http://www.waltontribune.com/story.lasso?ewcd=cd7d7f933f68518c

Ghost hunting serious business for locals
By Stephen Milligan
The Walton Tribune

WALTON COUNTY - When there's something strange in the neighborhood,
there's someone new in the phone book.
Founded by Jack Valentine and Heidi Brumbelow, East Georgia Paranormal
may not be the Ghostbusters, but they do investigate claims of
paranormal and ghostly activity throughout the region, including Walton
County.
"We met in November 2006 at a ghost function," Brumbelow said. "We got
to talking and ended up going to an investigation that night."

The partnership forged that night became East Georgia Paranormal, now in
action for eight months, which searches houses, free of charge,
for evidence of otherworldly activity, which is becoming increasingly
more popular in the country.
"I think people are more open to talk about it," Brumbelow said.

"People are seeing it's not just a myth, there's something to this,"
Brumbelow said.
The paranormal investigators, once called in by a property owner, will
move on a house once the sun sets and begin a series of tests and
procedures designed to detect any spiritual or unusual activity,
beginning with Brumbelow and Michelle Valentine examining the house as
sensitives.
"We will go into the house with a tablet and write down any images we
pull up," Brumbelow said "I'll examine each room and any names or images
that come to mind, I'll write it down. Michelle and I will be in
separate groups, yet we will often write down the same things. I'm
amazed every time."

As the two women attempt discovery, Valentine will interview the
property owner to determine what unusual activity has merited the call,
while other crew members set up cameras, recorders and other equipment
that could possibly detect activity.
The sessions can last anywhere from a few hours to all night, and
sometimes strange events do happen to the team.
"At Gaither Plantation in Covington, our skeptic and Web tech got
touched on the ear," Brumbelow said. "He jumped about 10 feet."
The team has also heard things as well, including yet another incident
at Gaither Plantation.

"We were at base camp on the first floor and we heard an argument
upstairs," Brumbelow said. "So we went upstairs and there's nothing
there, but we hear voices in the attic. A couple of the guys go up there
and it's empty.
"Then we hear voices on the first floor, and of course when we go down
there, it's empty. Then we heard a female laughing on the stairs. So
there was definitely something playing with us."

Of course, not every investigation produces ghosts, as one in Social
Circle proved, where nothing was found.
"We try to debunk it if we can," Brumbelow said. "Doors that open on
their own might just be a problem with the house, not paranormal
activity."
But when they do find evidence, which they present to clients at a
follow-up session on a DVD, they feel vindicated.

"We're giving them an explanation for things they cannot explain,"
Brumbelow said. "A lot of time it's just for their peace of mind. People
want to confirm what they are experiencing."
East Georgia Paranormal and its members hope to continue helping people
with paranormal problems, as well as make a few believers out of the
process.

"I would like to see paranormal investigation become a recognized
science," Brumbelow said.

The group can be reached at its Web site, eastgeogiaparanormal.com.