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2A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, March 16,2022
OBITUARIES
Ethel Louise Benefield
Ethel Louise Benefield, 98,
of Cumming, died Thursday,
March 10, 2022. A graveside
funeral service was held at 3:00
p.m., Sunday, March 13, at
Haw Creek Baptist Church
Cemetery. Ingram Funeral
Home of Cumming was in
charge of the arrangements.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
Concetta Rizzuto
"Connie" Brooks
Concetta Rizzuto “Connie”
Brooks, 93, of Duluth, died
March 10, 2022. A memorial
service will be held at 11:00
a.m., Thursday, March 17, at
Ingram Funeral Home.
Ingram Funeral Home of
Cumming is in charge of the
arrangements.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
George Phillips Ingram
George Phillips Ingram, 86,
of Cumming, died March 10,
2022. A funeral service was
held at 4:00 p.m., Monday,
March 14, at First Baptist
Church Cumming. Ingram
Funeral Home of Cumming
was in charge of the arrange
ments.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
Deanna Mullinax
Deanna Mullinax, 79, of
Cumming, died Tuesday, March
8, 2022. A funeral service was
held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday,
March 12, at Bearden Funeral
Home Chapel. Bearden Funeral
Home of Dawsonville was in
charge of the arrangements.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
FROM 1A
Torre
and disruptive conduct in a
restricted building or grounds;
entering and remaining in certain
rooms in the Capitol building;
and disorderly conduct in a
Capitol building will be dis
missed at the time of sentencing.
Torre was one of more than
700 Americans charged in the
Capitol riot.
Before Torre entered a plea,
U.S. Department of Justice pros
ecutor Katherine Nielsen
explained that if the court was to
proceed to trial, prosecutors
could prove that Torre traveled
with his family to Washington
D.C. on Jan. 4, 2021 with the
intent to protest Congress’ certi
fication of the election of
President Joe Biden.
Nielsen said Torre attended
Donald Tramp’s “Stop the Steal”
rally and march on Jan. 6, 2021
then about 3 p.m., climbed
through a broken Capitol win
dow. Once inside, Torre entered a
U.S. Senate lounge and the office
of Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley,
of Oregon.
While inside the rooms,
Nielsen stated that Torre took
pictures and commented to other
protesters how “wild” events
were before eventually climbing
out the same broken window he
had entered. Torre admitted to
entering the Capitol with knowl
edge that he didn’t have permis
sion to be there and that he will
fully picketed.
U.S. District of Columbia
Judge Rudolph Contreras
explained that the sentencing
would have to be scheduled in
July because district probation
officers are overwhelmed with
creating pre-trial statements for
all of the Jan. 6 defendants.
Contreras told Torre that he
could be sentenced to six months
in prison, five years of probation,
fines of up to $5,000, restitution
for victims who sustained loss as
part of offense and a fine to pay
the government for any cost of
infringement.
Since parole has been abol
ished for federal charges, Torre
would serve a prison sentence in
full and would not be released
early, Contreras said. The judge
added later that he didn’t know
the exact sentence he would
impose yet because he needs to
hear more from lawyers and the
probation officer in charge of
Torre.
Before a sentencing hearing, a
pre-trial sentencing report will be
created, requiring Torre’s proba
tion officer to interview him. At
the time of sentencing, Torre and
his lawyer will have the opportu
nity to speak on his behalf. Torre
will be on pretrial release until
the sentencing.
xnamex Dawson County News
Judge Kathlene Gosselin listens as Senior ADA Conley Greer, left, tells Daniel Roberts and
his attorney, right, about the expected length of a trial for Roberts' 2021 case.
FROM 1A
Roberts
be constrained, she would see
about coming over to the
Dawson County Courthouse for
a pretrial hearing. Similarly,
scheduling constraints were cited
as a main reason for having
Roberts’ trial later in 2022.
Senior Assistant District
Attorney Conley Greer predicted
a trial would last eight days,
given the evidence and witnesses.
Roberts also has a pending
aggravated assault case against
him from 2019, but he and his
lawyer are still waiting for more
discovery on that matter.
Documents for the older case
alleged that after getting in a ver
bal disagreement with one vic
tim, he hit them while leaving a
Dawson-area parking lot on Oct.
23, 2019.
After being arrested that same
night, Roberts was charged with
two counts of aggravated assault,
possession of a firearm during
commission of a crime and car
rying a concealed weapon and
reckless driving.
When the incident with Kaleb
Duckworth happened, Roberts
was actually out on a $20,200
bond for another case from 2019.
Roberts allegedly caused
Duckworth’s death because of a
fight at the Dawson County
Applebee’s on July 25, 2021.
He has been indicted on two
counts of felony murder, aggra
vated assault and aggravated bat
tery for the newer case.
That indictment alleges that
Roberts punched the younger
Dawsonville teen with a closed
fist, causing serious brain dam
age.
After the fight, Duckworth was
taken to a hospital with severe
brain trauma and died on July 27.
Bond for the 2021 case was
initially denied.
Following his July arrest, bond
for the older case was subse
quently revoked on Aug. 31,
2021. Court documents from that
time cited that he violated condi
tions of the 2019 bond by alleg
edly committing new offenses.
A pretrial officer reported that
so far, Roberts has been keeping
with his pretrial terms since his
bail was set at $100,000 on Dec.
14, 2021 (for a total $110,200
bond). He was released from
Dawson County Sheriff’s Office
custody on Dec. 23.
Sharon (Shari)
Brain Nunez
Sharon (Shari) Brain Nunez,
57, of Cumming, died March
12, 2022. A celebration of
Shari’s life will occur at 1:00
p.m., Saturday March 19, at
Ingram’s Funeral Home. Ingram
Funeral Home of Cumming is in
charge of the arrangements.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
Janet Leona Robertson
Janet Leona Robertson
passed away Friday, February
25, 2022. A funeral service was
held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday,
March 12, at the Ingram
Funeral Home Chapel. Ingram
Funeral Home of Cumming
was in charge of the arrange
ments.
Dawson County News
March 16, 2022
King Crossword
ACROSS
40
Three, in
actress Emma
1
Soak up the
Rome
10
Top-of-the-line
sun
42
JFK's vessel
11
Compared to
5
Joke
45
Brother's son
19
Hesitant
8
Sports figure?
49
Leveling
sound
12
Penne —
wedge
21
Objectivist
vodka
50
Jurist Fortas
Rand
13
Playwright
52
"I did it!"
24
More (Sp.)
Levin
53
Antitoxins
25
Popular card
14
"Oops!"
54
" — the season
game
15
Picnic spoiler
..."
26
Lark, for one
16
Vacuum's lack
55
Ireland
28
Very long time
17
Novelist Jaffe
56
Tiny amounts
29
Fastidious trait
18
Chinese food
57
Six-pack mus
30
Yoko of music
assortment
cles
31
Collar
20
Some mixolo
58
Head, to Henri
36
Scents
gists
37
La-la lead-in
22
Docs' org.
DOWN
38
Music for
23
"Uh-huh"
1
Poet of yore
seven
24
Tousle
2
Jai —
41
Concerning
27
"Locksley
3
Slender
42
"Hey!"
Hall" poet
4
Sunflower
43
Ellington's
32
Year in Mexico
State
"Take - Train"
33
Sock part
5
"Billions" actor
44
"Toodle-oo!"
34
Stop — dime
Paul
46
Aesopian also-
35
Short recital
6
"Exodus" hero
ran
piece
7
Attire
47
Tend texts
38
Uppity one
8
"Oklahoma!"
48
Fade away
39
Spike's warn
carriage
51
Clothing pro
ing
9
Oscar-winning
tector
© 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.
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County opposes state land use bills
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Just like their counterparts to the direct south, the
Dawson County Board of Commissioners recently
approved a resolution opposing two state bills that would
functionally prevent local governments from regulating
build-to-rent communities.
Dawson County unanimously passed a resolution
opposing HB 1093 and SB 494 during their March 3 vot
ing session. HB 1093 would disallow municipalities from
“enacting or enforcing any restrictions on residential rent
al agreements of over 30 days,” while SB 494 would pre
vent city councils from prohibiting fully-rental complexes.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners passed a
similar resolution at their work session on Tuesday, Feb.
22, as reported in an earlier Forsyth County News article.
Law firm Jarrard & Davis represents both the Dawson
and Forsyth County governments, as well as numerous
other localities in northeastern Georgia.
County Attorney Jeff Strickland described the bills as
pieces of legislation that, at the state level, would force the
counties to adhere and allow certain types of development
without having the opportunity to exercise zoning and
land-use decision processes.
“If I understand this correctly, it’s just pretty well taking
away local control and giving it to developers?”, said
District 1 Commissioner Sharon Fausett.
“In the space of build-to-rent, that [kind of legislation] is
becoming more popular,” District 2 Commissioner Chris
Gaines added. “I think a lot of our stipulations locally that
we put in place on developments prohibit a percentage of
rentals in order to protect the homeowners.”
Gaines alluded to a Dawson County subdivision in the
near past that evolved into a fully-rental one with negative
outcomes as a result.
Furthermore, the bills, if passed, would make govern
ments found in violation of the rales subject to pay mone
tary damages and lose out on financial assistance or funds
from the state’s Department of Community Affairs.
This proposed legislation comes in light of rapid growth
over the past decade in North Georgia above Atlanta. A
previous DCN article reported that Dawson County is the
third-fastest growing county in Georgia, with adjacent
Forsyth, Cherokee and Hall counties ranking first, second
and fourth respectively.
Like many other areas of the country, rents and property
prices have risen across northern Georgia in recent years
and in part contributed to homelessness.
Ultimately, a decision about the two bills is in the hands
of Georgia’s General Assembly.
^ Daws o n C o u nty N e ws
A Metro Market Media Publication
Established in 2015 by the merger of Dawson Community News and Dawson News and Advertiser
30 Shoal Creek Road i PUBLISHER | Stephanie Woody
Dawsonville, GA 30534
PHONE (706) 265-3384 EDITOR | Erica Jones
FAX (706) 265-3276
usps 018-876 | Updates online at DawsonNews rii
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