🌱 Making Downtown Macon Safe + Local Caught Robbing Same Bank Twice

Welcome back, Macon! I'm here in your inbox this morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Sunny, breezy and pleasant. High: 83 Low: 58.
• Friday: Mostly sunny and breezy. High: 76 Low: 54.

From our sponsor:

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Here are the top four stories in Macon today:

1. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office hosted a meeting on Tuesday, May 23, to discuss the safety solutions and plans to make Downtown Macon business owners, employees, and shoppers feel more safe. Sheriff David Davis said they are working to fix staffing problems to increase police presence downtown. Davis said they have hired about 70 part-time and full-time deputies since the first of the year. Lieutenant Cedric Penson, who leads the SRT Unit responsible for working downtown between 6:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., said the plan has worked so far. When asked how many shootings have occurred downtown in the last seven weeks, Penson said, "Less than four. Before I came, it was more than 12." (WMAZ 13)
2. On May 23, 41-year-old William Jeffrey Lowder, Jr. plead guilty to attempted bank robbery for trying to rob the Truist Bank on Mercer University Drive in Macon, which he also robbed in 2013. Lowder was recently released from federal prison for the 2013 bank robbery and on Jan. 27, he attempted to rob the same exact bank. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. (WMAZ 13)
3. On May 23, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office arrested 38-year-old Jarvis Jermaine Tillman and 30-year-old Amanda Allan Hulsey, both of Macon, in connection to the shooting death of Olico Dennis. Dennis was declared missing by his family after a work assignment and was later found dead in Crawford County of a gunshot wound. Tillman and Hulsey face multiple charges, including murder. (wgxa.tv)
4. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is investigating after two 21-year-old men were shot at a west Macon apartment complex. According to investigators, the shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. on May 23 in the parking lot of the Summit Apartments on Edna Place. Both victims are listed in stable condition. Call BSO at 478-751 -7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME with any information about the incident. (wgxa.tv)

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Today and tomorrow in Macon:

Thursday, May 25

• Darts Tournament At The Hummingbird (7:00 PM)

Friday, May 26

• Good Times Bingo At Anderson Conference Center (6:00 PM)
• Freedom Friday with DJ Carlos At The Crazy Bull (8:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Macon-Bibb commissioners approved spending $368,000 to help with the years-long lifeguard shortage. Aquatic Management is now responsible for finding and hiring Bibb County's lifeguards and the starting pay will be $20.85 per hour instead of $14 per hour. (wgxa.tv)
• On Tuesday night, May 24, a 24-year-old woman was shot in the leg in front of a home on Hollingsworth Road in Macon. She is reportedly in stable condition at Piedmont North Hospital. Bibb County deputies are investigating the incident. (wgxa.tv)
• There are so many amazing homes for sale in the Macon area! Check out a four-bedroom on Sanders Road for $355,600 and more at the link. (Macon Patch)

You're officially in the loop for today. See you all soon for another update!

— Rose Mendez

About me: Rose Mendez is a freelance writer. She is studying English Literature at Hunter College. She loves reading, walking around the city, and coffee!