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Forsyth CountvNews
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 • **********yy.*** R * P fejfCT T
Vol. 95, No. 69
Turner case takes off
Jury selection expected to conclude today
By Nicole Green
Staff Writer
PERRY Cobb County
Superior Court administrators expect
to till the 15 juror spots in the mur
der trial of Forsyth County resident
Lynn Turner by this afternoon
which could be record speed for such
a high profile case.
Court Administrator Skip
Chesshire said this case, his fourth
high profile trial, is moving faster
than any other major case in his
experience. Jury selection in the
Last time
for current
delegation
Chamber hears of session
By Harris Blackwood
Community Editor
For most members of the current Forsyth legislative
delegation, a luncheon appearance on Tuesday before
the Chamber of Commerce would likely be their last.
Under new district lines approved by a federal court,
the county's four state senators were reshuffled into
new districts, while one of the three present House
members will no longer represent the counfy.
The lawmakers, in an hourlong session at the
Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce's
events facility near downtown Cumming, spent much of
their time explaining what did not happen, as much as
they touted what did happen in the 2004 regular session
of the General Assembly.
The 40-day regular session ended earlier this month.
The lawmakers tailed to complete action on the revenue
portion of an indigent defense bill, leaving the state
with a gap in its state budget which is estimated at more
than SSO million.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has called the Legislature into a
special session beginning Monday to fix the problems
with the indigent defense bill. Members of the delega
tion appeared hopeful that the resolution would come in
the five days the governor has suggested.
"Speaker (Terry) Coleman assures me that the differ
ences will be worked out by Monday." said Sen. Bill
Stephens. (R-Canton). who serves as majority leader of
See LEGISLATURE, Page 2A
Xti I
Photo/David McGregor
Reps. Jack Murphy and Tom Knox share a
laugh during a luncheon at the Chamber event
facility Tuesday. Murphy defended his opposition
to the ‘Payday Loan’ bill. See story, page 18.
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Copyright 0 2004 Foriyth County Newt
91 994 0400
1997 murder trial of Cobb attorney
Fred Tokars lasted one and a half
weeks. Chesshire said.
"This is going so much more rap
idly than we've anticipated,” said
Chesshire, who originally estimated
that it could take one to two weeks to
seat a jury in what is expected to be a
monthlong trial.
Jury selection began Tuesday
morning w hen 135 jurors reported to
the Houston County Courthouse. Out
of that number, 5 percent claimed to
have a preconceived opinion about
the guilt of Turner, a Forsyth County
INDEX
Abby 5B
Classifieds 2B
Deaths .2A
Government 3A
Horoscope 5B
Kids Page .5A
Opinion 9A
Sports n*mmmnww(mmnnnmmnm 6A
THURSDAY April 29,2004
'Tax Relief Tuesday 7 tees off
1
Photo/David McGregor
Ryan Young chips out of deep rough Tuesday during the eighth annual "Tax Relief
Tuesday" golf event sponsored by Norman's Landing restaurant at Chestatee Golf
Club in Dawsonville. Proceeds, estimated Tuesday at SIB,OOO, went to benefit
United Way of Forsyth County. The event has produced more than $190,000
throughout its history for United Way efforts.
Cumming man dies in Dawson wreck
From staff reports
DAWSONVILLE A Cumming man died tn a Dawson
County wreck Tuesday morning, according to the Georgia
State Patrol.
Alonzo Turner Jr., 73, was pronounced dead at the scene,
said state patrol officials.
A pregnant woman driving the other vehicle involved in the
incident was transported to an area hospital and listed in satis
factory condition late Tuesday afternoon.
Preliminary reports from the Georgia State Patrol show a
Honda CRX driven by Turner failed to stop for a red light at
the intersection of Perimeter Road and Hwy. 53 at 9:45 a m.
As Turner's vehicle traveled on Perimeter Road and pro
ceeded through the intersection, it was hit on the driver's side
dixir by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Hwy. 53.
The driver of the second vehicle was identified by the state
patrol as Amanda Lowe. 23. of Gainesville. Lowe, who is
pregnant, was transported from the scene by an emergency
helicopter to Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
No citations have been issued in connection with the
wreck, which remains under investigation by the state patrol.
Ingram Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ty son aids Great
American Cleanup
efforts in Forsyth.
Page 3A
woman who stands trial for the 1995
poisoning death of her husband.
Cobb County Superior Court
Judge James G. Bodiford relocated
the murder trial to Houston in
February after 35 percent of Cobb
jurors said they could not hear the
case with an unbiased mind.
About 60 percent of Houston
jurors summoned to serve on the trial
had heard, read or seen something
about the Turner case prior to enter-
See JURY, Page 2A
■ FI
I
■ *•
. Ik, '
Staff Photo
Jury selection continued
Tuesday in the Lynn Turner trial.
|., JBh
nil • ' -T-rsaift
Photo/Jess Elkins
Dawson County emergency personnel work at the site of a two
vehicle wreck at the intersection of Hwy. 53 and Perimeter Road
Tuesday. Alonzo Turner Jr., 73, of Cumming, died in the 9:45 a.m.
incident.
South Forsyth boys and
girls tennis clinch state
appearances.
PageGA
Partly Cloudy
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
April 24 1070.35 ft
* 1 April 25 1070.35 ft
/ April 26 1070.36 ft
April 27 1070.41 ft
Full 1071.00 ft
High in the mid-70s.
U>w in the low 50s.
•ce cream shop coming noon
Sheriff
still seeks
answers
Tips yield little info
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
After sketches of a man wanted
for questioning in the April 15 disap
pearance of Patrice Tamher Endres
began appearing in gas stations and
grocery stores beside a photo of the
white cargo van he was seen driving,
hundreds of tips poured into the
Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.
The nearly 700 tips received so
far run the gamut from mundane to
bizarre. Dozens of residents have
spotted white vans. If lucky, they
provide a partial tag number. A
dozen callers reported hearing a
woman’s cry for help, prompting
searches by law enforcement into
woods and storage units. Others
think the case is connected to recent
bank robberies.
Capt. Ron Freeman, the agency's
chief of detectives, said Endres has
been seen at countless Waffle House
and Huddle House restaurants and
Wal-Marts during recent weeks. In
one of the most outlandish tips, a
person said the police chief in Salem.
Mass., knew a witch who could tell
detectives where Endres could be
found.
Sheriff Ted Paxton said residents
have passed on information from
psychics.
"They say. *1 see a road or a
church and a steeple ... I see woods,
hilly terrain,'" Paxton said. "Yeah
it's North Georgia."
The sheriff said he discounts psy
chic tips and wonders why the sooth
sayers could not have used their abil
ities to call him before the kidnap
ping.
"We can only deal with facts and
evidence," he said before attending a
Tuesday afternoon briefing on the
case.
The evidence gathered so far
leads detectives to suspect the 38-
year-old Endres was kidnapped from
her Matt Highway (Hwy. 369) busi
ness. Tamber's Trim-N-Tan, about
lunchtime. She warmed up her lunch
in the microwave, but she never had
a chance to take the lid off the con
tainer and eat. Paxton said.
A woman driving by the salon at
I 1:54 a.m. reported seeing Endres'
Chevrolet Tahoe parked in front of a
white cargo van at the salon, then she
saw a man walk behind the van. An
artist made a sketch of the man based
on the passerby's description But the
crime scene itself has yielded no tell
tale clues.
See ENDRES, Page 2A