Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
Deaths
Gene Amber Bagwell
Mr. Gene Amber Bagwell, 74,
of Cumming died Wednesday,
Nov. 16, 2005. Mr. Bagwell was
retired from General Motors in
Doraville after 46 of service.
VETERAN
a member of the Baptist faith. Mr.
Bagwell was preceded in death by
his parents, Lillie and George
Bagwell; brother, George Bagwell
Jr.; brother-in-law, Ralph Sexton.
Survivors include his wife of
50 years, Dorothy Jean Bagwell
of Cumming; daughter and son
in-law, Gina and Mark Kanehl of
Dahlonega; son and daughter-in
law, Gary and Cindi Bagwell of
Dahlonega; grandsons, Travis
Kanehl, Christopher Bagwell; sis¬
ter and brother-in-law, Lindell and
Wansley Watson of Cumming;
brothers- and sisters-in-law, Ray
and Charlotte Sexton of Buford,
Janis and Bill Thomas of
Cumming, Dalene Bagwell of
Alpharetta; and numerous nieces,
nephews and other relatives also
survive.
Funeral services will be
Friday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. at the
Ingram Funeral Home Chapel
with the Revs. Robbie Mathis and
Glen Phillips officiating.
Interment will follow in the
Sawnee View Memorial Gardens.
The family received friends
from 1-9 p.m. on Thursday.
Ingram Funeral Home is in
charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
November 18, 2005
Reba Payne Hamby
Mrs. Reba Payne Hamby, 56,
of Cumming died Wednesday,
Nov. 16, 2005. Mrs. Hamby was
a native and lifelong resident of
Forsyth County. Mrs. Hamby
worked for more than 20 years
at the Forsyth County Tax
Commissioners office until she
retired this past June. She was
preceded in death by her par¬
ents, Amos and Esther Payne;
sister, Annie Ruth Pilcher.
Survivors include her hus¬
band, Carroll Hamby of
Cumming; stepdaughters and
son-in-law, Georgianna Hamby,
Michelle and Chris Allison, all
of Cumming; stepgranddaugh
ter, Shelby Allison of Cumming;
brother and sister-in-law, Hugh
and Mary Ann Payne of
Cumming; brother-in-law, Earl
Pilcher of Cumming; nieces and
nephews, Kathy and Dale
Gooch, Russell and Jill Pilcher,
Lorrie and Dusty Clark, Amy
and Jeff Bennett, Melanie and
Clint Harper, all of Cumming;
and other special great-nieces
and great-nephews, cousins and
relatives also survive.
Funeral services will be
Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m. at
the Ingram Funeral Home
Chapel with the Rev. Larmon
Barron officiating. Temporary
entombment will be at the
Sawnee View Memorial
Gardens. Permanent burial will
take place at a later date in
Dahlonega.
The family will receive
friends at the Ingram Funeral
Home Friday, Nov. 18 from 10
a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ingram Funeral Home is in
charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
November 18, 2005
Clyde Nathan Mathis
Mr. Clyde Nathan Mathis,
95, of Gainesville died Tuesday,
Nov. 15, 2005. Mr. Mathis was
a member of Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church. He was preced¬
ed in death by his wife, Mary
Waldrip Mathis.
Survivors include his chil¬
dren, Barbara and James “Frog”
Hendrix of Cumming, Margie
Mathis of Ball Ground, Charles
and Reta Mathis of Cumming;
six grandchildren; 10 great
grandsons; sisters-in-law, Grace
Mathis and Arvilla Mathis, both
of Cumming; several nieces,
nephews and other relatives also
survive.
Funeral services will be
Friday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. at
the Pleasant Grove Baptist
Church with the Revs. Robbie
Mathis, Ruel Martin and Jimmy
Hogan officiating. Interment
will follow in the Pleasant
Grove Baptist Church
Cemetery.
Ingram Funeral Home is in
charge of the arrangements.
Forsyth County News
November 18, 2005
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS — Friday, November 18,2005
He was a mem¬
ber of UAW
Local #10. He
was a veteran of
the U.S.A.F. and
Betty Lawrence Urbahns
Mrs. Betty Lawrence
Urbahns, 88, of Cumming died
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. She was
preceded in death by her hus¬
band, Pierce William Urbahns.
Local survivors include her
daughter and son-in-law, Pear
and Jeffrey Blackburn of
Cumming.
Services will be Friday, Nov.
18, at the Horeb Baptist Church
in Nimrob Hall, Va.
Nicely’s Funeral Home in
Clifton Forge, Va., is in charge of
the arrangements in Virginia.
For information, contact
Ingram Funeral Home.
Forsyth County News
November 18, 2005
LOOK FOR
OBITUARIES
ON 2A
Obituaries must be
provided to the newspaper
by a funeral home or
similar organization
Forsyth (-on nt v News
i . h rupuV Siner
ETHICS ^ 1A
expense.
In a prepared statement dur¬
ing an October called meeting,
Tam said he had stopped and
picked up equipment en route
from examining a zoning issue
in the county truck and left the
equipment in the back of the
truck at his business near the
county administration building
for six hours.
He said Wednesday that was
what the photographs depicted.
“I have been accused of
using my county truck to cater
an event on Oct. 9 for 250 peo¬
ple by someone who was not
there,” said Tam. “That accusa¬
tion is false, and none of the
250 people there have said oth¬
erwise. However, some have
agreed to testify on my behalf
that they saw me there in my
black truck.”
Tam said he personally
owns four vehicles: two pickup
trucks — a black Chevrolet and
blue GMC — and two SUVs —
a silver Dodge Durango and a
white GMC Yukon.
Tam also said Wednesday he
requested the trailer hitch be
installed on the county truck in
early September in response to
Hurricane Katrina.
“In the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, I offered the
use of my catering trailer in the
event [the county government]
would need to feed a large num¬
ber of people,” he said.
“However, I did not want to
lose the use of my personal
vehicle if the trailer was needed
for an extended period of time
and asked the county to install
the hitch on the county truck.
“As it turned out, my trailer
has yet to be needed.
“I have been accused of
using my county truck to pull
my catering trailer. I have lent
my catering trailer and two of
my trucks to the county for
\j 1 H £ 4
O fP
CATHOLIC
COLLEGE
is holding on
OPEN HOUSE
for residents of the surrounding communities on
Sunday, Nov.
from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
Come visit.the campus in Dawsonville and meet faculty, staff and students.
Food and refreshments will be served.
lot us know if you can com* by calling: Haathar Barron at Southern Catholic Collaga,
706-344-4052 or amail hbarrattOsoutfiamcatholic.org or visit www.souttMmcatholic.org.
SMILES from 1A
Madej said he commented
on losing his teeth to local
community members and
word-of-mouth spread to the
church who then contacted the
dentist.
“[Short] donated a complete
set of uppers,” said Madej,
adding that other derftal work
also was provided at no cost.
Dr. Short said his action was
typical of Cumming Dental
Associates and other area den¬
tists.
“We periodically try to help
out people that might have an
unfortunate thing happen to
them,” said Short. “Most every
dentist office does a little pro
bono work for people who
might be down on their luck.
“I would encourage any¬
body that has a chance to help
[Katrina refugees] to lend a
hand. A lot of bad things hap¬
pened to a lot of nice people.”
And Madej said they have
received support from neigh¬
bors.
“We were pretty well
embraced by this community,”
said Madej.
The couple has no immedi¬
ate plans to return to Slidell.
Madej said his children visited
the house and said there was lit¬
tle left.
He said they are extremely
grateful for the generosity of
the community.
“There’s just so many thank
you’s,” said Madej.
Forsyth County Day at no
charge.
“I have never towed any¬
thing with [the county] truck,
and to my knowledge nothing
has ever been hooked up to that
truck. No one has claimed to
see me do so, and that allega¬
tion is false.”
Milum, during the meeting
comments, did not ask for an
investigation by the ethics
board and called the ethics
board “a joke.”
In a telephone interview
Wednesday, Milum said Tam’s
request to the ethics board was
a ploy. [Tam]*thinks
“He he can do
some kind of damage control,”
said Milum. “He’s using the
press to present himself in a
more favorable light.”
And though Milum said he
doubts the ethics board will
address the issue of the com¬
missioner’s use of his county
truck effectively, he also said he
plans to file a request with that
board similar to Tam’s.
“The ethics board may have
the authority [to address it], but
not the will,” said Milum.
Among other problems with
the board, Milum pointed to a
request from the a local politi¬
cal watchdog group filed
months ago for the board to
investigate the use of cell
phones within the sheriff’s
office.
He said that the legal coun¬
sel for the ethics board recently
wrote a letter stating the watch¬
dog group had improperly filed
that first complaint because it
had not been sent by registered
mail.
Milum said that determina¬
tion was not correct.
“[The ethics ordinance]
says that anybody that files an
ethics complaint will take it to
the board of commissioners or
TRIAL from 1A
speak in nonsensical sentences,
seemed to improve without the
benefit of medication.
Alter evaluating her a second
time, “I felt she was competent to
stand trial,” Richards said.
Hardy was set to cross-exam¬
ine Richards at press time
Thursday.
Earlier Wednesday, Hardy
called Forsyth County Indigent
Defense Administrator Connie
Brooker to testify. Brooker had
extensive dealings with Hester
while overseeing her pre-trial
release on a $70,000 bond.
Hester was under house arrest
and was required to wear an
ankle monitor.
Brooker testified that of the
thousands of clients she has dealt
with over the years, Hester was
probably the most time-consum¬
ing. Brooker said she had to
repeatedly tell Hester the condi¬
tions of her bond, and what
would normally be a 15-minute
meeting would take upwards of
an hour.
“She had a glassy look in her
eyes and would look up at the
ceiling,” Brooker said. “I don’t
think she was comprehending. I
personally felt like I was dealing
with an adolescent.”
Should a jury find Hester
incompetent to stand trial, she
would be committed to a mental
health facility until she is found
by a physician to be competent,
at which time she would be
brought back to face trial.
the county administrator, and
then the county administrator
sends it by registered mail to
the [person whom the com¬
plaint is against],” said
Milum, adding he was not
aware if the apparent confu¬
sion with the ordinance was
intentional.
“Here we have an ethics
board that made the rule they
would hear a case within the
60-day period, but they violated
their own rule,” he said. “It sure
is lax and very unprofessional
at best. At worst, it was a plan
to bury [the complaint against
the sheriff].”
The ethics board is sup¬
posed to have five members,
but for eight months it has
lacked an appointee from the
board of commissioners. Tam
said commissioners have sever¬
al candidates in mind for their
appointment.
“The board is considering
more than one candidate,” he
said. “When one is appointed it
will be a [full] board decision.”
Commission Chairman Jack
Conway has said the ethics
panel can operate as long as a
quorum is present.
Ethics Board Acting
Chairman George Pirkle said
the ethics board will consult its
legal counsel to decide how to
handle Tam’s request.
However, Pirkle also said
the ethics panel should have all
five members to investigate
complaints and pointed to the
five elected officials on the
board of commissioners as an
example of the need to have all
its members.
“I think we need to have a
full board,” he said. “The ordi¬
nance calls for five members. If
we didn’t need five members
— why does the ordinance call
for it?
We can operate short a
INDICTED from 1A
Other indictments returned:
• James Douglas Haynes, 44,
of 3570 Hope Road was indicted
on one count of aggravated bat¬
tery for allegedly attacking
another motorist after a traffic
accident, and beating the man so
badly that he suffered brain
injuries.
According to court docu¬
ments, on March 14 Haynes was
involved in an accident on
McFarland Road. Court docu¬
ments allege that Haynes
jumped from his vehicle and ran
up to Jeffrey McIntyre of Villa
Rica, whom he allegedly hit
repeatedly in the face before
throwing him to the ground and
continuing to beat him.
McIntyre sustained swelling to
the head, bruising and heavy
bleeding, according to court
documents.
• William Potter, 41, of
Cumming, was indicted on four
counts of burglary and four
counts of possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon in connec¬
tion with a string of burglaries at
the Polo Fields subdivision
between February and May of
2004. Authorities say Potter
picked clean four houses, and
more than $300,000 worth of
stolen items were later recov¬
ered. Potter had been tried and
convicted on the charges in
September but the conviction
was thrown out because the
indictments did not indicate in
what county the crimes
member, but I — and I think
the other board of ethics mem
bers would feel a lot more
LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Forsyth
County Board of Commissioners shall con¬
duct a Public Hearing regarding the aban¬
donment of a portion of Clement Road
located in Land Lot 847of the First District,
First Section of Forsyth County. A plat
showing the proposed abandonment is
available for inspection at the office of the
Forsyth County Department of Engineering
located at 110 East Main Street, Suite 120,
Cumming, GA 30040. The Public Hearing
will be held on Thursday, December 1,
2005 at 5:00 p.m. in the Forsyth County
Administration Building, Commissioner’s
Meeting Room, Second Floor located at
110 East Main Street, Suite 220,
Cumming, Georgia 30040.
Jeff Quesenberry
County Manager
Forsyth J Your "Hometown CountyNews Paper" Since 1908 J
USPS 205-540
Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Georgia 30040
Phone: 770-887-3126 Fax: 770-889-6017
Internet Address: www.forsythnews.com
\ Publisher JOHN HALL
General Manager NORMAN BAGGS
Editor TOM SPIGOLON
Advertising Director LISA FERRELL
Circulation Director GARRY TINSLEY
MEMBER Production Manager MITCH PIKE
Published Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by the Forsyth County News
Company, Veterans Memorial Blvd., Cumming, Ga. Second Class Postage paid at
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occurred. Potter remains in the
Forsyth County jail without
bond awaiting a retrial.
• Charles Ray Allen Jr., 58,
of 3250 Hurtbridge Road, was
indicted on two counts of child
molestation and two counts of
sexual battery against a child in
connection with his Aug. 21
arrest at the Dollar General store
at 121 North Comers Parkway.
Police said Allen, who was
shopping in the store, fondled
the backsides of a 7-year-old girl
and 10-year-old girl in the aisles
of the store.
Neither girl knew Allen,
according to police.
• Charles Hightower Berry,
age and address unavailable, was
indicted on one count each of
habitual violator, driving with a
suspended license, DUI and
driving the wrong way on a one¬
way street in connection with a
Jan. 13 traffic arrest.
• Phillip Warrent Bonner Jr.,
47, of Alpharetta was indicted
on one count of habitual viola¬
tor, three counts of DUI and one
count of open container.
Authorities said Bonner was
stopped while driving on Hwy. 9
at Hwy. 20 with the prescription
drug valium, whiskey and beer.
See Sunday’s Forsyth
County News for the
remainder of the
indictments.
comfortable knowing we have
a full complement of mem¬
bers.