Lady Tigers softball
finish fifth in state.
SPORTS, IB
Photos from Trunk
or Treat at Rock
Creek Park, inside, 4b
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I NOVEMBER 3, 2021 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Bender murder trial has started
What to know heading into Stryker trial, who is accused of killing Lumpkin woman
Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Monday morning, prosecu
tors and defense attorneys
began questioning potential
jurors for the trial of Austin
Todd Stryker. He has been
accused in the shooting-and-
stabbing murder of 21-year-old
Lumpkin County resident
Hannah Bender.
Stryker, 24, of Dawson
County, has been charged with
malice murder; felony murder;
aggravated assault; aggravated
battery; possessing a firearm
and knife during commission of
a felony; violations of
Georgia’s Street Gang
Terrorism and
Prevention Act; con
cealing the death of
another; and tampering
with evidence.
Northeastern Circuit
Superior Court Judge
Kathlene Gosselin pre
dicted the trial would
likely go into next week s>tr Y ker
during the proceedings,
starting on Monday, Nov. 1.
Initial evidence and
arrests
Law enforcement recovered
Hannah Bender’s body from a
shallow grave in north
ern Forsyth County the
morning of Sept. 25,
2019, said Lumpkin
County Sheriff Stacy
Jarrard during a press
conference later that
day.
Bender’s mother
reported her missing on
Sept. 19, and not long
after, bloody clothing was
found in Dawson County. On
Sept. 24, a black Mazda pickup
truck was discovered on Parks
Road at a property adjacent to
where Bender’s body was
found.
The day Bender’s remains
were discovered, Stryker’s
wife, Elizabeth Donaldson, was
arrested. Jerry Harper was
booked two days later, followed
by Isaac Thomas Huff and
Dylan Patrick Reid on Sept. 30.
On Oct. 1, another suspect,
Bailey Diane Williams, 21, was
arrested in Lumpkin County
and charged with tampering
with evidence.
After a nationwide BOLO
was issued for Stryker’s arrest,
he turned himself in to authori
ties on Oct. 2, 2019 in
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Other defendants
Jerry Harper. 79, of Forsyth
County, has been charged with
three street gang violation counts;
hindering the apprehension or
See Trial 12A
Headed to Phoenix for No. 2
Logan Riely Getty Images
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, (Left) and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.
com Chevrolet, talk on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on
October 31, in Martinsville, Virginia.
Elliott onto Championship race for chance to win back-to-back titles
Staff reports
For the second consecutive year,
Dawsonville native Chase Elliott will
race for a Nascar Cup Series title after
qualifying for the Championship 4 at
the end of the race in Martinsville
Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 31.
Elliott finished in 16th place, but led
for 289 laps in the race, the most laps
he has ever led through a Cup Series
race.
“Well, we’re moving on and that is
all that matters,” Elliott said. “I had a
really fast NAPA Chevy early and I
made a couple of mistakes and kind of
led us down the wrong path there for
those last couple of runs, unfortunate
ly. But the pace was certainly in the
car.”
On Sunday afternoon, Elliott lined
up second for the Round of 8 finale.
He dropped to third until he was able
to use traffic to his advantage and
reclaim second on lap 41. Not long
after that, the NAPA driver was pres
suring his Hendrick Motorsports team
mate Kyle Larson for the lead and
eventually took the top spot before the
competition caution on lap 61.
The 25-year-old driver lost a posi
tion on pit road after he received four
tires and fuel. He fought for second
place in the first couple laps after the
restart before ultimately hanging on by
the time the next caution flag waved.
With less than 35 laps left in the first
stage, Elliott bypassed Larson for the
lead again. He remained out front for
the remainder of stage one.
Elliott continued to lead early in
stage two until a caution on lap 197
brought the leaders to pit road. He pit
ted for four tires and fuel but lost the
lead on pit road. The team restarted
second and Elliott quickly regained the
lead. Elliott remained out front for the
final laps of Stage 2 and Elliott earned
enough points to clinch his spot in the
Championship 4.
“At the end of the day, having a shot
next week is really all that matters,”
Elliott said. “Frankly, I feel like you
make it to Phoenix, it’s anybody’s
game.Getting out there and being a
part of the Final 4 is a really big deal.
It’s really hard to do. I’m really proud
Family, friends
organize event
in honor of
Duckworth
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On the afternoon of Oct. 31, friends
and family of Kaleb Duckworth orga
nized and hosted a “Duck’s Truck and
Treat” event in honor of the teenager who
passed away in July.
The event, which ran from 4:30 to 7
p.m. on Halloween, included dozens of
decorated trucks and cars set up in rows
in the Launch Trampoline Park parking
lot, one of the places Kaleb Duckworth
used to love hanging out with his friends
in their truck beds. In addition to trick-or-
treating, the event also featured free hot-
dogs, drinks, snow cones, cotton candy
and funnel cakes.
Amanda Duckworth, Kaleb
Duckworth’s mother and one of the main
organizers of the event, said that the com
munity response to the event has been
overwhelming from when she first posted
See Duckworth 15A
Dawsonville hosts first
'Ghost Walk 7 haunted tour
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Last weekend was Halloween, the time
of year when ghosts and spirits are said to
come out and roam the earth. Everyone’s
heard a ghost story before, but did you
know that some of the most well-known
landmarks of Dawsonville have their own
ghost stories to tell?
The first-ever Dawsonville Haunted
Ghost Walk, put on by the Dawsonville
History Museum, gave attendees a chance
to hear just these kinds of spooky stories.
The tour, which ran every evening from
Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, began at the
Georgia Racing Hall of Fame before tak
ing attendees on a bus to the Dawsonville
Pool Room, Dawsonville Cemetery, the
See Ghosts 14A
See NASCAR 12A
0
9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 7, Number 40
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Events
2B
Classifieds
8B
Dear Abby
7B
Deaths
2A
Legals
9B
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
3A BOC approves
temporary
permit for
portable
sawmill
3A Dawson County
Schools announce
96 percent
graduation rate
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