Lowell Register claims Peach County arrest ‘illegal’ in Creek 100.9 burglary

After spending three hours in the Peach County jail, Lowell Register said he was wrongfully arrested on burglary and criminal trespassing charges at the broadcast tower for The Creek 100.9 radio station.

Peach County deputies were patrolling Aultman Road after the station was knocked off the air Friday and Saturday when the transmitter was sabotaged at the site not far off Ga. 96 and Interstate 75.

About 2:30 p.m. Sunday, a deputy arrested Register, 80, after he was caught with his son-in-law, who was drilling holes in the locked door of a building that houses the transmitter for The Creek.

“This arrest, that was unwarranted and uncalled for and illegal and a lot of other things I could say,” Register said Monday. “This is my personal land, building and tower.”

Although the Peach County tax rolls show him as the owner of nearly seven acres, it also notes that Register owes nearly $3,200 in taxes for 2015 and 2016.

Register’s company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy after years of legal battles and the contested sale of Radio Peach and Radio Perry to Creek Media.

In December, Bibb County Superior Court Judge Ed Ennis approved the sale of those radio companies, which had been held in a court-ordered receivership since early 2015.

Register still contends that Register Communications and its subsidiaries were improperly placed in receivership, which should negate the sale.

“I was not in default on any loans,” he said Monday.

Documents were presented in court that showed he defaulted on about $7.5 million in loans, property taxes and payroll taxes owed the Internal Revenue Service.

Friday, a switch at the transmitter was turned off and Brad Evans, a co-owner of The Creek, suspected that Register was behind the outage but did not press charges.

The switch was flipped back on, and The Creek was back on the air after being off for about five hours, he said.

Saturday, the station went off the air again about 10 a.m. when a circuit board was removed.

Evans called the sheriff’s offices in Peach and Bibb counties, thinking Register might have the board at his Macon home.

Engineers temporarily patched together a repair, and the station was back on the air about 7 p.m. Saturday.

Register admits removing the “mother board” from the transmitter Saturday.

“I just pulled it out and my son-in-law hid it,” Register said. “I’m not stealing.”

Evans recovered it on the property Sunday.

“Luckily he put it in a plastic bag,” Evans said Monday as he examined the board.

Evans had returned to the tower, where a security guard was posted outside the gate Monday morning.

Up until Saturday, Register had a key to the gate and the transmitter building.

“It’s my property. It’s my building and land and up until (Sunday) I’ve had the opportunity to come and go,” Register said.

Evans had the locks changed, which prompted Register to remove the gate Sunday and try to enter the building by drilling the door.

Register claims The Creek is intercepting rent payments due him from Cumulus Broadcasting to rent space on the tower and in the transmitter building.

He also expects The Creek to pay rent for its use of the building and property.

Evans said if they owed anybody rent, it would be Green Bull Georgia Partners LLC, which owns the loans Register Communications reportedly failed to pay.

Evans said he plans to explore pressing federal charges against Register.

“It hurts. ... It’s already hard enough to run a radio station without someone tampering with your equipment,” he said. “Ultimately we’re just going to keep doing what we have to do to stay on the air.”

Register also claims The Creek is unlawfully in possession of some Register Data Systems equipment that was removed from the studio on Forsyth Street.

He wants Bibb County deputies to arrest someone “for stealing my equipment,” and he wants The Creek off the Peach County property.

“I will have Creek Media removed because that land and that building belongs to me,” Register said.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Lowell Register claims Peach County arrest ‘illegal’ in Creek 100.9 burglary."