Find out what local
children asked
Santa for this year.
INSIDE, 8B, 1C
Vietnam Veterans of
America 970 gives
fundraising checks to local
organizations, inside, 4A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I DECEMBER 22, 2021 DaWSOflNeWS ^com DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Chamber welcomes 3 new members
Joan Lee, Amy Palmer, Kris Elliott to serve on 2022 Board of Directors
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
Chamber of Commerce has
added three new members to
its Board of Directors for 2022.
The three new members who
will serve on the Board of
Directors in 2022 are Joan Lee,
Amy Palmer and Kris Elliott,
according to a press release by
the chamber.
Joan Lee earned her Master
of Education degree in 1995
from North Georgia College
and State University. She
taught business administrative
technology and accounting for
more than 20 years at Lanier
Technical College, where she
also served as division chair
for business and computer sci
ences. She was recognized as a
2011 master teacher and con
tinues to teach computer work
shops as a Microsoft Office
specialist master trainer.
“Lee assumed the role of
Director of Continuing
Education in the economic
development division in 2015
where she manages short-term
training provided by Lanier
Technical College throughout
their seven-county service
area,” the release said.
Amy Palmer serves as the
outreach coordinator for The
Place of Dawson. She is a
Rotarian and a board member
of the Dawson County Rotary
Club, as well as a member of
the SHINE BNI Chapter. She
holds a bachelor’s degree in
public and social services from
Kennesaw State University,
where she minored in human
services.
According to the release,
Palmer has lived in Dawson
County for 19 years and loves
her community. She and her
husband Michael have a teen
age son, Cole, and a dog,
Marshall. She and her family
attend and volunteer at Local
Church Dawson and are very
active in scouting.
“She loves working for a
non-profit and helping people
live with purpose,” the release
said. “She enjoys spending
time with her family, watching
movies and reading.”
Kris Elliott is the banking
center manager with Bank
OZK. He started his career as a
part-time teller with BB&T
where he was promoted to
market leader before transition
ing to Bank OZK. He grew up
in Odessa, Texas and served as
an airborne infantryman in the
army before moving to
Dahlonega in 1998 where he
met his wife, Jennifer, at the
University of North Georgia.
See Chamber 15A
Coach faces
new charge of
molestation
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
A Dawson County teacher has now been
charged with child molestation after being
arrested earlier this month for allegedly
committing sexual battery.
James Gregory Jeffers,
49, of Dahlonega, was
charged with one count of
child molestation on Dec.
10, according to the
Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office. He was arrested on
Dec. 2 for one count of
sexual battery before being
charged with a second count of that offense
on Dec. 3.
All three charges are felonies. He
remains behind bars at the Dawson County
Detention Center.
See Jeffers 14A
Panera Bread
collects over 1100
gifts for charity
‘This case calls for justice’
Julia Fechter Dawson County News
AustinTodd Stryker is taken back to the Dawson County Detention Center after he was sentenced to life in prison
without the chance of parole on Dec. 15. He was convicted last month of Hannah Bender's Sept. 2019 murder.
Stryker sentenced to life without parole for Bender murder
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This week, representatives from Panera
Bread dropped off over 1100 gifts that were
collected for The Place Holiday House
through gift drives at the restaurant’s
Dawsonville and Cumming locations.
The toy drive officially kicked off in
November with both the Dawsonville and
Cumming Panera Bread locations collecting
toys for those in need in the community.
The Dawsonville Panera Bread hosted a
“Light the Night” event on Nov. 19, lighting
up the cafe as a way to spread holiday spirit
and draw people in to raise awareness for
the fundraiser.
When the drive began, Panera Bread oper
ators and staff set a lofty goal of collecting
See Panera 12A
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Note: Kelly Whitmire and
Nick Watson contributed addi
tional reporting to this article.
One month after being
convicted on all charges
relating to 21-year-old
Hannah Bender’s 2019 mur
der, the case’s central defen
dant was sentenced for the
grisly crime on Wednesday.
Dawson County resident
Austin Todd Stryker, 24,
received a sentence of life
without the possibility of
parole for murdering Bender.
He was also sentenced to
20 years for aggravated bat
tery, five years for each of his
weapons possession counts
and another 10 years for con
cealing the death of another.
Many of his sentences were
concurrent or merged with
the malice murder count.
“Your honor...you are the
final step in delivering justice
in this case,” Senior Assistant
District Attorney Shiv
Sachdeva said to Superior
Court Judge Kathlene
Gosselin.
He reminded the judge
about her comment that the
pictures of Bender’s body
were some of the worst she’d
seen in her 35-year judiciary
tenure.
See Stryker 16A
Kelly Whitmire DCN regional staff
Jerry Harper listens to the prosecution during his
sentencing hearing on Dec. 14.
0
9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 7, Number 46
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Events
2B
Classifieds
6B
Dear Abby
5B
Deaths
2A
Legals
7B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
3A Local man
writes book on
racial division
in America.
6A Bowen Center
for the Arts
holds drawing
for $5K.
CANCER EXPERTS
Leading Care in Your Community PROSTATI
PROSTATE
C0L0REC
LEUKEMI
LYMPH
SKIN C
INH
NORTHSIDE
HOSPITAL
CANCER INSTITUTE
■feUILT TO BEATEM3I3
Visit
builttobeatcancer.com
to learn more.
