TIFTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDER OF 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL

INCIDENT ROCKED COMMUNITY IN FALL 2020

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A Tifton man pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and assault charges in the brutal stabbing death of a nine-year-old girl, a case that rocked the Tifton community in October 2020.

Semaj Antonio Moss, 21, pleaded guilty in Tift County Superior Court to malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.

Tift Superior Court Chief Judge Bill Reinhardt sentenced Moss to life without parole in the death Oct. 5, 2020, of Alazia "Ally" Johnson, a student at Len Lastinger Elementary School.

During the evening of Oct. 5, Moss, who the girl's family knew, entered her home in the Nichols Peterson Apartments off Timmons Avenue and stabbed her multiple times, authorities said. Her mother, Tegina Brown, a single mother, said she discovered her daughter’s body shortly after 7 a.m. the next morning.

“I have to work to support my kids. I had to go to work that night, and I just came home and found my baby,” Brown had said.

The crime stunned the community. A $3,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible, which was subsequently raised to $8,000 by local anonymous donors.

Moss was arrested just days later at a family member's home in Lowndes County.

“There’s nothing we can do to bring this nine-year-old child back to her family, but today justice was done, and the citizens of Tifton are assured that Semaj Moss will never harm anyone again,” said District Attorney Bryce Johnson of the Tifton Judicial Circuit.

“I commend Special Agent Zach Bryan with the GBI Sylvester office and the officers and investigators with the Tifton Police Department for their tireless efforts in resolving this case.” Johnson said.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Patrick Warren handled the case on behalf of the state of Georgia.

USDA EXPANDS HURRICANE NATURAL DISASTER AREAS INCLUDING TIFTAREA COUNTIES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded its natural disaster declaration to a total of 27 Georgia counties, along with several contiguous counties including Tift and Turner, because of damage and losses caused by Hurricane Idalia on Aug. 30.

The declaration allows farmers, producers, and other eligible agricultural operations to apply for emergency disaster relief through the Farm Service Agency, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.

"Hurricane Idalia caused significant damage to agricultural operations across South Central and Southeast Georgia, and I am glad to see that USDA has expanded their initial disaster declaration to include these additional counties,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. 

"Our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture will continue our work alongside federal, state, and local leaders to assist our communities as they rebuild and rebound stronger than before."

The 27 counties are home to more than 7,800 agricultural operations that are farming more than 2.3 million acres with a farm-gate value above $3.5 billion. The Ga. Department of Agriculture licenses and regulates approximately 6,700 entities across these counties, including livestock and poultry operations, retail grocery stores, meat processing facilities, gas stations, animal shelters, and others. 

The Farm Service Agency and UGA Extension are still calculating the total economic loss from Hurricane Idalia.

Among the primary counties in the disaster declaration are Irwin, Ben Hill, Berrien and Cook counties. Contiguous countries also eligible for assistance include Tift, Turner, and Colquitt counties.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas may apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362).

TIFT REGIONAL GETS AN 'A' GRADE

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) recently received an "A" hospital safety grade from The Leapfrog Group for the third consecutive survey period. TRMC is the main hospital for the Southwell medical system.

“This top grade from The Leapfrog Group reflects the efforts of our hardworking team of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, therapists, technicians, and support staff,” said Christopher Dorman, Southwell president/CEO. “Our team is dedicated to quality, safety, and continuous performance improvement.”

The Leapfrog hospital safety grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections, and injuries. It is peer-reviewed, transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit watchdog organization that assigns grades from "A" to "F" to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Earning an ‘A’ grade means Tift Regional Medical Center made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president/CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, board, clinicians, staff, and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”

ABAC's Georgia Museum of Agriculture

U.S. Air Force photo

TWO HERO PILOTS: Chuck Yeager, left, and Jackie Cochran, right, were the first man and woman to break the sound barrier.

'HEROES FLIGHT' HONORS MILITARY PILOTS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Band and Community Players will perform a musical tribute in tandem with Nancy Hasty’s play ‘The Flight of Jackie Cochran’ on Nov. 16.

The free concert, "Heroes Flight," will begin at 7 p.m. in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium.

“The inspiration for a 'Heroes Flight' began when ABAC Band Director Deborah Bradley connected with an old high school friend, Nancy Hasty,” said Dr. Jennifer Huang, head of ABAC's fine arts department. “Nancy is an award-winning playwright from North Florida and is the author of ‘The Flight of Jackie Cochran,’ a play traveling nationally which has sparked the making of an upcoming documentary.”

Cochran’s accomplishments in the military merited the founding of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), which included approximately 1,100 civilian women with non-combat military flight duties in World War II. They were the first women to fly military aircraft.

Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier, was a close friend and advisor for Amelia Earhart and once had Chuck Yeager as her wingman, Huang said.

“The highlight of the evening will feature a special commission called ‘Heroes Flight,’ written by Christina Huss and R. Alan Carter,” she said. “The piece was commissioned by Melvin and Anita Merrill, who are members of the ABAC Foundation’s President’s Club.”

According to Huang, the “Heroes Flight” was commissioned in honor of the Merrills' son, ABAC alumnus Lt. Col. Mark A. Merrill, a retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot who served for 22 years with honor and distinction.

A South Georgia area honor guard will present the colors at the beginning of the concert. Aviators from the 71st Rescue Squadron and the 74th Fighter Squadron will represent Moody Air Force Base.

NEW DECORATIONS HERALD HOLIDAY SEASON IN DOWNTOWN TIFTON

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

"City sidewalks ... dressed in holiday style; in the air there's a feeling of Christmas...."

So goes the Christmas carol, and it could be referring to Downtown Tifton as new holiday decorations are going up.

During the summer, Tifton City Council approved purchasing new Christmas decorations to replace the city's 20-year-old decorations that were beginning to show their age.

"If you cannot tell by the smile on my face, I am happier than a kid on Christmas morning!" exclaimed Main Street Director Hillery Culpepper, seen in the photo at right with some of the new decorations on Commerce Way.

"I cannot wait to share with you the beauty of Christmas in Downtown Tifton as this has been months in the making," Culpeper said.

Tifton's annual Hometown Holidays Celebration is coming Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning with the city's Christmas Parade at 5 p.m. This year's them is "Down Home Country Christmas."

TIFTON ROTARY SPONSORS ABAC STUDENT FROM GERMANY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) participant Antonia Platzbecker from Essen, Germany, center, stands with Tifton Rotary Club President Bonnie Sayles and GRSP host parent Rotarian Andy Marzen in the photo above.

Tifton Rotary sponsors Platzbecker, who attends Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, in an ambassadorial scholarship program. During a presentation to the Rotary Club on Wednesday, Platzbecker told about her hometown, home country, her hobbies and interests, and her experiences since she has been in Tifton.

She described her visit to Helen, Ga., saying, "It was surreal: Like a theme park based on Germany. It was weird and flattering at the same time."

In the photo, She is wearing a traditional dirndl dress, which is often worn during Oktoberfest in Germany.

Platzbecker, 19, recently won her age group in the ABAC Run for the Nurses 5K in October.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

American Legion Coastal Plain Fair

American Legion Fairgrounds, U.S. Highway 82 E., Tifton

Nov. 7

LAMB RE-ELECTED TO ANGUS CATTLE BOARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Smitty Lamb of Tifton was recently re-elected to another term on the American Angus Association board of directors.

Lamb grew up on small farm in East Georgia, where he discovered his passion for Angus cattle at an early age. His passion led him to the University of Georgia where he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in meat and muscle biology.

Lamb lives in Tifton and works as a cotton merchant for a large commodity trading company but often returns to his Angus cattle herd. His family has owned and operated Ogeechee Angus Farm in Midville, near Augusta, since 1997.

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COVID-19 data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of NOV. 8:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 7,125 ....................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 181

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 3 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 18

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 44 

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,406,810

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - Past week: 2,882

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,838 ..................................................... GA DEATHS - Past week: 24 

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE TIFTAREA

Saturday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day, observed annually on this date. The day is a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who died while in service, Veterans Day honors all military veterans, including those still with us.

Tifton will honor Veterans Day with a tribute at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Jack Stone Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Tifton. The service includes guest speaker the Rev. Chip Grantham. Local officials will also be in attendance at the public ceremony.

FRIDAY, NOV. 10

• Tiftarea Academy Panthers football vs. St. Andrews School Lions (first round GIAA playoffs), 7:30 p.m., Panther Pit, Chula
• American Legion Coastal Plain Fair, 6 p.m.-midnight, American Legion Fairgrounds, U.S. Highway 82 E., Tifton

SATURDAY, NOV. 11

• Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
• Alapaha Station Celebration, 10:30 a.m., Railroad Street, Alapaha
• Veterans Day Observance, 11 a.m., Jack Stone Veterans Memorial Park, Downtown Tifton
• Downtown Tifton Second Saturday, 11 a.m.-until, Downtown Tifton
• American Legion Coastal Plain Fair, 2 p.m.-midnight, American Legion Fairgrounds, U.S. Highway 82 E., Tifton

SUNDAY, NOV. 12

• American Legion Coastal Plain Fair, 1-7 p.m., American Legion Fairgrounds, U.S. Highway 82 E., Tifton

ADVERTISE YOUR

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YARD SALE, CONTACT US at 

IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

"Raleigh" is ready for his close-up as he patiently waits for a new home. Come see Raleigh and 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).