4 new schools to potentially join Dawson
County’s athletic region.
SPORTS, IB
DCHS Senior Hurst to
compete in regional
FCCLA competition
INSIDE, 4A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I NOVEMBER 17, 2021 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
TRIAL RECAP
Stryker convicted on all counts
After 5 1/2 hours of deliberation jury gives verdict in Bender murder trial
Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
After a case full of twists and
turns and five-and-a-half hours of
deliberation, a Dawson County
jury convicted Austin Todd
Stryker, 24, of murdering 21-year-
old Hannah Bender in 2019 by
shooting and stabbing her.
Stryker was convicted on all
24 counts relating to Bender’s
murder. Those charges were:
malice murder; three counts of
felony murder; three counts
aggravated assault; two counts
aggravated battery; possession
of both a gun and a knife dur
ing the commission of a crime;
11 violations of Georgia’s
Street Gang Terrorism and
Prevention Act; concealing the
death of another and tampering
with evidence.
Co-defendant Jerry Harper,
79, was charged with three
street gang violation counts;
hindering the apprehension or
punishment of a criminal and
theft by receiving stolen prop
erty.
Stryker, as well as Harper,
Isaac Huff, Dylan Reid and
others, were suspected mem
bers of a small gang known as
“THIS.”
The prosecution has said a
2019 armed robbery case in
Dahlonega was central to prov
ing motive for the murder of
Bender, who Stryker suspected
of talking to police.
According to his indictment
and Huff and Reid’s testimony,
Harper was the alleged leader
of “THIS” and approved of
Bender’s murder.
Harper allegedly committed
the theft, hindering and two
associated gang charges by tak
ing Stryker to West Virginia on
Sept. 20, 2019.
At the end of July 2021,
Stryker and Harper were rein
dicted for their alleged crimes
surrounding Bender’s murder.
Stryker was charged with 10
more street gang violations,
while Harper received two
more counts. After Judge
Gosselin struck down each of
their initial gang counts earlier
in July, these additional counts
were upheld due to their
increased specificity.
On Nov. 4, 2021, three jurors
were dismissed due to COVID-
19 reasons. With three jurors
See Trial 12A
Veterans celebrated in Dawson County
Erica Jones Dawson County News
Local individuals, groups and organizations participated in the annual Veterans Day parade through the
Dawsonville square on Nov. 11.
Veterans Affairs of Dawson County holds luncheon and parade,
Lighthouse Christian Academy holds celebration ceremony
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On Thursday Nov. 11, veterans
across the United States were celebrat
ed and honored for their service to
their country. In Dawson County, sev
eral groups, organizations and individ
uals were determined to make the local
veterans feel loved and appreciated.
Veterans Affairs of Dawson
County: Veteran's Day lun
cheon and parade
On the afternoon of Nov. 11, the
Veterans Affairs of Dawson County
held its annual Veteran’s Day event at
the Dawson County Junior High
School. Veterans from across the coun
ty gathered with their families in the
junior high school’s cafeteria to enjoy
lunch catered by Chick-Fil-A and pro
vided by Etowah Water and Sewer
Authority before enjoying a ceremony
and the annual parade.
The Veteran’s Day ceremony includ
ed a speech by Dan Solla, the Georgia
Chairman of PTSD USA, who talked
to the veterans in attendance about his
organization and its mission to take
care of veterans who are struggling
with post traumatic stress disorder
after leaving the military to transition
back into everyday life. Solla ended
his speech by thanking the community
members in attendance for supporting
veterans like himself and the others
who were there.
“This is a beautiful, wonderful thing
to see; it’s great to see a community
that still appreciates its veterans and
still takes Veterans Day seriously for
what it is,” Solla said.
After Solla’s speech, Veterans
Affairs of Dawson County President
Don Brown presented the “Veteran of
the Year” award to Steve Pamplin, one
of the leaders of the DCHS JROTC
program. Brown said that Pamplin was
selected as the veteran of the year
because of not only his service in the
BOE approves
$ 1K supplement
for employees
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
During the Nov. 9 meeting of the
Dawson County Board of Education,
board members approved a one-time
$1000 supplement for all school system
employees who have been with the sys
tem since Sept. 1, 2021.
According to Superintendent Damon
Gibbs, the supplement will be put into
employee’s December paychecks as a
way of thanking them for all of their hard
work so far this year.
“Our team has really been strong this
fall under pretty difficult circumstances,
and we’re just extremely appreciative,”
Gibbs said at the meeting. “So tonight
I’m asking the board to approve a one
time $1000 supplement for all team
See BOE13A
Cheer team named
Region Champions
for 4th straight year
Jacob Smith
jsmith@dawsonnews.com
For the 20th time and the fourth straight
season, the Dawson County High School
cheerleading team won the region cham
pionship and will advance to the GHSA
3A state championship in Macon, Ga. on
Friday, Nov. 19.
“I am extremely proud of the team and
my senior leaders,” Lady Tigers head
coach Kim Fleming said. “They have
really come together this season and have
been able to make changes each week of
the season to put the best routine we can
on the mat.”
The team scored a 97 out of 100, which
was 13 points better than region runner-
up East Forsyth. Fleming said the team
never had every member available
See Cheer|3A
See Veterans 14A
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Volume 7, Number 42 j 1
©2021, Dawson County News °
Dawsonville, Georgia Opinion
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3A BOE celebrates
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5A Planning
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