A Clean Break
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Sunday Edition July 8, 2018 BARTOW COUNTY’S ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.50 Woman dead, man airlifted to Ameris Bank finalizes $400M-plus hospital in Young Street shooting acquisition of Hamilton State Bank BY JAMES SWIFT STAFF REPORT [email protected] The Bartow County Sheriff’s Of- fice is investigating a shooting On June 29, Ameris Bancorp — the parent com- death Saturday afternoon. pany of Moultrie, Georgia-based Ameris Bank — According to a sheriff’s office press release, a woman died from completed its acquisition of Hamilton State Bank an apparent domestic incident and parent company Hamilton State Bancshares Inc. a man was seriously injured. Ameris Bancorp, a publicly traded holding com- Deputies were dispatched to the pany with more than $8 billion in assets, first an- area of Young Street in Cartersville nounced the acquisition of Hoschton, just before 1 p.m. Deputies arrived Georgia-based Hamilton State Bank on Jan. 26. and found a man and a woman with According to a document prepared by financial gunshot wounds. The woman was advising firm Stephens Inc., the transaction was val- pronounced dead on the scene and ued at $405.7 million. Post-merger, Stephens esti- the man was taken by medical hel- mates Ameris Bancorp’s total assets at $11.3 billion, JAMES SWIFT/DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS Ameris Bank finalized its acquisition of icopter to an area hospital. with a branch network spanning four states. Hamilton State Bank on June 29. Ameris Bank Investigators believe the pair “As far as our core banking operations, we didn’t President Lawton E. Bassett III has targeted RANDY PARKER/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS lived together and were in a rela- have any locations outside of the midtown Atlanta the weekend of Oct. 12-14 as the “conversion” Members of the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office respond to a tionship, and that the man shot dates for when the core bank systems switch shooting on Young Street in Cartersville Saturday afternoon. himself after shooting the woman. SEE AMERIS, PAGE 5A over. Counselor AHS band chosen for A CLEAN BREAK director UGA retires from advisory one career to council start another BY DONNA HARRIS BY DONNA HARRIS [email protected] [email protected] For Alexis Pritchard, it’s difficult Dr. Kerry Bryant will be retiring to explain to a model senior why he in September, but there’s definitely or she didn’t get accepted into the no golden-years rocking chair in University of Georgia when she his future. doesn’t understand it herself. The director of bands at But her new role as a member of Adairsville High School has de- UGA’s High School Advisory cided to wrap up his 30-year career Council may shed some light on as a high school music teacher to those head-scratching moments. take on his next musical challenge: Pritchard, a counselor at college professor. Cartersville High School, found out in April that she was one of 19 “Retirement? What retirement?” counselors from Georgia and sev- Bryant, 53, said. “You see, I am re- eral other states selected to serve on tiring from public school teaching the council for the next two years. after 30 years but will be assuming Started in May 1997, the advi- my new post as assistant professor sory council was established to of music and director of bands at seek feedback and recommenda- Young Harris College. So I am tions from high school colleagues leaving one position one day to go regarding UGA’s admissions right into another in the college process, procedures, publications ranks.” and overall message as well as to Bryant, who took over the AHS keep them abreast of new develop- band program in 2013, said it has ments at the college. “always been a professional aspira- “I’m very excited about the op- tion of mine to teach at the college JAMES SWIFT/DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS portunity to learn more about the Thomas Baker, top right, is a changed man after going through drug court 10 years ago. Today he resides in Adairsville level, and now I am honored to UGA admissions process and what with his wife Autumn and their two children, Cole, 5, and 8-month-old Finn. have been asked to do so.” UGA has to offer more of our stu- “I actually have already taught as dents,” Pritchard said. “More im- an adjunct professor at Reinhardt portantly, I’m looking forward to Bartow County celebrates a decade of drug court success University in the summer master’s learning how to make more of our degree program and also some BY JAMES SWIFT drug — methamphetamine. “We had such a difficult methampheta- students ‘admit-able’ to the schools [email protected] At one point, Baker found himself staring mine problem during those years that I night undergraduate music educa- that they wish to attend. Not that all down a possible 128-year sentence. But in- thought Bartow and Gordon County really tion courses there as I was able,” he seniors hope to become a Bulldog, Ten years ago, Thomas Baker was a self- stead of sending Baker to prison for the rest needed it to try to get a handle on the amount said. “But now, I will be in a but when they do set their sights on described menace to society. of his life, Judge D. Scott Smith sent him to of people who were ending up in jail and in tenure-track position and am really UGA, I want to be able to advise “I was robbing, stealing, breaking into the Cherokee Judicial Circuit Drug Court, an prison over drug use, to try to turn those peo- looking forward to the new chal- those students accordingly.” people’s houses, stealing from my family, incarceration-alternative program that had ple’s lives around,” he said. lenge.” Principal Shelley Tierce said she writing bad checks,” he said. “I was doing just started in Bartow and Gordon. The program, Smith said, is designed to Even though the Waleska resi- is “proud of Mrs. Pritchard for whatever I had to do to come up with the “Thomas was my first graduate from the identify individuals involved in the criminal dent will be ending his public being invited to serve” on the coun- money to support my habit.” drug court program,” Smith recollected. “He justice system who have substance abuse school career during marching cil as a representative of Things started going downhill for the entered the program in July of 2008 — he problems and offer them an “alternative that band season, that will have “no ef- Cartersville High School. former Adairsville High football player has finished his sentence and become what I will assist them in dealing with their addic- fect” on the Marching Tigers being “Her willingness to represent our when he tore his ACL and MCL on the think is quite a success story.” tions and changing their behavior over the ready for their first football game school is clearly a reflection of her gridiron. Following knee surgery, he de- At that time, Smith said there were less course of time.” Aug. 17. dedication to our students’ aca- veloped an addiction to painkillers. Even- than 30 drug courts throughout the entire demic success,” she said. “Mrs. tually, his dealers turned him on to another state of Georgia. SEE DRUG COURT, PAGE 6A SEE BRYANT, PAGE 8A Pritchard always seeks opportuni- ties to advance her growth as a guidance counselor who truly understands, and cares for, our stu- dents. And by serving on the Uni- Local community offers versity of Georgia’s High School Advisory Council, Mrs. Pritchard will gain valuable insight into the support to Cartersville native processes of college admissions, which she can share with our BY JAMES SWIFT a portable IV unit everywhere she goes; she has to [email protected] change the batteries every three days and each fluid SEE PRITCHARD, PAGE 7A bag once a week. The last 10 years haven’t been easy for Faye “I’ve been on a long journey,” she said. “I caught Quartey. Since 2009, the now 61-year-old myself living a decent life, but people who smoke Cartersville resident has “coded” — fallen into car- and drink and do drugs, they seem to be alright and diopulmonary arrest — five times. She was in a here I am ... all the bad things keep happening to medically-induced coma for seven days after an al- me.” lergic reaction to medication. And right after her After spending more than 25 years working for cancer went into remission, she was diagnosed with universities in Georgia and Ohio, Quartey now finds congestive heart failure. herself having to subside on a disability check — Six months ago her heart medication stopped all while trying to save up thousands of dollars for working. With one side of her heart no longer beat- a transplant procedure. JAMES SWIFT/DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS ing, she had an ambulatory infusion pump im- Since falling ill, Cartersville native Faye Quartey said her SEE , PAGE 5A Pritchard planted into her chest. She now walks around with KINDNESS hometown has come together to help her in numerous ways. INSIDE TODAY Partly Obituaries . .2A Around Town . .1C sunny VOLUME 72, NO. 55 U.S.& World . .4A Entertainment . .7C High 85 Blotter . .7A Business . .1D www.daily-tribune.com Sports . .1B Classified . .3D Low 69 2A Sunday, July 8, 2018 • www.daily-tribune.com Local The Daily Tribune News ContactUs OBITUARIES The Daily Tribune News ruary 8, 1931 in things with her hands, including Collins all of Cartersville; her 5:00 p.m.