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Forsyth County News Vol. 95, No. 039 FCHS teacher arrest ' is Veteran auto tech instructor charged with sexual assault oj student By Nicole Green Staff Writer A teacher at Forsyth Central High School was arrested Thursday and charged with sexually assaulting a female student, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported. William George Hembree, 51. of Dawsonville was arrested at 1:15 p.m. Thursday and released Friday on a S2S,(XX) bond. The alleged victim is an 18-year old female Forsyth Central student. She filed a report on Wednesday M*rOPT»« E* Sil I 'IM Bl M SbIH L. - _ JfIKBHiHHIHLJEI Photo/David McGregor Susan McNulty joins the approximately 100 Three Chimneys residents who protested a plan for Windermere Parkway for more than an hour Thursday in front of South Forsyth Middle School. See more pictures page BA. Cohan ending 38-year career Associate superintendent retires from Forsyth County Schools By Nicole Green Staff Writer Ellen Cohan may be officially retiring from her position as associate superintendent of teaching and learning for Forsyth County Schools, but she undoubtedly will never leave the school system. Cohan announced Friday that her last day will be June 30. In an interview with Superintendent Paula Gault and Cohan on Friday. Gault said she knows Cohan will not be able to stay away from the schools. "We all know Ellen, and she’ll be here all summer." Gault said. Cohan laughed and nodded in agreement. She may be retired, but Cohan will continue working with children as she has for 38 years, she said. “I hope I'm still working to help children. I just don’t know how yet," Cohan said. Cohan came to Forsyth County four years ago from the Cobb County School System where she was executive director of middle school curriculum and instruction. She has 20 years of classroom experience, which she says were the highlight of Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126 Copyright 6 2064 ForiySiCountyTim 0 90994 041 ’ J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J Hembree The Criminal Investigation Division questioned Hembree and booked him to the Forsyth County Detention Center, deputies said. Residents protest road plan See COHAN, Page 3A INDEX Ab by 68 Births 48 Classifieds 6C Deaths 2A Horoscope .68 Opinion 12A Sports 1C SUNDAY March 7,2004 evening alleging that Hembree “inappropriately touched" her dur ing class, a sheriff’s office report stated. Hembree was arrested at the high school Thursday morning. Photo/ Audra Perry Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Ellen Cohan announced her retire ment Friday. Here Cohan is seated in a decades-old school desk that occupied one of the historic community schools pictured behind her. This corner of history is on display at the Board of Education and Professional Development Center on Dahlonega Highway. Inside County’s House delegation clicks with online lottery sales RagellA Sexual assault, a felony, encom passes any sexual contact that is against another person’s will. The offense is punishable by one to three years imprisonment. Superintendent Paula Gault would not comment on the arrest. The Board of Education is aware of the charge, she said. It is the policy of Forsyth County Schools to screen each potential employee for criminal history, a school official said. "We do extensive screening and a fingerprint criminal background check," said Candace Norton, execu tive director of the Forsyth County Schools Human Resources Department. Until Hembree resigned on Thursday, he was the automotive technology teacher at Central, a posi tion he had held since 1999. Previously, Hembree taught for 11 years at Riverdale High School in Clayton County. He is an Air Force veteran. Hembree has a bachelor of sci ence degree in education and a bach elor of business arts degree from Restaurateur readies run for south Forsyth seat on commission By Todd Truelove Staff Writer Brian Tam. a managing partner of Outback Steakhouse in Cumming, announced last week he will campaign for the District 2 seat on the Board of Commissioners. District 2 represents the southern portion of Forsyth County. A.J. Pritchett, the commissioner who currently represents south Forsyth, has announced he intends to run for tax commissioner in this year's elections —a decision Tam said helped to convince him to run for the post. “As a business owner, I have a lot at stake here,” Tam said. “I don't just live here; 1 work here too." Tam and his wife, Kelly, have three children, two of whom are enrolled in the county's school system. He moved from Dunwoody into Forsyth County 10 years ago. Sports South Forsyth girts, boys knock off state soccer heavyweights PagelC SI.OO Vote leaves sheriff, judges seeking space County considers options following bond issue failure By Todd Truelove Staff Writer Forsyth County law and judicial officials said last week they will continue renting space and operating out of over burdened facilities as the Board of Commissioners consid ers options to alleviate court and jail space problems. Last week, voters rejected a bond referendum that would have funded the construction of new facilities in downtown Cumming including a jail, courthouse and park ing deck. Though some opponents of the bonds agreed the coun ty’s facilities need to be updated, they argued that alterna tives to the estimated 565 million in construction fees and additional property and furnishing costs had not been fully explored. The bond proposal failed by just 341 votes 6.219 against, and 5.878 in favor out of more than 12,000 cast, according to final results at the Voter Registrar's Office. However, it’s the third time since 2(XX) that voters have denied bond funds to build the facilities. Chairman Jack Conway said he didn’t expect such a narrow difference "I was surprised to see it was so close." the chairman Sunny LAKE LANIER LEVELS k Date Level l March 2 1069.63 ft March 3 1069.68 ft W*, £ March 4 1069J4ft 'l' March 5 1069.76 ft K Full * High in the low 60s. Low in the upper 30s. Turning dinner into a dream Georgia State University. He received a master’s degree in education from the University of Georgia and is a certified master automotive technician. Hembree’s students at Central were regional champions in Daimler Chrysler’s “Build your dream vehicle” competition in 2000 and 2001. For the last three years, Hembree sponsored a team in The Great Race, a vintage automobile race through a number of states. See BOND, Page 2A The 44-year-old is a graduate of the Leadership Forsyth program. He is involved with the county school system in dif ferent arenas includ . ing school business councils and as a partner in education, for which he received an award. Tam is a director of the Cumming- Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce and received that organization's Small Business Member of the Year award for 2003. If elected. Tam said relieving traffic is one of his priorities. "I think the biggest need we have is to try to offer solutions to relieve our transportation gridlock," Tam said, adding the county’s infrastructure See TAM, Page 2A H r IB Tam