50 years ago – June 24, 1975: Hitchhikers held in murder case

Dublin Courier Herald

Two female hitchhikers have been charged in the death of 35-year-old insurance man, Ronnie L. Horne of Rentz. 

Horne’s body was found in his car around 1:00 a.m. along U.S. 280 near Mt. Vernon.

After the two suspects were brought to the Laurens County Jail, Deputy Phillip Coney said that one of the girls voluntarily admitted a pistol in their possession was Horne’s and admitted the shooting.

“We gave both subjects their rights and told them that they will be charged with murder,” Investigator Buddy Daniels of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Department said.

Horne’s body was found slumped over the steering wheel of his car this morning by a passing motorist, Wheeler County Sheriff Maurice Johnson said. Horne had been shot one time in the cheekbone, police said.

Lawmen believe that Horne’s own gun, a pearl-handled .38 revolver, was used in the shooting.

A gun fitting that description and $147 cash were found on the girls when two units of the Laurens County Sheriff Department forced a flatbed truck off I-16 near the Cochran Short Route in Bibb County. The two girls, both of Atlanta, were riding in the cab of the truck when Sgt. Yates Ware, Dep. Ted Young, Coney, and Daniels made the arrests.

The suspects were identified as Dessie X. Woods, 30, and Cheryl S. Todd, 22.

Sgt. Ware said that the two apparently hitched a ride with the truck driver near the Ga. 29 Exit on I-16. The pair had been spotted near Sweat’s Barbecue in Treutlen County around 7:30 this morning. Sweat’s is near I-16 on Georgia 29.

They were captured at 9:05 A.M. Following an extensive five-county search.

Lawmen from Laurens and Wheeler counties tracked the two girls for more than seven hours. An area-wide alert describing the two as “two black females in halter tops and slacks” was issued.

A motorist told police that he saw the girls trying to thumb a ride on I-16 early this morning, police said.

Police have fixed the time of the shooting around 10:30 p.m. Two motorists said that they passed the Oconee River Bridge on the Wheeler County-Montgomery County line at 10:00 P.M. The car was not there. When they returned at 10:30, the car was parked off the side of the road. However, they did not stop.

Details of the events leading to the shooting are sketchy; however,  police believe Horne stopped to give the girls a ride somewhere in Toombs County. He had gone to Vidalia to interview an applicant for a job.

A restaurant operator in Vidalia told local authorities that he had overheard the girls talking about being jailed in Tatnall County. The operator said that Horne was in the restaurant about the same time.

Police here discovered the names of the two girls after checking with Tatnall County authorities who told them that Todd had been arrested on Friday on a drunk pedestrian charge, Sgt. Ware said.

The girls were released from custody in Tatnall County about 6:00 P.M. on Monday.

The shooting occurred on an isolated stretch of US 260 near the Oconee River. The car ignition was on when Wheeler County officials arrived after 1:00 A.M.

Dep. Coney said that one of the girls related that she was crying on the ground outside the car when “the other one did the shooting.”

Sheriff Johnson said that he plans to call the Wheeler County Grand Jury back into session to indict the two girls. After questioning, the girls were taken to an undisclosed jail and will be arraigned today, Johnson said.

An autopsy will be conducted later today which should give lawmen more information on the type of weapon used in the shooting.                                                                                            Last night’s shooting-robbery is the first such crime to be reported in the area since an outbeak of rural crime begain in Georgia earlier this year.

BREAKS, LAWMEN DEDICATION BROKE SLAYING CASE

Alamo – “We had lots of good help and lots of good breaks,” Wheeler County Sheriff Maurice Johnson said today about the apprehension of two suspects in the pistol death of Ronnie L. Horne of Rentz.

Horne was killed by two pistol bullets, the Sheriff said, in the head, not four inches apart. “With the powder burns, the pistol must have been about twelve inches from his head.”  

Sheriff Johnson also praised Laurens County Sheriff’s deputies, two of whom stayed with him all night on Monday as he worked on the case. He also praised Dublin City Detective Burch who helped. “They are just like July hounds;” he laughed; “they won’t give up. “The Wheeler County Sheriff also said that Dessie X. Woods admitted being a member of the Black Muslim group. She was blamed for the actual shooting of Horne by the other girl arrested, Cheryl S. Todd. Sheriff Johnson said that approximtely $147 was taken from the pair after they were arrested; they had had approximately $10 when they were released from the Glenville Jail where they had been held from Friday until Monday, he said. That was the point where the whole affair started, according to Johnson.

He said that the two had gone from Atlanta, where they live, to Reidsville to see the Todd girl’s brother. She said that he had been convicted of armed robbery, the Sheriff said, and was serving time in the State Prison.

They hitched a ride to Glenville, where they were arrested on Friday for drunkeness. Then they were released on Monday about 6 P.M. when bonds were posted.

Admitting being pofessional hitchhikers, they then hitched a ride to the Country Store on US. 280. Shortly afterwards, the shooting is alleged to have followed, probably between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. The money that Horne had was taken, and his billfold had been thrown into a ditch nearby. This was found last night after the girls told Sheriff Johnson where it was. He found it where they said it was.

They admitted, Sheriff Johnson said, to spending the night in Glenwood and planned to hire a taxi to take them to I-16. However, they hitched several rides that carried them to Sweat’s Barbecue on Route 29.

The information from this point on was what triggered the apprehensions.

The pair walked from the barbecue place to I-16 and were picked up by a tractor-triler rig headed for Macon. It was then that the information came to the lawmen that the pair had been spotted at Sweat’s.

Two Laurens County deputies rushed to I-16 and on to Macon, while the Wheeler Sheriff and his helpers asked that a road block be set up outside Macon on the interstate.

Traveling at high speed, the two Laurens deputies looked into every vehicle they passed until they saw the two girls in the cab of the tractor-trailer. After stopping the rig, the pair was arrested by the two Laurens deputies, with Bibb County deputies arriving soon thereafter, the Sheriff explained.

Sheriff Johnson said that the girls had talked and told of the events of the fatal shooting and the hours thereafter.

The first news of the slaying came to Sheriff Johnson about 1 A.M., he said. “The excellent information we could get, and the good breaks that came our way enabled us to have the pair known before daylight. The pair was arrested about 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning and brought to the Laurens County Jail about 12 hours after the crime was supposedly committed.”

The sheriff said that arraignment will probably be on Friday. The charges of murder and armed robbery will be made in Wheeler County since the shooting was alleged to have been committed just inside the Wheeler  County line.

Rentz To Miss Ronnie Horne

Dublin Police Detective F.M. Burch, looking weary and pale, sat in the Laurens County Jail this morning and talked about a lifelong friend who was shot to death the night before.

“We were not blood kin, but we were like brothers. He and I grew up together.”

All through the night, Burch tracked two female suspects wanted in Ronnie Horne’s death.

Earlier he had had the hard task of telling the family of the 35 year-old man’s death.

Burch is like many Rentz residents who have taken the sudden, tragic killing with shock and disbelief.

Mrs. Foster Taylor had known Ronnie Horne for many years. “He was a good boy. He was a brilliant boy.”

“He was well-behaved. I never heard anything wrong with him,” said a former grammar school teacher, Mrs. Mayme Coleman. “He was one of the smartest in his class. When they gave the county-wide achievement test in the fifth grade, he scored right at the top,” she remembered.

Ronnie Horne, who to many Rentz residents was seen as a hard-working young family man, was shot in the head in a rural section of Wheeler County last night. Two female hitchhikers are being held in connection with the shooting.

Horne leaves behind an eleven year-old daughter, Carla, and a wife, the former Jo Ann Mullis.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Horne, are longtime Laurens Countians.

Horne attended Rentz Elementary School and was graduated from Laurens High School.

He held jobs with J.P. Stevens and with Bill Cutler Mobile Homes and operated a furniture store and later grocery in the present location of Lowery Food Center.

In recent years, he has been very successful in the insurance business. When he was shot to death last night, he was returning home from Vidalia, where he had gone to hire a man to sell insurance.

Funeral services have not been arranged, but will be announced later.

SOUTHERN BELL TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE

If you’ve been wonderng what’s inside Southern Bell’s 609 Bellevue Avenue building, here’s your chance to find out.

The telephone company is scheduling a one-night open house for Dublin residents on Thursday, June 26. Guided tours of approximately 30-minute duration will be conducted between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

 “We want the public to meet the people who stand behind their service and to see them explain and demonstrate the varied skills and complex telephone equipment that are involved,” said Ken Hilley, Southern Bell manager.

“We hope that many Dublin residents will accept our invitation. We think that they will find the occasion interesting and enjoyable.”

One of he reason for the open house at this time is to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Southern Bell’s acquiring the Dublin telephone exchange. “The number of telephones that we serve has grown from the 434 in 1910 when Southern Bell acquired the Dublin exchange to over 16,100 today,” he stated.

FLAG DAY OBSERVED

Flag Day was observed in ceremonies on the grounds of the Dublin Elks Lodge on Academy Avenue at 7:00 A.M. on June 14th. Boy Scout Troop No. 68 was in charge of raising the flag, which had flown over the National Capitol in Washington, D.C. The flag had been obtained by the efforts of Jim Hammock and the assistance of Senaator Sam Nunn.

Rev. Edward Sellers, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, delivered the Flag Day Address, after which breakfast was served in the Lodge dining room by manager, Ken Proctor.

Attending the ceremony were these Scouts: Kelly Canady, Jack Head, John Kisalus, John Taylor, Joey Wilson,  Robert Brantley, Keith Dixon, Kimsey Fowler, Frank Hobbs, Jeff Kibler, Jeff Kisalus, Clarence Reynolds, Mark Tarpley, Greg Thomas, Jay Chappell, Tommy Hatchett, Mark Howell, John Kibler, Brad Tanner, Brent Tanner, Scott Walker, Tom Fagan, J. Brantley, Steve Edwards, Damon Riggs, Tex Williams, Chuck Ellise, Richard Slade, Blake Brown, Edwin Edwards, Gary Graddy, David Ratledge, and Mike Caldwell.

Scoutmaster Joe Wilson, Assistant Scoutmaster Reese Thomas, and Assistant Scoutmaster Bearl Greenway were also present.

The Flag Day Ceremony was sponsored by the Americanism Committee of the Dublin Elks Lodge with Marvin Madden as chairman and Bob Dixon as Exalted Ruler.

HOWARD CHAPEL GRADUATES

The 1974-75 graduates of Howard Chapel Day Care Center are Ranta Graham, Deltric Swint, Cynthia Holliman, Hilton Boyers, and Shelia Rozar.

The Director of the Center is Mrs. Jewel Thomas.

EXCHANGE CLUB INSTALLATION

On Thursday of last week the Dublin Exchange Club installed new officers and directors and named Robert Brown as Exchangite of the Year. 

During the program, which was attended by the ladies of the club, these new officials were installed by Bryon Holmes:

Larry Spooner – President

Morris Robertson – Vice President

Donnie Wages – Secretary-Treasurer

Perry Edge – Director

Don Bryant – Director

Al Scarborough – Director 

LT. GOV. TO SPEAK

On July 6 at the 11:00 A.M. service at Pine Forest United Methodist Church, Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller will be the guest speaker.

This will be the annual observance of the church of God and Country Day, according to pastor, Reverend Jim Rush, when government leaders are asked to participate.

The service will be open to the public.

STUDENTS AT WORKSHOP

Steve Hobbs, a student at West Laurens High School, and John Johnson, a student at East Laurens High School, are attending the Conservation Workshop at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, according to A.L. Price, District Conservationist, Soil Conservation Service, Dublin.

Scholarships for the boys were made by Dominy Gulf Oil, Inc. and Grady Cullens Pulpwood in cooperation with the Central Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District.

Steve is th son of Mr. and Mrs. James N. Hobbs of Dublin, and John is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hershell Johnson, Route 6, Dublin.

OUR MEN IN SERVICE

Marine Sergeant Dewey L. Johnson, whose wife Dianne is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Gaillard of Route 4, Dublin, Georgia, participated in Agaate Punch, a joint Navy and Marine Corps Exercise off the east coast.

He is a member of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362, which helped provide support to tactical maneuvers at sea and simulated assaults on beaches near the Marine Corps base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

A 1965 graduate of East Laurens High School, he joined the Marine Corps in May 1972.

Airman Charles S. Hobbs, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles N. Hobbs of 1938 Green Street, Dublin, Georgia, has been selected for technical training in the U.S. Air Force armament systems field at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.

The airman recently completed basic training at Lackland AFB, where he studied the Air Force mission, organization, and customs and received special instruction in human relations.

Airman Hobbs is a 1972 graduate of Dublin High School.

Honolulu – An Air Force Chief Master Sergeant from Dublin, Georgia, was decorated with the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal in recent ceremonies at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

Sergeant Henry V.Bush, brother of Mrs. R.S. Cheek of 1706 Highland Avenue, Dublin, Georgia, was cited for meritorious service at Wurtsmith AFB, 

Michigan. He is an aircraft maintenance superintendent.

Now assigned at Hickam, he serves with a unit of the Pacific Air Forces.

Valdosta, Georgia – An official at Moody AFB, Georgia, has announced the promotion of Kenneth A. Couey, Jr. to sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.

Sergeant Couey,son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Couey of 1202 Skyline Drive, Dublin, Georgia, is an administrative specialist with a unit of the Air Training Command.

The sergeant attended Dublin High School.

Navy Airman Recruit  Joseph C. Cable, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert D. Rountree of Dublin, Georgia, was graduated from recruit training  at the Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida.

Classes include instruction in seamanship, military regulations, fire fighting, close order drill, first aid, and Navy history.

He is scheduled to report to Aviation Structural Mechanical School, Memphis, Tennessee.

On June 13, 1975, Robert W. Perry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wendell S. Perry of 110 Lassiter Drive, Dublin, Georgia, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

A 1965 graduate of Dublin High School, Mr. Perry attended the University of Georgia in 1965-1967 before entering the U.S. Navy in the Fall of 1967.

In September 1971, Mr. Perry returned to the University of Georgia and was graduated in August 1973, receiving the Bachelor of Arts Degree magna cum laude in American History in the Fall of 1973.

He then entered the Graduate School of Business Administration and the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Georgia.

While in the Air Force ROTC program, Perry held the following positions: Squadron Commander, Group Informaion Officer, Group Commanding Officer, and Special Assistant to the Commandant of Cadets.

Upon being commissioned, Mr. Perry was designated a Distinguished Air Force ROTC Graduate by the professor of Aerospace Studies, Colonel Thomas L. Hauer. During the Spring Quarter 1975, Mr. Perry was elected to membership in Sigma Iota Epsilon, the national honorary and professional management fraternity.

In August 1975, he will receive the Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Georgia and enter upon active duty with the United States Air Force, Medical Service Corps.

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