Newspaper Page Text
Biujpy dowdy ;
Cooler.
Highs near 50s.
Lows in the mid-30s.
THIS ISSUE
Copyright © 1997 Forsyth County News
w
Stories of the Year and
New Business Review.
Section C
Central boys’ hoops
wins third straight
Page IB
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
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Military family takes
pride in high honors.
Page3A
INDEX
Abby 8A
Church .4A
Classifieds :...».. 3B
Community 3A
Deaths .3A
Entertainment .8A
Events 5A
Opinion....
Horoscope •••■•••••■•••••••••■•••a ..8A
Sports ae»««aeaaaaaaaoaeeaeaa*aasaa»aaaaaa IB
COMING
SUNDAY
Continuing Quilts
Several local residents are among
the Georgians continuing the
Olympic quilt tradition to Japan.
Missed paper policy:
For a replacement paper, call
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and
Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on
Sunday- (770) 887-3126.
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Forsyth CountvNews
J Your "HometownPaper”Since 190 ffm®• •* ° 3/e3/9a
Vol. 89, No 7
Sheriff is taking commissioners to court
*
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Sheriff Denny Hendrix is asking the
courts to declare the termination of his
attorney by the Board of Commissioners
and the Forsyth County civil service rules
unconstitutional.
On Wednesday, Hendrix filed a lawsuit
in Superior Court against the five members
of the board stating “The Commissioners
have further sought to unlawfully and in
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Computer thieves strike Scientific Games
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
The Sunday burglary of one of the
county’s largest companies may be
connected to the rash of computer
thefts which have hit Forsyth and
north Fulton County during the past
Monday fatal accident
on Ga. 400 injures two
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
The driver of the Honda
Prelude involved in Monday
night’s fatal accident on Ga.
400 and Hwy. 369 remained
in critical condition at
Georgia Baptist Hospital
Wednesday.
Leigh Crockett, 72, was
Life Flighted to the hospital
after the Prelude was hit by a
Chevrolet Camaro driven by
22-year-old Dahlonega resi
dent Ursula Frady.
Witnesses at the scene said
Your "Hometown Paper" Since 190
contravention of the Georgia Constitution
take control of the Sheriff’s Office by, in
effect, repealing certain aspects of the
Sheriff’s budget and thereby limiting his
ability to employ counsel of his choice.”
The suit comes on the heels of the
board’s decision Monday to fire Sheriff’s
Office attorney Ed McCrimmon and adjust
the Sheriff’s Office budget to not include
payment for McCrimmon in 1998.
Hendrix said on Wednesday that he
hopes to get clarification of Constitutional
year.
More than $45,000 worth of com
puter equipment was stolen during a
break in at Scientific Games’ Union
Hill Road offices.
Sheriff’s Office deputies were
called to the offices about 10:30 p.m.
Crockett ran a red light while
trying to turn north onto Ga.
400 from Hwy. 369.
Frady was taken to Baptist
North Hospital where she was
treated for minor injuries and
released the same night.
Crockett’s 72-year-old
wife, Helen, died as a result of
the wreck. She was transport
ed to Baptist North Hospital
with critical internal injuries.
No charges have been filed
in the case.
Investigators are looking
See FATAL, Page 2A
FRIDAY JANUARY 16, 1998 I
_——-—'——
Winter wonderland
Kelli Crawford, Katherine Tanner and
Megan Tanner were among the partici
pants in the Forsyth County Public
Library’s winter preschool program enti
tled “Bears and Other Cold Weather
Friends” held Tuesday and Wednesday.
Youngsters ages 18 months to 5 years
were invited to be part of the library’s
offering and bring along a teddy bear
friend. There were stories to be enjoyed
and a teddy bear walk topped off the
activities. The winter preschool program
continues with a number of sessions
planned. See Cumming Events on
Page 5A or call (770) 781 -9840 ext. 233
for more information.
Photos/Tom Brooks
when the company’s audible alarm
went off.
One of the company’s security
guards called deputies, who came in
and searched the building.
See THIEVES, Page 2A
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law through the courts.
“We are not looking for a fight with the
Board of Commissioners,” he said. “We
have made every attempt to avoid legal
action.”
The dispute started when Hendrix
refused to turn over annual employee evalu
ations to the board, and a 5 percent pay
increase was withheld from Sheriff’s Office
employees.
The commissioners maintain that civil
service policy requires the release of the
evaluations in order to give the pay raises.
Hendrix said his employees do not fall
under civil service policy in regard to
money matters, and he thinks the entire sys
tem may violate the law.
“We’re pro civil service to the point of
employee appeals,” said the sheriff. “But
Civil Service rules and regulations may
have superseded Constitutional law.”
See SHERIFF, Page 2A
Zoning process
timetable under
evaluation by
commissioners,
planning board
By Sheri Toomey
Staff Writer
The Board of Commissioners Tuesday met with the
Planning Commission to discuss, among other items, how
the zoning process could be improved.
The zoning application process takes 104 days, said
Planning Chairman Dennis Martin, who suggested elimi
nating the county commission’s public hearing to reduce
the time span.
Commission Chairman Bill Jenkins said the second
public hearing was necessary to get comments from appli
cants and residents.
“I don’t see how speeding up the process would bene
fit the county,” said Jenkins.
Homeowners would complain there wasn’t enough
time to obtain information about upcoming rezoning if the
county fast-tracked the process, said Commissioner
Lamar Suddeth.
See ZONING, Page 2A
Parents offering
reward for clues
in son’s murder
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
A SIO,OOO reward is being offered for information in
the murder of 39-year-old Ronnie Allen Davis.
Davis’ burned and mutilated body was found in the
Hopewell United Methodist Church Cemetery on D«c.
28.
Investigators were unable to identify the body until
Davis’ parents, Julian Broods Davis and Jean Davis of
Matthews, N.C., reported they had not been able to /each
their son for several days.
Davis had been living in the Dunwoody'Club
Apartments for a year before his murder.
REWARD, Page 2A
A taxing time
Most Forsyth Countians
waited until the Monday
deadline, tp pay their prop
erty taxes, %aid Tax
Commissioner Bobby Gene
Gilbert. “I know I’vs got 70
percent of the taxea’i*,’’
said Gilbert, who, added the
office was a 'Mek behind in
posting the amounts
because so many people /
waited until the Istot minute \
to pay their ad valorem tax 4
bills. Birdie Wofford and S }
Betty Hipps were amdrsg /
those in the tag line in the
Forsyth County
Administrative Building. »
Photo/Joe Coulson ’>'■