Development Authority member Richard Blair Golden, 44, 1880 Chula-Brookfield Road, was arrested and charged with battery Tuesday afternoon in connection with an alleged assault on 61-year-old Howard Burrous, who manages the Tifton-Tift County Landfill.

According to an incident report filed at the Tift County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 3:40 p.m. to the landfill on Mitchell Store Road in reference to an assault. The report states that upon arrival, Golden was arrested and transported to the Tift County Jail.

Tift County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Taylor of the Uniform Patrol Division said Wednesday that 911 received a call Tuesday afternoon from Burrous stating that he had allegedly been assaulted by Golden at the landfill. Taylor advised that deputies responded and found Golden still on the scene.

“Deputies had enough evidence and probable cause to make an arrest,” Taylor said. “Since this was a misdemeanor, there was a pre-set bond for his (Golden) charge. He was bonded out of jail sometime Tuesday night.”

Taylor stated that “the altercation between Golden and Burrous started over some items Golden’s company allegedly dumped in the landfill that weren’t supposed to be dumped there. While Golden’s employees were removing the items, he and Burrous got into an argument.”

Burrous sustained minor injuries, Taylor advised. He noted that Golden and his employees were working on removing the items and loading them on a trailer when deputies arrived on scene at the landfill. He said Golden didn’t give the deputies any problem.

This isn’t the first time that Golden, who is a former school board chairman, has been involved in an incident.

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

The article states that on Dec. 8, 2004, Golden reached a plea agreement just before his trial was scheduled to begin. He was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to perform 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 restitution and court costs.

However, on Aug. 24, 2006, a judge determined that Golden violated the conditions of his probation after being accused of dumping commercial kitchen grease in the city’s sewer system on Dec. 16, 2006, but decided not to revoke his first offender status on his 2004 guilty plea on charges of criminal damage to property and pointing a gun at another.

The article states that a Golden Environmental tanker truck, which is Golden’s company, was reported to have dumped the waste into the sewer, and a city utility worker reported the incident and the citation was written by a Tift County deputy. It further states that Golden stepped down from his position as the Tift County Board of Education’s chairman during that time but continued to serve on the board. He did not run for re-election to the post.

Golden was ultimately sentenced in 2007 to serve a probated 12 months, pay a $500 fine and serve eight days in jail on weekends after a last-minute guilty plea to dumping the waste into the city’s sewer system, according to an article dated May 7, 2007. Golden was also ordered by a judge to pay the city for treatment of 1,000 gallons of waste.

In 2008, Golden and now-Chairman Shawn Utley sought the seat for chairman of the board of education. During the run for the seat, Golden was quoted when asked why his charges related to the two incidents he was involved in should not be a concern to voters by stating that, “There should be a concern. That’s part of Richard Golden. I made a mistake in those events personally. I shoulder the responsibility and regret it wholeheartedly.”

Utley ultimately defeated Golden, who served as chairman of the board until 2006. In 2009, Golden was appointed by the Tift County Board of Commission members to the development authority.

To contact reporter Latasha Everson, call 382-4321.