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GAS LINE BREAK SHUTS
DOWN HALL INTERSECTION If you are headed down 365/I-985 this afternoon, expect traffic delays. A gas line break has forced Hall County authorities and the Georgia Department of Transportation to shut down the intersection of SR53 and SR211 in South Hall. According to GDOT spokesman David Spear, a Georgia DOT contractor working on the widening on SR53 has inadvertently ruptured an eight-inch gas line. The intersection will be closed until repairs are completed, likely to be sometime this afternoon.
SMOKE ALONG BYPASS IS
FROM CONSTRUCTION There has been a lot of smoke seen along the 17 Bypass and that has had people living nearby concerned. Recently, 911 phone lines have been jammed with callers reporting heavy smoke and fire on that side of town. Now 911 Communications Director Rex Nelms says it is nothing to be concerned about. "The smoke on the Bypass is due to the heavy construction and the clear-cutting of timber for the 17 widening project," noted e911 Communications Director Rex Nelms. "We’ve been swamped with phone calls for smoke investigations and we have to dispatch two stations for a call like that. So, we’re just trying to make the citizens aware that a lot of the smoke is due to the burning of brush," he said. Nelms said his staff is appreciative of the information they have received from concerned citizens, and advises that when in doubt notify dispatch immediately if you think there is a danger. "Please if you have any suspicions that it’s not that, please give us a call. That’s what it’s about. We have to get timely, accurate information in order to get the appropriate public safety personnel there," Nelms said. The Georgia DOT began work on the widening of the 17 Bypass in June. Since then, they’ve been clear cutting trees in the path where the new road will go and have gotten as far as highway 106. The widening will extend from SR17 at the Super Wal-Mart to Highway 123, the Jeanette Jamieson intersection.
LAVONIA GYM STAYS
CLOSED INDEFINITELY AFTER FIGHT Lavonia Police expect more arrests in connection with a fight that broke out at the YMCA gym on Spring Street last Friday. The fight was not gang related, but did occur between rival basketball teams. "There were several different groups that were fighting. Anytime you have rival groups from Hartwell, Royston, Toccoa, and Lavonia they always get heated tempers when they’re out there on the basketball court. This one just kind of got out of hand," Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley noted. Police say the fight spilled out into the parking lot. As the fight was being broken up, various groups began leaving. That’s when one suspect pulled gun and began shooting. "Tat Moore opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun. We’re still trying to find it. We did arrest him and he is still in jail in Franklin County," Chief Shirley said. Moore is charged with criminal trespass, discharge of a firearm within city limits, simple assault and obstruction of an officer. Police are also looking for a second suspect in the case. For now, Chief Shirley says the Spring Street gym will remain closed for now. "Of course they had about 100 kids there and that’s what we were so afraid of were those children. Therefore, we’re treating this very seriously. That’s why this investigation is continuing and we anticipate at least one more arrest. We’re not going to tolerate it. I’ve ordered the gym shut down and we probably are not going to open it back up," he said. According to Chief Shirley, there’s not enough security at the gym. At the time of the fight, there was only one parent there, which Chief Shirley said is not enough to control the crowds.
COUNTY APPROVES SPLOST
V TIMELINE County commissioners have approved the time line for a fifth Special Local Option Sales Tax referendum. Commissioners had hoped to have a SPLOST V Referendum ready for the September Special Election, but have not been able to finalize the list of projects. Now, they’re looking towards the November 6 General Election. County Administrator Darrell Hampton tells WNEG, they hope to have everything in place by the end of the month. "Where we are right now, is formalizing that list of projects, and putting together the documents that are necessary for the ballot. We will meet back again and discuss what projects are going to be on there and whether we’re going to do the intergovernmental agreement (with the board of education). In the next three or four weeks, that will be the primary function of the process," Hampton explained. The intergovernmental agreement refers to a meeting of the minds between the county and the school board over one of the projects on the list - a proposed performing arts center. Under the proposal, the center would be built on the campus of the new high school and would be maintained by the school board. However last week, the board said they were not interested in developing an intergovernmental agreement and left it for the county to work on.
POLICE BLOTTER A Stephens County man, on probation for assault, is back behind bars after authorities say they found drugs in his home. Police assisted probation officers in their visit to James Sertain’s Braswell Street home last week. While there, they say found a quantity of marijuana, and three firearms. Sertain was arrested and charged with one count of possession of an illegal substance – marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In April, Sertain plead guilty to assaulting a man with a knife last year during an argument with two men outside his home. During the argument, Sertain came out of the house and was assaulted by one of the men. Sertain pulled out a knife and attacked him. Superior Court Judge Ernest Woods III sentenced Sertain under the First Offender Act to probation. He was also ordered to pay the victim $14,000 in restitution. ______________________________________ Authorities are investigating a burglary at the new Fantastic on West Currahee Street. Funtastic is located in the old Ben Street Club building. Toccoa police say they found the back door glass had been broken out. No word on what, if anything, was taken. The matter was turned over to detectives. ___________________________________________ In Lavonia, authorities arrested an Anderson, SC man on drug possession. It happened during a routine traffic stop on Hartwell road. 38-year old Mark Alan Duncan was charged with marijuana possession, possession of drug-related objects and driving on a suspended license. ____________________________________________ Also in Lavonia, the Piedmont Northern MANS unit arrested a Lavonia couple on drug charges. 23-year old Stephanie Roe and 39-year old Jarrett Feaster, both of Third Street, are charged with cocaine possession.
GEORGIA RECEIVES
"GOLDEN SHOVEL" AWARD The State of Georgia was recently recognized for its strength in economic development. Area Development Magazine recently bestowed the State with their Gold Shovel Award. The editors of the magazine award the gold shovel each year to the state that creates the most jobs and secures the highest amount of investment in new and expanded facilities. Editors approached all 50 states to request verifiable information about the top 10-job creation and investment projects for 2006. The magazine focused on projects that broke ground during the year. Among the companies that broke ground in Georgia in 2006 were Kia, Air Tran, Gulfstream, and ADP. These four companies alone will create almost 7,900 jobs and invest around 2.8 billion in their new or expanded operations. The magazine also cited Georgia ’s strengths in the automotive industry in its June/July issue. More than 385 auto and vehicle-related companies have a presence in Georgia, employing more than 55,400 people. Governor Sonny Perdue said winning an award like the Gold Shovel clearly demonstrates Georgia ’s economic development partners, both public and private, are working as a team with a common purpose. Founded in 1965, Area Development Magazine is a leading executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation. Published bi-monthly, it provides valuable information about the factors and issues that affect a successful decision to its 45,000-plus executive subscribers. The magazine’s website is http://www.areadevelopment.com.
GEORGIA STATE PATROL
BUSY It was a very busy day for troopers from Post 7 of the Georgia State patrol in Toccoa. Between 8AM yesterday morning and 10PM last night, the patrol investigated a total of nine accidents in their five-county coverage area. Most of those accidents resulted in no injuries to the drivers or passengers. One accident occurred in Stephens County Monday morning just before 11:15AM. A Jeep Wrangler, driven by 16 year old Nicolas Mark May, ran off of Oak Valley Road in a curve, hit a private driveway and overturned. May only sustained visible injuries that were determined to be not serious. May was the only occupant of the Jeep. The patrol has charged May with failure to maintain his lane.
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR
MORE FORGERY SUSPECTS IN LAVONIA Lavonia investigators continue to hunt for the latest suspects in another string of check forgeries at First Citizen’s Banks and local merchants. "We are working with the fraud investigator with First Citizens Bank out of Columbia South Carolina. One of the individuals we have arrested, according to the investigator, was a ringleader down in South Florida for the same type of crime. So it’s moving along slowly, but we’re following up on some real good leads," noted Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley. Two weeks ago, three phony paychecks in similar amounts were passed at Dill’s Food Store, Downtown Beverage, and The Royal Food Store. Chief Shirley said investigators believe it’s the same forgery ring that hit First Citizens bank branches in Lavonia, Toccoa, and Commerce last month, cashing over $13,000 in phony paychecks drawn on a Turnersville construction company. This time, they are counterfeiting payroll checks from a Hartwell landscaping company. Most of the suspects from last month have been arrested, however, the ringleader is still at large, and Lavonia investigators believe he is also responsible for these latest forgeries. Chief Shirley is hoping a multi-agency conference this week will help crack the case. "We’ll be meeting Thursday night at Tallulah Falls at the Tri-State Law Enforcement Conference. We will be getting together with Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. And hopefully with all these agencies together we may be able to come up with additional leads," he said. According to Chief Shirley, some of the suspects arrested last month are providing good information on the ringleader and his whereabouts.
BIZARRE DAMAGE AT
SENECA BANK By mid-day Sunday, repairmen were laying plywood to cover the damaged inflicted by Saturday’s bizarre accident at the Bank of America branch in Seneca, South Carolina. A worker on the scene said they did not know when the bank would be re-opening. Among the issues facing the workmen was the restoring of power, which was turned off after the accident took down the four bay drive-through island. The overhang collapsed on top of a car at the main drive-through window and that area of the side of the bank was partially crushed. The mother and daughter inside the small car got out quickly. Apparently no-one inside the bank was injured. The police say a furniture truck apparently headed out toward US 123 clipped the far end of the drive-thru and the resulting damage was set in motion. A Bank of America spokesman said everything inside the bank was secure. Only a week earlier, the bank was robbed. Two Oconee County men were jailed a short time later and charged with armed robbery.
TRAFFIC SHIFT ON 441 IN
RABUN STARTS THIS WEEK If you are headed north on U.S. 441, brace yourself for another traffic shift south of Clayton in Rabun County. The Georgia Department of Transportation said U.S.441 will shift from Rickman Airfield Road to Stekoa Falls Road on Thursday, weather permitting. According to DOT spokesperson Teri Pope, on August 2nd, crews will move traffic over into those future northbound lanes so crews can work on the future southbound lanes. This U.S. 441 widening project is currently on schedule for its October 27, 2007 completion date.
SOUTH CAROLINA MAN’S
SENTENCE COMMUTED TO LIFE In Oconee County, SC, convicted murderer Troy Burkhart had another sentencing in Oconee County General Sessions Court on Friday. This time, he received three life sentences. The former Oconee restaurant operator was convicted and sentenced to death in 2000 for the 1997 murders of Stacy and Shane Walters of Townville and Sonya Cnn of Anderson. The bodies were found in a pick up truck that had been abandoned in a kudzu patch in Anderson County. However, that conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court and Burkhart was again tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in 2004. Then in January of this year, the Supreme Court again overturned the sentencing portion only, but the guilty verdicts were affirmed.
MRS. GEORGIA VISITS
TOCCOA Mrs. Georgia was in Toccoa last week to spread the word about the importance of the March of Dimes "Walk America" campaign to fight premature births. Sherri Goggin is from Athens and is the mother of four children – three of them born prematurely. Goggin said her twins were born at just 24 weeks. One died, but another held on and survived with help from the latest medical techniques. "My daughter had a grade three brain bleed; she an illiostomoy, which is a surgery to repair to a hole in her intestine. Then she had laser surgery for both her eyes. Then, before she was released from the hospital, 126 days after her birth, she repaired her bowels and put them back in her body," Goggin explained. That little girl is now 8 years old and healthy in every way. Goggin credits March of Dimes-funded research. "If it weren’t’ for the March of Dimes my children would not be here. The March of Dimes funds research that directly benefited my family," she said. The March of Dimes Walk America kicks off next week. Mrs. Georgia will be in Toccoa to share her experience.
HART COUNTY SEARCHES
FOR POT GROWERS Hart County authorities want to know who planted a patch of marijuana plants along the banks of Lake Hartwell. Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland tells WNEG a tip lead his investigators to the plants, which were growing on a stretch of land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers off old U.S. 29. About six plants were discovered and all were already about six feet high, but Cleveland said it appeared they had been growing there for some time and had not been tended. Cleveland said even though there are homes nearby, it would be difficult to determine who was growing the cannabis because it was on public land. Authorities believe whoever planted the marijuana was likely growing it for personal use.
STOLEN TRUCK FOUND The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an Eastanollee man in connection with a stolen truck, taken from a car lot in Orem, Utah in September of 2006. The truck, which was located in a rental warehouse in Stephens County was being dismantled piece by piece. Charged in Stephens County is Kenneth Swain, age 46 of DeFoor Rd, in Eastanollee. He is charged with felony theft by receiving stolen property, operating a chop shop and misdemeanor theft by receiving. A stolen tag from Tennessee was found in the truck. Swain is currently out on bond.
WOMAN DIES IN OVERNIGHT
HOUSE FIRE A Stephens County woman is dead this morning after fire destroyed the mobile home where she was living. Firefighters from Big Smith, Martin and Eastanollee got the call about 2:45 this morning to 192 Julian Westmoreland drive in the Memory Trailer Park off Highway 328.
"When they got here, they found a doublewide mobile home was completely involved in fire. After the fire was extinguished, they found a dead animal in the ashes. Further investigation revealed that there was an occupant who perished in the house. That occupant has not been identified at this time," explained Stephens County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Crozier. An investigator with the State Fire Marshall’s office was on the scene, but Crozier said it would be some time before they determine an exact cause.
Neighbors, who declined to be identified, say the couple who lived The victim’s husband is traveling on business, but has been notified and is on his way back to Stephens County. Stephens County Coroner Hoke Addington said the body would be sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for positive identification.
CITY TO HEAR
FROM RESORT DEVELOPER Toccoa commissioners will hear Monday from an Atlanta developer on his latest idea for acreage he owns on the South Carolina border. Paul Chalmers has owned the site off Prather Bridge Road for a number of years and at first tried to develop it as an upscale subdivision. Now, city manager Billy Morse said Chalmers’ latest idea is to build a resort on the property that he is calling The Highlands Club of Lake Hartwell. Morse said commissioners are not quite sure, though, what he wants from the city. "Basically, I think he just wants to advise the commission on what he’s doing. I know sewer is an issue so he may be looking for some sort of direction on what he has to do to get sewer to this property," Morse speculated. At one point, Chalmers wanted to build estate homes on the property. Later, he sought approval from the county to build several hundred small resort-type homes, but was told the lots did not fit the one-acre requirement. Now, Chalmers apparently is working with a group of investors to build a resort complex. However, the problem of water and sewage still remains. "We’ve got water in the place, it’s not throughout. He would have to have some lift stations. We figure at least two lift stations to get water to the property. If he’s going to put this resort where it would flow down to the first lift station, then he’ll probably be ok," Morse said. Chalmers make his presentation to city commissioners Monday evening at city hall.
COUNTY TO FORWARD FUND
REST OF JAIL PROJECT County commissioners have authorized County Finance Director Phyllis Ayers to send out proposal requests to local financial institutions for financing the new county jail. The county is looking to finance some $7.1 million dollars of the $11.5 million dollar project via a 15-year lease-purchase financing plan. "Basically, we’re telling the financial institutions how much cash we’ll be able to provide up front and that we would like to make remaining payments to them into the middle of January 2009. We’ll be paying with SPLOST proceeds that will be coming in and it is the bank with the lowest interest rate that can provide the best cash flow rate for the county," Ayers said. Since July 2003, the county has collected about $4.5 million dollars in SPLOST IV revenue for the new jail. That leaves another $7- million to raise to pay for the entire project. Ayers estimates that over the next fiscal year, she will collect another $3-million in SPLOST IV tax for the jail. That will give the county a remaining balance of between $3 and $4 million dollars to pay off through financing over a 15-year period. "We’re trying to do it differently than just to go out and forward fund $11.5 million," Ayers said. "Obviously that’s a lot more costly than just funding part of it. It’s been months and months that we’ve been talking to institutions and attorneys and trying to work out the best way, with the lowest interest costs to fund the remaining portion," she said. Ayers said after the SPLOST IV money runs out, the balance of the loan will be paid out of the General Fund beginning in July, 2009.
STEPHENS UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE RISES IN JUNE The unemployment rate in the Georgia Mountains area rose to 4.1 percent in
June, up one-half of one percent from 3.6 percent in May. According to the Georgia Department of Labor, Stephens County’s unemployment rate rose to 5% in June from 4.4% in May.
Unemployment rose in Georgia by 27,295 in June. Here in Stephens County the labor force in June was 13,631. Of that, 12,950 were employed, while 681 were without jobs.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
EVENT SET FOR AUGUST 7 IN LAVONIA Lavonia Police, in conjunction with the Lavonia Lions Club, are gearing up for their annual National Night Out Block Party. It is coming up Tuesday, August 7 and takes place at the gazebo in downtown Lavonia. Lavonia will be joining thousands of other community law enforcement agencies across the country in this anti-crime event. "The National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness and generate support and participation in local crime fighting efforts," Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley said. "Also, to strengthen neighborhood spirit and police/community partnerships, and to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organizing and fighting back," he said. The event features free hot dogs and hamburgers, free soft drinks, and lots of games and entertainment, for the kids. For adults, there is going to be a blood drive, free hemoglobin check, and blood pressure check; and for the family, lots of live entertainment. This is the sixth annual National Night Out in Lavonia and Chief Shirley says it gets bigger every year. "It’s grown into a big thing. We call it the Largest Block Party in Northeast Georgia. Generally we have anywhere from 700 to a thousand people who attend," he said. National Night Out was begun in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit organization which works in cooperation with thousands of crime watch groups and law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Since 1981, the group’s network has grown to include over 6,500 crime, drug, and violence prevention organizations.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
RECEIVES $129,000 GRANT Franklin County will receive over $129-thousand dollars in state and federal grants to help pay for senior services from the Area Agency on Aging. Legacy Link of Gainesville, which is part of the AAA, has awarded contracts for the delivery of services to meet the needs of adults in the 13-county Northeast Georgia region over the next fiscal year. Franklin County will receive $129,226 dollars to help pay for those services from Legacy Link. Legacy has contracted with Franklin County and six other northeast Georgia county governments and one city government in northeast Georgia to provide services such as Meals-On-Wheels, transportation, and other center-based services. The area agency on aging operates also three countywide senior centers at the request of the county governments.
POLICE BLOTTER A homeowner on Webb Road in Martin wants to know who drove into her mailbox. The victim told deputies she saw a white Bonneville hit her mailbox and drive off. Deputies have no suspects. ______________________________________________ A woman on Holcomb Access Rd. told deputies someone vandalized her car. The victim told deputies when she returned home, she found the windshield cracked, the battery missing, and all of the gas siphoned out. Deputies have no suspects. ______________________________________________ In addition, deputies are looking into a possible burglary at Currahee Realty on South Big A Road. One of the realtors told deputies the door was locked when she left on the 13th, but it was open when she returned. Also the power was out to half of the building.
COUNTY CONSIDERS AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY DEAL County commissioners are considering going in with several surrounding counties to have new aerial photographs taken of Stephens County. This week, commissioners heard from Danny Lewis and Faith Jones of the Georgia Mountain Regional Development Center on the benefits of having new aerials photos done. "As we've indicated to the commissioners, it's something an individual will be able to pull up when it's digitized and placed on their website. It's important to your 911 folks that they be able to find somebody, new houses have been built, new subdivisions have been added, just new streets have been put in," Lewis noted. Lewis and Jones told commissioners aerial photographs should be taken once every four years. Stephens County has not done it in seven years. At their meeting earlier this month, commissioners had decided against the idea because of the cost. Stephens County would pay an initial $1,500 and then the RDC would bid out the project. "We indicated that it could be in the $25,000-$35,000 range overall. I think that's well within what they had budgeted. They had planned to do this already and had budgeted a larger number than that, I am told. So this obviously is going to save them about 40% with us doing this in conjunction with other counties," Lewis said. Commissioners have 60 days to make a decision on whether to participate. The RDC hopes to have a plane in the air taking pictures in January 2008. Photos would be delivered to the county on DVD and would be available to the general public.
ILLEGAL ALIEN FOUND OUT
AFTER THREE YEARS ON THE JOB An illegal alien worked for a local manufacturer for three years under an assumed name before being caught last spring. Last week, the Stephens County Grand Jury indicted Sergio Arturo Canchola-Perez on multiple felony forgery and fraud charges. Investigators told the Grand Jury that Canchola-Perez, an illegal alien from Mexico, falsified a Social Security card and other ID in order gain employment at the Milliken textile plant on SR17. Investigators say when he filled out a job application, Canchola-Perez presented a fake North Carolina driver’s license as identification. From October 2004, until April 2007, Canchola-Perez worked for Milliken using the name, Armando Garcia. His real identity came to light when the real Armando Garcia began receiving notices from the IRS about tax return discrepancies, according to Assistant District Attorney Rick Bridgeman. Canchola-Perez was arrested at the plant on April 12. He remains in the Stephens County jail.
PINES COMMITTEE MULLS
SMS PROPOSAL A decision on whether to accept a proposal from a local group to run the Pines Municipal Golf Course should come next month, according to Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse. Earlier this month, city commissioners opened the only bid for the project at their regular meeting. It came from SMS Management Group, LLC. SMS Management is made up of James L. Mullican, Jr., H. Anthony Sorrells, and Chad B. Sorrells, the same group that owns Swing Away Driving Range on Rose Lane. This week, Morse said the proposal has been turned over to the Pines Study Committee, a volunteer group working with the city. "The Golf committee has reviewed the SMS proposal for the Pines. They like the overall concept but they want some specific answers to their questions. Hopefully, they'll be able to make a recommendation to the city commission about what they should do with that proposal," Morse said. Under the terms of the proposal submitted, SMS would set public play fees at a competitive rate. They also plan to remodel existing facilities, such as the clubhouse, pro shop, and restrooms. And SMS would create a board of advisors as well as post etiquette rules for players. Finally, they would seek a license to sell alcohol. Morse said he expects to hear back from the committee before the next commission meeting on August 13.
MARY PERDUE IN CLAYTON
THIS WEEK Georgia’s First Lady was in Clayton this week hosting a book drive to raise money for a group that serves women and children in Stephens, Rabun, and Habersham counties. Mary Perdue celebrated, "July Kids First" on Tuesday in Clayton by hosting a "Season’s Readings" book drive. Hundreds of books were collected for a new library for "FAITH, Inc.," which runs the Powerhouse for Kids child advocacy center in here in Toccoa. "Mary Perdue makes it possible because she fights for rights of children and their welfare and everything else," noted Carolyn White, FAITH, INC director. "We’re just lucky every year to have her visit with us to promote children and safety, and literacy and everything we do," she said. About 50 children heard Mrs. Perdue read from a "Curious George" book, and then participated in a sing along with the First Lady. "They’re doing it well here in Clayton, and they’re involved," noted First Lady Mary Perdue. "We can’t do it alone, we have to have community partners, and that’s what you see here," she said. Kids First is an initiative of the Our Children campaign. The First Lady canvasses Georgia hosting monthly "Kids First" activities highlighting an area of volunteerism with abused and neglected children. Last year, Mrs. Perdue attended a dedication ceremony for the Powerhouse for Kids facility on Highway 123 in Toccoa.
HART COUNTY MAN LEAVES
EXPLOSIVE PROBLEM BEHIND You never know what people will leave behind when they die and that was certainly the case in Hart County. The owner of the Reed Creek Boat and Mini Storage got a dangerous surprise Tuesday when he went to empty out one of his units that had gone unpaid after the tenant had died. As he sorted through the items in the unit, storage owner Bill Bowman found a freezer chest full of plastic explosives and blasting caps, according to Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland. "Nobody came and claimed any of his property or paid the rent on the storage building. When that happens you serve an eviction just like you would on renting a house. So, while he was reclaiming his building he found these explosives," explained Sheriff Cleveland. Bowman called Hart County Authorities who alerted the GBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Authorities then evacuated eight nearby homes. "We had to call the bomb squad in from Atlanta. They found the stuff was so old and unstable that they just got out of the storage building, set it down a few feet away, and just blew it on the spot," Cleveland said. Sheriff Cleveland said each of the plastic bricks measured 14 inches long by 4 inches wide by an inch thick. "The plastics explosives were manufactured in 1972. That's the kind of stuff they used in Vietnam to blow tunnels and that sort of thing," he said. Sheriff Cleveland says they have not yet spoken with the dead man’s family, and authorities have no idea why the man had the explosives in storage.
WESTMINSTER MAN PLEADS
TO DEPOT FIRE In Oconee County, a Westminster man will serve 90 days in jail on weekends for burning down the Westminster Community Depot. It happened in January 2006 and left Westminster without offices for their Chamber of Commerce. 23-year old Zachary Sharpe entered an "Alford" plea in Oconee County General Sessions Court Wednesday charges of petty larceny, second-degree burglary, and second-degree arson. An "Alford plea" means that Sharpe acknowledged before the judge that had there been a trial, the state had enough evidence to convict him. Judge Alex Macaulay could have sentenced Sharpe to 15 years in prison, but administered a lighter sentence because, among other things, it was his first offense. Prosecutors said Sharpe consumed prescription pills and then drank a bottle of liquor before setting the depot on fire. Deputy solicitor David Wagner described Sharpe "as very upset" that night. Sharpe must serve the 90 days in jail on weekends, beginning Friday. It will take him 45 weekends to complete the jail time.
LAKE HARBOR SHORES
RUNNING OUT OF WATER, SEEKS COUNTY HELP Homeowners in Lake Harbor Shores on Holcomb Access Road in Martin are running out of water and they are asking for the county’s help. A group from the Lake Hartwell subdivision’s homeowners association petitioned county commissioners Tuesday to take over their roads so they could get could apply for grants to pay to have city water lines laid. According to homeowner’s association president David Randall, all four wells are drying up. "Our biggest well, with 75 families on it, at its peak produces 25-gallons a minute," noted Randall. "Most of the time we’re using 32-33 gallons a minute during the day. With a 10,000 gallon tank that only holds a maximum of 7,500 gallons, it doesn’t take long with usage at that rate before the water pressure is gone for everybody," he said. Randall told the commission the wells have to be shut off at night to keep the pumps from burning out because the water levels get too low. Right now, the pumps are operating with a master meter from the city, which cuts on city water when the wells get below a 20-psi. That move was ordered by the state environmental protection division as a stopgap measure through the summer months. However, the meter will only be there through Labor Day. By Labor Day, the community has to have another plan to get water to its residents. There are grants available that the association would like to apply for, but association spokeswoman Doris Schneider told the commission all of the applications require the roads be county roads. Total cost to run new water lines, according to Schneider would be around $150,000. "We can’t really secure a grant loan or other things without the county having ownership of the roads," noted association spokesperson Doris Schneider. "Before we can get county water to people we have to have county roads. Just because they take over the roads does not mean they have to come fix the roads immediately. It just gives us the capability to run the water lines. So they can take over the roads, but they don’t have to pave them all before we can get county water," he explained. But commissioners were not so eager to help at first, citing the fact that Lake Harbor Shores was built in the early 1970s as a private community with private roads and nothing has been done to change that. However, the group noted that other lake communities, Shady Shores and Shorewood, were built around the same time and were taken over by the county. "I don’t think it’s fair for them to accept other subdivisions into the county and not accept ours," association member Louise Wilson pointed out. "We’ve come up here for years asking for help. We’ve offered them the right of way deeds before. We’ve got over 80% of the new ones now. We’re in a crisis down here with our water situation and the state is after us. We’ve been having trouble since February," Commissioner Rex Anderson admitted Lake Harbor Shores has a big problem, but the county needs all of the right of ways before they can do anything. "We’ve already got over 80% of the new right of ways," noted Wilson. "And we can get the rest in the next month," she said. Commission chair Kenneth Peeples noted taking over the maintenance of their roads would be expensive, costing in the millions, but City Water/Wastewater Director Don Dye said it’s the only way. "The best long-term solution, but it’s expensive, is to get public right of ways and public water lines," noted Toccoa Water/Wastewater Director Don Dye. "The city doesn’t have the money to run the water lines. The city is not in that business. Most of the water lines in the city and the county were paid for by SPLOST and we’re out of SPLOST money," he said. Randall said the residents of Lake Harbor Shores have paid for the work with over 30 years of property and sales tax. "We did the estimate. Since our community was founded in the 1970s, we’ve paid just over one and half million dollars in property tax. We don’t have streetlights, we don’t have county roads, we don’t have county water, we don’t have bus service for our school children, we don’t have police patrols, and we don’t have fire or emergency service of any kind. We’re not asking for a hand out. We’ve already paid for what this would cost. All we want is senior citizens to be able to get ambulances to their houses, people to have drinking water. What we’re asking for is the basics of life, what we need to survive," Randall said. Commissioners finally agreed to meet with the association again to discuss the matter further once they receive all of the right of ways.
BURGLARY CHARGES PILE
UP FOR FRANKLIN PAIR More charges are pending against two Franklin County men, arrested yesterday for multiple burglaries in Hart County.
Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said 18-year old Josh Pointer of Vandiver Road in Martin and 19-year old Don Richardson of Jackson Bridge Road in Lavonia are now charged with four home burglaries.
Pointer faces even more charges in two neighboring counties.
“This morning we gathered enough evidence to charge them with four burglaries. One of them is also wanted in Franklin County on 17 burglary and theft charges. He’s also wanted in Banks County for a burglary there,” Cleveland said.
Investigators have recovered most of the stolen items including computers, cameras, TV’s, and guns. The pair were caught after Wal-mart surveillance cameras got them on video tape using a stolen credit card.
“They’re from Franklin County so we didn’t recognize them here, but one of our dispatchers went to high school in Franklin County with one of them and she ID’d him,” Cleveland explained.
That was Josh Pointer who turned himself into Hart county authorities Sunday night. Friends of Pointer identified Richardson as the other suspect. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon. Pointer is being held without bond on a probation violation and warrants out of Franklin and Banks Counties.
WHITEHEAD CONCEDES
RUN-OFF Former Georgia senator Jim Whitehead will not seek a recount of last week’s close run-off against Dr. Paul Broun for the 10th Congressional District. Whitehead made that announcement yesterday. Whitehead had two days to request a recount after Secretary of State Karen Handel certified the results on Monday, but decided against it after learning the process could take up to a week to complete. In a prepared statement, Whitehead said, “The people of this district have been without a federal representative since February, and that's long enough.'' He went on to say that for the good of the people of the 10th District, he would let the results stand and allow the district to regain its vote in the House immediately. With 100% of the precincts in the district reporting, Dr. Broun received 23,529 votes or 50.4%, while Whitehead got 23,135 votes or 49.6%. The results were sent to the Governor’s office and will be submitted to the U.S. Congress. The clerk of the United States House of Representatives will now set the date for Broun’s swearing in.
MORE FIREARMS TO BE
DESTROYED Another batch of confiscated firearms is due to be destroyed in the coming weeks. At their regular meeting Monday, city commissioners approved a request to destroy over two-dozen guns. The guns have been accumulating at the Toccoa Police Department, the result of arrests, searches of suspects’ homes and vehicles, and crime scene investigations. All of the weapons were advertised in the local paper for 90 days. "So we’ve done the 90 days now the District Attorney has allowed us to dispose of those weapons and we’re going to do that in three different ways. There are two of them on this list we want to keep. We can use them in our operations, on the shooting range or what have you. We’re going to destroy the majority of them. Then there is a police supply company that we can trade some of these weapons in for - not for other firearms, but for other police equipment," explained City manager Billy Morse. This is the second batch of weapons to be destroyed this year. In March, over 200 weapons were taken to the Toccoa Fire Department and cut up using the Jaws of Life.
LOCAL BANK COLLECTS
SUPPLIES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN On Monday, we told you about a local bank helping to raise money and supplies for school children. Now that campaign, sponsored by Community Bank and Trust, is underway. It’s called, "Tools for Schools," and according to coordinator Josh Hazle, it’s designed to help those kids whose parents are struggling to pay for needed supplies. "This is for Stephens County elementary schools. What we’re looking for is any kind of monetary donations to buy supplies with. We have drop off locations around Stephens County. All of those locations also have a list of supplies that are needed. We have them at all three Community Bank and Trust locations inside the stores, Wal-mart, Quality Foods, and Ingles," Hazle explained. Other drop-off locations include the dollar discount stores in town as well other banks. Hazle said they will take monetary donations, but you’re welcome to also drop off a host of different school items. "Crayons, markers, pencils, paper, binders, things like that which are fairly inexpensive. I know crayons you can get for about 20-cents a box. We also have a big need for back packs and book bags. That was a big thing last year that a lot of kids didn’t have. So we just want to supply everything we can so that no kid goes without this year," he said. School starts Wednesday, August 8. Supplies will be collected through Monday, August 6. If you need more information, you can contact Hazle at the Wal-mart branch of Community Bank and Trust.
ENCEPHALITIS, WEST NILE
CONFIRMED IN GEORGIA Two deadly mosquito born diseases are in Georgia. Surveillance data gathered by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health confirms horses in Bibb and Lowndes counties have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and two pools of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been found in Fulton county. These viruses are very different from one another but are spread in the same way, through the bite of an infected mosquito. Infection by one of these viruses can be severe, causing symptoms such as encephalitis or death. Symptoms that are more common include fever, muscle pain, and headaches. There are no human vaccines to offer protection from infection with these viruses, but there are actions people can take to minimize their risk of being infected by a mosquito-borne virus. "Even though mosquito-borne viruses often cause mild symptoms, serious cases can develop, therefore we recommend that Georgia residents take personal protective measures to avoid mosquito bites, especially in areas where theses viruses have been identified," said Dr. Stuart Brown, Director of the Division of Public Health. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a virus that often causes inflammation or swelling of the brain. The EEE virus commonly circulates between birds and mosquitoes in swampy areas. Most people who are bitten by a mosquito carrying the EEE virus will not become sick. However, EEE is one of the most serious types of viral encephalitis. Death occurs in approximately 30 percent of persons who develop encephalitis. In 2006, there was one fatal confirmed case of EEE human infection in Georgia. In 2005, the only confirmed case of EEE human infection in Georgia survived. West Nile virus (WNV) usually infects birds, but it can be spread to humans by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds and then bite humans. Less than one percent of people infected with WNV develop serious illness such as encephalitis or paralysis. People who have chronic medical conditions are at greater risk of developing severe illness if infected with WNV. In 2006, there were nine confirmed WNV cases of human infection in Georgia, including one death. In 2005, there were 24 cases of WNV human infection, including two deaths. The most common mosquito-borne viruses that circulate in Georgia every year include Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile, and La Crosses viruses. Mosquito-borne viruses are most active late spring through early fall in Georgia. Increased numbers of human cases are normally detected in August. THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO PREVENT MOSQUITO BITES · Dawn and dusk are the times of day that mosquitoes are most active; avoid outdoor activity at these times. Dress appropriately when outdoors for long periods of time or when mosquitoes are most active. · Use insect repellant with an EPA-approved active ingredient such as DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Always follow the directions on the package for safest and most effective use. · Areas with standing water are locations where mosquitoes will lay eggs. Get rid of or treat standing water with larvicides. Dump out containers such as recycling bins, empty flowerpots, and other containers that may collect water. Change water in birdbaths or small wading pools at least once a week.
LINDSEY GRAHAM VISITS
WALHALLA South Carolina Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham was in Walhalla Tuesday visiting the town where he once practiced law. In a speech to Walhalla’s Rotarians, the Republican Senator said it’s important America stay the course in Iraq. "The surge fundamentally is offense. For three and half years we’ve been playing defense," Graham said. "We’re living in areas of the community where we never had an American soldier live before with Iraqi police and army units and it’s changing everything for the better," Graham noted. "The Iraqi police and army are getting better everyday because they’re living with them and fighting with them. I’m hopeful we can bring troops home sooner rather than later, but I would want to make point: history will not judge us based on the day we came home. History will judge us based on what we left behind in Iraq," he concluded. Senator Graham said the surge underway is beginning to help, but at the same time conceded that politics could lead to a withdrawal of American troops. He said if that happens by may next year as some on Capitol Hill are pushing for, Al-Quiada will declare victory and Iran’s theocracy will be energized. "If you’re a theocracy or a dictatorship your worst nightmare is to have your neighbor engage in representative democracy. The reason Iranians are involved in killing American soldiers is they want to drive us out. Ladies and gentlemen, they are undeniably involved in sending aid and comfort in militias groups who are actively trying to destroy the Malaki government and kill our soldiers. Why? Because they don’t want a democracy on their borders," Graham explained. He expressed the fear that if civil war breaks out dividing millions of Sunnis and Shi’as, America’s military would eventually wind up returning anyway. "Most Americans don’t want Al-Quaida to win or Iran to flourish, but they doubt whether or not the Iraqis can get their act together and that is an honest question. Here’s my answer: as long as they’re willing to die for their own freedom. As long as they will embrace a courtroom based on the rule of law rather the rule of guns, it is in our interest to help them. The politicians in Baghdad are more dysfunctional than the politicians in Washington, if you can believe that," Graham said. Graham said the people of Iraq are tired of the fighting and the killing and he urged patience with efforts to democratize and make Iraq safe.
POLICE BLOTTER Officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from Hayes Street. The victim told police he let someone borrow his 1992 Nissan extended cab truck and they never brought it back. The truck is described as copper colored with large tires. A lookout was placed on the truck and the suspect. _________________________________________________ A Stephens County man also wants his vehicle back. The victim said someone stole his 2005 Ford Mustang from his home on Wolf Pit Road sometime Sunday night. The vehicle is described as a 6-cylinder and pearl white in color. Deputies placed a lookout for the vehicle. _________________________________________________ A woman told deputies someone is buying Cingular cell phones and charging them to her Cingular account. So far, five phones have been purchased at a price of $530 each. Investigators with Cingular’s Fraud Unit have traced the delivery of the phones to an apartment on Campbellon Road in southwest Atlanta. The victim was advised to also contact Atlanta Police and file a report with them.
SECRETARY OF STATE CERTIFIES RUN-OFF, BROUN WINS Republican Dr. Paul Broun is the official winner of last week’s run off for the 10th Congressional District. Yesterday, Secretary of State Karen Handel certified the results of last week’s run off between Broun and State Senator Jim Whitehead. With 100% of the precincts in the district reporting, Broun received 23,529 votes or 50.4% of the votes. Whitehead garnered 23,135 votes or 49.6% of the vote. In Stephens County, Broun received 668 votes to Whitehead’s 600 votes. The results were then sent to the Governor’s office that will in turn, submit them to the U.S. Congress. The clerk of the United States House of Representatives will then set the date for swearing in. Whitehead had been the Republican favorite and because the difference is less than 1%, Whitehead could call for a recount. However, he only has two days to do so.
TOCCOA MAN INDICTED FOR
ARSON New information on a house fire several years ago in Toccoa has lead to the indictment of a man on arson charges. Last week, the Stephens County Grand Jury indicted James E. Ellis on two counts of first-degree arson, in connection with a fire in March 2005 that destroyed a house on Almond Street. The day of the fire, the son of the original owner told WNEG News, his mother had just sold the house and the new owner was preparing to renovate it. The house, on the corner of Almond and West Currahee Streets, was completely destroyed. Investigators appeared to have reached a dead-end in their investigation, but according to Rick Bridgeman, assistant district attorney, over the past several months, his office received new information and evidence leading to the charges against Ellis.
ADDRESS CHANGE SEVERAL
MONTHS AWAY, SAYS NELMS There may be some light at the end of the long e-911 tunnel for Toccoa-Stephens County residents when it comes to making the switch from old addresses to the new e-911 addresses. At a meeting last month, e-911 Director Rex Nelms and County Commissioners met with Charlie Gilderneck and Debbie Lombardo with the U.S. Post Office in Atlanta to sort out what was causing the delay. At that meeting, Lombardo indicated she did not receive the old and new address lists in CD-ROM form. Since then, Nelms has worked to redo the list and put it on CD. Last week, Nelms sent the Post Office his list of new addresses on CD, along with the maps they requested. "The local post offices have been working to get their information put into the system," Nelms said. "Now, the local post offices are sending them to address management systems in Atlanta. Once they get it, then they do the data entry and after that's done, the post office will start sending out letters to residents to make that switch," he said. Now once you receive your letter in the mail, you will have 365 days to send out your change of address notices and make the switch to your new e-911 address. Nelms says he is expecting residents will begin receiving letters from the post office in a few months. Meantime, new public street maps should be ready in the coming weeks, according to Nelms. He tells WNEG he expects to have those ready by mid – August.
FRANKLIN SUSPECT
CAPTURED A Toccoa man on the run for allegedly robbing a local convenience store is now behind bars. Over the weekend, Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 23-year old Jeffrey Scott Franklin. Toccoa police investigator Shannon Westbrook said Franklin was hiding out in a house on Sweetgum Road. "Late Saturday evening, the sheriff's office had a deputy down in the area where we believed Mr. Franklin was. They found him down there at a residence and took him into custody," Westbrook said. Last Tuesday, Franklin allegedly robbed the Circle K Convenience Store on South Big A Road of $1,100. A store clerk gave authorities a description of the suspect that matched Franklin. At the time of that crime, Franklin was on parole for similar convictions in Stephens and Habersham counties. Also last week, the Stephens County Grand Jury indicted Franklin on forgery charges stemming from an incident earlier this month at North Georgia Credit Union. Detective Westbrook said Franklin was the mastermind of the crime that led to the arrest of two other men who tried to pass a stolen check in the amount of $250. Franklin remains in the Stephens County jail without bond.
SEVERE DROUGHT REMAINS,
DESPITE NORMAL RAINFALL Despite the more normal rainfalls we have been experiencing over the past month and a half, state climatologists say Toccoa-Stephens County remains in a severe drought – the worst since 1986. According to assistant state climatologist Pam Knox, Northeast Georgia returned to more normal summertime weather in June with high humidity and afternoon showers, but that doesn’t mean the drought is anywhere near over. "Getting rid of drought is very tricky because the rain we've had is very spotty. There are areas where we really did not get much at all. Most of the rain we have been getting is just about an inch a week, which is just normal rainfall. With normal rainfall, all it is doing is keeping it from getting worse, but it's certainly not improving things," Knox said. For the month of June, the National Weather Service in Greenville reported Northeast Georgia received about four inches of rain, which is about normal. However, but not enough pull us out of drought status anytime soon. "May was the worst we've ever had in Georgia in 113 years of keeping records. July by comparison has been much closer to normal," she said. According to Knox, Toccoa-Stephens County has transitioned from a short-term agricultural drought to a long-term hydrologic drought. However, depending on what kind of tropical season we have, the drought could end or continue into winter. "If we get some tropical depressions or tropical storms through Georgia, especially if they have a lot of rain with them, we could see some tremendous months of rain and that could really change the whole picture," she said. The National Weather Service is predicting A La Nina effect this winter and that spells a drier than normal winter.
"FOUND" RING RESULTS IN
ARREST A Toccoa man is charged with theft after he tried to sell a ring to a local jeweler believed to be stolen. Authorities say the suspect walked into the Goldcraft Jewelry Store last Wednesday and tried to sell it, but the employee recognized the ring as one he had set the stones in. The suspect told the employee he had found the ring in an attic and wanted to know if it was real. A call to the owner of the ring by the employee found she had left it in her fiancé’s bathroom medicine cabinet. When told the ring was stolen, the suspect left but was followed by Goldcraft employees and later picked up by police walking along Rose Lane. Officers arrested Andrew House of Fern Valley Circle in Toccoa. He is charged with theft of lost property.
MORE COPPER THEFTS
REPORTED Two copper thefts were reported last week. One at Habersham Plantation on Collier Road. The shipping manager told Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies someone cut and ripped out the copper wiring from underneath two tractor trailers that were parked on the property. An employee of the trucking company discovered the problem and notified Habersham plantation. A check of the other trucks on the property discovered the same problem. Extra patrols have been placed in the area. Deputies also responded to a theft report on Pea Patch Private Drive off Old Rothell Road last week. The victim said someone had torn apart his air conditioning unit and took all the copper tubing and wiring. Also taken were some cables and welding tools. Total value of the items taken was over $2,000.
POLICE INVESTIGATE
STABBING A fight at the AmVets resulted in a stabbing. It happened Friday night at the club on South Broad Street, according to Toccoa Police Captain Butch Newkirk. "There was a unit on patrol and saw a commotion at the AmVets. The unit stopped and discovered a fight in progress. A Mr. Charles Pearson had been assaulted. Someone had beaten him up and someone hit him over the head with a beer bottle then cut him with the broken bottle," explained Toccoa Police Captain Butch Newkirk. Pearson was treated for cuts and bruises and released. According to Newkirk, investigators are following several leads in the case, but so far have not made any arrests.
CHECK FORGERY CASES
GROWING The cases of forgeries are growing in Toccoa and surrounding counties. Last week, Toccoa Police arrested another man who tried to pass a forged check in the amount of $1,500 at a local bank. Police investigator Shannon Westbrook said this time, the suspect tried to cash the fake check at a bank drive-through. "The person approached the drive through at the bank, put the check and his identification in and it went through to the teller. The bank employees recognized the name on the check as some they suspected were forged. They held onto the check and the identification and notified the police," explained Westbrook. The suspect got nervous and left the bank before the police arrived. Westbrook said a call to the victim gave authorities the name of a possible suspect. Arrested a few days later was Rex Holbrook, Jr. of Toccoa. Westbrook says there are things people can do to protect their checks and their identities. He said it is important to guard your checkbook closely and keep an eye on your mailbox. "I wouldn’t leave mail in my mailbox. As far as mailing things, you want to take them to the post office instead of leaving it in your box. If you get mail at home, get it out quick instead of leaving it in there for several days. It is not bad to check your credit report every few months to make sure there is nothing on there that shouldn’t be on there. As for merchants, the number one they can do to help us out, is to get identification for checks," he said.
SAME FORGERY RING
HITTING LAVONIA BUSINESSES AGAIN Businesses in Lavonia are being hit once again by the same check forgery ring that passed over $13,000 in fake payroll checks last month. Last week, three phony paychecks in similar amounts were passed at three stores in Lavonia. "We believe this is the same group that we’ve had previous encounters with. They’re also passing the same counterfeit checks over in Hartwell," noted Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley. All of the payroll checks were drawn on the Eberhardt Landscaping Company in Hartwell. "This is a legitimate company over in Hartwell. Their checks have been cashed in the Lavonia area for years," Chief Shirley said. Chief Shirley said Hartwell authorities are also looking for the suspect who is believed to be from Elberton. However, the ringleader is still at large and Lavonia investigators believe he is responsible for these latest forgeries by recruiting new people to pass the checks for him. Investigators are not sure how the ring leader is getting hold of the payroll checks. During a three-day period last month, over $13,454 dollars in fake checks were passed at the First Citizens Bank in Lavonia and here in Toccoa. The checks were payroll checks stolen from the Tim Nichols Pipeline Company in Turnersville. Three of the five suspects, who were from Atlanta, have been arrested. One of them, Bernard Hunter of Atlanta, was indicted last week by the Stephens County Grand Jury on first-degree forgery. Hunter allegedly tried to pass a fake paycheck in the amount of $5,723 at the First Citizens Bank of Toccoa last month, but was caught and arrested.
TWO ARRESTED IN SENECA
BANK ROBBERY Seneca Police have arrested two people in connection with a weekend bank robbery. It happened Saturday morning at the Bank of America on Sandifer Boulevard in Seneca, SC. "Two males, one black, one Hispanic male, entered the bank with guns, demanded money. They left in a red Chevy compact car. There were no injuries in the bank," noted Seneca Police Chief Stanley Sheriff. A look out was placed on the suspects to local law enforcement agencies. Several hours later, Gwinnett County Police spotted the red Chevy speeding down I-85 in metro Atlanta. The vehicle was pulled over and two people were arrested. They are identified as 33-year old James Pavlino of Westminster and 26-year old Samuel Jerome Lewis of Seneca. "That’s to be credited to our dispatchers. Seneca dispatchers and Oconee County dispatchers working together and gathering evidence and disseminating that information to area agencies; that’s old fashioned police work at its best," Sheriff said. It is not known how much money the suspect allegedly stole, but both men have been placed in the Oconee County Detention Center awaiting further charges by the FBI.
SECOND CHILD DIES FROM
JULY 18 WRECK Another child has died from injuries sustained in a car accident in Toccoa last Wednesday. Two-month old Alana Jeanette Maxwell, the daughter of the driver, 21-year old Jamie Graham, died sometime last Friday at Children’s Hospital in Greenville, SC. Funeral services for both the baby and her 10-year old aunt were held Sunday. The 10-year old, identified, as Kelsey Smith of Toccoa, was a passenger in the front seat of the vehicle driven by Graham. According to the Georgia State Patrol Toccoa Post, Graham's Buick was traveling south on Highway 145 when it turned in front of a six-wheel Penske rental truck going north. Stephens County Coroner Hoke Addington said Kelsey died at the scene of blunt force trauma to her body. The infant was in a car seat directly behind Kelsey. She and Graham’s six-year old stepson were lifeflighted to Greenville Memorial Children’s Hospital in Greenville, SC. So far, no charges have been filed against Graham or the driver of the truck, identified as 23-year old Jeremy McClure of Athens. However, the case is still under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team, according to the GSP Toccoa Post, and it could be weeks before any charges are filed.
TOCCOA MAN INDICTED FOR
CHURCH BURGLARY A Toccoa man has been indicted for burglarizing a church. The Stephens County Grand Jury handed down a true bill last against 27-year old Toby Lee Worley of Yearwood Street in Toccoa. The indictment alleges that on June 28, Worley broke into the True Gospel Holiness Church on Collins Road. Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said Worley allegedly broke through a window of the church and took a host of items. "The two most expensive were a banjo and a cash register. It was an expensive banjo. One of my police officers was checking the pawnshops and stopped at a store here that deals in musical instruments and found the banjo. The owner of the store knew who sold it to him," explained Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire. After questioning by investigators, Worley was charged with two counts of burglary and one count of theft by deception. He was indicted last week on one count of burglary. Worley is being held in the Stephens county jail without bond because at the time of his arrest last month, he was on probation for previous offenses.
DOG FOOD ADDED TO
CASTLEBERRY RECALL Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin said Sunday last week’s
recall of canned meat products has been expanded and now includes some dog
foods. This expansion is for consumers and pet owners regarding canned food products
and dog food produced by Castleberry Food Company of Augusta, due to the risk of
outline toxin. The dog food is listed as Hobo Chicken Pasta Dog Food, 15 oz cans, with a UPC code of 23633-59863. A complete list of recalled products can be found on the Castleberry Web site, www.castleberrys.com. Consumers with any questions or concerns about this recall should go to Castleberry’s Web site or call their consumer hotline at 1-888-203-8446.
BOE VOTES TO SHORTEN
SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS If you’re a parent getting your student ready for school, you might be one of the many upset by the long lists of supplies you’re being asked to buy. Last week, the Stephens County School Board discussed shortening those lists. School superintendent Gary Steppe told the Board parents picking up lists at the Wal-mart have been complaining. Some of the items listed for one school included hand sanitizer and Kleenex. Steppe said those items could be provided by the school system’s janitorial department. Another item parents complained about were headphones. Curricula director Sheri Whiten, former principal of Toccoa Elementary School, said some schools buy headphones in bulk for the student body, others ask the parents to buy them. A concern was raised by some Board members that not all parents can afford everything on the back to school lists. Whiten said a local bank has offered to help raise money for supplies. Steppe said his Sunday School class would also help and that no child will have to go without the necessary supplies next year.
BOE THROWS PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER BACK IN COUNTY’S LAP No more discussions of building a performing arts center on the campus of the new high school will take place among school board members for the time being. That conclusion was reached Thursday, when the BOE voted not to abide by a list of requests from the county attorney. In the letter from Stephens County attorney Brian Ranck, the BOE was asked to prepare an intergovernmental agreement for the project. However during discussions last night, board member David Frick and others said they have done enough work on what is essentially an idea that they did not initiate in the first place. "I don’t think anybody here does not want to do it," noted board member David Fricks. "It’s just to the point where the burden is being put on the School Board. They came to us," he said. "We’ve done everything they’ve asked us to," inserted School superintendent Gary Steppe. "And it’s time for them to work on it," Fricks continued. "We’re going to build an auditorium with or without them. If we can accommodate them, that would be great, but this is beginning to turn into a Ben Hur and it’s putting a lot of pressure on Mr. Steppe and he’s spending a lot of time on it that he needs to spend on the education end," he concluded. Dr. Beth Pinkerton said if an agreement could be worked out, it would be nice to have a performing arts center, but board member George Payne disagreed. "In my opinion, what they should be using their SPLOST money for is to build the infrastructure of the County. That should be done first before they actually work on a proposal like this facility. Again, I am of the opinion we do not need to do it. As a member of Stephens County I am of the opinion we do not need to do it. We need to be working on infrastructure, or water, or sewer, and everything else," asserted Payne. Last month, the BOE submitted a list of requirements if they were to manage and maintain an arts center. At their last meeting, the county voted to table the entire SPLOST V project list for three months so their attorney could research the legalities of entering into an intergovernmental agreement with the school board.
ROGER GARY JACKSON
INDICTED ON DRUG CHARGES Accused murderer Roger Gary Jackson has been indicted on drug charges. The indictment stems from an incident in September 2005. It alleges that on the night of September 15, 2005, Toccoa police stopped Jackson on the corner of Pond St. and Highway 106 for no headlights. The officer told the Grand Jury that Jackson had in his possession a pack of cigarettes, which contained three clear baggies with a hard clear substance believed to be crystal methamphetamine. A year later in September 2006, Jackson posted a $15,600 bond and was released. In December 2006, Jackson was arrested and charged in the shooting death of 39-year old Wayne Calvin Wilson, Jr. of Toccoa. Wilson died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Since then, Jackson has remained in the Stephens County Jail waiting an October trial date.
ROBBERY SUSPECT
INDICTED FOR FORGERY More charges face a suspect on the run after robbing a local convenience store this week. On Tuesday night, police say 23-year old Jeffrey Scott Franklin robbed the Circle K convenience store of $1,100 by force. Later this week, the Stephens County Grand Jury indicted Franklin on forgery charges stemming from an incident earlier this month at North Georgia Credit Union. Toccoa Police Detective Shannon Westbrook says Franklin was the mastermind of the crime that leads to the arrest of two other men. "The arrests that were made on July 2nd at North Georgia Credit Union the suspects passed the check. Through interviews with them and through other evidence we determined that those checks that were passed came from Jeffrey Franklin. He was in possession of them and gave them to these two people who passed them," explained Westbrook. Arrested at the scene were 45-year old Jonathan Keys and 34-year old Tommy Looney – both of Toccoa. Westbrook said the suspects told investigators that Franklin gave them the checks. Both Keys and Looney have been charged with forgery. On Thursday, Keys plead guilty in Superior Court and was sentenced to three years probation.
NELMS NAMED E-911
DIRECTOR FINALIST County Administrator Darrell Hampton has announced a finalist for the job of e-911 Communications Director. He is current Interim e911 Director Rex Nelms. Nelms has worked for the county since 2005 when he was hired to help remap the county for the new e-911 system. On Monday, County commissioners interviewed three candidates for the post. Habersham County EMA Director Barry Church and Cheri Pickard, Administrative Services Director for the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety selected those candidates out of a stable of eleven applicants. Nelms is a native of Stephens County with over eight years of public safety experience at the state and local level, according to Hampton. His selection must now be advertised for 14 days before the County Commission can make a formal appointment.
TOCCOA MAN INDICTED ON
COMPUTER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY A Toccoa man was indicted this week on multiple counts of computer and child pornography. It happened last July at the home of 25-year old Andrew Justin Pitts on Yearwood Street in Toccoa, according to spokesman Tim Jarrell. "Mr. Pitts was using his home computer and a video web cam to send pictures of his private parts over the Internet to what he thought was an underage young lady, but who was in fact an agent with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force out of Atlanta, Georgia," Jarrell explained. The indictment alleges Pitts also began emailing explicit narrative accounts of sexual conduct. Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained a search warrant for Pitt’s home after being alerted by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Inside the home, investigators seized a computer and other material they say depicted child pornography. This week, Pitts was indicted on two counts of computer pornography and child exploitation and one count of sexual exploitation of children. He is currently out on bond.
BOE SELECTS BIBLE CLASS
TEXT High school students will be able to learn about biblical times now that the Stephens County School Board has selected a textbook for the course. The BOE approved the text at their regular meeting Thursday night. Entitled, "The Bible and Its Influence," the text will cover several aspects of the Bible. "It covers the Old and New Testament eras. It looks at literature. It familiarizes students with the history of those times, the literary style, and structure. They also study the customs and cultures of the people in the Bible and the influence of the Old and New Testament on modern society," Stephens County Schools Curricula Director Sheri Whiten said. Samples of the textbook were on display for public inspection for a month. Whiten said during that time, six people came by the administrative office to review the book, and she said their comments were all positive. The Bible study course will be offered as an elective.
WRECK CLAIMS LIFE OF
10-YEAR OLD TOCCOA GIRL A tragic accident involving a vehicle and rental truck took the life of a 10-year old Toccoa girl Wednesday. It happened on Highway 145 near Rose Lane at about 1:15 pm.
The driver of the Buick is identified as 21-year old Jamie Graham of Toccoa. Bobby Shelnutt of Eastanollee was behind the Buick and saw the whole thing. "She just turned right in front of the truck. That’s all I know. I was right behind her and I knew there was nothing the truck driver could do. All you can do at a time like that is pray to the Lord, that’s all you can do because it’s tragic," he said. Shelnutt said he and the driver of the truck, along with other witnesses tried to help a little girl, who was in the front seat, but he said she died at the scene. Stephens County Coroner Hoke Addington identifies the victim as 10-year old Kelsey Smith. Addington said the child died of blunt force trauma to her body. Two other children were in the back seat, a little boy approximately 6-8 years old, and an infant. Dave Minsha is the manager of the Chevron where the wreck happened. Minsha said he pulled the little boy out of the smoking vehicle and had him sit on the ground in front of National Welders Supply Company until EMTs arrived. Both children were life-flighted to Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville where their condition is not known. The truck driver is identified as Jeremy McClure of Athens. So far, no charges have been filed against either driver.
TWO ARRESTED IN LAVONIA
SPA RAID Two Korean women are out on bond after their arrest in Lavonia on sex for hire charges. On Sunday, agents with the Piedmont Northern MANS unit and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department raided the J-Spa on SR17 near I-85. "We had numerous complaints. We sent informants in and as he came out we went
back in with a search warrant and arrested the two ladies there," explained
Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas.
Arrested were 61-year old Myeong Kim and 51-year old Young Suk Shim. Both were charged with sex crimes for hire and possession of a controlled substance not in its proper container. "They were shut down for awhile and then they opened back up. We sent several (agents) in before and they got a massage. So then we sent someone back in on the 16th. When he came out and we already knew what was going on because he was wearing a wire," Sheriff Thomas said. Both Kim and Shim posted bond late Sunday night and were released from the Franklin County jail. Two years ago, Lavonia investigators busted the Silver Spa on SR17. Both women arrested in that incident were also Korean. They plead guilty to prostitution and the spa was shut down.
TOCCOA AUTHORITIES
SEARCH FOR ROBBERY SUSPECT Toccoa Police are on the hunt for a man who robbed the Circle K convenience store on Big A Road. It happened Tuesday night at around 9 p.m. The clerk told officers, the man used force to rob the store of $1,100 in cash. He then fled on foot.
According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Franklin was paroled in February from Dodge State Prison after serving two years of a three-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Stephens County and a first-degree forgery conviction in Habersham County. Anyone with information on Franklin’s whereabouts is asked to contact Toccoa Police at 706-282-3233.
TAX FREE HOLIDAY COMING
IN AUGUST Stephens County shoppers will have an opportunity to save money next month during the next tax-free holiday weekend. It’s coming up Friday, August 2 and ends Sunday, August 5 at midnight. During that weekend, shoppers will be able to purchase certain clothing items, schools supplies, computers, and computer accessories without paying state and local sales tax. It’s also a good time for parents of students and teachers to safe a significant amount of money in preparing students to go back to school. During the sales tax holiday, clothing and footwear up to $100 per item are exempt, but there is no limit on how many pairs of shoes and clothing items an individual can buy. If the price of an article of clothing or pair of shoes exceeds $100, then the item will be taxed at its full retail price. Clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, watchbands and similar items are not exempt from sales tax during the tax-free period. School supplies bought for classroom use or classroom related activities are exempt if they cost $20 or less per item. Included in this area are pens, pencils, notebooks, paper, book bags, calculators, dictionaries, thesauruses, children’s books and books listed on approved school reading lists for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Sales tax will be due on the purchase of any single school supply item that exceeds $20. Purchases of personal computers and accessories are exempt up to $1,500 per transaction. Items included in the personal computer exemption category include monitors, personal computer base units, keyboards, handheld computers, monitors, printers, modems, non-recreational software, and other peripheral devices. Personal digital assistants are exempt unless they allow voice communication. Other items that are not exempt include regular cell phones, digital cameras, furniture and any systems, devices, software, or peripherals designed or intended primarily for recreational use. The sales tax exemption on all qualified merchandise is intended only for individuals and their personal use. It does not apply to purchases made for resale, purchases by businesses, items leased or rented, or items sold at sports facilities, theme parks, restaurants, public lodging establishments and airports. Additional information and a comprehensive list of exempt items are available at any of the Department of Revenue’s regional offices or on the Internet at the Department’s web site www.dor.ga.gov. Individuals can also get information by calling 404-417-6601 or contacting the Department of Revenue via email at taxpayer.services@dor.ga.gov. A tax-free holiday for certain energy efficient products with a sales price of $1,500 or less will occur between October 4 and October 7 this year.
PIONEER RESA OFFERING
GRANT MONEY TO TEACHERS Stephens County teachers have a chance to get some extra accreditation thanks to a grant that the local education service. Pioneer RESA recently received a $300,000 grant to help teachers complete two years of extra instruction in math and science. Sheri whiten, curriculum director for Stephens County Schools says teachers can receive up to $3,000 in stipends to take these courses. "They can get a math endorsement, an integrated math and science endorsement or just science, depending on the grade levels," Whiten explained. "Teachers are offered stipends and this is an excellent resource since we’ve already started to implement the Georgia Performance Standards. This is a two-year commitment for teachers, but it is just wonderful. There are so many things that teachers can learn that they are able to bring to the classroom," she concluded. Each educator taking the courses receives customized support and instruction. According to Dr. Sandy Addis with Pioneer RESA, teachers have been asking about the courses as soon as the grant was awarded. Addis said that means classes are filling up quickly. According to Whiten, what teachers learn can be easily translated to their students in the classroom. More information is available not only to teachers, but also Para pros on the Pioneer RESA web site.
WINDER SOLDIER CHARGED
WITH MURDER According to Associated Press, a solider from Barrow County and a soldier from Texas have been charged with premeditated murder of an Iraqi and a Lt. Colonel has been relieved of command in connection with the case. The U.S. Army has identified the soliders as Spc. Christopher P. Shore of Winder and Sgt. First Class Trey A. Corrales of San Antonio, Texas. The pair has been charged with one count of murder in the death, which allegedly occurred June 23rd near the northern city of Kirkuk, according to a U.S. spokesman. The soldiers were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, which is a part of the 25th Infantry Division, station in Hawaii. The unit is attached to the Multinational Division-North. The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Michael Browder was relieved of his command in connection with the incident, although he is not a suspect and has not been charged. No further details were released, but the statement noted that the charges are allegations and neither of the two soldiers has been convicted.
POLICE NEWS The Stephens County Sheriff’s office is investigating the theft of some tools from a building on Georgia Highway 328. The victim, who lives in Suwanee, GA, told deputies he was last on the property July 11th and had put a larger chain and lock on the storage building. The suspect removed the nail from the building and took off the front door to gain entrance and take an auger and a chain saw, worth about $600. ________________________________________________ A woman from Eastanollee has been charged with making a false statement to law enforcement and interference with child custody. A deputy stopped by the residence of Angelia Landers on Azaelia Court to inquire about a missing female juvenile. The deputy showed the picture to the suspect. The report indicated that Landers told the deputy she didn’t know anything about the juvenile. Later, however, the deputy discovered that the missing girl had been hiding inside the residence.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB KICKS OFF
FUNDRAISER It Just Takes One. That is the theme of a kick off to the Boys and Girls Club fundraiser that was held Monday. Dozens gathered to tour the club now getting back on its financial feet after over a year of re-organization. "It Just Takes One" refers to a National Boys and Girls Club campaign according to Board Vice President Bob Pless. "Earlier this year, we went to businesses and groups for fundraising when we held the Steak and Burger Dinner. Now we want to go to individuals. Our goal is to have 1,000 people donate $25," explained Pless. One thousand people donating $25 would give the club another $25,000. Pless says they have been able to pay off debt left with when the previous administrator left suddenly in 2005. However, money must now be raised to pay for a new executive director that the club’s board hopes to hire in the coming months. According to Pless, in order to remain part of the National Boys and Girls Club, they must hire a professional administrator with experience in childcare and development. Since losing most of its members two years ago, the club has worked to rebuild not only its finances, but also its image and programs. They currently have a daily attendance of about 85 children with a host of activities to offer, as well as a summer lunch program. "We have a lot of kids just wandering the streets. We have a lot kids just sitting over on Big A Road not really doing anything, not being productive. It’s very important for kids to have a place where they can come and be productive," noted Cassandra Wilkins, board member. Both Wilkins and Pless say they depend on the support of parents in the community who have come forward to help ensure the club’s survival. "Parents have been very supportive. We have a Parent-Community Connect Committee. They do fundraising to help make sure that the Club stays open," Wilkins said. To find out how you can donate to the Boys and Girls Club, contact Mary Rice at 706-886-3771.
RUN-OFF RESULTS STILL HANGING Two Republicans are battling it out for the 10th Congressional District seat, formerly held by the late Charlie Norwood. And in the early morning hours, it still is a very close race. With 98 percent of the precincts reported, Dr. Paul Broun has just the slightest edge over Jim Whitehead, according to the latest tabulations from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. Broun has a total of 23,473 votes, which is 50.4 percent of the votes. Whitehead has 23,100 or 49.6 percent of the votes. Here in Stephens County, voters gave Dr. Paul Broun 667 votes while Jim Whitehead got 600 votes. Almost 9 percent of the eligible voters actually went to the polls in Stephens County on Tuesday. In the first special election last month, Jim Whitehead received the majority of Stephens County votes while Democrat Jim Marlowe came in second. Broun received the third highest vote count. There are still some results from precincts in Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Madison, Oglethorpe, Putnam and Jackson Counties that have not reported in yet. Whitehead would need a swing of 371 votes to capture the seat
THE NEW LIGHTS ARE ON ON BIG A Traffic should flow a bit more smoothly on Big A Road now that the new computerized lights are on. Crews with the Georgia Department of Transportation have endured heat and thunderstorms this week to take down the old traffic signals and turn on the new ones. "We still have some signs that need to be replaced; there’s a little bit more asphalt work to do. We hope to have all the new brighter LED signals operational this week," noted GDOT spokeswoman Teri Pope. The GDOT has been working on replacing the lights since March. Part of the delay, according to Pope had to do with configuring the new system, which is operated by a computer mainframe. The LED signals replace the old light bulb system. With a longer life and improved brightness, Pope says safety should also improve along Big A. "The LED signals look kind of like a Light Bright with pixels. The LED light is much brighter and has a much longer burn time. They can burn about 15,000 hours without having to be changed. So during rain, fog, snow and ice or any kind of low light situation, the signals are brighter and you can see them from farther away," Pope explained. Another important improvement for motorists on Big A is the timing of the new signals. Pope says all of the new lights "talk" to each other via a computer system. This week, crews have also replaced the switching cabinets, which contain the computer brains of the entire system. "They are interconnected. One signal talks to another signal so depending on when you hit it, you could either get all green lights or all red lights down Big A," she said. In his six-month report this week, Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said there 70 traffic accidents on Big A Road from January to June – four more than a year ago.
LIFELINE OFFERS WATCH ALERT
SYSTEM A personal emergency response system affiliated with North Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville has come up with an innovative way to wear the emergency system discreetly. It’s called "Lifeline" and allows individuals to access help when they need it at the press of a button – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Lifeline has now partnered with the Timex Watch Company to come up with an "alert watch." Along with their necklace and bracelet alert buttons, they now have a medical alert button built into the wristwatch. It’s called the "Lifeline Tempo" watch and was designed especially by lifeline and times for seniors who are concerned about the stigma of wearing a medical alert necklace. Lifeline serves subscribers in 13 Northeast Georgia counties, including Stephens, White, Rabun, Banks, and Habersham counties. The cost of the watch is $100, but it is being offered at no additional charge to new subscribers. Lifeline is also offering free installation during the month of July. For more information, call the Lifeline coordinator toll-free at 1-800-822-4892.
FIRE ON GUM LOG ROAD Three of the county’s volunteer fire departments were called out early this morning to a structure fire on Gum Log Road. The Martin, Eastanollee and Big Smith departments were called out at 4:10 a.m. this morning to a structure on the Gumlog Road. A sheriff’s deputy had reported the structure, which was believed to be unoccupied, was fully involved when the trucks arrived. There was a propane gas tank located in the back of the house, but firemen quickly managed to get the situation under control in about 30 minutes. There were no injuries and no indication of what may have started the blaze.
POLICE BLOTTER A victim of vehicle vandalism at Toccoa First Alliance Church told police he did not want to press any charges or file a complaint. The victim’s car was parked in the church’s parking lot. It has been wrapped with plastic wrap and sardines were put inside the car, along with trash. A church member saw the damage and told the victim. ______________________________________ A routine traffic stop in Toccoa led to another drug bust. The suspect’s Jeep Liberty was pulled over at the corner of Broad and Tugalo streets for an expired tag. Officers arrested Wade Cameron Hunter of West Currahee Street and charged him with DUI, violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, and drugs not kept in their original container. ______________________________________ Two employees at the Days Inn told police their handbags had been stolen while they were on the job. The purses had been left in the laundry room. They told officers a suspect’s car had been parked in front of the laundry room just prior to the handbags being stolen. Officers interviewed the suspect who denied having anything to do with the theft. ______________________________________ Investigators are looking into a possible burglary at Key Realty on South Big A Road. The owner told police someone may have entered the building through the back door and taken a business check. Officers were not able to get any fingerprints. Police placed extra patrols around the building.
RUN-OFF FOR 10TH
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TODAY We should know later tonight who will represent the 10th congressional district in Washington. A run-off takes place today between republicans Jim Whitehead and Dr. Paul Broun. None of the 10 candidates for the post received more than 51% of the vote during the special election last month. Whitehead received 23,555 votes or just over 43% and Broun received 11,208 votes or 20.7%. All eight precincts in Stephens County will open today and Stephens County Registrar Theresa Kelley is expecting a better-than-average turnout. "Hopefully, we’ll get at least 8-10%. We did have more people vote advance voting than we did in the regular special election, so I am hoping for a good turnout. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You do need some form of identification. This will be the last time you can vote without having to have a photo ID," noted Stephens County Registrar Theresa Kelley. AM 630 WNEG will have the results of today’s run-off after the polls close at 7 p.m. tonight.
THEFTS, ASSAULTS ON THE
RISE IN TOCCOA Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire released his six-month analysis of crime in the city and the numbers are not good in some areas. According to Whitmire, thefts are increasing. Between January and June 2007, Toccoa Police investigated 188 cases of thefts. That’s up from 166 theft cases during the same time in 2006. Of those 77 were cleared and of those, 36 were cleared by arrest. He said the reports of shoplifting; stolen purses and cell phones have risen over the past six months. In his report, Chief Whitmire said most of those thefts are the result of people leaving their vehicles unlocked. Another dramatic jump from a year ago were crimes against persons, such as assaults. In the last six months, Toccoa Police answered 160 reports of crimes against persons - up from just 115 cases a year ago. Of those cases, 99 were cleared and of that, 30 were cleared by arrest. Additionally, Chief Whitmire says damage to property reports have almost doubled since this time last year. Most, he said involved damage to vehicles in parking lots. And despite what some may think about the accident rate on Big A Road, it has remained about the same. For Toccoa overall, there were 186 accidents over the last six months, 70 on Big A Road. In the first half of 2006, 172 accidents were reported with 66 of those occurring on Big A Road.
COUNTY JAIL SITE GETS
CLEAN BILL FROM EPD The State Department of Environmental Protection has signed off on the clean up of some toxic waste at the new jail site. Work on digging a retention pond for the new jail came to a standstill in May when crews unearthed dozens of metal drums that had been buried years ago. Blades the heavy equipment crews were using to dig out the pond hit the drums, buried sometime in the 1970s. About 30 decaying barrels of paint lacquer were unearthed. Much of the lacquer had seeped into the soil as the barrels deteriorated. Last week, County Administrator Darrell Hampton told commissioners the EPD had released the site. "We submitted our test findings for the site to the EPD and they found that for the lacquer and acetone, that the standard or level of cleaning was well within their range. They required two parts or less. In most of the places we tested, the readings were zero," Hampton said. It cost the county $164,000 to clean up the site, which included removing contaminated soil as well as the barrels. Some of that money will be reimbursed to the county by the EPD, according to Hampton. The county paid for the clean up with SPLOST IV jail monies.
GEORGIA DOT HOLDS TWO
PUBLIC HEARINGS The Georgia Department of Transportation is looking for your opinion and feedback for current and upcoming road projects. Two public information open houses are scheduled for Northeast Georgia counties, including Stephens, Franklin, Banks, and Habersham counties, to discuss the State Transportation Improvement Program or "STIP." According to Georgia DOT spokeswoman Teri Pope, STIP is a three-year plan for rural counties detailing federally funded projects that includes interstate and state route improvements, bridge projects, maintenance projects, enhancements and pedestrian projects. "Georgia DOT engineers have met with all of the city and county officials and shared the plans with them already. Now they want to show the plan to the people who use our transportation system – the citizens. They want to see if their priorities match our priorities. We want feedback from them so we can incorporate it into the three-year plan," explained Pope. Public hearings will be held Thursday, July 26th from 4p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Franklin County Justice Center on Highway 145 in Carnesville. A second open house is set for Thursday, August 6h from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville in the dining hall. DOT engineers will be on hand at each open house, according to Pope, to answer your questions.
PATIENT SMOKING LOOKED
AT The medical staff at Stephens County Hospital has asked the Hospital Authority to look into the issue of patient smoking. The hospital has banned smoking inside the building and that ban has been in effect since the late 1980s. The problem arises when patients go outside the building to smoke. Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said there are several problems in this area. "What happens is sometimes we have patients going outside to smoke," Gambrell said. "Although some, God bless them, they don’t smoke at all while they’re here, but some others take their I.V. poles and whatever else and go outside and smoke. And we’ve received complaints from the public about that. But then from a patient care prospective, our nurses are looking for a patient for treatment or the doctor is making rounds and we can’t locate the patient. And the reason is that they are outside smoking." The authority was told that some medications are delayed which causes patients to have to stay longer than they should, while the nicotine from the cigarettes sometimes has a negative effect on those medications. The authority’s Buildings and Grounds Committee along with representatives of the medical staff will look into the problem. There are many hospitals around the country that ban patient smoking all together.
WATER NEED IN MARTIN While the proposed SPLOST V has been a much discussed issue regarding some of the projects the money will benefit, if it is passed, the City of Martin is hoping that it can reap a small portion of the benefits. Mayor Don Foster said that the city has asked for $200,000 of the SPLOST V money for water projects. "We applied for $200,000," Mayor Foster indicated. "One hundred thousand of that will be for a well and we figure at least $100,000 for the well, and then another $100,000 to make the water lines larger. We’ve got quite a few water lines that are two inch and four inch here in Martin and we need to expand those up to six inch lines in order to keep the fire protection correct." Water has become a very important commodity for the City of Martin, as it has elsewhere. Mayor Foster said that some residents of the lower portion of the county can’t get water from any other source, other than the city of Martin. "Especially in certain parts of the area, water is very important, because the water table has dropped and so the only place they can get water is from Martin. There is just no other water there. I know some people that come to about a mile and half from Martin, drilled three wells and got very little water. So, we’re probably the only source of water they can get to if there going to sell some of this property." The Martin Council members were notified that the Mayor’s Post and two council seats will be up for election this year. Mayor Don Foster’s seat as well as the council seats currently held by Harold Alexander and Mark Gearhardt are up for election. The election will be November 6th.
POLICE NEWS A Martin man told Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies someone broke into his home on Bruce Road while he was out of town. Missing were two rifles. The first is a Browning, Model14124 m7, valued at $600. The second is a Remington, Model 700, valued at $400. According to the victim, the guns were all in different locations and nothing else appeared to have been taken. Deputies reported entrance was made by breaking the locks on the rear windows. _____________________________________________________ Someone ransacked the office of Stephens Memorial Gardens. It happened sometime overnight Friday. The manager told deputies when he arrived at the office Saturday morning, the back door had been pried open and the office ransacked. According to the victim, it was not clear what if anything had been taken. Extra security foot patrols have been placed around the building. _____________________________________________________ A Toccoa woman is missing her pit bull puppies. The victim told police when she returned to her home on Letourneau Drive after being gone several days, she discovered the puppies missing. She told police the male and female adult dogs were still there, but all five puppies were gone. The puppies were only three and half weeks old at the time they went missing. The victim said a toolbox that was keeping the gate closed behind the house was knocked over and tools were thrown all over the backyard. A description of two possible suspects was given to police and that investigation continues. _____________________________________________________ Toccoa investigators are looking into another bank forgery. Detectives were notified of the forgery at Habersham Bank last Thursday. A phony check in the amount of $1,400 was drawn out of a customer account. So far, there have been no arrests.
SHIRLEY’S
SHELTER OPENS IN TOCCOA
Yesterday, dozens gathered to dedicate the three-bedroom house on Alexander Street and celebrate with an open house. Once owned by Friendship Baptist Church, the house was purchased by real estate investor James Dodd and leased to Shirley. Dodd said when Shirley told him of her vision for the house, he thought it was inspired. "She said, ‘Who owns that house?’ and I said the bank owns a good share of it, but I own it. Then she said, ‘What are you going to do with it?’ and I said I was going to rent it. Then she said, ‘I want that house.’ She said she has had a dream about a shelter and when I passed your house, God said to me, that’s it. So I thought about it and my spirit was in agreement with her spirit so we’re going to use it as a home for the homeless," he said. In his speech to those attending, Toccoa Mayor David Austin said this kind of project is an example of what a community can do when it works together. "These kinds of things are what make Toccoa a great town," noted Toccoa mayor
David Austin. "It makes me proud to be a part of government, but government
cannot do everything as you know. It takes people with a heart and a vision and
Shirley, you’ve got that," he concluded. All of the labor to renovate the home and everything in it was donated by local citizens. Shirley said only God could have made that happen. "It’s not about me, it’s all about God. He said when we take care of the least of them, we take care of him. I stand today as a testimony. This is my testimony, it speaks for itself. I thank God for Jesus, who gave so much for us. I think Gods wants Toccoa to see who he really is and how he can really move when we just let him," Combs said. The house will hold up to six homeless men and Shirley hopes to have another home for homeless women.
COUNTY
BEGINS INTERVIEW PROCESS FOR E911 DIRECTOR County commissioners will meet this morning for a special called session to interview candidates for the e-911 director position. The position has been vacant since former e-911 director Paige Worley resigned last December. Since then, the county has moved slowly in their search for a replacement. That’s because commissioners want to make sure they make the right choice, according to County Administrator Darrell Hampton. Eleven applications were received for the job. Three candidates were chosen for today’s interview. Only two are local, according to Hampton. "All of the candidates are in the area," Hampton said. "There’s two in state, one out of state and all of them have public safety experience," he said. Before today’s interview session, former Habersham e-911 Director Barry Church and a representative from the Peace Officers Standards and Training in Atlanta reviewed all of the resumes. Hampton said the advice of the two e-911 experts has been very helpful to commissioners. "They have been helpful. We had one that evaluated the candidates based on their communications strengths and abilities and their knowledge of 911 systems and the like. The other evaluated their operational experience running a 911 facility," he said. If a finalist is chosen today, that person’s name will be advertised for two weeks before the commission makes an offer.
SUWANEE
MAN BUSTED IN LAVONIA ON DRUG CHARGES A Suwannee man is behind bars in Franklin County facing multiple drug charges. Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley says a routine traffic stop resulted in the arrest. He said when the driver of the vehicle began getting nervous and acting suspiciously, the officer asked him to step out of the car. "It got my officer’s suspicions up and because of safety’s reasons. He had all the occupants exit the vehicle. The driver, 20-year old Jason Vic Topper of Suwanee, Georgia allowed my officer to search the vehicle," Chief Shirley said. On the back seat, the officer said he discovered a large cookie of crack cocaine, and other drug – related items, including scales. Chief Shirley said Topper quickly confessed. "We seized the vehicle along with 290 dollars in cash as well as two laptop computers," he said. Topper is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, possession of drug-related objects, and seatbelt violation. He remains in the Franklin County jail.
|
It
took about an hour to put out the blaze and that is when firefighters discovered
a female body and the body of a dog inside the home – both burned beyond
recognition.
"The
fire is still under investigation by the State Fire Marshall’s office. An agent
with the Fire Marshall’s office is on the scene and will be filing his report.
The Sheriff’s office is doing its own investigation, talking to neighbors and
just trying to find out a little bit more about who occupied this residence and
what may have happened," Crozier said.
there had
only moved in about six months ago. They say the woman had just gotten out of
the hospital Thursday morning and was alone with her dog at the time of the
blaze.
According
to Georgia State Patrol Trooper Hopkins, a green 1996 Buick was traveling south
on Highway 145 when it suddenly turned in front of a six-wheel Penske rental
truck going north.
"Police
are looking for a Jeffery Scott Franklin of Toccoa. He’s a white male, 5’2" tall
with short brown hair, and multiple tattoos on his upper body. He’s also missing
a few of his front teeth," Toccoa Police Captain Butch Newkirk said.
Homeless men in Toccoa-Stephens County now have hope and a place to live
thanks to Shirley Combs, owner of Shirley’s Sole Food and help from an Atlanta
couple. 