CALHOUN, Ga. — The community is mourning the loss of retired Georgia State Patrol Commander Kenneth Prather, who passed away on July 14. Commander Prather served with distinction as the Post 43 Commander in Calhoun and Gordon County for 19 years, earning the respect of both colleagues and citizens throughout his decades of service.
Georgia 1017 joins with his family, friends, and the broader community in honoring his legacy.
Prather was a devoted member of Blackwood Springs Baptist Church, where he served faithfully as a deacon. His wife, Faye Prather, is a respected figure in the local legal community, and the Prathers have long been recognized as pillars of service and faith in Gordon County.
In other local news, the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) is warning residents about a sophisticated text message scam that falsely presents itself as an official legal document. The message threatens recipients with arrest for “contempt of court” and “failure to appear,” citing COVID-19 and the CARES Act in an effort to sound legitimate. It includes fake case numbers, bogus court seals, a mashup of legal terminology from multiple jurisdictions, and even a falsified GCSO logo — easily sourced online.
Authorities stress that any legitimate court-related documents from the Sheriff’s Office will never be sent via text. Instead, they will always be delivered in person by a uniformed deputy driving a clearly marked patrol vehicle. Anyone who receives such a suspicious message is urged not to respond and to report it directly to GCSO.
Also of note, all items listed on the agenda during last night’s Gordon County Board of Commissioners meeting were unanimously approved by the board. Details on those items will be available in the official meeting minutes.