Former Tift County Board of Education President Richard Golden entered a plea of not guilty in state court Monday on December charges of illegal dumping.

Golden was cited for dumping commercial kitchen waste into the public sewer system after a city utility worker said he witnessed the incident Dec. 16. A deputy wrote that the offense was “dumping kitchen wastes in sanitary system” in violation of Georgia Code 12-8-2. Golden is associated with Golden Environmental LLC, Demolition Contractors.

According to State Court Solicitor Richard B. “Bob” Richbourg, the charge against Golden is a misdemeanor and Golden’s arraignment was set for Monday. Golden’s attorney, Herbert Benson, entered the not guilty plea Monday and State Court Judge Larry Mims is expected to hear the case at the trial set for May 1.

Golden was charged in April 2004 with aggravated assault after he aimed a gun at Derek Pettiford of Tifton and shot holes in Pettiford’s car. Pettiford admitted that he had trespassed on Golden’s property off U.S. Highway 319 North to fish in a pond there.

On Dec. 8, 2004, Golden reached a plea agreement just before his trial was scheduled to begin and was sentenced to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service on lesser charges of pointing a gun at another and felony criminal damage to property. He was ordered to pay $2,025.54 in restitution and $2,175 in court costs.

Golden was sentenced as a first offender. Whether a superior court judge will revoke his first offender status and resentence Golden on the felony charge is unclear. Richbourg said earlier that that decision would be made between Golden’s probation officer and the district attorney’s office.



To contact city editor Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.