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Fund, fundraiser to support local mans pancreas transplant
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Fundraiser at Mama Maria’s

Mama Maria’s restaurant on the access road in Covington will donate 10 percent of their proceeds from dinner on Feb. 1 to the Jake Gilbert Transplant Fund. Seating is reserved from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. Call (678) 342-2200 for more information.

 Jake Gilbert, 32, has suffered for many years with Type I diabetes. During Gibert’s battle with diabetes he has endured many medical problems including vision loss, neuropathy, stage 3 kidney disease, hypertension, depression and damage to all of his major organs. Gilbert has gone into diabetic keytoacidosis twice in the last year and both times the doctors have told his family that they came very close to losing him.

 After weeks in the ICU he did recover, but only to find that even more damage had been done to his body because of these episodes. Gilbert’s doctors recently decided that he was in need of a pancreas transplant as soon as possible to try and stop the damage being done to his body. After a long evaluation process and weeks of waiting they have received notification that he is now second on the National Transplant Registry and his procedure could happen much sooner than his family ever anticipated.

 Gilbert and his wife, Waver, realize that this could be a life-changing surgery for him, but at the same time it is very frightening for both of them.

 The Gilberts also have a 16-month-old special needs child. After the birth of their daughter last July, it was determined that she had a 3q chromosome deletion and would be faced with many medical challenges herself. This in itself has been an emotional and financial burden on Jake and Waver as she is unable to work in order to care for their daughter, who is unable to attend daycare.

 Gilbert continues to work daily at Sunbelt Rentals in Covington, where he thoroughly enjoys his job and co-workers. He does have health insurance, but he will be responsible for 20 percent of all of the medical costs incurred during this process. He will have a long hospital stay at Piedmont Hospital as well as several weeks of recuperation and then begin the process of preventing any anti-rejection of his new pancreas. At some point in the future, Gilbert will need of a kidney transplant also.

 A Jake Gilbert Transplant Fund has been established at Suntrust Bank to help offset the cost of the transplant as well to help his family during the time that he will be out of work. If you would like to help, any donation made is tax deductible (tax ID number is 27-0507203). The account number for this fund is 1000098843476. A donation can be made at any Suntrust branch using the account number above.

Covington man convicted of child abuse and neglect by Newton County jury
Carey Donovan Clark

NEWTON COUNTY – Last Thursday evening, a Newton County jury found Covington resident Carey Donovan Clark guilty of six counts of cruelty to children in the second degree and one count of aggravated battery.

According to a press release from the Newton County District Attorney’s office, the charges stem “from the abuse and neglect of multiple children.” There were a total of six children affected, all of whom were younger than 10. 

The case warranted the involvement of Newton County and Cherokee County DFCS and the children involved received services from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and A Child's Voice Child Advocacy Center. The investigation and arrest washandled by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Assistant District Attorney Bailey Wilkinson, the three older children went to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and one child remained hospitalized for a few days due to internal and external injuries.

Clark’s co-defendant in the case, Nora Rodgers, was sentenced in December 2023 after pleading guilty. Rodgers received 60 years with the first 30 years in confinement. 

Nora Rodgers
Nora Rodgers

Clark’s sentencing will be held at a later date. A pre-sentencing report is still being completed, and Clark will remain in custody until he is sentenced.

According to the press release, both Rodgers and Clark would make the children involved perform exercises and would not give the children “necessary sustenance.” A doctor testifying from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta reportedly called the children’s experiences “torture.” 

According to Wilkinson, the abuse was dealt at the hands of both Rodgers and Clark. The eight of them had lived together since 2018.

When Rodgers was sentenced, a statement released detailed some of the exercises the children were forced to perform. 

“Over the years the children had suffered torture under the guise of punishment. They were forced to do extreme bootcamp style exercises,” the statement with Rodgers’ sentencing read. “They would have to run laps, squats with large

logs from the yard, jumping jacks, etc., for extended time periods and to the point of exhaustion and injury. They would often have to perform these exercises in the middle of the night and in the heat of summer."

The statement further declared that Rodgers would “beat” the children if their exercise was not up to her standards and that she would spar with them as well, often hitting them. 

Wilkinson told The Covington News that the methods to punish the children were decided on together by Clark and Rodgers. Clark did not engage in the sparring, but he was aware of it. She added that Clark did engage in the exercise and physical punishments, but not to the same extent as Rodgers.