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Clermont
man now faces
federal firearm
indictment
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A Clermont man previously accused of threat
ening to shoot up Wauka Mountain Elementary
is now facing an indictment in federal court
regarding firearm possession, according to court
documents.
Thomas Shannon Bruce was
indicted by a Hall County grand
jury Oct. 15 of terroristic threats,
possession of methamphetamine,
disrupting a public school and
possession of less than an ounce
of marijuana.
According to the indictment,
Bruce allegedly told his wife Sept.
5 “he was going to shoot up the
school in 15 minutes” and sent her a text message
reading “bang, bang.” He is also accused of going
to his residence and retrieving a shotgun, accord
ing to court records.
On Oct. 17, the U.S. District Court in Gaines
ville filed a criminal indictment. The grand jury
charged him with possessing seven firearms des-
pute a previous felony conviction for burglary in
Jackson County Superior Court.
Attorney Jason Burruss, who is representing
Bruce on the local charges, said he is not cur
rently representing the Clermont man on federal
charges. No attorney was listed for Bruce on the
online court records database.
Burruss said they have filed a motion for discov
ery and a bond hearing.
“I’m looking forward to receiving the discov
ery from the state and continuing to defend Mr.
Bruce,” he said.
According to the District Court indictment,
Bruce was accused of having a 12-gauge shotgun,
one .22 caliber rifle, three .243 WIN caliber rifles
and two 30-30 caliber rifles.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office previously told
The Times Bruce had called the school to inquire
about checking his child out of class, but he was not
authorized to do so.
School officials have characterized the dispute
as a potential custody situation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not disclose any
further information on the case.
“In cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s office,
it was decided to take the firearms charge result
ing from the investigation of this matter feder
ally,” wrote Northeastern Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Lee Darragh. “My office will continue
to prosecute other charges concerning defendant
Bruce.”
Bruce
HEAT grant to
fund area traffic
unit, 3 officers
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
The state-funded traffic unit for Gainesville and
Hall County received funding for a third year, which
pays for three officers and their vehicles.
The Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic
grant for $500,000 was announced in February 2017.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office has two officers,
and Gainesville Police has one.
“The Hall County/Gainesville HEAT Unit has
been a great success in keeping the roadways of Hall
County safer,” Sheriff’s Office Lt. Todd Casper wrote
in an email.
The grant was awarded by the Governor’s Office
of Highway Safety, which is granting $117,615.20 of
federal funds for fiscal year 2019.
Casper said the money covers the three officers’
salary, benefits, gas and car maintenance for the
three patrol vehicles.
The highway safety office and the National High
way Traffic Safety Administration must give prior
written approval before the money can be used to
purchase equipment worth $5,000 or more.
The start date for the grant is Oct. 1 and runs
through Sept. 30,2019.
“All allowable costs incurred during this period
will be reimbursed at a rate of 100 percent of the
awarded federal amount listed above,” according to
a letter to Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch from
the highway safety office.
The grant requires no local matching funds.
Something to prove
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Margie Gill, a professor of psychology at Brenau University, introduces Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey
Abrams at Brenau University’s Pearce Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 26.
Abrams stops in Gainesville for bus tour rally
Judy Smith, from right to left, Carla Salaam and Celestine Winters cheer on Stacey
Abrams during a “We Are Georgia” bus tour event at Brenau University’s Pearce
Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 26.
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
Speaking to a crowd at Brenau Univer
sity, Stacey Abrams said “Georgia has to
prove we have a soul.”
Abrams and Sarah Riggs Amico,
Democratic candidates for governor
and lieutenant governor, stopped at the
university Pearce Auditorium in Gaines
ville on Friday as part of a statewide bus
tour.
On Nov. 6, Abrams will compete
against Republican Brian Kemp and
Libertarian Ted Metz for the position of
governor. Riggs Amico faces Republican
Geoff Duncan.
Some ways to show the state has a
soul, Abrams said, are programs like
wraparound services in Georgia schools,
adequate health care and access to men
tal health treatment — and protecting
civil rights.
Abrams told of being invited to the
Governor’s Mansion after becoming
valedictorian of her DeKalb County high
school, but when she arrived after taking
public transit with her parents, a staff
member at the gate assumed she was not
on the guest list.
“The only thing I remember about
that event is a man standing in front of
the most powerful place in Georgia, look
ing at me and telling me I don’t belong,”
Abrams said. “With your help, on Nov. 6,
we’re going to open those gates wide.”
Abrams vowed to be “the public edu
cation governor,” saying that fully fund
ing Georgia’s schools for just one year
was not enough. The state’s Quality Basic
Education formula, which determines
state funding for public schools, was fully
funded for the first time this year since
its inception in 1985.
What happens in a student’s life out
side the classroom determines how suc
cessful they can be in school, she said, so
wraparound services are needed to help
Georgia students.
“The children who come to school
hungry on Monday because they last ate
Friday at lunch cannot learn with even
the best teacher,” Abrams said. “A child
who saw someone get hit in his house
hold but does not have the language to
describe it needs a counselor.”
■ Please see ABRAMS, 6A
License hearing tabled for business
that was source of foul odor complaints
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
The public hearing on
Hulsey Environmental Ser
vices’ business license, which
could have been revoked
after a hearing scheduled for
Thursday, has been tabled
until the company’s previous
request to build a truck termi
nal is handled.
Hulsey on Cleveland High
way in Clermont has received
four citations for having
trucks parked on the prop
erty, a violation of one of the
conditions for the plumbing
company’s business license.
Hulsey has applied with the
county to build a truck termi
nal for the property, which
would hold about 10 trucks.
The Hall County Planning
Commission will hear that
request on Nov. 5.
Clermont residents say
an odor in the area can be
attributed to Hulsey, which
processes byproducts and
waste from other businesses,
such as poultry plants or res
taurants. Hulsey’s attorney,
Jim Walters, has said that any
trucks at the Clermont prop
erty would have been emp
tied before arriving there.
Srikanth Yamala, the coun
ty’s planning director, said a
decision about the business
license can be made after the
company’s pending request
for the truck terminal goes
through the voting process.
Industrial development
in Alto tabled
The vote on a proposed
industrial development in
Alto near the Habersham
County line has been tabled
until Nov. 15.
The 204-acre property on
Cornelia Highway would
likely be used for light ware
housing, Dale Hall of Fal
con Design Consultants, the
applicant for the project, said
in August. But the engineer
ing firm was still working on
finalizing details with poten
tial clients, he said.
The Hall County Planning
Commission unanimously
denied the project in August,
with members saying they
wanted more information.
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