Newspaper Page Text
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
Wednesday, December 12,2007
Vol. 3 No. 34 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 22 pages, 3 sections
Inside
•Community collects
toys for needy children
page 5A
DROUGHT
•Are local governments
also cutting water use?
page 2A
Sports:
•Hawks lose game in
squeaker, 54-52
page 1B
•Solider in Iraq gives
students special message
page 8A
Opinion:
•‘Would state action
hurt industrial develop
ment?’ page 4A
Public safety:
•Retired trooper follows
reckless driver
page 6A
•Church events
page 4B
•Obituaries
page 7A
DA to seek death penalty in murder-arson case
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney
Rick Bridgeman has announced that he will
seek the death penalty against Henry Lee
Stringer — who is accused of killing four
people in a murder-arson case in Hoschton.
The bodies of Stringer’s girlfriend
Marvelette, their children J’Majuan and
J’Lasia and Marvelette’s mother, Evelyn,
were discovered on May 30, 2006, inside
their burning home on Pendergrass Road
in Hoschton. Stringer was arrested on June
1, 2007, after a year-long investigation by
authorities.
Stringer was indicted by a Jackson
County grand jury on Dec. 3 with 16 counts
related to the deaths of Evelyn Strickland,
68; Marvelette Strickland, 29; J’Majuan
Stringer, 4; and J’Lasia Stringer,
2.
The indictment charges Stringer
with four counts of malice murder,
six counts of felony murder, two
counts of aggravated assault; one
count of aggravated battery; two
counts of cruelty to children in
the first degree; and one count of
arson in the first degree.
Earlier, authorities claimed
Stringer stabbed the two adults to
death before setting fire to their
Pendergrass Road (Ga. Hwy. 332)
house, leaving the two children to die.
Stringer, 34, later pled not guilty to the
charges.
Hoschton Police Chief Dave Hill said
in a statement on Tuesday that
his department presented evi
dence of the crime to the Jackson
County grand jury. The presen
tation included evidence from
the year-long investigation, and
included work from Hoschton
police, the Athens office of the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation,
the Barrow County Sheriff’s
Office, the state Fire Marshall’s
Office and other law enforce
ment agencies.
“The Hoschton Police
Department fully supports the decision of
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney
Richard K. Bridgeman to seek the death
penalty in this case and appreciates the
partnership his office has provided,” Hill’s
statement read.
District attorney Bridgeman filed the
notice to seek the death penalty against
Stringer with the clerk of superior court of
Jackson County on Monday, according to
court records.
The case will now progress according to
the unified appeals procedures that governs
pretrial and trial proceedings for death pen
alty cases in Georgia. The next court appear
ance for Stringer will be a first proceeding
hearing, which has not been scheduled by
the superior court.
Both Bridgeman and Hill said in their
statements that their departments will make
no further comments on the case at this
time.
STRINGER
Council member marks final Braselton meeting
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Monday’s Braselton council meeting marked the
last for Phil Spivey, who has served on the council
for four years.
Spivey — who serves the District 3 post that largely
includes Chateau Elan — opted not to seek another
term. Tony Funari was named to the council seat after
an uncontested election in November.
Spivey has lived in Braselton since 1998, accord
ing to the town’s website. He served on the board of
directors for Barrow County Habitat for Humanity
and the mission board at Hamilton Mill United
Methodist Church.
Spivey earned a civil engineering degree from the
Virginia Military Institute and served in Vietnam. He
was a pilot for Delta Air Lines for 30 years, according
to the town’s website.
Funari will be sworn into office next month, along
with District 1 council member Richard Mayberry,
who won another term after an uncontested election.
See BRASELTON on page 3A
flW
Gum Springs
Elementary
NEW SCHOOL ZONES
A map provided by the Jackson County School System shows
how the new Gum Springs Elementary School will affect student
attendance zones for West Jackson Primary School, West Jackson
Intermediate School and North Jackson Elementary School.
BOE approves elementary
school attendance changes
BY BRANDON REED
The Jackson County Board of
Education voted unanimously
Monday night to approve changes
in attendance zones for several of
the county’s elementary schools.
School Superintendent Shannon
Adams said the majority of
changes came about to accom
modate the opening of the new
Gum Springs Elementary School.
That school will dramatically
decrease student enrollment at
West Jackson Intermediate School
and West Jackson Primary School.
Adams also said about 70 students
will move from South Jackson
Elementary School to Benton
Elementary School.
With the new attendance lines,
enrollment at West Jackson
Primary will drop from 733
students to 397. West Jackson
Intermediate will drop from 643
to 339. South Jackson Elementary
will drop from 588 to 520. Benton
Elementary will see an increase
from 306 to 414.
“We have available classroom
space at Benton right now,” Adams
said. “South Jackson, even with
the new classroom wing, is already
full and over-crowded.”
Upon opening, Gum Springs
Elementary School will have 654
students with a capacity of 875.
Approximately 25 students in
two subdivisions, Stonecreek and
Summerhill, will be rezoned from
North Jackson Elementary to Gum
Springs.
Gum Springs Elementary will
be located next to West Jackson
Middle School and Traditions of
Braselton on Gum Springs Church
Road. Alisa Hanley, currently
the principal of West Jackson
Intermediate School, was recently
named principal of Gum Springs
Elementary.
In other business, Adams
announced that the Georgia
Council for Administrators of
Special Education had recognized
the Jackson County School System
as being a leader in the state for
providing good opportunities for
students with disabilities. Special
education director Melanie Brittan
was presented with the award.
EVALUATION
The BOE also went into a closed
meeting for 45 minutes to discuss
the superintendent’s annual evalu
ation. After the closed meeting,
board Chairman Kathy Wilbanks
announced that Adams had a sat
isfactory evaluation and that his
contract would be extended for
one year.
Wilbanks also announced that
Adams would receive a $7,500 sal
ary increase, as well as an increase
in his in-county travel allowance
See BOE on page 5A
