Newspaper Page Text
Hippie Fest
returning to Dawson
on June 19 and 20.
INSIDE, 5A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I june 16,2021 Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
'A man that gave everything he had'
Hundreds gather at Silver City Baptist Church for funeral of Roger Slaton
By Erica Schmidt
eschmidt@dawsonnews.com
More than 250 community
members gathered at Silver
City Baptist Church on
Wednesday, June 9, to celebrate
the life of community leader
Roger Slaton, who passed away
earlier this week.
The church’s choir sang, and
several local pastors recounted
memories of Slaton and their
time with him. Themes of faith,
loyalty and kindness were
woven throughout each pastor’s
speech, and every speaker
attested to the impact that
Slaton made on the people
around him.
In his comments at the funer
al, Rev. Brody Hughes talked
about traveling on mission trips
with Slaton and about how
Slaton was always unafraid to
share his faith with other peo
ple. Hughes said that this was a
way that Slaton made a lasting
impact on countless lives,
including every person in atten
dance at the funeral.
“Roger Slaton was my
friend,” Hughes said. “I wanted
to come and tell you all about
all the wonderful things that my
friend Roger Slaton has done,
and then I realized that each
one of you would not be here if
you did not know the same.”
Russell Burt, pastor of Silver
City Baptist Church echoed
Hughes, saying that Slaton has
left a lasting impact on every
one he touched.
"I never saw a man work
harder in the church than Roger
Slaton,” Burt said. “If a revival
service was going on, he was
gonna be there; if the church
needed a piano player, he was
gonna be there; when some
body needed something in the
community, he was gonna be
there; when the girls needed a
basketball coach, he was gonna
be there; whatever need pre
sented itself, he rose to the
challenge and said ’I will go’.”
Burt said that Slaton’s attitude
of giving to others extended not
See Slaton 14A
Showing kids what law
enforcement officers really do
Photos by Alexander Popp Dawson County News
Lt. Jake Crawford of the Dawson County Sheriff's Office shows students with the Junior Law
Enforcement Academy a selection of SWAT tools onThursday, June 10.
A member of the Dawson County SWAT Team displays different
calibers of bullets at the Junior Law Enforcement Academy held
onThursday, June 10.
By Alexander Popp
apopp@dawsonnews.com
With weapons drawn and full
tactical gear equipt, officers with
the Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office SWAT Team rushed into
Dawson County Junior High
School on Thursday, June 10,
2021.
But the team wasn’t responding
to any emergency or danger, just a
room full of excited curious kids
taking part in the 24th Annual
Dawson County Junior Law
Enforcement Academy.
According to Junior Law
Enforcement Academy Instructor
Cpl. Josh Rogers, this year the
Junior Law Enforcement Academy
had an attendance of 60 boys and
girls in 5th through 7th grade,
doubling the attendance they have
had in previous years.
Rogers said that throughout the
week-long program, the kids par
ticipated in a wide variety of law
enforcement-related activities,
from training simulations on the
use of force to driving courses and
tours of the Dawson County court
house.
See SWAT 13A
Dawsonville council
approves SPLOST
IGA with county
By Erica Schmidt
eschmidt@dawsonnews.com
The Dawsonville City
Council has officially
approved a proposed
intergovernmental agree
ment (IGA) with Dawson
County on the county’s
Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) VII.
Lollowing the Dawson
County Board of
Commissioner’s approval
of the proposed IGA in
late May, the Dawsonville
City Council met on
Monday, June 7, and
finalized the agreement,
officially setting the
terms for SPLOST VII
collections and ending a
civil lawsuit over the tax.
According to the IGA,
city and county officials
have agreed to a 12% and
88% split of SPLOST VII
funds between the parties.
The IGA stipulates that
the city will receive the
See SPLOST12A
Two arrested after
entering auto spree
Staff Reports
Authorities arrested two
suspects on Saturday,
June 12, after sev
eral parked cars
were broken into
overnight in
Dawson County.
Sabrina
Bronson, 22, of
Cumming, and
Brandon
Strickland, 20, of
Gainesville, have
been arrested and
face multiple
counts including
drug, firearm and
entering auto
charges. Officials
believe the pair
illegally entered
more than 30
vehicles in the
North Georgia area.
The incidents happened
primarily in subdivisions
along Hwy. 9 S and
Dawson Lorest Road.
According to Dawson
County Sheriff Jeff
Johnson, investigators are
coordinating with authori
ties in neighboring juris
dictions that have also
experienced enter
ing auto thefts
recently. They
believe that the
incidents are con
nected and could
have been perpe
trated by the same
suspects.
“There are a lot
of similarities and
we are optimistic
that we may be
able to help them
close some of their
cases,” Johnson
said in an email to
the Dawson
County News.
In a Lacebook
post on Lriday, the
sheriff’s office reminded
Dawson County citizens
not to keep valuables
inside a vehicle overnight,
and to report all suspi
cious activity to authori
ties immediately.
Strickland
0
9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 7, Number 23
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
2B
Classifieds
7B
Dear Abby
6B
Deaths
4B
Legals
8B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
BOE to vote
on proposed
2021-22
budget
IB Two brothers
help DCHS
earn fourth
place in golf
tournament
* EXCELLENCE AT HEART
IS BACK IN GAINESVILLE
After over a year, a team of Georgia's top cardiologists are
returning to care for you—right here in your neighborhood.
Trust your heart to the experts of the Northside System.
Visit us at northsidecvi.com/gainesville or call 404.962.6000
to schedule an appointment today.
>EXCELLENCE Northside Hospital
1240 Jesse Jewell Parkway, Bldg. B, Unit 500, Gainesville, GA 30501
Allison Dupont
MD, FSCAI, FACC
Interventional Cardiology
Mark Leimbach
MD, FSCAI, FACC
Interventional Cardiology
Jeffrey Marshall
MD, MSCAI, FACC
Chief, Northside Flospital
Cardiovascular Institute
Pradyumna Tummala
MD, FSCAI, FACC
Interventional Cardiology
