Report: Murray deputy stole more than $10,000 from evidence

Donna Lynn Woody, 50, of 538 Walker Road, Chatsworth, faces six counts of tampering with evidence.

CHATSWORTH — A Murray County Sheriff’s Office deputy whose job was to store evidence has been charged with stealing it.

Donna Lynn Woody, 50, of 538 Walker Road, Chatsworth, faces six counts of tampering with evidence, one count of theft by fiduciary and one count of violation of oath of office, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special-Agent-in-Charge Greg Ramey.

Woody is the sheriff’s office’s evidence custodian. Ramey says Woody took “in excess of $10,000.”

“Tuesday morning, the GBI was contacted by the Murray County Sheriff’s Office to investigate allegations of some missing money from the evidence room,” said Ramey.

“A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Donna Woody.”

Woody was released from jail on a $5,000 bond. Sheriff Gary Langford did not immediately return a telephone message left at his office on Friday. A phone number for Woody could not be found.

Charles Oliver, Dalton Daily Citizen

Film ordinance coming for Cedartown

CEDARTOWN — When film companies come to a small town like Cedartown looking to use it as a setting for their movie or television show, suddenly many questions need to be answered.

Problems over infrastructure, staffing for road closures and security, and other issues come up whenever a city signs an agreement with production companies.

With the hopes of having something in place for the future after recently hosting 3 different productions, Cedartown City Manager Bill Fann got to work with the help of Assistant City Manager Edward Guzman to put together language for a forthcoming ordinance to clarify what is and isn’t allowed for studios when they come to town.

“Simple things like getting a permit. There’s an application and forms for those things,” he said. “And we looked into exemptions for things we know we don’t need to do that for, such as personal filming or if a class wants to come and do something for school.”

The draft was put together in part from language Bartow County already put into place, though according to Fann the ordinance has been tailored to Cedartown.

Kevin Myrick, Polk County Standard Journal