About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2022)
4A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, June 15,2022 Diver recovers 32 rings from Lanier Photo courtesy of Brianna Ruark Richard Pickering shows off his No. 30 recovered ring, an engagement ring belonging to Brianna Ruark that he found at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville onTuesday, May 17. Dawson Chamber holds ribbon-cutting for local State Farm Agent Trey Thomas By Ashlyn Yule DCN Regional Staff As Brianna Ruark and her husband finished a wonderful family day on the lake, she handed him their 11-month-old baby from off the boat. When he reached for their daughter, he unintentionally pulled Ruark’s engagement ring and wedding band off her finger. As the couple watched the rings descend into the murky depths of Lake Lanier, Ruark mourned the loss of the jewelry. She said her husband, after securing their daugh ter, jumped into the water to search for the jewelry, but it was “just way too deep where we were.” “I didn’t have high hopes of ever seeing [wedding set] again,” Ruark said. “I was devastated.” On Tuesday, May 17, Richard Pickering of Lake Lanier Recovery Divers suited up and hopped in the water at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, close to where she lost her rings “[The night before], my husband and I were won dering how we could [find the rings] back,” Ruark said. “We [wondered if] we [should] rent scuba gear and go down there, but we don’t know how to dive.” Thankfully, Pickering does know how to dive, and he has been finding rings for six years, ending 2021 with a total of 29 recovered rings under his belt. FROM 1A Academy and active shooter scenar ios. Phillip Cofield, a school resource officer who helped organize the event along with Cpl. Randy Mullis, said many of the cadets have enjoyed the more compet itive activities, with sev eral of them aspiring to be JLEA’s “Top Gun” or “Top Driver” this year. Those awards as well as the top all-around cadet and the top in aca demics will be announced during an academy cere mony at the end of the week. “We’re having a blast,” said Cofield, “and we’re learning a lot.” They also attended ses sions on topics like crime scene investigation. Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agents Elaina Coffee and Taylor Lawrence told the children how they collect Between putting on his gear and chatting strategies with another diver on his team, Ronin Molina-Salas, Ruark said Pickering found her ring in less than 30 minutes. “He was up and down in like 20 or 30 minutes,” Ruark said. “It was quick, and I was so shocked he found my ring that fast.” Pickering ascended with ring No. 30 on his pinky — Ruark’s engagement ring. She said that while her rings were important to her, the engagement ring was particularly special because the diamond in the middle had been passed down through her family. When her mother got married, she said her grandmother took the dia mond from the original engagement ring and fitted it into hers. When Ruark got married, her mother passed the diamond to her, just as her own mother had done years prior. Ruark said when her a variety of evidence, using tools from shoe print casts to tamper proof tape to multiple types of imaging devices. Sometimes, figuring out who committed a crime is a matter of evi dence left at a scene, and other times, it’s a matter of victimology, the agents said. Other times, finger prints, which are unique to every individual per son, can be very helpful. “When you leave your fingerprints on a scene, you’re leaving your iden tity on there, and we can normally get an identifi cation within 24 hours,” Lawrence said. “So it’s that fast...DNA takes almost two years to come back. So fingerprints are super important and our first go-to if we don’t know who it (a suspect) is.” Throughout the week, DCSO deputies also took cadets on a tour of the Dawson County Government Center. Sgt. Eric Johnson told them 11-month-old daughter gets married, her engage ment ring will sport the same diamond. “There was big senti mental value [in the engagement ring],” Ruark said. “And I thought I’d lost it.” According to Pickering, the water at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park was “just covered in trash,” so he and his team couldn’t recover Ruark’s wedding band on the same day. He did find the wedding band within the week, bringing his total to 31 rings found in Lanier. “It was a tough one,” Pickering said. “The water was really murky; there was no visibility at all.” Since he began counting the rings he has recovered six years ago, Pickering said he’s never found two in one dive. “Rings are by far the most difficult, the most challenging but the most rewarding thing I dive for,” that he and the other court deputies have to be there “every minute” the court house is open. Their duties include staffing the front security area, being at public meet ings, transporting inmates and delivering civil papers and arrest warrants. Almost 80,000 people enter the courthouse each year, so monitoring the x-ray machine and metal detectors is very impor tant, he said. DCSO Lt. Jake Crawford showed cadets the different tools and techniques that SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) members have at their disposal. Several local SWAT members donned sturdy vests and helmets capable of stop ping rifle rounds, while others demonstrated bal listics shields or zip-tie handcuffs. Crawford explained that they have options to deploy less and more lethal munitions, depend ing on variables like if someone’s charging with a Pickering said. “I put in extra, extra effort to find these things.” Pickering said he takes extra care to look for rings, sometimes busting out the metal detector or a gold dredger he bought from California. As of Tuesday, May 17, Pickering had accom plished a goal of fishing out 30 rings from Lake Lanier. By Saturday, May 28, he added two more to the count. He found Ruark’s wedding band and another man’s ring over Memorial Day weekend. “It makes me feel good when I’m able to do that for people,” Pickering said. “It brings such joy back into their lives. I mean, [Ruark] was crushed when it happened.” Pickering said he hopes in the future “that people don’t lose their rings to begin with,” encouraging folks visiting the lake to “leave the diamonds at home.” “But in terms of goals, 35 would be a next mile stone [and] 40 would be a big one,” Pickering said. “50 would be a miracle.” With an average of about five recovered rings a year, Pickering said it might be possible for him to reach 35 by the end of 2022. “I’ll keep looking for them,” he said. “And, most likely, I’ll always find them.” This article was original ly published in the Forsyth County News, a sister pub lication of the Dawson County News. weapon, protective cover, etc. “Our goal is to try to resolve situations peace fully... [and] sometimes that peace is through a show of force,” he said. By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com Recently, the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce held an official ribbon cutting for State Farm Insurance Agent Trey Thomas. In a short ceremony preceding the ribbon cutting, Mandy Power, president and CEO of the chamber, wel comed Thomas and his business to down town Dawsonville and to the community. “We love coming to celebrate businesses; Trey has just jumped right in there with his State Farm business here,” Power said. “Being downtown is such a great place for you to be; I feel like this building was made for State Farm. We’re so excited to have such a great community partner.” Thomas addressed the community mem bers and business leaders in attendance at the ribbon cutting, thanking them for coming out to help celebrate his business. “I’ve been with State Farm for 7 years but have worked toward opening an office here in down town Dawsonville for pretty much that whole time,” Thomas said. “We’re super excited to help the community; State Farm is all about helping people man age the risk of every day life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams; and having a job where I get to own my own business and have the backing of a great company — I can’t think of a better plan.” Before cutting the ribbon, Thomas pre sented donations to three local groups and individuals, including a local student who works at the Dawsonville Pool Room, local nonprofit K.A.R.E. for Kids and a representative of Fishing with Everyday Heroes. “I’m so thankful for everything that you’ve already done in our community and I love to see the member-to- member engagement,” Power said to Thomas following the donation presentations. “That’s really what the cham ber is all about is bringing community members together and making the community which we live in a bet ter place to be.” State Farm Insurance Agent Trey Thomas’ office is located at 3 Highway 9 South, off of the Dawsonville square. For more information about him, his staff and business, go to https ://www.my agent- trey, com/. aa mi UGLIEST GRILL CONTEST SHOW US THOSE UGLY GRILLS AND YOU CAN WIN A $50 GIFT CARO ENTRIES Saturday 6-4 to Friday 6-10 at midnight VOTING Saturday 6-11 to Thursday 6-16 FROM OUR SPONSOR C&W HARDWARE mm ENTER HERE dawsonnews.com/uglygrill C&W HARDWARE FROM 1A Houses CN Investment Partners’s land tract is also within a half mile of the recently-approved RS-3 development next to Blacks Mill Elementary School. RPC zoning would, according to the developer, allow their company to concentrate development in a small part of the site and preserve a substantial amount of open space. The developer would also have to fund extension of water and sanitary sewer services through the prop erty, according to an included letter from the Etowah Water and Sewer Authority. Likewise, the project would reach DRI thresh- olds-in other words, more transportation studies and review would be required by the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, a partnering authority in area planning and economic development. “The neighborhood will provide a much-needed solution for younger fami- FROM 1A Award to the release, these four categories dictate that the budget must serve as a policy document, a financial plan, an opera tions guide and a com munications device. To receive the award, bud get documents have to be rated “proficient” in all four of these catego ries, and in the 14 man datory criteria within those four categories. When the county was granted the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, the Dawson County Finance Department was present ed with a certificate of recognition for budget presentation. Over 1,700 partici pants are in the Budget Awards Program. A full list of the most recent Budget Award recipi ents, along with their corresponding budget documents, is posted quarterly on the GFOA’s website. lies without placing an extreme burden upon our infrastructure,” the letter concluded. Dawsonville True Value® 16 Moonshiners Way • Dawsonville, GA • 706-525-5140 facebook. com/cwhardware Donation Shower So sweet, so cuddly, so cute and fun. It is the season, the time has come! Lots to do and things we need to take care of the kittens, all sorts of breeds. Donation Shower Registry (New or open) Dry Kitten Food Wet Kitten Food Kitten Milk Replacer (liquid) Dawson County Humane Society a no kill shelter 706-265-9160 Thank you for all of your kind donations! These items will be used to care for all the mothers and kittens that arrive at our shelter. View our wish list at: www.dawsoncountyhumanesociety.org Looking for kitten fosters, please call us for details. Hours: Monday: Closed Tues-Fri: 11am - 4:30pm Sat: 12pm - 4:30pm Sun: 1pm - 4:30pm You may drop your gifts off at: For more information contact the 706-265-9160 | 633 Martin Rd, Dawsonville Dawson County Humane Society Adjacent to the Rock Creek Sports Complex Visit our RESALE SHOP & BOUTIQUE Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | 54 S. Lumpkin Campground Rd. Dawsonville Veterinary Hospital 706-265-8381 ANH Collision Specialists 706-216-0992 103 Industrial Park Road, Dawsonville All proceeds benefits the Humane Society Bradley M. Maple CPA, PC 706-216-2362 2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100 Dawsonville
