Fireworks enthusiasts help
celebrate Independence Day
LOCAL, 4A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I july 10,2019 Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Campaign for sheriff heals up
2 challengers announce intent to run against Johnson in May 2020 election
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Several candidates have
recently entered their bids for
sheriff in the May 2020 election.
On July 3, retired parole
chief and 27-year law enforce
ment veteran Jeff Perry
announced his bid for sheriff on
his “Jeff Perry for Sheriff”
Facebook page.
Perry ran for election in
2016.
“I am excited to announce my
campaign for Sheriff. My family
and I have deep-roots here in
Dawson County,” Perry said in
his announcement. “I am run
ning for Sheriff to serve the citi
zens of Dawson County because
there is nothing more important
to me than keeping our families
safe, and bringing capable lead
ership to the top law enforce
ment position in the county.”
Perry currently teaches
Criminal Justice in the Dawson
County School system. He
started the Criminal Justice
program two years ago and
teaches Intro to Criminal
Justice, Criminal Justice
Essentials and Criminal
Investigations to students at
Dawson County High and
Junior High schools.
According to his announce
ment, Perry served as parole
chief for 19 years over Dawson,
Lumpkin, Union, Cherokee,
Forsyth, Fannin, Gilmer and
Pickens counties.
See Sheriff 110A
Unde Shuck’s unveils sunflowers at
new location near Rock Creek Park
Patch open
until July 14
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
After finding a new home
on Bannister Road, Uncle
Shuck’s Corn Maze and
Pumpkin Patch is settling in
with a new attraction for a
limited time only.
Off of Hwy. 9 near Rock
Creek Park, Mathew
Hughes, owner and operator
of the business, has plans to
expand Uncle Shuck’s year
round offerings for guests,
starting with a sunflower
patch open until July 14.
“Everyone that’s come
out has really enjoyed it,”
Hughes said. “It’s nice
watching all the little kids
come out dressed up and get
their picture with the sun
flowers.”
It’s the first time Uncle
Shuck’s has offered a sun
flower patch in the 17 years
it has been open.
“They turned out pretty
good considering it’s our
first year and I’m a rookie at
it,” Hughes said.
For $5, guests can take a
tour around the sunflowers
and pose for photo-ops in
the flowers or in front of the
two antique tractors woven
within the flower field
which have been a big hit
with the kids.
“It just makes the kids’
day which makes my day,”
Hughes said.
Uncle Shuck’s opened its
sunflower patch on July 4
and will be open the week
end of July 13-14 from 9
a.m. to 8 p.m. Those wish
ing to bring home a souve
nir sunflower or two can do
so for a small fee of $2 for
one sunflower, $11 for six
sunflowers and $20 for a
dozen sunflowers.
See Sunflower 15A
Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
For a small fee, guests can pick their own sunflowers at Uncle Shuck's newest
attraction this year.
BOC approves
EMS funding
By Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
The Board of Commissioners voted last
Tuesday to award a pay increase for the
field operators of Dawson County Fire and
Emergency Services.
“It was good to see the Board of
Commissioners supporting the public safe
ty and the fire department,” said Dawson
County Fire and Emergency Services
Director Danny Thompson. “We’ve always
had a good, strong working relationship
with this Board,” he added.
The pay increase comes on the heels of
an emotional presentation to the Board of
Commissioners June 20 work session, in
which Thompson emphasized the struggles
of maintaining his staff while not being
able to offer them competitive pay.
During this presentation, Thompson
revealed that in the past year, the depart
ment has received fewer than six
See EMS | 5A
Hall County deputy
shot, killed during
Gainesville foot pursuit
By Nick Bowman
DCN Regional Staff
A Hall County Sheriff’s
Office deputy was shot and
killed Sunday night while
pursuing burglary suspects
on foot along Jesse Jewell
Parkway in Gainesville.
Some of the suspects remain
at large and are considered
armed and dangerous.
Between 11 and 11:15 p.m. Sunday, July 7,
deputies exchanged gunfire near Highland
Avenue off of Jesse Jewell Parkway with sev
eral suspects of weekend burglaries, accord
ing to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Nicolas
Blane Dixon, 28, was struck by gunfire and
transported to the Northeast Georgia Medical
Center, where he died.
Dixon had been a deputy with the
Sheriff’s Office for three years, according
to Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. A
2018 post from the Sheriff’s Office
Facebook page includes Dixon.
See Deputy 110A
Dixon
90994 04002
Inside
Volume 4, Number 42
1 © 2019, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
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