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Forsyth CountvNews
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Vol. 95, No. 021
Judge: Turner can't get fair trial in Cobb
By Nicole Green
Staff Writer
MARIETTA Cobb County Superior Court
Judge James G. Bodiford ruled Wednesday
morning that Forsyth resident Julia Lynn
Womack Turner could not receive a fair trial in
Cobb due to heavy media coverage of the poi
soning murder case.
The trial likely will be moved outside the
metro Atlanta area. Cobb District Attorney
Patrick Head had no objection to moving the
case.
"This is one of my top priorities to get a new
venue and a new trial date," Bodiford said.
Attorneys for the state and Turner now will
submit to the judge a list of five possible venues.
CHECKING IT OUT
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Photo/Audra Perry
Businesses around the old school building in downtown Cumming were evacuted Wednesday morning after a con
struction crew digging in the area struck a natural gas line. Forsyth County firefighters used gas monitors to check
the gas levels in the air. Atlanta Gas Light quickly responded and had the leak capped within half an hour.
Commission says no
to private sewer plants
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners approved regulations
Monday to enhance the county’s
ability to control the growth of
sewage infrastructure including
prohibiting private companies from
owning new sewage treatment facili
ties.
Attorney Ken Jarrard, whose law
firm Jarrard and Davis is under con
tract with the county government,
presented the board with the new
code which while not imposing
any new requirements for existing
facilities provides that newly con
structed facilities must be turned
over to and owned by the county.
Jarrard said that while private
companies could continue to con
struct sewage treatment plants under
the new code, it prohibits private
companies from owning such facili
ties.
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g
Turner
had a preconceived opinion, bias or partiality
Developers could ask for a vari
ance when submitting rezoning
applications that would allow a pri
vate entity to construct a sewage
treatment plant, Jarrard said.
If that variance is approved, then
the applicant and the county govern
ment would begin negotiating for the
county to eventually own the facility
once construction is complete.
“If a variance is granted, that
means it is now time for us to negoti
ate,” Jarrard said. “What that will
mean is that representatives of the
county and representatives of the
applicant will get together and dis
cuss how to effect a joint collabora
tive public/private sewer facility, that
will ultimately be owned and operat
ed by the county.”
He said the negotiations can
include, but is not limited to, discus
sions on financing, capacity applica
tions, competitive bid criteria, con
struction time line and permitting
INDEX
Abby 6B
Classifieds 2B
Deaths 2A
Government 3 A
Horoscope 6B
Kids Page 10A
Opinion 9A
Sports 5A
THURSDAY February 5,2004
Because of the time
needed to agree on a
site, and to make
arrangements, the court
Wednesday had not set
another date for the trial
to proceed.
Only eight out of
125 potential jurors had
stood by Wednesday
morning after the judge
asked who had not
heard of Turner's case
before stepping into
court. Out of those 125
standing, 39 said they
Government
Greenspace meeting
set for Feb. 12 at
Sawnee Center
Page 4A
based on intense media exposure of the case that
could prevent them from rendering Turner a fair
trial.
All of the jurors who expressed their pre-trial
opinions said that Turner was guilty of murder,
based on information reported by television,
radio and newspapers.
"She's guilty as homemade sin," one potential
juror said during questioning.
Turner was indicted in November 2002 on
one count of murder on a charge of causing her
husband, Cobb police officer Glenn Turner, to
ingest ethylene glycol in 1995. Turner is also the
prime suspect in the 2001 ethylene glycol poi
soning death of Forsyth County firefighter Randy
Thompson, who was the father of her two chil
dren. She has not been charged in the Forsyth
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issues.
In addition, Jarrard said if negoti
ations are unsuccessful, a panel
could be formed to try and work
through the issues. He said the appli
cant can appeal the panel’s decision
if so desired.
He said the new sewage regula
tions allow individual septic systems
for new developments providing
that public sewer services are not
within a mile of the development.
However, a septic system that
serves an entire community is pro
hibited in the new regulations,
Jarrard said.
Three people commented in
opposition during the public hearing
on the issue.
See S£LVE/?, Page 2A
Purchase of eight new fire
trucks totaling $3.2 million
OK’d by commissioners
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Fire
Department is getting eight new fire
trucks, including one with a 100-foot
ladder.
The Board of Commissioners
unanimously approved the $3.2 mil
lion purchase Monday night during
regular business discussions.
Fire Chief Danny Bowman spoke
before the board approved the pur
chase.
“Over 2,000 man-hours were vol
unteered to put together an airtight
specifications package,” Bowman
said.
“If purchased individually, just
one of the pumper trucks could feasi
bly cost well in excess of $450,000.”
“The bid before you this evening
is for $350,000 each,” he said.
The money to purchase the trucks
Sports
Upcoming NASCAR
season fueling
speculation
Rage GA
case.
Ethylene glycol is a poisonous agent found in
antifreeze, window cleaner and brake fluid.
After attorneys questioned each of the 39
jurors who claimed to be biased, 16 were dis
missed on TUesday and the rest Wednesday. They
proved to be unable to discard their prejudg
ments and make an impartial verdict. Another
juror was released on hardship.
The defendant's attorneys, Jim Berry and Vic
Reynolds of Marietta, requested to move the
geographic location of the trial after 25 percent
of the first juror group was disqualified. They
renewed their request Wednesday.
"There's enough right now based on what
See TURNER, Page 2A
Jury indicts
man in 2003
fatal crash
Wreck ejected woman, 85
By Steven H. Pollak
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Grand Jury on Monday
indicted a 52-year-old local man on charges of
vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of
alcohol and reckless driving.
Gary Floyd Gregory was driving a 1963
Mercedes sedan on the evening of Jan. 13, 2003,
when he approached a stop sign at the end of Spot
Road and allegedly did not stop.
The vehicle then traveled into the northbound
lane of Hwy. 9 where it was struck in the rear pas
senger door by a Toyota Camry.
The passenger in Gregory’s car, 85-year-old
Melba Ree Bramblett, was ejected from the vehicle.
She was flown by helicopter to North Fulton
Regional Hospital where she later died.
Gregory, who had been living in Forsyth County
at the time of the incident but has listed a Gretna,
La., address in court papers, was transported to
Northside Hospital Forsyth where he was treated
for minor injuries.
Four days after the wreck occurred, deputies
from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office arrested
Gregory on charges of vehicular homicide, driving
under the influence of alcohol and failure to stop at
a stop sign.
In the Grand Jury indictment returned on
Monday, Gregory was charged with four counts of
homicide by vehicle first degree, two counts of
driving under the influence of alcohol, two counts
of reckless driving and one count of failure to stop
at a stop sign.
See INDICTED, Page 2A
is to come from the county’s sales
tax fund which voters approved last
year.
Pierce Manufacturing Inc. of
Bessemer, Ala., was awarded the
sale.
In other regular business, the
See TRUCKS, Page 2A
Possible Rain
*" 1
High in the high 40s.
Low in the mid-40s.
□ BUSINESS, IB
>rs chief sees legislative role
66
Over 2,000
man-hours were
volunteered to put
together an airtight
specifications
package.
99
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
Jan. 31 1067.90 ft
Feb. 1 1067.92 ft
Feb. 2 1067.96 ft
Feb. 3 1067.96 ft
Full 1071.00 ft