– Thursday, July 18, 2024 –
Good morning! This week we’re reporting on firefighting woes among the volunteer force in Midway, the 80% jump in insurance costs stemming from Camden County police misconduct and fresh allegations of prosecutorial wrongdoing by a Brunswick-area prosecutor. Let’s dig in.
Questions, comments or story ideas? Please reach out to staff@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
Slow burn in Midway
The volunteer fire service in Midway is struggling amid deteriorating equipment, buildings and morale.
Midway’s fire insurance rating — based upon equipment, response times, water availability — recently dipped to the lowest possible level, meaning increased insurance costs for residents.
Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Campbell told The Current it’s been hard to watch his hometown department struggle and even harder to watch its issues fall to the wayside among other city priorities. Frustrations boiled over at a city council meeting this week.
“Not getting anything in return from the city, not getting the things that we need, the help that we need,” Campbell said, “It’s very disheartening.”
The Current’s Liberty County reporter, Robin Kemp, spoke with the deputy chief and detailed the problems facing the Midway Volunteer Fire Department.
ANALYSIS: PUBLIC SAFETY
The cost of misconduct
Last summer, The Current reported on how excessive force and frequent police chases by Camden County sheriff’s deputies led to the county’s insurer dropping them. With new rates that went into effect this month, we now know how much the misconduct is costing taxpayers.
Premiums for law enforcement liability shot up by 80% for the current fiscal year — an increase from around $312,000 last year to $563,000 this year. “Excess” law enforcement liability also increased by around 62%.
Payouts to people claiming abuse at the hands of Camden sheriff’s deputies in jail and on the road totaled close to $2 million since 2021, according to data previously obtained by The Current.
Taxpayer responsibility has been a major theme in the election for Camden County sheriff this November. Incumbent Jim Proctor, an Independent, is being challenged by his former major, Kevin Chaney, who won the Republican primary election in May. Read about the issues in the race here.
NEWS: COURTS
Ex-DA candidate’s conduct under review (again)
Two-time district attorney candidate for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and former death-penalty prosecutor, John B. Johnson, is under fire again for a decades-old murder case he prosecuted.
Johnson, who has been accused of repeatedly withholding evidence to win murder cases during his career, allegedly failed to disclose a deal for a co-defendant’s testimony in a 1998 death-penalty trial, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Johnson told jurors at the time that no such deal existed.
Lawyers for Warren King, who was accused of participating in the 1994 murder of a convenience store clerk in an Appling County town, wrote in a motion last month that King was deprived of a fair trial due to the omission by Johnson. The attorneys are seeking a new trial for King. Johnson declined to comment when reached by the AJC.
Johnson ran for Brunswick Judicial Circuit DA in May but lost the primary election to incumbent Keith Higgins.
He continues to work in Glynn County State Court as a prosecutor, but instead of prosecuting high-profile murders, Johnson now chiefly goes after offenders charged with driving under the influence.
Midway’s assistant fire chief: ‘Someone could die’
Midway’s fire insurance rating has dropped to the lowest possible rating, meaning that residents will face their own insurance increases.
McIntosh County argues Sapelo referendum effort not valid
McIntosh County is pushing back against its citizens’ efforts to force a county-wide vote about zoning on Sapelo Island.
Republican activist sues Chatham Board of Elections
The case could challenge the county’s parameters to limit public comments at official meetings and the role police officers play in keeping order at such gatherings.
Coastal Georgia hidden history: Savannah’s trailblazing women
Savannah loves history. But how much do you know about seven women trailblazers who helped fashion Georgia’s and its first city?
Federal jury convicts 2 for fixing concrete prices in Coastal Georgia
The Department of Justice has prosecuted five for fixing concrete prices for school construction in Savannah and Georgia Southern University
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
You must be logged in to post a comment.