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i FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Thwctey, January 14,1999
BEST STORIES OF '9B
Commissioner Suddeth
indicted in Gilmer County
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Post 3 Commissioner Lamar
Suddeth is facing a 67-count felony
indictment
Late Monday afternoon, a
Gilmer County grand jury indicted
Suddeth for registering vehicles in
Gilmer County that should have
been registered in Forsyth County.
The charges date back to 1996.
The indictment states Suddeth
“knowingly made false statements”
about his place of residence while
See related story published on July 1,1998
Commissioner claims he
is target of ‘political hit’
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Commissioner Lamar Suddeth
says he’s the target of a “political
hit” by Sheriff Denny Hendrix and
neither he nor his family are guilty
of the 67 charges facing them in
Gilmer County.
“All I’ve got to say is this is a
political hit by the sheriff,”
Suddeth said. “My records art
open and anyone can look at them
and talk to me about them.”
Suddeth and his daughters,
Kimberly Suddeth and Diane
Brooks, are charged with making
false statements in order to register
vehicles in Gilmer County and
avoid paying Forsyth County ad
See related story published
on July 10,1998
BATTLE from 1C
But several commissioners and the
county attorney say Hendrix and
Sheriff’s Office counsel Ed
McCrimmon have been unethical in
their dealings with the board.
According to a Jan. 7 letter from
; Jefferson D. Kirby HI of the law firm
J Morris, Manning and Martin, either
; the sheriff or McCrimmon took and
I copied documents from a file belong
; jng to County Attorney Rachel
Iverson without her permission or
knowledge.
Iverson is an associate with the law
• firm.
The letter states, “Ms. Iverson has
informed me that you and Sheriff
Hendrix, without her consent or
knowledge, examined and copied her
personal legal file, which was inad
vertently left in Sheriff Hendrix’s
office on January sth. Inasmuch as
; the folder was left directly in front of
; the chair in which Ms. Iverson was
; previously seated, you and Sheriff
Hendrix were undoubtedly aware
‘ that it was her personal legal folder.’’
; Kirby said Hendrix and
McCrimmon knowingly read and
copied documents belonging to
Iverson.
; Commissioners Julian Bowen and
: Andy Anderson said the file was left
after a meeting between Hendrix,
McCrimmon, Iverson, Anderson,
1 Col. Tommy Townsend and Morris,
i Manning and Martin attorney Tacita
I Mikel Scott.
I : The document in question was a
I personal note written by Iverson to
‘ draft a motion for Commissioner Bill
> Jenkins to “terminate Ed
I McCrimmon.”
Iverson said her missing file was
returned to her by Hendrix a day after
their Jan. 5 meeting.
She would not say the information
■: contained in the file had been stolen
• or illegally obtained but did voice her
‘ distress at the entire situation.
.* .* “I’m extremely disturbed that the
I sheriff or anybody would copy my
I file,” said Iverson.
*. Neither Hendrix nor McCrimmon
f would not comment on the allega
tions.
> Both maintained on Thursday the
£ suit they filed is not an issue of
'■Z whether McCrimmon was still
y employed by the sheriff.
“* They say the battle is about the
• . Constitution.
“This is not a power play,” said
McCrimmon. “This is a
I’: Constitutional issue. They’re trying to
■ take over the Sheriff’s Office.”
See related story published
on July 10,1998
registering vehicles used by Jasper
Grading and Pipeline, a Forsyth
County company run by the com
missioner.
Also indicted were Suddeth’s
daughters, Kimberly Suddeth and
Diane Brooks. They are listed as the
owners of Jasper Grading and
Pipeline.
The indictments state that
Suddeth and his daughters made
false statements to the Gilmer
County Tax Commissioner's office
to keep from paying ad valorem
taxes in Forsyth County.
valorem taxes dating back to 1996.
The vehicles in question are
registered to Jasper Grading and
Pipeline, a Forsyth County compa
ny owned by Suddeth’s daughters
and run by the commissioner.
Suddeth said he actually has
two businesses, Jasper Grading
and Lamar Suddeth Inc., both of
which have registered vehicles.
He said the Sheriff’s office
investigation didn’t have that
information and is wrong.
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Cell towers going up around Forsyth County
Since the county’s comprehensive zoning and land use plan
was revised to include zoning for communications towers, an
estimated 12-15 towers have been erected in the county on
commercial property, said Planner Jeff Chance. The commis
sion appointed a citizens’ panel to make recommendations for
a cell towner ordinance. Commission Chairman Bill Jenkins
said, “That’s the only way we can control where the towers are
locstGci ”
Story published July 26,1998
Avery murder conviction upheld
by the Georgia Supreme Court
By Jennifer Eskew
Associate Editor
The Georgia Supreme Court
unanimously upheld the murder
conviction of one of the men
found guilty in the 1989 murder
of Tony and Kathy Reid.
Felton Junior Avery received a
life sentence for his role in the
murder and armed robbery of the
couple in their Cumming home.
The Supreme Court decision
was handed down Monday. Their
brief stated, “we conclude that
the trial court did not err in
refusing to sever Avery’s trial
from the trial of a co-defendant,
in admitting to the incriminating
statements of a co-conspirator or
in permitting the jury to listen to
audiotapes of such statements.”
Avery and Kenneth Lamar
Brady were tried together in
1994 for two counts of murder
and two counts of armed rob
bery. A third defendant, Billy
Ray Robertson, was tried sepa
rately and also found guilty.
“A bloody print of a shoe, sized
11 or 11-1/2, was found at the
scene of the crime. Avery’s shoe
size is 11-1/2,” states the brief.
The Supreme Court upheld
allowing tape recorded state
ments by Brady implicating
Avery. “Statements made by a
conspirator during the course of
a conspiracy are admissible
against all conspirators after the
fact of a conspiracy is proved,”
stated the brief.
Those statements were record
ed by a police informant. In the
tapes, Brady states he and Avsry.
with the help of a co-conspirator,
planned and then committed lhe
robbery and murders. Brady also
said if he had gone into the
house instead of Avery, the mur
ders would not have occurred.
The tapes were played for the
jury during the course of the trial
and included a transcript to help
the jury understand parts of the
tape.
The Court rejected the claim
that the tapes should not have
been played because portions
were inaudible.
The Court upheld the instruc
tions to the jurors which said the
tape was the evidence and the
transcript was merely an assis
tance. Jurors were instructed to
resolve any differences in favor
of the tape.
“Because Brady’s statements
were admissible against Avery
as the statements of a co-con
spirator,” the brief states,, the
Court rejected the contention
that there should have been a
separate trial.
Published July 15, 1998