The bridge will be named for Trooper Lt. Joseph “Joey” Keith Boatright, a well-known resident who became commander of the local Georgia State Patrol post. He died last year.
State Rep. Dusty Hightower, R-Carrollton, said the dedication will honor a great man. House Resolution 411 will be sent through the Georgia Legislature to make the renaming official.
“Lt. Joseph Keith Boatright was well known for his quiet, kind and giving personality,” said Hightower. “He took his position as a GSP officer very seriously, and he used it to mentor younger troopers and assist families in Carroll County. He will be greatly missed.”
Boatright graduated from Villa Rica High School and worked as a radio operator for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and later the state patrol. He was later promoted to corporal, sergeant and Commander of state patrol Post 4 in Villa Rica.
HR 411 reads that Boatright is a dedicated law enforcement officer who was an avid hunter and outdoorsman and was a community leader as a member of Villa Rica Lodge #72 and the Cattlemen’s Association.
“Trooper Lieutenant Boatright exhibited extraordinary devotion to duty, outstanding loyalty, fine leadership and meticulous attention to detail in all his duties,” reads the resolution.
Trooper John Hutcheson, who officiated Boatright’s funeral and worked with him for many years, said Boatright was the best post commander he has ever worked for.
“He was a Southern gentleman,” said Hutcheson, who worked with Boatright beginning in 1999. “He was very well mannered and treated everyone with politeness and respect. He was everything you’d want in a trooper.”
Copies of the resolution will be given to Boatright’s family and to the Department of Transportation. A date has not been set for a dedication ceremony as of this writing.
“He was a hometown hero,” Hutcheson said. “Everyone that knew him admired him and we had the utmost respect for him.”
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