Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY I june 1,2022 Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Roberts arrested on new charges
Defendant accused of killing Duckworth last year allegedly threatened teen with same thing’
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
The defendant accused of kill
ing 19-year-old Kaleb
Duckworth last July has
been arrested in Dawson
County again.
Daniel Lee Roberts
was arrested by the
Dawson County Sheriff’s
Office the evening of
May 20, 2022, according
to the weekly arrest
report. He was charged
with one count each of making
terroristic threats and aggravated
assault.
Roberts allegedly threatened a
teenage victim on May 13
between 5-6 p.m. near Dawson
Village Way North and Ga. 53,
according to a DCSO warrant. He
is accused of telling the
victim to come to his resi
dence, where he, Roberts,
would “give him (the vic
tim) the same thing he
gave his buddy,” referring
to Kaleb Duckworth.
Roberts allegedly com
mitted the assault against
the same victim on May
19 between 1:10 and 1:20 p.m.
near 1860 Dawson Forest Road,
according to another DCSO war
rant.
He was driving his pick-up
truck when he entered the vic
tim’s lane of travel and caused the
other person to swerve in order to
avoid a collision.
Roberts’ arrest came just eight
days after his lawyers filed for a
change of venue regarding the
2021 case.
Earlier cases
Prior to May 20, Roberts was
out of DCSO custody on a
$100,000 bail after the bond deni
al for his 2021 case was reversed
in December.
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, aggravated
assault and aggravated battery for
that case.
The indictment for that case
alleges that Roberts punched the
younger Dawsonville teen with a
closed fist, causing serious brain
damage. After the fight,
Duckworth was taken to a hospi
tal with severe brain trauma and
died on July 27.
When the incident with
Duckworth happened, Roberts
was out on a $20,200 bond for an
aggravated assault case from
2019.
Documents for the oldest case
alleged that after getting in a ver
bal disagreement with one victim,
Roberts 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 carry
ing a concealed weapon and reck
less driving.
Following Roberts’ 2021
arrest, bond for the 2019 case was
subsequently 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.
Roberts
C A jewel of a facility 5
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
On May 27, state and local officials and community members gathered to break ground on the new Amicalola
Falls State Park visitors center.
Amicalola Falls State Park breaks ground on new visitors center
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On Friday May 27, state
and local officials and com
munity members gathered
at Amicalola Falls State
Park to officially break
ground on the new visitors
center.
During the groundbreak
ing ceremony, several state
and local officials spoke
and then donned hard hats
and picked up shovels to
officially break ground on
the long-awaited project.
In his welcome and intro
duction, Department of
Natural Resources (DNR)
Deputy Commissioner
Walter Rabon explained
that the park, which has
been around since 1940 and
is one of Georgia’s most
popular state parks, attracts
up to millions of visitors
each year with its amenities
and through its connection
to the Appalachian Trail.
“It does serve as the main
southern access point to the
2100 mile Appalachian
Trail; the Appalachian Trail
stretches from Georgia to
Maine and is heavily traf
ficked with an estimated 3
million visitors per year,”
See Amicalola 13A
Georgia State Representative Will Wade speaks dur
ing the May 27 groundbreaking ceremony for the new
Amicalola Falls State Park visitors center.
County hires
new public
works director
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County now has a new leader
for one of its pivotal infrastructure depart
ments.
New Public Works Director Jeff Hahn
was announced at the Board of
Commissioners’ May 19 work session. His
first day was May 18.
He replaces former director Denise Farr,
who undertook the position for about a
year before retiring and leaving at the
beginning of May.
Hahn previously worked for the Brevard
County government for 31 years before
retiring in 2018, according to his resume
provided by Public Affairs Officer Laura
Fulcher.
Hahn brings with him 22 years of experi
ence in county administrative, management
and supervisory roles. Most recently, he
See Works 12A
Rising property
values impacts
Dawson County
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
If you recently got a property tax bill in
Dawson County, chances are that you owe
a bigger chunk of change compared to last
year.
Among Dawson County residents and
landowners, 82 percent saw a rise in resi
dential property value, with that increase
being an average of 19.8 percent.
Individual homes or residential improve
ment values rose an average of 21.5 per
cent, said Kelly McCormick.
McCormick Solutions assists Dawson
County’s tax assessor’s office with analyt
ics and revaluation details.
See Taxes12A
0
9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 8, Number 18
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Events
2B
Classifieds
6B
Dear Abby
5B
Deaths
2A
Legals
7B
Opinion
6A
Sports
1B
3A Dawson
Chamber of
Commerce
celebrates
45 years.
5A Deputy, candle
maker join to
raise funds for
K-9 foundation.
LOOK TO NORTHSIDE
A Community of Care on a Mission to Heal
Learn more about our services at northside.com
NORTHSIDE
HOSPITAL