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INSIDE, 4A
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I MAY 4, 2022
Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Family files lawsuit in teen's 2020 death
Attorneys allege deputies ignored Sanford’s intoxication, risk of harm, medical needs
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Thirteen months after the sher
iff’s office and county received a
letter about a forthcoming multi-
million-dollar wrongful death
lawsuit, attorneys filed against
several law enforcement officials
on behalf of the family of an
18-year-old man found dead at
the Dawson County Detention
Center in 2020.
Attorneys Sean Park and
Andrew Richman filed the law
suit on April 22 on behalf of
plaintiffs and parents Jerry
Sanford and Stephanie McClure.
Their son, Jonathan Sanford, was
found deceased at the county jail
the morning of June 2, 2020 fol
lowing his arrest on a narcotics
and DUI charge.
This lawsuit follows an investi
gation by the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation which deemed
Sanford’s death accidental and an
independent investigation by the
plaintiffs’ attorneys. The plaintiffs
are asking for damages related to
Sanford’s pain and suffering as
well as special damages for medi
cal, funeral and other expenses
like attorney’s fees. Neither their
attorneys or the one for DCSO
Sheriff Jeff Johnson, Joey
Homans, have provided comment
to DCN as of publication.
Dawson County Sheriff Jeff
Johnson is named as a defendant,
along with two jail supervisors
and six other deputies.The litiga
tion, filed in Gainesville’s U.S.
District Court for the Northern
District of Georgia, follows an
independent investigation by the
family’s attorneys.
It alleges Sanford’s wrongful
death on the basis of the defen
dants violating the teen’s civil
rights under the Eighth and
Fourteenth Amendments of the
U.S. Constitution and state and
federal law. Specifically, the law
suit accuses the defendants of
negligence, having or providing
insufficient training to recognize
and respond to medical emergen
cies and failing to enforce poli
cies leading up to the teen’s 2020
death.
Deputies are alleged to have
ignored various signs of
Sanford’s intoxication, including
but not limited to slurred speech,
swaying on his feet and profuse
sweating. The deputy conducting
Sanford’s traffic stop supposedly
left blank answers on a required
pre-booking form about whether
the teen was suicidal or had those
tendencies, if he was under the
influence of alcohol or drugs or if
he had any known medical condi
tions.
The two other deputies
involved in either questioning or
transporting Sanford to jail alleg
edly didn’t supplement answers
for those blank questions or raise
concerns. Deputies likewise
failed to conduct any pre-booking
medical screening or provide
care, but the teen was submitted
to both a pat-down and strip
search.
Likewise, the lawsuit alleged
that supervisors were not alerted
when Sanford pressed his head
against the glass of his cell door
twice around 8:15 p.m. and 10 or
so minutes later, a violation of the
DCSO policy to report when
See Sanford 13A
Fresh fruits, veggies for sale
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
Local vendors sell their wares during the 2022 opening day of the Amicalola Regional Farmers Market on April 30.
Amicalola Regional Farmers Market kicks off 2022 season
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On the morning of
Saturday April 30, the
Amicalola Regional
Farmers Market officially
opened for the first day of
its 2022 season.
The city’s farmers mar
ket pavilion was complete
ly filled with local vendors
selling fresh eggs, meat,
baked goods, crafts, vege
table plants and more.
Vendors and customers
joked and laughed with
one another as they
enjoyed the fun atmo
sphere and the beautiful
weather.
The Amicalola Regional
Farmers Market operates
out of the City of
Dawsonville Farmers
Market Pavilion at 86
Allen Street and is open
on Saturdays from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. or until the ven
dors are sold out.
For more information
about the Amicalola
Regional Farmers Market,
go to https ://www.dawson-
ville-ga.gov/community/
page/amicalola-regional-
farmers-market or follow
the market on Facebook at
@ amicalolafarmersmarket.
3 students
to compete
in national
bake-off
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This June, three Dawson County High
School students will represent Dawson
County at a national FCCLA baking and
pastry competition in San Diego.
Baking trio Bernadine Baptiste, Megan
Dixon and Anna Lee blew away the compe
tition at the Family, Career and Community
Leaders of America (FCCLA) region baking
and pastry competition at the beginning of
the year, scoring 86.6 out of a possible 100
points to advance to the state competition in
March.
Now, the trio has gone on to continue
their success at the state competition, mak
ing Dawson County one of just two districts
in the state of Georgia that will go on to
compete at the national level in June.
At the end of June, Baptiste and Dixon
will travel to San Diego to participate in the
FCCLA baking and pastry competition on
the national level. Due to scheduling con
flicts, Lee is unable to join her teammates at
See FCCLA 12A
Next economic
development
director named
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Chamber of
Commerce has selected Kevin Herrit to
serve as Director of
Economic Development,
according to a press
release from the business
organization’s president
and CEO, Mandy Power.
Herrit’s first day is set
for Monday, May 2. His
appointment follows the
chamber’s several-month
search to fill the position, during which the
Georgia-based firm The Chason Group was
tapped to help lead the executive search
process.
“The economic development search
committee has been very strategic in mak
ing a selection in this process,” Power said.
“As a group, we were looking for a profes
sional who understands a rural area while
at the same time has the knowledge and
skill sets to move our area forward in terms
of new jobs and retaining existing busi
nesses. Kevin brings those experiences to
See Herrit 13A
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® Events
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XX XljXvLv Dear Abby
Deaths
Volume8,Number 17 j 1
©2021, Dawson County News °
Dawsonville, Georgia Opinion
Sports
2B
6B
4B
2A
7B
7A
1B
3A Students help
ducks through
wildlife
conservation
project.
5A Humane
Society holds
annual yard
sale event.
