Newspaper Page Text
Dawson officials target serious child-beating case
By Beth L Cheater
Staff Writer
If a 2-year-old Dawson County
boy does not survive the brutal
beating he endured last week,
authorities will be coping with
the second murder of a child in
their county in less than a year.
Although Dawson officials have
not filed charges in the slaying of
11-year-old Levi Frady, they say
they do know who’s responsible
for injuries to the most recent
child victim in their county: The
boyfriend of the child’s mother.
Authorities said he beat the
defenseless little boy, while tak
ing care of the child and his
brother while their mother was at
work.
It was in a room of the
Amicalola Lodge on Hwy. 53 in
Dawsonville where 25-year-old
Lirry Wade Davis of a Millcreek
Road, Dawsonville address
allegedly struck the little boy
repeatedly with a piece of wall
molding, causing severe trauma
to the child’s brain.
As of Friday, the boy was listed
in critical condition at Scottish
Rite Hospital, where doctors tell
police they don’t know whether
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he will live.
But even if the child’s body
survives, Dawson County
Sheriff’s Department Major
Kevin Tanner said doctors predict
damage to the child’s brain makes
it unlikely he will live a normal
life.
“They believe he would not be
able to move or have control over
other bodily functions,” Tanner
said.
-
Davis was super
vising the 2-year
old and his 5-year
old brother during
their mother's
work shift
99
Authorities said the beating
occurred while Davis was super
vising the 2-year-old and his 5-
year-old brother during their
mother’s work shift at the IHOP
restaurant in Cumming. The chil
dren’s mother is Sherry Weathers.
According to Dawson County
Sheriff Billy Carlisle, Davis
called 911 operators to the motel
room on the Saturday of
Memorial Day weekend, saying
the child was having seizures
after falling off the bed.
But when physicians at Scottish
Rite examined the child, Carlisle
said they notified law enforce
ment officials that the child’s
injuries could not have happened
as Davis claimed.
After interviewing the 5-year
old, who was beaten less severely,
and conducting an investigation,
Dawson County officials took
Davis into custody at Scottish
Rite and charged him with two
counts of aggravated assault.
Now officials and family mem
bers are waiting and hoping that
the child’s condition will improve
beyond doctor’s expectations.
Carlisle said Davis has not yet
given a statement, and officials
don’t know at this point what
might have provoked the apparent
outburst of rage.
The 5-year-old has lacerations
to his head and other wounds.
Dawson County Department of
Family and Children Services
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officials said Friday that court
action last week placed the sib
ling in a relative’s care.
Dawson County DFACS direc
tor Mark Todd said Friday that it
is not known whether any previ
ous complaints had been filed
with their office alleging abuse or
neglect of the children. Todd said
his staff is looking through
reports now to make that determi
nation.
Forsyth County DFACS case
worker Nancy Gilbert, who
supervises Child Protective
Services workers in Forsyth, esti
mates that a non-biological parent
or caregiver is responsible for
physical or sexual abuse of
Forsyth County children in about
half of all confirmed reports of
abuse.
Most physical child abuse in
Forsyth results from severe disci
plinary beatings with belts or
other objects.
Local CPS workers receive
about 40 complaints of abuse or
See CHILDREN, Page 15A
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS SunAy, 31,1W8 I
SHORES from 2A
county fire officials said at the
time of the fire that the unpaved
roads leading back to the home
and the lack of fire hydrants
didn’t play a role in the fire
destruction of the house.
Hester asked the commission
to consider spending money gen
erated from the Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax to pay for
repaving and repairing roads and
the installation of water lines and
fire hydrants. He added residents
want the commission to respond
to their requests in writing by
June 15.
Although there were other res
idents from the area in attendance
at the meeting, Hester was the
only one who spoke. Bowen then
took to the microphone to answer
each complaint, one-by-one.
Regarding the use of sales tax
revenue, the commissioner said
the issue is under study, but there
is no guarantee. He added he has
looked into the possibility of lim
iting housing starts in the area,
but that is legally not feasible.
On a more positive note,
Bowen noted Pilgrim Point Road
has been added to the DOT’S list
of county paving projects for this
year. He also said the “framework
is being laid” to put fire hydrants
every 500 feet. When and how
that project will be accomplished
is still under discussion.
“It’s frustrating. Government
moves too slow,” Bowen told
Hester. “I agree with everything
you’ve said. I agree with every
point you’ve made.”
He added he would make a
motion “tonight” to spend county
money to solve the problem, ”...
but that would be grandstanding.”
District I Commissioner John
Kieffer said the delay on paving
roads has roots in the law bixause
the county doesn’t have “deed
rights-of-way” of 60 feet on
either side of the roads to allow it
to go in and pave. “I will support
all efforts to pave and put water
lines in Shady Shores as long as
we have deed rights-of-way,”
Kieffer asserted. He told Hester
that was most likely the reason
that some roads in the area have
already been paved while others
were not.
Bowen said Hester’s request
would be honored.
PAGE 3A