Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, May 4,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
FROM 1A
Herrit
the chamber team.”
Most recently, Herrit
served as Dahlonega’s
Community Development
Director. He’s also previ
ously served as a Principal
Planner with Columbus
(Ga.) Consolidated
Government, Community
Transportation Planner
with Tennessee Department
of Transportation and a
city/county planner in
Whitfield County.
Herrit earned his bache
lor’s degree in community
and regional planning from
North Carolina’s
Appalachian State
University. This May, he
will receive his Master’s of
Business Administration
degree from the University
of North Georgia.
He’s earned business and
leadership certifications
including one from the
American Institute of
Certified Planners (AICP);
Economic Development
Finance Professional
Certification (EDFP);
Certificate in
Entrepreneurship &
Innovation from UNG;
Managers Institute &
Directors Institute (APA);
and the Georgia Academy
for Economic
Development.
In the new role, Herrit
will be responsible for
leading a focused effort to
increase commercial and
industrial business invest
ment in the county as well
as promote job creation and
retention.
The overall goal is to
expand the local tax base
and grow new high-quality
jobs, according to the press
release.
The Director of
Economic Development
also acts as a face for the
chamber, Development
Authority of Dawson
County and community
during meetings with cli
ents, investors, developers,
community leaders and
other key stakeholders.
“I look forward to
becoming a part of the
Chamber team as well as
working with the elected
and appointed leaders of
the community,” Herrit
said. “Small and profes
sional business growth and
retention will remain a high
priority for the Chamber
and Development
Authority. It is also impor
tant that as a community
and economic development
team, we begin to establish
relationships with the
Georgia Department of
Economic Development,
and other statewide part
ners to present ideas for
industrial growth opportu
nities. Economic develop
ment is a team sport, and I
am excited to join the
team.”
DCHS students help wood ducks
through wildlife conservation project
Photo courtesy of Keith Pankey
Recently, several AG Mechanics students from DCHS constructed
and installed ten wood duck boxes on Lake Lanier.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Recently, students from Dawson
County High School constructed
ten wood duck boxes and placed
them on Lake Lanier to help the
wood duck population on the lake.
According to DCHS FFA
Advisor and Agricultural Sciences
Teacher Keith Pankey, he was orig
inally contacted by Wildlife
Conservation Officer Ryan Locke
about the potential of partnering
with students in Pankey’s AG
Mechanics class to construct and
install wood duck boxes on the
lake. The goal of the project is to
provide a nesting habitat for the
ducks and help increase the wood
duck population.
With materials donated by Shoal
Creek Supply, Pankey said that the
students in his mechanics class
constructed ten boxes. Then the
students, Pankey and several con
servation officers met at War Hill
Park to set the boxes out in select
areas on the lake for the ducks.
“Even though it was a cold and
dreary day, all involved happily did
their part in helping the wood duck
population on the lake,” Pankey
said. “The conservation officers
were wonderful with the kids
involved and took time to educate
them on hunting regulations and
multiple other questions asked
from the students.”
According to Pankey, the project
was a success and he and his stu
dents are grateful to the conserva
tion officers for the chance to part
ner with them on it.
“We thank the conservation offi
cers for their service in keeping the
wildlife populations in Georgia
regulated so that future generations
can enjoy hunting and fishing for
years to come,” Pankey said.
FROM 1A
Sanford
arrestees or inmates could
be at risk of harming them
selves.
At one point, the teen
was sweating so much that
he apparently left sweat
marks on the glass door
window.
Around 10:30 p.m., one
of the defendants saw
Sanford laying face down
and snoring on a mat. Then
a half-hour later, that depu
ty pointed out the inmate’s
loud snoring to a colleague
and co-defendant, who
supposedly dismissed the
observation.
“During that time, he
was left alone to deteriorate
into unconsciousness face
down on a cement floor in
a holding cell,” the lawsuit
said. “Defendants heard
him making gurgling and
odd snoring sounds at
points during the night, yet
completely ignored him for
nearly 8 hours. No one ever
checked on him during that
time to determine his con
dition or verify that he was
still breathing, despite
obvious signs and symp
toms of a serious medical
need.”
During the shift change
at about 6:30 a.m. on June
2, the same deputy who
noted Sanford’s snoring the
previous night asked an
incoming booking supervi
sor to check on the teen,
citing his high intoxication
and saying that he hadn’t
been formally booked or
medically screened yet.
The deputy checking
found Sanford unrespon
sive in his cell. He was
determined to have died
alone sometime during the
night of June 1 and early
morning hours of June 2.
(This deputy has not been
named as a defendant in
the lawsuit.)
Sanford did not receive
medical treatment at any
point, from the time of his
traffic stop until his death,
claim the lawsuit. There
was a health care worker
there who was never alert
ed about his medical condi
tion. He was not allowed to
make a phone call since he
wasn’t fully booked into
custody, nor was he
allowed to see a judge.
Alleged inaction
The lawsuit claimed
DCSO’s custom was to
routinely ignore a non-dis-
cretionary or mandatory
order to provide medical
pre-screening to all new
inmates. It said DCSO’s
pattern and practice was to
postpone full medical
screening until after an
inmate was fully booked,
which could take between
12-72 hours.
So unless that person’s
pre-screening form indicat
ed a need for medical atten
tion, a recently-arrived
arrestee or inmate could
not call relatives to inform
them of their location.
Relatives also couldn’t alert
jail staff to possible medi
cal or mental health needs.
Furthermore, DCSO’s
policy was that a person
not be booked while intoxi
cated or presenting with a
serious illness or injury.
That meant inmates like
Sanford who didn’t go
through the pre-screening
process “would be at all
times in danger of having a
serious emergent medical
need that was neither docu
mented, nor treated.”
The jail’s posture on
medical screening suppos
edly flouted guidance from
The United States National
Commission on
Correctional Health Care
(NCCHC), which estab
lishes standards for health
services in correctional
facilities and provides certi
fications and accreditations
to that end.
NCCHC literature,
according to the lawsuit,
mustn’t be confused with
discretional medical
screening done after book
ing. Anyone who is either
semi or unconscious,
bleeding, mentally unsta
ble, severely intoxicated,
showing symptoms of sub
stance withdrawal or other
wise in need of medical
attention should immedi
ately be referred for care
and clearance in a medical
facility.
The lawsuit explained
that by not doing so, the
detention center “skipped
the most basic inquiry of an
inmate’s medical needs or
conditions...despite know
ing that 85 percent of
arrestees processed into the
[Dawson County]
Detention Center were for
drug-related offenses or
were subjects taking medi
cations prescribed by a
physician.”
During Sanford’s 12
hours in custody, his par
ents called to find him and
were told he wasn’t at the
detention center.
Also alleged were jailers’
failure to follow policies
that required them to pro
vide an inmate necessary
medical attention and to
periodically monitor him in
the cell and at 15-minute
intervals as an “at-risk”
inmate, given his behavior.
These factors amounted
to “cruel and unusual pun
ishment,” the lawsuit stat
ed.
A GBI toxicology report
determined that Sanford
died due to a combined
drug intoxication of meth-
amphetamine and mor
phine, as referenced in the
lawsuit and DCN’s March
2021 article.
Previously, DCN report
ed protestors’ claims that
Sanford was not checked
for 13 hours. To clarify, the
time from the teen’s June 1
arrest to his being discov
ered was roughly 12 hours,
and he was only estimated
to have been unchecked for
about eight hours.
The deputies’ failures
were due “in substantial
part” to deficient jail and
DCSO policies and defen
dants’ failures to follow
specific policies. The two
supervising deputies, as
well as Sheriff Johnson,
were aware of the booking-
related delays of 12-72
hours. However, by their
alleged failure to correct
the deficiencies related to
incomplete pre-booking
forms or lack of medical
screening or care, they
unfortunately contributed
to a “culture of conscious
and deliberate indiffer
ence.”
The lawsuit quoted an
email sent on an unspeci
fied date from defendant
Lt. Theresa Kirby, the jail
administrator. She noted
that deputies were not
properly filling out the pre
screening form, referring to
it as the “only method” by
which jail personnel could
identify either possible rea
sons not to accept the
inmate, have a jail nurse
come in after hours to
assess a person and/or be
aware of substances the
inmate is suspected of
ingesting in case of an
emergency “such as over
dose or alcohol withdraw
als.”
Two months prior to
Sanford’s death, defendant
Cpt. David Lingerfelt sent
out an email “reminding
deputies that all inmates
need a screening form
completed ‘unless they
were getting out right
away.’”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys
filed an open records
request for the pre-screen
ing forms for the 90 days
surrounding Sanford’s
death. Of the resulting 77,
more than half were blank
or incomplete. No disci
plinary action was taken
against deputies for failing
to complete paperwork for
arrestees or detainees.
After Sanford’s death,
memos went out within
DCSO reaffirming that
without a properly-com
pleted pre-booking form,
inmates wouldn’t be
accepted. Kirby added
more medical screening
questions to the paperwork
during that time.
Similarly, the lawsuit
alleged that Johnson direct
ed the two supervisors to
understaff the jail with
fewer deputies and not
have those DCSO employ
ees trained to adequately
respond to overdose warn
ing signs and when to alert
for medical care.
The lawsuit also alleged
Sheriff Johnson failed to
conduct annual review
meetings to go over the
office’s rule compliance
and update or add policies
and training to keep up
with the standards of care.
Amidst a national opioid
crisis and ongoing local
narcotics issue in Dawson
County, this litigation also
claims that Johnson,
Lingerfelt and Kirby failed
to implement policies
around use of naloxone or
Narcan, training deputies to
identify someone who may
need the drug to stop an
overdose and teach depu
ties how to administer it.
The lawsuit asserts that
these nine defendants are
not entitled to qualified
immunity, a legal defense
that’s historically been used
to protect law enforcement
officials from civil rights
lawsuits. At the end of
March, New Jersey’s
Supreme Court recently
ruled against two police
men and agreed with a
lower court decision that
said the officers were not
covered by that legal
defense.
In this case, the legal
document explained that
DCSO’s own rules require
them to provide a certain
level of medical care and
said the defendants would
only be afforded immunity
if they were performing
“discretionary actions.”
Furthermore, even if the
deputies’ decisions not to
provide medical care were
deemed discretionary, the
lawsuit states their conduct
“violates clearly estab
lished statutory or constitu
tional rights of which a rea-
sonable official in
Defendants’ shoes would
have known.”
Our First Anniversary
Last year, Ric-Rack and The Place of Forsyth
became ONE organization to better able to
assist our clients. We are grateful for our
donors, volunteers, and community. Your
partnership is changing lives. Help us celebrate!
I*
EVENT SCHEDULE
May lO Senior Appreciation Day
Enjoy coffee and snacks throughout the day
25% Discount x Ll
May 11 Surprise Discount Day
Who doesn’t love a surprise?
Snacks and a Mystery Discount
May 12 Keller Williams BED Day %
Food Pantry Client Appreciation
Meet our Keller Williams volunteers serving
our customers and clients
Special Treat for Food Pantry clients
May 13 City/County Employees
Appreciation Day
Thank you for your service!
25% Discount with ID
May 14 Dawson County School'
Employees Appreciation Day
Employees enjoy a special treat
25% Discount with ID
PLUS
Open House for All
Special Sales and Snacks
829 GA-9 North, Dawsonville
The Place of Dawson: 770-288-0088
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