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VOLUME 23 NUMBER 21
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Missing Decatur grandmother’s body found, grandson charged with murder
Millicent Williams
Gregory Williams
Hope ran out for those searching for 78-year-old Millicent Williams of Decatur. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner positively identified the body located on Aug. 16 as Williams. She was found over a guardrail down an embankment on I-20 West, police spokesperson Shiera D. Campbell. Williams’ grandson, Gregory Anthony Williams, a 36-yearold army veteran with mental illness who had a long criminal record, was taken into custody and charged with theft by taking for being in possession of Mrs. Williams’ vehicle. Charges of kidnapping, murder and aggravated assault were added later. “He (Gregory Williams) was charged with murder because all of the circumstantial evidence points to him,” said Campbell. Williams was reported missing on Thursday, July 27, after a welfare check revealed what appeared to be a crime scene in her home on Brookgreen Point in Decatur, police said. The house was in disarray, there was blood at the scene, and her car was missing, investigators said. Gregory Williams was found in his grandmother’s car at a Kroger on Flat Shoals Road and was arrested. Search parties had used all-terrain vehicles and dogs to look for Williams in a local park and wooded areas but could not find her. Gregory Williams had lived with his grandmother for several years. Police records show officers were called six times to his grandmother’s home between July 2011 and September 2014. Mrs. Williams told police he had threatened to kill her and she was granted temporary protective orders to keep him away. Gregory Williams enlisted in the Army in 1999 and was a petroleum lab specialist at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, according to officials. He served until 2002, earning a national defense service medal, Army service ribbon, and parachutist badge.
AUGUST 19, 2017
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties
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Rockdale County to pilot paper ballot voting system for Georgia
Rockdale County will test a paper ballot voting system being considered for Georgia when the city of Conyers holds its municipal elections in November. The Rockdale Board Cynthia Welch of Elections wants to replace its outdated voting machines, which are 15 years old, and move toward the new technology, which is being used in 17 jurisdictions across the nation, said Cynthia Welch, Supervisor of Rockdale County Board of Elections & Voter
Registration. The Rockdale Board of Elections approved the pilot at its Aug. 10 meeting and the city gave the nod on Aug. 16 to move forward with the project. Conyers voters will be using two different machines when they cast their vote—one to select their candidates of choice by touch screen, the other to tabulate the vote, Welch said. “Voters have been crying for a print ballot. Now, we will be testing it,” said Welch. “It’s much easier than the system we have now, even though you’re using two machines. Voters will have a chance
to review their paper ballot before feeding it into a tabulating machine. If a voter makes a mistake, he or she can turn in the spoiled paper ballot to a poll worker and start over with a new ballot.” Welch said she tested the ExpressVote system recently while attending the Voter Registrars Association of Georgia conference and she found it to be more user-friendly than the current system. “With the current system, you view two races at a time on the touch screen. With the new system, you’re viewing only one race at a time. After you are satisfied with your vote, SEE ROCKDALE ,page 6
Excitement builds as solar eclipse nears
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crowd of people showed up to an evening solar eclipse workshop held on Thursday, Aug. 17 at the Hairston Crossing Library in Stone Mountain. Program participants received a free pair of eclipse glasses provided by NASA. Dozens of people hoping to snag a pair of the special solar glasses were turned away due to overcapacity. A Fernbank Science Center expert led a discussion on solar eclipses and viewing safety while fielding questions from an eager audience on topics ranging from the best viewing places, pets, and safely photographing the historic occasion. Justine and Victor McFarlane, who have 14 grandchildren, said they are excited about witnessing the solar eclipse. “I might not be around to see the next one. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Victor McFarlane(pictured top left with his wife, Justine.) Authorities are anticipating heavy traffic due to people traveling to get as close to totality as possible and recommend watching the eclipse from home or getting an early start. For more on the story, go to page 4. Photos and story by Mackenzie N. Morgan.
DeKalb’s jail using new technology for inmate information The DeKalb County Jail has launched a new information management system to streamline the flow of information between the jail and the county’s courthouses, courtrooms, judges, and visitors. DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey L. Mann, who oversees the jail, said the new Tyler Technologies Odyssey solution is replacing the 16-year-old OJS (Online Judicial System) site. The $2.8 million OdysSheriff Jeffrey L. Mann sey customized site at https:// ody.dekalbcountyga.gov will give the public access to both the DeKalb courts case information and DeKalb Jail inmate information. Texas-based Tyler Technologies built the first phase of the site. “This new technology moves us light years ahead in jail database management,” said Mann. “The Odyssey solution represents an improvement in operating efficiencies and a much-needed enhancement to the services we provide to the citizens of our community.” Tyler’s Odyssey solution is being used in more than 900 counties across 24 states, covering more than 100 million
people. The project incorporates Odyssey Jail Manager™, which handles all aspects of inmate processing. Inmate information will flow seamlessly from the jail to the courts without duplicate data entry. Through Tyler’s dataXchange™ application, the jail will also have immediate access to records and real-time information sharing across jurisdictions with other agencies using Odyssey. Later this year, the project will implement SoftCode™ CivilServe, which allows for more efficiency in the processing of civil papers. The Odyssey solution is not new to DeKalb County. Debra DeBerry, DeKalb Clerk of Superior Court, implemented Odyssey Case Manager™ as its data solution in 2016. Since then, the public has been able to access court records on the internet using the DeKalb Online Judicial System (OJS), which referred users to the Odyssey portal for court information. DeBerry congratulated Sheriff Mann and said she is excited that the Sheriff’s Office is using Odyssey. “This new jail information management system fully integrates the criminal justice process in DeKalb County by unifying jail management data with court case management data from DeKalb County courts. Not only does this streamline the flow of information but it moves us even closer to a paperless environment,” Mann said.