About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2023)
Dawson man will race street car nationally again. INSIDE, 4A Bradley Fowler tabbed region’s Athletic Director of the Year. SPOKIS,1B I — DawsonCountyNews WEDNESDAY I JANUARY 18, 2023 DaWSOflNeWS ^com DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00 One dead after Dawson Forest plane crash By Julia Hansen jhansen@dawsonnews.com Authorities arrived on the scene of a plane crash involving a fatality within the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area Friday, Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson said. At about 9:12 a.m. on Jan. 13, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office E-911 Center received a call reporting a possible plane crash near the wildlife manage ment area’s Shoal Creek and Dawson Forest roads, Johnson said. He later clarified to DCN that the crash occurred on the evening of Thursday Jan. 12 but was not reported until the morn ing of Jan. 13. DCSO, Dawson County’s Fire and Emergency Services, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Georgia State Patrol officials responded to search the area. Following a brief search, the DCSO drone operator located the crash site and directed responders to the scene. Responders located a deceased male occupant at the crash site. DCSO investigators have been working in conjunction with agents from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to process the scene. The plane reportedly left Cherokee County Airport in Canton, Ga. for an out-of-state destination, Johnson said. The area and roadways sur rounding the crash scene were temporarily closed to allow authorities to process the scene. While investigators have made contact with the victim’s family, no identification is being released at this time. Johnson encouraged “all to remember the family of this vic tim in your thoughts and prayers.” Senior Hodge named STAR student Erica Jones Dawson County News 2023 STAR student Ben Hodges and 2023 STAR teacher Lindsey Luchansky stand with Dawson County High School administration and representatives of the Dawsonville Lion's Club following the STAR student certifi cate presentation on Jan. 12. DCHSs Lindsey Luchansky named STAR teacher By Erica Jones ejones@dawsonnews.com Dawson County High School senior Ben Hodge has been named the 2023 STAR student for the district and has chosen DCHS language arts teacher Lindsey Luchansky as his STAR teacher. The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program is a pro gram by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) that seeks to recognize and honor students for their achievements in high school. To qualify for STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the SAT and be in the top 10 percent or the top 10 students in their class based on grade point average. Hodge was selected for the honor based on his academic achievement and high score on the SAT, on which he received a 1480 out of 1600 possi ble points. On Jan. 12, he was present ed with a certificate honoring his accomplishment by members of the Dawsonville Lions Club, the local STAR program sponsor. After being chosen as the STAR Student, the student then selects the STAR teacher, or the teacher they believe has had the biggest impact on them during their high school experi ence. Hodge selected DCHS language arts teacher Lindsey Luchansky, who he had for honors American literature and AP English language and compo sition, as his STAR teacher. Hodge has attended every year of school in the Dawson County school system, and since his freshman year of high school he’s known he was inter ested in the tech and engineering fields. He recently received admission to Georgia Tech, where he will attend upon graduating high school this spring and plans to major in aerospace engineering in hopes of working with NASA or another aeronautics associa tion. While in high school, some of Hodge’s favorite classes have been in the math and science fields, including participating in the school’s engineer ing program. “The engineering program is really good here. It’s definitely reinforced my decision to go to Tech; Mr. Skorich is great,” Hodge said. “I love engineering. One of my other favorites is AP Calculus, and chemistry and physics are also good choices just because science has always been something I’ve naturally liked.” But unlike many other students who naturally gravitate towards math and science, Hodge also said that he enjoys language arts classes — espe cially the two he took in Luchansky’s classroom in his sophomore and junior years. “A lot of times with students who are so into engineering or STEM you don’t often see the English/language arts aspect of it as well, so I think for Ben it’s one of the rare occasions where I have a student who is so well- rounded in a lot of different subjects,” Luchansky said. “It’s not just that left- brained, analytical, math and science, but he can also write a really good paper and communicate his thoughts effectively, so it’s been a joy.” Hodge said that he chose Luchansky as his STAR teacher because, in her classes, he learned much more than just how to write well. “She’s a teacher that teaches you more than just your lessons,” Hodge See STAR 12A Senior judge eyes summer trial for 2021 Roberts case By Julia Hansen jhansen@dawsonnews.com With a senior judge expected to rule soon on remaining motions, defendant Daniel Lee Roberts could go to trial this summer for charges related to Kaleb Duckworth’s July 2021 death. After hearing from the prosecution and defense, Senior Judge David Emerson pro posed a trial, beginning with jury selection, for either the week of June 5 or June 12. An official with Dawson County Superior Court confirmed more available trial weeks locally during the summer, such as the first half of June. This would give the defense more time to subpoena and schedule witnesses, said one of Roberts’ attorneys, John Luke Weaver. See Roberts 14A Ex-deputy coroner faces charges of child porn By Julia Hansen jhansen@dawsonnews.com A former deputy coroner with the Dawson County Coroner’s Office was arrested earlier this week for alleged child pornography, according to a Jan. 12 press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Dawson County resident James Ricky Wiggins, 55, was arrested on Jan. 10 and charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of children by the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. While Wiggins did serve as a deputy coroner, he was promptly terminated from See Wiggins 14A Wiggins 0 9 0 9 9 4 Inside Volume 9, Number 3 © 2023, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Events 2B Classifieds 7B Dear Abby 5B Deaths 2A Legals 7B Opinion 6A Sports 1B 5A New shows on display this month at Bowen Center 5A Dawson businessman booked on child porn charges. We Are a Digital Impression Practice. Proud Owners of an iTero Element " Scanner. | element •jjj- invisalign "We all try and go above and beyond and give that five start treatment, so it's rewarding to know that what we do matters." Q)amonville (^Distinctive ^Dentistry B. MANZUR, D.M.D. 754 HWY. 53 WEST, DAWSONVILLE, GA 706-265-2505
