250 inmates have transferred out of Hays prison as the state begins replacing fixtures that easily become weapons. The prison has also issued new safety gear to guards, but more substantial changes still need to be made; Seems it only took four deaths to finally get the ball rolling.

The new warden says he’s not going anywhere until the problems are fixed, or the state is satisfied that they are. He also says “every cell door in Hays State Prison was fitted with a control mechanism that has not been, in any way, compromised” and the prison has enough guards.

Georgia officials were aware of broken door locks at Hays State Prison back in 2010. Funding was allocated for repairs, but problems with door locks kept getting worse while Department of Corrections directors told elected leaders things were being taken care of.

WQCH Radio, 02/08/13: “STATE SENATOR JEFF MULLIS IS CALLING FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF SECURITY PROCEDURES AT HAYS STATE PRISON.

“IN A STATEMENT RELEASED THURSDAY, MULLIS SAID ‘WHILE THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW WARDEN IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT IS NOT THE FINAL SOLUTION. BEFORE WE CAN ENGAGE IN OPEN AND HONEST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW HAYS STATE PRISON MOVES FORWARD, WE MUST LET STATE OFFICIALS CONDUCT A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION THAT ANALYZES ALL CURRENT SECURITY PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS’.”

Problems at the prison, which became all too obvious in recent weeks, go beyond bad decisions made by prison leaders – they come from the very top of state government.

“There is clearly a problem of inattention to violence at Hays, but the rot is more deeply and politically rooted in the Atlanta Legislature and Gov. Deal’s office, where the blame really lies.”

Update on the child molestation case filed against a Cedar Street man: Apparently the child testified to the abuse while at the Fort O. Child Advocacy Center, which has had some credibility problems in the past. Report says the suspect initially denied charges but then confessed to them en route to a polygraph, then threatened to kill himself. Based on this, it’s not clear if he ever had a lie detector test or not.

Updated Nov. 17, 2013 with Courtroom Decision (end of article)

Norman Earl Hodge III, a teacher/coach at LaFayette High School and former LaFayette City Councilman, was arrested Friday February 1st for two charges of sexual assault by an authority figure, after allegedly sleeping with a student.

Hodge was arrested at the high school (one report says arrested at the central office), taken to Walker County Jail, and released on $5,000 bond. Several days later he resigned from his position at the school.

The student allegedly involved is over the age of legal consent, 17 years old, and willingly (some say eagerly) got into a relationship with the 42-year-old teacher – but Georgia law defines physical relationships between K-12 students and teachers of any age as sexual assault, regardless of consent or coercion.

(In 2010, Georgia’s legislature expanded the definition of sexual assault to include teacher-student relationships; before that point a loophole in the law allowed teachers to have sex with consenting students as long as they were 16 and older. This is the same section of law prohibiting jailers from sleeping with prisoners and doctors from sleeping with hospital patients.)

According to Walker County Sheriff’s Office, Hodge and the unnamed 17-year-old slept together twice during December, but (contrary to rumor) none of the sex happened at school. Per Sheriff Wilson, “The allegations are that the incidents happened on two separate occasions. They did not happen on school property and it did not happen during a school function.”

An official statement from Walker County Schools said the student herself complained about Hodge, resulting in “an immediate investigation .. following the current school system protocols.” Another report said a social services complaint was forwarded to the school, then to the Sheriff’s Office. However, comments made by the student on Facebook indicate she didn’t initiate the investigation, and several sources say a complaint came from her parents.

Regardless of where the investigation began, we now have a popular teacher and coach, who’s also a father and husband, son and namesake of a well-loved coach, role-model, church member, and former city leader, arrested for taking advantage of a student not much older than his own children. If accusations are true, it’s an embarrassment to all of us.

After months of construction, LaFayette’s new $600,000+ airport terminal building is nearly finished and ready to use.

“Funded mostly by a $500,000 grant from OneGeorgia, which the city was awarded in July 2011, the $623,400 project was completed by J&J Contractors of Chattanooga, which began work in August 2012.”

A free half-million dollars is nothing to turn away, except it cost the city another $123,400 which it apparently didn’t have. And now to get the original half-million, per news reports, the city has to take out a loan which will cost interest.

WQCH Radio, 02/07/13: “WITH THE BARWICK-LAFAYETTE AIRPORT TERMINAL PROJECT FINISHED, THE CITY’S ‘SHARE’ OF THE PROJECT IS NOW DUE. THAT’S 250-THOUSAND DOLLARS. IT’S THE LOCAL MATCH FOR ONE-GEORGIA FUNDING OF 500-THOUSAND FOR THE NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL, BUT THE CITY MUST PAY IT’S SHARE BEFORE ONE-GEORGIA WILL RELEASE THE STATE FUNDING.

“THE MAYOR SAID THE COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER A SHORT-TERM NOTE AT THE BANK OF LAFAYETTE TO COVER THE SHORTAGE. ‘THE MONEY IS COMING IN, WE’RE JUST SHORT AT THE MOMENT’, FLORENCE SAID. IT’S THE SAME KIND OF ‘REVENUE ANTICIPATION LOAN’ THAT THE COUNTY AND SCHOOL BOARD TAKE OUT EACH YEAR.”

But the city doesn’t have money to bring you a new larger trash can, as promised, or fix roads…

Hays State Prison inmate killed early Tuesday morning during transfer has been identified as 19-year-old Pippa Lamont Hall-Jackson of Fulton County.

Hall-Jackson was serving a 20-year sentence for aggravated assault related to a 2011 home invasion. The sentence began last September. He had also been previously arrested for simple battery. Autopsy shows he was stabbed in the chest.

As previously noted, Mr. Hall-Jackson was a member of the MOB gang, and was killed by members of the Bloods. He was no angel but his sentence was for twenty years, not death – so his killing is hardly justice served.

LPD asks the community to help identify these men. Apparently they tried to pass some funny money at CVS. If you recognize either of these guys call LPD, Detective Steele, at 706-639-1540.

WQCH Radio, 02/06/13: “LAFAYETTE POLICE ALERT LOCAL BUSINESSES TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR COUNTERFEIT TEN-DOLLAR BILLS. TWO SUSPECTS ARE BEING SOUGHT FOR PASSING A TOTAL OF FOUR BOGUS ‘TENS’ AT THE CVS IN LAFAYETTE. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE ‘FUNNY MONEY’ OR THOSE THAT PASSED IT MAY CONTACT LAFAYETTE POLICE DETECTIVE WESLEY STEELE.”

Most retail stores that check for counterfeit money don’t check bills lower than $50. That’s because traditionally, copying anything below that amount hasn’t been worth the trouble for most counterfeiters. But it seems local bill fakers are taking advantage of those rules by passing cheap made copies of tens.

Stores in the area should instruct employees to verify every paper dollar $5 and over using a bill check pen and security features built into legitimate bills. Double checking cash when it comes in takes a little bit more time but can save a lot of money in the long run.

Yesterday morning or late Monday night another Hays prisoner was killed upon arrival at the classification prison in Jacksonville. This didn’t happen AT Hays but it’s another offshoot of the violence and gang activity there. Including this prisoner, there have been four men killed behind bars at Hays or transferring out of Hays since the middle of December, and more than a half-dozen employees attacked and injured in the last six months.

Prison insiders say he was a member of the MOB gang, and was killed by four from the Bloods gang. Gang members were either on the same bus as the dead inmate or waiting for him when he got off the bus in Jackson. Department of Corrections always does transfers on Monday nights; the killers apparently knew that schedule and who would be transferred.

Seems like certain inmates benefit from the current system while others die as a result of it. Those who are strong enough, bada– enough, connected enough, are making a profit and strengthening their positions while others are dying or being taken advantage of. Making a blanket statement like “all the prisoners have it too easy” obviously is a mistake when we’ve got men being raped, stabbed, skinned, robbed, and killed behind bars on a weekly basis.

Norm Hodge, former LaFayette councilman and LHS golf coach/social studies teacher, was arrested Friday evening for allegedly having sex with a student.

Per law enforcement sources, the student is 18 – over the age of consent, but under state law a teacher or person in authority cannot have a relationship with a student or someone under their control regardless of age or coercion.

Hodge was released on $5,000 bond. According to the school system, he resigned from his position at LHS. Further details are beginning to come out; check back here tonight for a full write up on the incident and Hodges’ past as a teacher and member of the city council.

Last Wednesday’s tornado damaged some 500 buildings in Gordon County, 400 of which were individual homes. Despite the damage, the storms only had one confirmed fatality: 51-year-old Anthony Raines of Adairsville who was killed by a falling tree.

Authorities believe the tornado was 400 yards wide and traveled about 22 miles after touching down near Adairsville. The twister was probably an EF3.