Double Trouble
County Administrator’s daughter arrested twice
Staff Reports
Sumter County Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Taylor said, "Let the facts speak for themselves", when asked to comment about her daughter who has been arrested twice by the Americus Police Department for DUI within a five day period. "She's actually my step daughter and I expect her to go through the normal court process just like anybody else", said Taylor. According to police reports, Lauren Luann Taylor, age 23, of 108 Country Club Drive, was arrested on Saturday, January 20, 2007, at approximately 2:42 a.m. when Officer Jason Lovette observed a 2001 Black Ford Escape with only one tail light. After the traffic stop, Lovette arrested Ms. Taylor for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Open Container.

Taylor's second arrest came on Thursday, January 25, 2007, at 4:15 a.m. when Lieutenant Merrill Lee stopped her after being informed by officer Lovette of a possible DUI suspect in the area of Elm Avenue. Upon stopping Ms. Taylor on Forrest Street, she officer Lee arrested her and charged with DUI, open container, and failure to maintain lane. Ms. Taylor posted bond on each of the three misdemeanor charges and has a court date scheduled for March 14, 2007, before Municipal Court Judge Michael Greene. When asked if the family had hired an attorney, administrator Taylor responded, "No and I have no other comments at this time."

Ms. Taylor's daughter's brush with the law follows a recent string of other prominent citizens' children who have been arrested for their involvement with alcohol and/or drugs. Carley Blount, the daughter of Americus Mayor Barry Blount, was charged with DUI, but allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving which allowed her to avoid jail time. Blount, age 19, was fined $1,350, her drivers' license was suspended, and she was placed on probation. As a condition of her probation she was instructed to avoid alcohol and drugs, but was arrested again just three months after her sentence for possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor. Police officers found her and five men drinking at 2:00 a.m. at her Felder Street apartment. The case is still pending.

Jessica Summer Murray, the daughter of Americus attorney William J. Murray, was charged with DUI after being stopped in her 2003 BMW by police officers at a traffic stop. Officers reported that Ms. Murray's eyes were bloodshot, her speech was slurred, and she was so unsteady on her feet that they couldn't perform a sobriety test. Although Ms. Murray, age 23, was tested five separate times at the station, her results still showed she was over the limit. Her case was dismissed.

James Eric Skipper, the son of City Attorney and former State Representative Jimmy Skipper, was arrested and charged with possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor after officers broke up an underage drinking party at Lexington Place Apartments on Felder Street. Skipper, age 18, pleaded guilty, was fined $285, and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, but as a condition of his plea his record would be cleared.
Justin Minich, the son of Sumter County School Board Member Donna Minich, was arrested for possession of marijuana and two counts of assault and battery. The outcomes of those charges are still unknown. Minich was also accused of arson relating to an incident where he allegedly started a fire at school, but those charges were ultimately dismissed.

"The arrests of Lynn Taylor's daughter just further proves our point that these children are probably modeling the behavior of their parents, have become misfits to society, and are really crying out for help, said Dr. John Marshall, President of the Americus Sumter County NAACP. We have been preaching it for years that people cannot rely on the Americus Times Recorder for fair and balanced news. They intentionally missed reporting these stories on the children of Blount, Skipper, Murray, Minich, and Taylor. I think the community is starting to see how bias the Times Recorder is towards Blacks, Hispanics, average Whites, and any other group that is not a part of their good ole boy network said Marshall.
 

Sandra Murray's bad "deal"

Staff Reports
First it was his daughter, now it is his son that is on the wrong side of the law. Americus attorney William J. Murray’s stepson, Brian Ray Deal, was arrested twice within a five day period by local authorities. Deal, age 29, was first charged with theft by shoplifting on January 7, 2007, by the Americus Police Department. According to Police reports, a cashier at Winn Dixie Supermarket stated that she observed Brian snatch $90 worth of Verizon phone cards after he attempted to purchase several items with a bad check.

The cashier stated that Mr. Deal then left the store driving a white SUV. She was able to identify him because she remembered him from High School. The report further stated that when contact was made with Mr. Deal’s residence on 119 Finn St. Deal refused to open the door until his mother Sandra Murray came to the house. After his mother arrived, he was transported to the police department for questioning.

Then Sandra Murray was escorted to Winn Dixie to talk to the store manager about the incident. Mrs. Murray stated that her son had been having medical problems and was going back and forth to the hospital in Albany. Mrs. Murray and the store manager came to an agreement that if she paid the $90 for the phone cards all he wanted was for Mr. Deal to not come back in the store. The agreement was worked out and Mr. Deal was released to his mother.

“Bill and Sandra better be glad their son didn’t snatch those phone cards from Discount Tobacco Store over there on North Lee St said Dr. John Marshall. I couldn’t imagine the beating AJ Patel would have given him. Apparently this young man might be having some type of substance abuse problem just like his sister. It‘s truly a shame, but it seems as if the Murray‘s are one of the most dysfunctional families in Sumter County” Marshall said.

Deal’s second arrest came just five days later on January 12, 2007, when he led the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department on a high speed car chase. Once they finally caught him at his residence, he was charged with running a red light, fleeing and attempting to elude officers, and five counts of failure to stop at a stop sign. He was released on bond, but sources say he failed to appear at a February court hearing relating to the charges. Attempts to reach attorney Murray for comments were unsuccessful supposedly due his being out of the country.