Another high profile shooting puts Walker County (and state gun laws) in the spotlight.

Early Wednesday morning an Ooletewah man staying in Chickamauga with a girlfriend shot and killed an elderly mute alzheimer’s sufferer who was knocking on the door, or (varying accounts) approaching the man in the home’s back yard. The man killed was identified as retired LaFayette Airport manager Ronald Westbrook.

Sheriff Wilson said the case appears to be self-defense, but many have questioned the shooter’s decision to go outside and confront Westbrook instead of waiting on deputies. (Some have also questioned why a deputy who spoke with Westbrook earlier in the night didn’t realize he was lost.) The GBI has taken a role in investigating the crime, which still could result in charges filed against the Tennessee resident who pulled the trigger a total of four times.     

The Westbrook shooting quickly became international news, covered on Fox News, Britain’s Daily Mail, and other media outlets around the globe. The tragic incident could become proverbial gas on the political fire over self-defense laws, attracting attention from gun rights opponents looking to make legal headway against controversial “stand your ground” self defense laws:

Rainbow Push, a group organized by Rev. Jesse Jackson, said they will be contacting the Westbrook family about joining an existing lawsuit filed against Georgia’s Stand Your Ground laws back in October. But so far there’s no indication that these laws will be cited in the Westbrook case. The shooter won’t be making any defense at all if he’s never charged, and so far it looks like he won’t be.     

Services for Mr. Westbrook will be held Tuesday afternoon at Lane Funeral Home in Rossville. Family will also have visitation on Monday in the same place. Family has requested donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in Westbrook’s memory.   

Tomorrow is final election day for the LaFayette City Council Ward 1 runoff. Candidates are Beacher Garmany and Robert Wardlaw; voting will be at City Hall, polls will be open 7 AM to 7 PM.

According to reports, Hutcheson hospital only received two bids from potential managing lease partners/purchasers: Erlanger and “Liberty Health.” But the hospital only followed up on the offer from Erlanger. Seems like they don’t have much room to be picky, and everything hospital leaders are saying now feels like false optimism.

As noted last week, Commissioner Heiskell promised the “remaining independent” hospital another $2 million loan – but only if Catoosa or Dade would also back it up. Dade hasn’t helped with any HMC loans, and now Catoosa County commissioners have refused to call a special meeting to discuss it. That could mean Walker County is alone on this one, and Heiskell will have to decide if we can afford to handle the whole thing or let HMC miss a payroll, which would be an absolute disaster.

Even if Walker County DOES decide to front HMC another $2 million loan, what happens when that money is gone? Or the loan after that? This can’t keep going on forever, and may be the point where Bebe joins Catoosa and Dade in pulling the plug. If that happens, Hutcheson could very well be closed by Christmas.   

Publication note: due to Thanksgiving holiday, this will be the only Daily Update for the week. Regular posts will resume next Monday. Continue to check LU on Facebook or Twitter for breaking news and relevant information.

Today is the final day of early voting for City Council Ward 1 runoff vote. You can swing by the Courthouse elections office until 4:30 PM and cast a ballot for Robert Wardlaw or Beacher Garmany. (Courthouse will be closed tomorrow for county furlough day.) Actual election will be in one week, December 3rd.   

Also, if you have Thursday trash pickup in the city, your garbage will be collected Wednesday due to Thanksgiving. Better drag that bin down today so you don’t end up without room for a turkey carcass on Friday.

WQCH Radio, 11/23/13: “..LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN DRUG TASK FORCE HAS MADE ARRESTS RECENTLY, AT AN INDOOR MARIJUANA OPERATION IN LAFAYETTE, AND A METH LAB IN ROSSVILLE.

“COMMANDER PAT DOYLE SAID TWO PEOPLE WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AT THE MARIJUANA OPERATION ON PRINCE LANE IN WEST LAFAYETTE. QUINCY SHROPSHIRE AND CANDIAC TRUJILLO WERE ARRESTED IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SOPHISTICATED INDOOR GROWING OPERATION. THAT INVESTIGATION STARTED WITH A FUGITIVE WARRANT ON TRUJILLO, FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS.”

Prince Lane is close to the center of town.. Between Culberson Ave. and Probasco Street. This isn’t backwoods trailer somewhere, or even Linwood – it’s almost the heart of the city. And the bust may never have happened if one of the men wasn’t wanted in another state.   

Two more reports about last Thursday’s hunting accident on Hillsdale Rd.

The biggest issue here isn’t that the guy accidentally shot his girlfriend, but how he went hunting in the woods, likely under the influence, and then fired blind at a noise he couldn’t see – all while next door to a recreation center. This could have very well ended up a lot more tragic than just a woman with a bullet in her leg.   

A hunting accident on Hillsdale Road around 5:30 last night sent a 24-year-old woman to Erlanger hospital with critical injuries. She was apparently shot by her 23-year-old boyfriend, Matthew Webb:

WQCH Radio, 11/22/13: AUDRY MAYO WAS WOUNDED IN THE LEG BELOW THE KNEE. HER BOYFRIEND, 23 YEAR OLD MATTHEW WEBB, WAS JAILED BY LAFAYETTE POLICE ON ONE COUNT OF DISCHARGING A FIREARM WITHIN 150 FEET OF A ROADWAY, BUT MORE CHARGES ARE PENDING.

POLICE CAPTAIN STACEY MEEKS SAID WEBB WAS DEER HUNTING IN WOODS NEAR HIS MOTHER’S HOUSE ON HILLSDALE ROAD. MAYO DECIDED TO JOIN HIM IN THE WOODS, AND WEBB TOLD POLICE HE HEARD HER MOVEMENT AND MISTOOK HER FOR A DEER. THE SHOOTING SCENE IS WITHIN THE LAFAYETTE CITY LIMITS, AND THE WOODS ARE THICK WITH UNDERGROWTH, MEEKS SAID.

“DUE TO THE ‘HUNTING ANGLE’ POLICE CALLED IN THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES RECONSTRUCTION TEAM, AND THREE DNR OFFICERS WERE ON-SITE INVESTIGATING ON FRIDAY MORNING. MORE CHARGES AGAINST WEBB ARE PENDING THE CONCLUSION OF THE DNR INVESTIGATION.

Don’t hunt inside the city, and wherever you hunt, be sure you know what you’re shooting at before you pull the trigger.     

Qualification for the special election to replace Jay Neal as Representative for GA House District 2 ended Wednesday at noon. Surprisingly, only three signed up: outgoing LaFayette Mayor Neal Florence, attorney Doug Woodruff, and Chickamauga business owner Steve Tarvin. What could have been a wide-open free-for-all may be a relatively quiet campaign.   

Current House District 2 Representative Jay Neal hasn’t said anything bad about Steve Tarvin, but he specifically asks people to vote for Florence or Woodruff. Tarvin ran against Jay Neal last summer and it seems they’re not exactly friendly anymore:

“I am excited to see two very capable, outstanding gentlemen qualify for House District 2. I would be proud to have Neal Florence or Doug Woodruff serve as my State Representative. Best of luck to these gentlemen as they begin reaching out to the voters of HD2 in preparation for the special election January 7th. My message to the voters of HD2: GET OUT AND VOTE FOR NEAL FLORENCE OR DOUG WOODRUFF!!!!!!”

Mayor Florence says he deserves the vote because during his 23 years in leadership, the city didn’t go out of business.

..barely.

“‘I’ve been a small business owner for 34 years, and it’s still viable,’ Florence said. ‘I was mayor for 23 years, and the city’s still viable. I’m able to balance budgets and make sure we don’t go into deficits.'”

The 23 years Florence has been mayor of LaFayette have been arguably the worst two decades of the city’s existence, at least on this side of the Civil War. We lost Sweetheart Cup, K-Mart, Food-Lion, Bluebird, Coca-Cola, and many many other businesses. The city’s infrastructure collapsed and neighborhoods disintegrated. Crime escalated, the city’s finances deteriorated even while millions were wasted on projects we didn’t need like the ballfields at Lowell Greene and the new golf clubhouse.

Florence was mayor during the entire police career of Sam Parker, he was mayor when dozens and dozens of homes burned during an arson epidemic nobody would admit to, and he was one of the people who hand-picked Johnnie Arnold as City Manager and Tommy Freeman as Police Chief – two of the worst people we’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Neal Florence has no name recognition outside the City of LaFayette, and many who DO know him from his time as LaFayette’s mayor aren’t persuaded to actually give him their vote.   

Monday morning around 5 AM, the manager of Pear Pine Mobile Home Park decided to break out a tenant’s window and then point a gun inside the home – poor decisions resulting in a three-hour standoff with local law enforcement.

Property manager Gene Fernando Fernandez resisted several law enforcement attempts to talk him into surrendering, but finally gave up after LPD and Walker County SWAT officers chunked tear gas canisters into his own trailer. Fernandez was arrested for burglary and felony aggravated assault, but the weapon he allegedly used was not found.

According to police, Fernandez has threatened residents at Pear Pine several times and even reportedly waved guns at his tenants on more than one occasion since his family bought the ghetto trailer park in 2010.

Pear Pine is located on Jessie Drive, across Hwy. 27 from Jackson Chevrolet at the city’s northern entrance. The dilapidated, crime-ridden trailer park is probably the worst place to live in LaFayette, if not all of Walker County – but it’s also the only choice some people have. Housing that shitty shouldn’t exist, but for some families it’s the only thing keeping them from outright homelessness.       

In the next ten or twelve weeks, voters in LaFayette will be asked to show up at the polls at LEAST two (if not three) more times. Upcoming elections will be December 3rd (City Council Ward 1 Runoff), January 7 (House District 2 Special Election), and February 4 (HD2 Runoff if needed).

Once that’s done, 2014 regular elections begin in March, with more votes following in June. Add in early voting and the local elections office will be open more often than not all the way through NEXT November.

Today’s the last day of candidate qualification for the House District 2 special election scheduled on January 7th. Above, outgoing mayor Neal Florence signs up as a candidate for that race in the GA Secretary of State office in Atlanta. By the time qualification ends at noon we should have a better idea who else is interested in replacing Jay Neal as State Representative.   

In other election updates, early voting for LaFayette Council Ward 1 runoff began Monday and will run through next Tuesday, November 26th.

Candidates in that race are Beacher Garmany Jr. and Robert Wardlaw. Final voting will be December 3rd.   

After a long battle with cancer, 19-year-old Brandon Lowe passed away Friday morning shortly before lunchtime.

A statement from the Lowe family:

“Sadly to say Brandon fought a hard battle to cancer for 17 months. Brandon passed away this morning at 11:44am to be with Jesus. His tumors grew and cutting off oxygen he remained left. He passed so peacefully with only taking 3 breaths. He is loved and he will be missed so much. ..”

Services for Lowe were held Sunday at First Baptist LaFayette.     

Thursday night, before Brandon’s passing, a fundraiser at Sonic raised over $3,000 for his family and medical expenses.

The fundraiser was assisted by volunteer carhops along with regular Sonic employees, who donated their tips for the night along with 20% of the store’s sales and direct donations. So many locals turned out that the event required LPD to direct traffic in and out of the drive-in.     

Details of ex-LHS teacher Norm Hodge’s court appearance last week are now public.

Hodge pled guilty to having sex with a 17-year-old student on at least two occasions during 2012. Hodge could have faced 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, but he’s been sentenced to only five years probation and $2,850 in fines and court fees. It’s not clear if Hodge will have to register as a sex offender.

He’s also ended his career as a teacher, and his marriage – but his behavior indicates neither of those was much of a priority in the first place.