ONE YEAR AGO, JUNE 3, 2021
Another employee of the Eatonton Police Department reportedly was placed on administrative leave with pay, reportedly in connection with the police chief’s arrest. City Administrator Gary Sanders confirmed Tuesday that Eatonton Municipal Court Clerk Lynn Thomas was removed from her work, but Sanders declined to give any details. The Eatonton Messenger talked with four different sources, all of whom are reliably close to the situation but wish to remain anonymous, who said Thomas is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for altering the narrative of a police officer’s incident report.
FIVE YEARS AGO, JUNE 1, 2017
As news of Putnam County resident Claud “Tex” McIver’s recent murder charges reach national and international media outlets, the Putnam Development Authority member tendered his resignation to PDA Board Vice Chairman Lynward Lyndsey May 12. A letter from McIver’s defense attorney, William Hill Jr., states McIver considers the work of the Putnam Development Authority to be extremely important. At about 10:40 p.m., Sept. 25, 2016, Diane was shot while she, Tex and driver of the SUV, Dani Jo were driving to the couple’s Atlanta condo, and died hours later at Emory Hospital on Sept. 26 at about 1:20 a.m.
25 YEARS AGO, JUNE 5,1997
An 18-year-old Macon man who died during the robbery of a Putnam County package store was killed accidentally, according to the findings of a coroner’s jury. Robert Travis Farley died of a gunshot wound to the chest sustained after he entered Bubba’s Package on Twin Bridges Road and robbed store owner S.H. Napier at gunpoint. According to testimony presented during the inquest last Friday, Farley took Napier’s wallet and cash from the register, then fled the store on foot. As he ran across the parking lot, Napier opened the drive-through window and fired three shots at the fleeing robber. Napier told the panel that one shot hit the robber.
50 YEARS AGO, JUNE 1,1972
As The Messenger went to press this week, the number of candidates seeking Putnam County posts in the Aug. 8 General Primary had swelled to 23 with several new contested races developing. Larry Clack, Eatonton account, qualified in opposition to Powell W. Griffith and is seeking the position of Putnam County tax commissioners. Pat H. Lankford paid his entrance fee as a candidate for the Putnam County Board of Commissioners and is a contested race with the incumbent, Reuben Parham.
75 YEARS AGO, JUNE 5, 1947
The American Legion baseball team sponsored by the Washburn-Knowles Motor Company won its first game of the season last Friday when it traveled to Greensboro to defeat the home team 16-9 in a hard fought game. Oliver Butler and Frank Clements shared pitching honors for Eatonton with Gehu Key behind the plate. Both pitchers showed high enthusiasm, giving up few hits. Clements took over the mound in the seventh frame and didn’t give up a single hit.