies.

The power outages occurred July 5 and this past Saturday, Aug. 12. The arrest was a result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office and the Tifton Police Department in conjunction with Georgia Power investigators.

Authorities determined that someone had trespassed onto Georgia Power property on South Ridge Avenue in Tifton and cut off power from the substation. Investigators also obtained information that the same person was involved in causing damage to other government buildings and vehicles.

The Georgia Power electrical outage July 5 affected approximately 3,800 customers, primarily in the central part of Tifton. Power went out shortly before 3:30 p.m. and was restored about two hours later.

During that outage, several traffic lights were out around the city, including some downtown streets as well as along a busy commercial stretch of U.S. Highway 82. Several businesses around the city closed early for the day because of the outage.

The outage on Saturday occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. with power restored less than 45 minutes later.

“This arrest once again points out the importance of working together in keeping this community safe. These power outages affected thousands of people and businesses during the hottest part of the year and could have been detrimental to those in poor health and the elderly,” said Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough.

Georgia Power Area Manager Toni Reid thanked "members of local law enforcement for working with us on this investigation. Any interference with our equipment not only harms our ability to serve the community, but is extremely dangerous.”

The suspect is currently incarcerated at the Tift County Law Enforcement Center.

ARREST ROUNDUP

17-YEAR-OLD, WANTED FOR TIFTON SHOOTING DEATH, TURNS HIMSELF IN

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

EDITOR'S NOTE: Within the past few days, several arrests have been made in recent, unrelated area shootings:

Following a multi-day manhunt, Damarion Dunn, 17, of Albany, turned himself in to authorities Friday and was arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault.

Dunn was wanted in the shooting death of Alex Knighton, 43, of Tifton, and the shooting injury to Keymontravious De’shawn Bryant, 18. They were both victims of a drive-by shooting July 31 in the 1700 block of Belleview Circle in Tifton, police said.

Dunn faces charges of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of criminal damage to property, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

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COPS NAB TWO NASHVILLE MEN IN TIFTON SHOOTING, ROBBERY

On Thursday, Aug. 10, the GBI and the Tifton Police Department, with assistance from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, arrested and charged Joshua Conaway, 19, and Adrian Holmes, 19, both of Nashville, in connection with a shooting in Tifton during June, the GBI said.

Conaway and Holmes are charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault. A third person, Joshua Shelton, 17, of Nashville, was arrested July 31 and charged with robbery and aggravated assault in the case, the GBI said.

Tifton Police requested GBI assistance in a shooting investigation in which a man was found shot June 28 on Timmons Drive in Tifton. Officers responded to the location and found the victim, who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Tift Regional Medical Center.

Shelton, Conaway, and Holmes are being held at the Tift County Jail.

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FITZGERALD POLICE ARREST TWO IN FATAL SHOOTING

AT MONITOR ENRICHMENT CENTER

Fitzgerald Police have arrested two 17-year-old males in connection with the fatal shooting Aug. 6 at the Monitor Enrichment Program Center, Police Chief William Smallwood Jr. said.

Ashton Little, 17, was arrested Aug. 8 in Houston County, and Soloman Crocket, 17,

was arrested Friday, Aug. 11, in Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Police said.

Both suspects are charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by an underage person, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; there are other charges pending, police said.

The GBI said that during the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 6, there was a large homecoming event underway at the Monitor Enrichment Program Center at 600 South Monitor Drive in Fitzgerald. At approximately 2 a.m., Fitzgerald Police responded to shots being fired with injuries.

Quavis Hall, 21, of Fitzgerald, was found unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at Dorminy Medical Center in Fitzgerald, the GBI said.

It was later discovered that there was a second gunshot victim who had been taken to Dorminy Medical Center. A 16-year-old male was shot in the arm and was treated and released from the hospital, police said.

"I would ... like to take this time to thank the GBI agents from the Perry field office, who were lead Investigators, for the outstanding work that they have done, the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Cone for all the assistance that they have given in the case, and the Criminal Investigative Division and officers of the Fitzgerald Police Department for the excellent job that they have done," said Chief Smallwood.

"There has been a lot of man-hours put in these last five days but it paid off with getting these two suspects in jail," Smallwood said Friday.

UGA TIFTON UPGRADING CAMPUS FACILITIES

By EMILY CABRERA

UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

To meet the needs of a rapidly changing agricultural landscape and a growing campus population, the University of Georgia Tifton campus is undergoing crucial infrastructure upgrades to bring its more than century-old facilities up to 21st-century standards.

Michael Toews, assistant dean for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on the Tifton campus, said the renovations will encourage innovative research programs and create an environment where faculty can thrive for the next 100 years.

“This is the premier destination for applied agricultural sciences,” said Toews. “With a blend of renovated classrooms, labs, and access to land, faculty have the freedom to focus on their research rather than logistical constraints.”

The campus was founded in 1918 as the Coastal Plain Experiment Station. More than a century later, UGA Tifton continues to serve Georgia growers as a model where researchers develop and test new crop varieties and farming practices. The campus is home to the National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory, or NESPAL, an interdisciplinary research collaborative that develops agricultural methods that safeguard natural resources.

Fundamental infrastructure renovations underway

Like many land-grant universities across the country, the infrastructure at UGA Tifton has struggled to keep pace with demands of modern research. Toews explained that aging laboratories, outdated equipment, and limited resources can hinder cutting-edge science. As the number of faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers on campus increases, he said growth is predicated on the ability to expand and upgrade.

The logistics for updating the campus have been in the works for nearly a decade, said Toews, whose main priority is to provide the best resources and facilities to support a growing faculty, which has added five members per year from 2021 through 2023 — a pattern expected to continue in 2024.

The first phase of renovations created 64 graduate student office workstations and outfitted 10 greenhouses with new grow lights, irrigation, and computer controllers.

Phase two, which began this summer, includes constructing a new information technology building and upgrading the extensive high-speed fiber-optic network cable on campus. As UGA scientists perform increasingly data-driven research, often working with entire plant and animal genomes, the new network will allow them to move that critical information much faster, Toews said.

Another critical upgrade is replacing and expanding the outdated water system to supply buildings, labs, greenhouses, and fields.

The investment in renovations has totaled $5.7 million since Toews became assistant dean in March 2020.

Strategic academic and financial partnerships

One of the more dynamic aspects of his role as assistant dean is continuing and developing partnerships with government agencies, educational institutions, and private businesses, Toews said.

One of the oldest partnerships, dating to 1924, is with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. ARS scientists work in two research units on campus, focused on Southeast watershed research and crop genetics and breeding. Many of those efforts are conducted in collaboration with UGA researchers and Extension faculty.

Another collaboration is with neighboring Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, an institution Toews said is often assumed to be a competitor for undergraduate student admissions.

“There’s actually less competition than there is opportunity,” he said. “We’ve just partnered on a $4 million grant to build the Digital and Data-Driven Demonstration Farm (4-D Farm), and I truly believe neither institution could have secured that funding had either applied for it alone.”

Of approximately 200 undergraduate student workers at UGA Tifton, the vast majority are students from ABAC. “We don’t compete, we synergize,” Toews added.

With the addition of the Tifton Campus Conference Center in 2005, the campus has become an integral part of the community as well. The conference center draws an estimated 45,000 people to Tifton each year, facilitating a valuable partnership with the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association, which benefits from the revenue brought by events at the conference center.

“It takes strategic partnerships, constant investment and vision to build a leading academic institution,” said Toews. “I get to work with brilliant faculty and the best students on the planet. Add in our outstanding collaborators and community partners and you can understand what makes this campus such a special place.”

Rick and Sandy Bostelman, joined by ABAC President Tracy Brundage at center, will receive the USG Regents Hall of Fame Distinguished Alumni Award in September.

FITZGERALD COUPLE TO RECEIVE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM REGENTS AWARD FOR LONGTIME SUPPORT OF ABAC

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Longtime Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) supporters Rick and Sandy Bostelman of Fitzgerald have been selected to receive the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Regents Hall of Fame Distinguished Alumni Award.

The award recognizes “distinguished alumni and friends for outstanding achievements in their professional lives, personal integrity and stature, and dedicated service to a USG institution,” according to the USG Foundation’s website.

The couple will be honored at the Board of Regents’ Scholarship Gala on Sept. 8 at the Atlanta History Center.

The Bostelmans met and fell in love while attending ABAC and have together served their alma mater in countless ways after graduating in 1966. In addition to their contributions to supporting and enhancing ABAC, they are active in the campus community. Rick serves on the ABAC Alumni Association Board, and both regularly volunteer throughout the year at student and alumni events, invite ABAC students to their home for meals, and recruit students to attend the college.

They are lifetime members of the Alumni Association, the ABAC President’s Club, and frequently attend ABAC recruiting events.

The Bostelmans have contributed to four endowments that support both academics and study abroad: the Bostelman Family Foundation Scholarship Endowment, the Bostelman Family Foundation Endowment for Student Engagement, the Rick Bostelman Agricultural Scholarship Endowment, and the Dr. Donna Miller Scholarship Endowment in honor of Sandy’s college roommate and longtime friend. They have also donated towards the housing food pantry and professional dress clothing closets for students.

In 2022, the couple received one of ABAC’s highest awards: the Distinguished Alumni Award, which was the first time this award was given to a couple rather than an individual.

ABAC President Tracy Brundage said that the couple operates as a team in every aspect of their lives, and it is appropriate they receive the USG Board of Regents award as a couple.

“ABAC was, and is, a great place for education,” Rick said. “The older I get, the more I realize what a special place ABAC has always been for building lifelong friendships. I left ABAC with a solid foundation for success at future schools, the military, and as a business professional in my community.”

Rick graduated from ABAC as an animal science major and earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia. He attended John Gupton Mortuary College and obtained an associate of arts in funeral service. He served the Fitzgerald community through Paulk Funeral Home, where he was the owner and manager, as well as serving on the Fitzgerald Chamber of Commerce Board, the Public Health Homes Board, was chairman of the Fitzgerald Housing Authority, Lions Club, and served as the fundraising chair for the local American Heart Association.

He has been active in the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, and local schools. He served as a 1st lieutenant in the military as a post mortuary officer in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sandy also graduated from ABAC, majoring in home economics. She attended UGA, where she double majored in child development and development disabilities. She later earned an M.Ed. from Georgia Southern University and an Ed.S in leadership from Valdosta State University.

During her career, Sandy held numerous leadership positions with the Ben Hill County School District in addition to her work inside the classroom. She served as curriculum director, staff development coordinator, technology coordinator, media coordinator, substitute teacher coordinator, gifted education coordinator, testing coordinator, and acted as a grant writer for the school system for more than 31 years.

She has served as a member of the Fitzgerald Arts Council, Pilot Club, Communities in Schools, the Fitzgerald Choir Parents, Fitzgerald High Boosters, Review Club, and Ocilla Book Club.

TIFT SHERIFF PROMOTES FOUR DEPUTIES

Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough, center in photo, announced Tuesday that he promoted three deputies to the rank of sergeant and one to the rank of lieutenant.

Pictured from left are Sgt. Tyler Tucker, promoted to the rank of lieutenant; and deputies Floyd Cospelich, Allan Boyd, and Mark Velho, who were each promoted to the rank of sergeant.

Celebrating SRTC's enrollment growth are, from left: Human Resources Director Mary Beth Watson, Student Navigator Darbie Avera, Executive Vice President & Vice President for Student Affairs Leigh Wallace, and Assistant High School Coordinator Dana Lewis.

SRTC ENROLLMENT GROWTH 2ND HIGHEST IN TECH SYSTEM LAST ACADEMIC YEAR

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC), which has a Tifton campus, recently announced sustained student enrollment growth for the past academic year ending in June.

The college’s total unduplicated enrollment for the year was 6,473, up from total unduplicated enrollment of 5,836 in the previous year. The 10.9% growth represents the second-highest growth in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) for the year.

The numbers are nearly three times the statewide average enrollment growth across the TCSG of 3.75% during the same timeframe.

Last year, President Jim Glass challenged SRTC’s faculty and staff to reach 5% enrollment growth, and established the internal "Gimme5" campaign, which asked faculty and staff to give just a little extra every day to support student enrollment and retention.

College leadership began recognizing individuals who exemplified excellent customer service. During the summer semester, the campaign culminated in a customer experience training initiative for all fulltime employees.

“Team SRTC rose to the challenge and more than doubled our 5% enrollment growth goal,” Glass said. “This was a true team effort, and I have no doubt that we will continue to improve and grow as we remain focused on our students and their success.”

Glass also credits the college’s strong community partnerships with supporting SRTC’s enrollment growth.

“We have added new dual enrollment partnerships with area public and private high schools,” he said. “At the same time, we have expanded our business and industry network to ensure that we are producing the kind of graduates that our communities need to grow, including an extremely successful apprenticeship program.

"These collaborations have been crucial to filling several key workforce shortages. For instance, our nursing program now produces more nurses than any other technical college in Georgia, and we are No. 4 in the state among all colleges and universities.”

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Aero Boutique

121 Tift Ave. S., Tifton

Aug. 11

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Francesca" is available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt her and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 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

THIRD STREET DRY CLEANING SHOP

'BURNED OUT' IN FIRE

~ AUG. 15, 1918

Hopkins Pressing Club on Tifton's Third Street was burned out on Aug. 15, 1918, and the adjacent Hull's Barbershop was damaged when a fire broke out shortly after 8 a.m. A Hopkins employee was dry cleaning clothes with gasoline as an oil stove was burning nearby, according to press reports of the time. C.B. Holmes, who had an office across the street, rushed to the scene with a fire extinguisher and helped contain the blaze until firefighters arrived.