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2012 a year of change, controversy and tragedy for emergency responders

By Nathan Baker

Local emergency responders might be excused for being glad to see the end of 2012, a year punctuated by a series of tragic and deadly events … and by change.

On Jan. 31, Johnson County authorities were called to the scene of a grisly double homicide in Doe Valley.

Billy Payne Jr. and Billie Jean Hayworth were found shot to death in their home, their 8-month-old baby alive and still cradled in its mother’s arms.
Mountain City residents Jamie Lynn Curd and Marvin “Buddy” Potter Jr. were arrested in February and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths.

Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece claimed the motivation for the killings was an Internet dispute involving the couple and Potter’s adult daughter that led to her removal as a friend on Facebook.

The two men are scheduled to appear again in Johnson County court in February.