The Covington Digital News Digital Edition June 12, 2015 | Page 3

NEWS

Friday, June 12, 2015

Deputies look for cell phone burglary suspect
BY STAFF REPORTS

Rockdale-Rockdale County Sheriff’s
Office deputies are asking for the
public’s help finding a suspect who
broke into cell phone stores Sunday.
On June 7, at 5:55 a.m., the suspect
broke into Metro PCS at 2020
Eastside Drive in Conyers by throwing
a rock through the front glass door.
A van, pictured above, was seen
passing through with no lights on
about 15 minutes before the burglary.
Thirty minutes prior, the same suspect
attempted a burglary at a Metro PCS in
Covington, but was unsuccessful.
The picture of the suspect is from security

camera footage at the Covington
burglary.
The same store was previously
burglarized on May 15, although it
is not known if the two crimes are
related at this time, according to the
RCSO.
Anyone with information about the
identity of the suspect is asked to
contact Sgt. Michael Cobb at 770278-8154. A cash reward will be made available
for information leading to an arrest.
Tips on the suspect can be submitted through
http://www.crimestoppersatlanta.org/metropcs-burglary

Form of Gov’t makes progress, but split over mandate
BY MERIS LUTZ

The Form of Government Committee met
this week in its ongoing efforts to clarify the
structure of local government and roles of the
chair, commissioners, and county manager.
The committee has agreed that the day to
day operation of the county, including roads
and bridges, should be placed under the county
manager, including the power to hire and fire
employees.
The committee has also agreed to
recommend granting the chair veto power
in order to force the board to reconsider
controversial issues. The chair will also be
required to ratify the hiring or firing of the
county manager.
The committee will recommend that a
preliminary county budget be prepared by the
county manager for presentation to the board.
The committee is also discussing the idea
of proposing a comptroller or internal auditor
position.
The committee remains divided,

however, over whether it should submit
recommendations to Board of Commissioners
in the form of a report or update the enabling
legislation itself.
“I think we really need to go back with more
explicit directions, otherwise we’re just giving
them back the same problem to solve that
they gave us,” committee member Wesley
Dowdy said.
Committee chair and City of Covington Head
of Human Resources Ronnie Cowan has said
that as a lawyer, he sees a conflict in rewriting
legislation for the county. He agreed, however,
to seek clarification as to the committee’s scope
of work.
“If they don’t get their legislation cleaned up,
they’re not going to be able to be stable down
the road,” he said.
The original motion proposed by
Commissioner Levie Maddox charged the
committee with “updating” the Charter as
necessary.