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FRIDAY January 9, 2009 Vol. 116, No. 78 | Athens, Georgia Jr \ Sunny. High 58 | Low 36 ONLINE wwwjedandblack.com Eiliii w I p HI Former employee Terrie Buckner asks for $1.3 mil lion in damages. Univ. employee could pay $1 million Ex-co-workers battle in court By SHANESSA FAKOUR The Red & Black The University is consid ering filing an appeal on behalf of a staff member who is court ordered to pay $1.3 million in damages to a former University employee. After a three-day trial, a jury found that the actions of Karen Shetterley, the University’s senior public service associate in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, resulted in the false arrest and malicious prosecution of Terrie Buckner. “The University believes Shetterley was acting prop erly” and within the bounds of her duty as an employee, Tom Jackson, vice presi dent for public affairs, said in a phone interview Monday. Discussions are underway as to whether there will be a settlement or an appeal. The deadline for the University to file an appeal is Wednesday. As an employee of the state, Shetterley is backed by state insurance under the department of admin istrative services. The insurance covers state employees up to $1 million. The marshal of the mid dle district of Georgia has received a writ of execution from the U.S. District Court demanding the debt from Shetterley. If an appeal is filed, Lee Parks, Buckner’s lawyer, will follow with a response to the court, and the court will make a judgement. “We are very confident the judgment is valid,” Parks said in reference to the jury awarding Buckner $1.3 million in damages. Parks submitted a reply brief to the court in sup port of Buckner’s bill of costs and motion for attor neys’ fees, which Shetterley argued on Dec. 22. Buckner is asking for Shetterley to cover more than $300,000 in attorney fees. In 2004 Shetterley was Buckner’s supervisor when Shetterley allegedly gave police false information regarding See SHETTERLEY, Page 3 II Ilf lilt ab i Miii.*s * jjflgMMMMgjjMjy ji,v ?*-;?' '~ x.rffi.* Nil i iHMBWMMB JIM DIFFLY | The Red a Buck ▲ Members of The Buddy System, Mat Lewis and Craig Sheldon pose downtown. Reaching the Newsroom News (706) 433-3037 Variety (706) 433-3041 Sports (706) 433-3040 Opinions (706) 433-3043 Photo (706) 433-3046 The , Red&Black An independent student newspaper sewing the University of Georgia community ESTABLISHED 189 3, INDEPENDENT 19 8 0 Indicted football player to transfer By KRISTEN COULTER The Red & Black A former University football player looks to continue his collegiate career even as he faces a felony indictment in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. On Dec. 10, a grand jUry indicted Michael Lemon on charges of battery and aggravated battery. According to rivals.com, Gym Class Clown " ’. ' ; f|||. ' ■, ’i , Y■■ jp^l|§. v Igj/ :/ ML DANIEL SHIREY ! The Red * Buck ▲ Abby Stack, a senior Gym Dog, goofs off in the foam pit. Stack serves as both the team’s leader and jokester. Gym Dogs need ‘goofy, positive’ team leader ‘more than ever’ By TYLER ESTEP The Red & Black Gymnastics is supposed to be a sport of finely-tuned perfor mances, perfected execution and refined elegance. It’s supposed to be a very seri ous sport. Abby Stack didn’t get the On the road again page 7 See how the Lady Dogs fared against Ole Miss in Oxford Thursday night. Lemon made a recruit ment visit to North Carolina State University on Dec. 12. Lemon told The Red & Black Thursday the university accepted his application. He plans to start classes in May. As for the indictment, Lemon said in the phone interview he has not entered a plea because he hasn’t talked to his lawyer. After he was suspended from the University in Hi ' rMm rl* memo. If anything, Stack, one of Georgia gymnastics’ four seniors, is a serious goofball, the consum mate practitioner of anything ridiculous, random or wholly inappropriate. “She’s almost cartoonish,” said freshman Gym Dog Amber Trani. “She’s very out there. Artist puts sad memories to happy tunes By KATIE ANDREW The Red & Black Start with half a cup of power pop and a handful of harmonies, stir in a viola, add a pinch of crazy animation and Voila! A great night out. Local artists Allison Weiss and the Way She Likes It, Venice is Sinking and The Buddy System are taking the stage tonight at the 40 Watt to merrily demolish conventional standards of music —and look great doing it. In the four years that Allison Weiss has lived in Athens, she’s become quite the lady about town. Determined to gain headway in the Michael Lemon plans to attend N.C. State despite possible felonies. August, Lemon transferred to Georgia Military Academy and played foot ball for the school’s team last season. lllmj She’s not afraid to do anything whether she looks like an idiot or not. She loves to have fun and make people smile.” Things can no doubt get a lit tle stressful for a record-setting gymnastics program, but as the Gym Dogs prepare for a run at a fifth straight national title, Stack is there as the poster child for comic relief. “She’s the jokester. She has so many jokes and she remembers them and she tells them perfect and we’re like, ‘Really Abby? You’re really going to tell that Venice is Sinking, Allison Weiss, The Buddy System When: 9 p.m. Tonight Where: 40 Watt Cost: $5 (21+), $7 (18) More Information: http://www.4owatt.com music business, Weiss has now collect ed a sizable fan base that can’t get enough of her lighthearted tunes of love and loss. “I think it’s catchy and easy to relate to," Weiss said. “I like to say that it’s your saddest memories sung to the tune of your happiest.” Now what? page 8 The football season is over, but we’ve got a 10-item to-do list for Coach Mark Richt. The aggravated battery and battery charges stem from a June 26 incident in which Lemon is accused of punching University junior DeMarius Jackson five times in the eye, according to police reports. The two were at a cook out by the pool of The Exchange apartment com plex, and Lemon accused Jackson of having a rela tionship with Lemon’s “girl,” the police report After naming their 2008 summer tour a grand success, Weiss and her bandmates were ready to hit the recording studio again. “We released an EP in October, which is the first release I’ve had with a full band,” Weiss said. Until about a year ago, Allison’s act consisted of her and her younger brother A. J. Weiss. “I just put up an ad on Craigslist for my drum and bass players,” she said. Responses came from ex-Winter Sounds drummer Donovan Babb and former Beyond Tomorrow bassist Alec Wooden, and just like that, a band was bom. See WEISS, Page S DR. BUTLER? This Georgia guard shoots for goals beyond the court. SPORTS, PAGE 7 states. After the exchange with Jackson, Lemon alleg edly hit him repeatedly. Jackson’s eye was seri ously damaged, but he is on the mend. His friend, sophomore Dyci Manns, said in a telephone inter view Thursday that Jackson’s eye is not com pletely healed, but he is able to see out of it. Jackson was unavail able for comment by press time. 19k ~fHf Mr '* m Jkw* ■ joke right now?’ senior Courtney Kupets said. “And sometimes you really need that, you need that kind of humor every once in a while. Even if you have to tell her, ‘That’s not appropriate, Abby.’” “She’ll do these skateboard moves when we’re on vault like across the tumble track,” junior Courtney McCool said. “And she can do any sport ever. She can ski, she can skateboard, she can play ball. She just adds so much See STACK, Page 6 Index UGA Today 2 Wire 2 Opinions 4 Variety 5 Crossword 2 Sports 6 Sudoku 7