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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Sunday, April 28, 2024 FORSYTHNEWS.COM
Man indicted for alleged rape at cemetery
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
A Forsyth County man has
been indicted for the alleged
2023 rape of a woman at a local
cemetery, and later making
threats to kill her.
In April, Matthew Scott
Whelchel, 40, was indicted on
one count each of rape and ter
roristic threats by Forsyth
County Superior Court.
According to the indictment,
days after the alleged rape,
Whelchel “did state in open
court that he would kill said per
son and dump her body in a
dumpster.”
Whelchel was
arrested in
February 2023.
According to a
Forsyth County
Sheriff’s Office
incident report,
the victim said
she was raped
by Whelchel at Sawnee View
Memorial Gardens on Dahlonega
Highway when she went to the
cemetery after receiving a text
from Whelchel “that led her to
believe that he was going to
commit suicide.”
“[The victim] explained that
Scott’s father was murdered in
front of him years ago and that
he had tried to commit suicide
before,” the incident report said.
“[She] said that Scott texted her
that he was going to be with his
dad. [She] said that she knew
Scott’s father was buried at
Sawnee Gardens, and she went
there where she found Scott by
his father’s grave.”
The victim reportedly told
police Whelchel was drunk at the
time of the crime and that he
texted her threatening to kill her
and her family after.
This wasn’t the first time
Whelchel had been arrested in
Forsyth County.
According to Forsyth County
News coverage from the time,
Whelchel was arrested on terror
istic threats and false imprison
ment charges in November 2011
after a six-hour standoff where
police used a “percussion
device” to remove the door from
a Burruss Mill Road home and
Whelchel was subdued with a
Taser. He pleaded guilty and was
sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Online court records show that
Whelchel has faced numerous
charges in Forsyth County dating
back to 2001, including battery
and theft.
According to a June 2011
story by the Gainesville Times, a
sister publication of the FCN,
Whelchel was injured and his
father, Tim Whelchel, was killed
during a shooting in Cleveland.
A friend and roommate of
Whelchel and his father was
arrested and charged in connec
tion with the shooting.
Whelchel is also listed on a sex
offender registry with the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation due to
being convicted of a previous
statutory rape charge in 2003.
He has been held in the
Forsyth County Jail since
February 2023.
Whelchel
A peachy season
Photos by Scott Rogers FCN Regional Staff
Drew Echols inspects the peach crop Friday, April 26, in one of Jaemor Farms peach orchards.
Jaemor Farms expects promising crop after ’23 losses
Crews at Jaemor Farms prune trees in a peach orchard Friday, April 26, in prepara
tion for next year’s crop. This year’s crop of peaches is expected to be excellent.
Peach trees at Jaemor Farms are heavy with fruit as this
year’s crop is expected to be excellent.
By Denise Etheridge
FCN Regional Staff
Last year was a grim one
for peach farmers.
A freeze in late March
led to one of the most
severe peach shortages in
the state since 2007.
This year the harvest
will be better. A lot better.
“I am pretty excited
about the peach crop,” said
Drew Echols, co-owner of
Jaemor Farms in Lula.
“The state of Georgia is
sitting on an 85% or better
crop.”
Robert Dickey of
Dickey Farms in middle
Georgia said this year’s
crop is expected to be the
most promising he’s seen
in 5-6 years.
Last year Georgia suf
fered a 90% peach crop
loss, translating into a $60
million loss for the state’s
peach industry, according
to a recent College of
Agricultural &
Environmental Sciences
story posted by the
University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension.
The Cooperative
Extension’s website listed
the grower’s price for
fresh peaches per pound at
90 cents in June 2022, a
better than average crop
year. In June 2023, when
the crop was considered a
dismal one, the agricultur
al price increased by 42%
to $1.28 per pound.
Echols explained that
peaches begin blooming in
mid-March and are ready
for harvest at the end of
May and can be picked
until mid-September.
“Right now, they’re
about the size of little
green quarters,” Echols
told The Gainesville
Times on Wednesday.
“We’ve had excellent
weather all through this
spring,” he said. “We’ve
just had a few nerve-rack
ing instances of colder
temperatures. It’s not been
too hot yet, which is good.
Our 10-day forecast looks
great too.”
Echols said he and other
growers hope that the
dryer, warmer weather
sticks around until the end
of May.
Garrett Hibbs, Hall
County’s extension agent,
said this year’s crop had
the right amount of consis
tently cool weather of
under 45 degrees from
October through February.
Echols said Jaemor
Farms only sells other
people’s peaches when
they’re short, which is not
the case this year. Their
peach orchard spans 150
acres, he said.
“It takes 3-4 years for a
peach tree to produce,”
Echols said. He added that
more than 20,000 hours of
See Peaches 16A
Vickery Creek
Elem. names
new principal
By Sabrina Kerns
skerns@forsythnews.com
Forsyth County Schools announced
Wednesday, April 24, that a new principal will
be taking over at Vickery Creek Elementary
School this summer.
The announcement states
that the Forsyth County Board
of Education was informed last
week that current principal
Kristan Riedinger will be
resigning from her role at the
school effective May 31, to
pursue a position with
FranklinCovey, a company that
provides leadership and busi
ness coaching.
Riedinger first joined
Forsyth County Schools in
2003 and has served in admin
istrative roles at Midway
Elementary, Silver City
Elementary and Vickery Creek.
She has been principal at VCE
since 2012.
“We cannot thank Ms. Riedinger enough for
her amazing leadership, positive energy, and
commitment to the students, staff, and commu
nity of Forsyth County Schools and wish her all
the best in her next adventure,” the announce
ment states.
See Vickery 12A
Advance voting
begins Monday for
primary election
By Daniel Dotson
danieldotson@forsythnews.com
Advance voting for the 2024 General Primary
election will begin Monday, April 29.
Forsyth County voters will select a
Republican, Democratic or Nonpartisan ballot
to vote for primary candidates and nonpartisan
candidates for state and local offices including
state House and Senate, Forsyth County
Commission and Forsyth County Board of
Education.
Advance voting will take place over the
course of three weeks.
From Monday, April 29, to Sunday, May 5,
advance voting will be held at the Forsyth
County Elections Office, located at 1201
Sawnee Drive.
From Monday, May 6, to Saturday, May 11,
advance voting will be held at all following
locations:
• Forsyth County Elections Office, 1201
Sawnee Drive
• Hampton Park Library, 5345 Settingdown
Road
• Midway Park Community Building, 5100
Post Road
• Sharon Springs Park Community Building,
1950 Sharon Road
From Monday, May 13, to Friday, May 17,
advance voting will be held at all following
locations:
• Forsyth County Elections Office, 1201
Sawnee Drive
See Voting 12A
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