Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 132 NO. 26 44 PAGES 5 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Holiday events ahead in
Nicholson, Maysville
page 2A
•Historic courthouse ren
ovations to get under way
page 3A
Op/Ed:
•'List is long of those who
lost in Glenn case'.. page 4A
Sports:
•Jackson County hoopsters
sweep rival East Jackson
page 1B
Features:
•JCCO presents awards
page 1C
•Civil War re-enactors hold
Hurricane Shoals skirmish
page 12 A
Other News:
•School News
pages 8-11B
•Public Safety
pages 8-10A
•Legals
pages 8-16C
•Church News
pages 6-7C
•Obituaries
page 11A
Grand jury do-bills ’ indictments after hearing from former JPD chief
AFTER A two-and-one-half-year
battle to clear his name, former
Jefferson Police Chief Darren Glenn
has been vindicated.
A list of 30 proposed indictments
against Glenn were “no-billed” by a
Jackson County grand jury Tuesday
afternoon. The grand jury's action
ends the longest public investigation
in the county's history and clears
Glenn of allegations of wrongdoing
while serving at Jefferson's police
chief.
“Both Darren Glenn and I, as his
lawyer, are thrilled at the result,”
said attorney Michael Bowers, who
represented Glenn in the matter.
“The justice system really worked
this time. That is how I feel. It's hard
to describe to you how important
yesterday was to the life of Darren
Glenn. It was a very significant day.
“The justice
system really
worked this
time...(Glenn)
was vindicated
yesterday.
That is impor
tant to him.”
— Michael Bowers,
attorney for Darren Glenn
He was vindicated yesterday. That is
important for him.”
Tuesday was the third time
prosecutors from the Prosecuting
Attorney’s Council in Atlanta had
attempted to indict Glenn over the
past 12 months. PAC was appointed
to head an investigation into the
JPD in 2005 after former District
Attorney Tim Madison asked for a
state probe.
Prosecutors had to drop an attempt
to indict Glenn in December 2006
after they had cited a non-existing
state code. In September, prosecutors
did get 30 indictments against Glenn,
but those were thrown out in October
by a superior court judge because
prosecutors had not let Glenn make
a statement to the grand jury.
The main part of the prosecution’s
attempt to indict Glenn was for hav
ing run car tag data in a matter relat
ed to his wife's private investigative
company in 2005.
In September, PAC prosecutors
paraded 12 witnesses before the
grand jury and spent hours present
ing their case in an extraordinary
grand jury hearing.
This week, prosecutors again had
witnesses come back before the same
grand jury and represented their case
with Glenn and his lawyer present.
After the prosecution re-presented
the case, Glenn was allowed to make
a statement and answer questions
from the grand jury.
Glenn said he told the grand jury
that the reason for the car tag data
was for a case in which she had
received threats. He had run the data
and made notes about the threats
and given that to JPD officer Robert
Larocque in case anything happened
to her or himself.
Prosecutors were apparently aware
of the notes about the car tag data,
but had apparently not presented that
to the grand jury.
The grand jury reportedly voted
to “no-bill” the 30 proposed indict
ments after hearing all the witness
es and Glenn’s statement Tuesday,
reversing their September decision
to indict the former chief.
In a related matter, JPD officer
Larocque was forced to resign last
week by current JPD chief Joe
Wirthman over Larocque’s efforts to
help Glenn's defense. Larocque had
earlier been demoted by Wirthman
and told to stay away from the Glenn
case. Larocque had been recorded
in a conversation with a former JPD
officer about information that could
potentially have helped Glenn's
case.
Bowers said Tuesday afternoon
that the notes Larocque kept were a
critical part of Glenn's comments to
the grand jury.
Phone calls to prosecutors about
the case were not returned as of
press time Wednesday.
JEFFERSON ON PARADE
Crowds lined the street in downtown Jefferson Saturday evening as the city held its “Hometown
Christmas” parade. See page 12B for more parade photos. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Neighbors oppose Jefferson rezoning
OPPOSED TO REZONING
Legg Road resident Bill Legg (L) and Rick Beem (R), Raford
Wilson Road, are shown at Monday’s Jefferson City Council
work session making a presentation on the negative impact
a annexation and rezoning request will have on the area.
Gwinnett Industries, Inc. is seeking annexation and rezoning in
the City of Jefferson for approximately 160 acres located in the
area of Legg Road and Hwy. 82 Spur. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Historic Preservation
What to do
with the city
calaboose?
Historic site poses a
quandary for Jefferson
BY SHARON HOGAN
THERE IS STILL no clear answer for
Jefferson leaders about what to do with the
town’s former jail, the old calaboose located
on College Street.
The Jefferson City Council again dis
cussed how to save the old facility at Monday
night’s council meeting. The structure was
offered to the Tumbling Waters Society at
Hurricane Shoals to possibly be added to
their historic village at the county park. But
TWS said the structure does not fit in their
time period and that the organization did not
have the funds to take the structure.
Jefferson City Manager John Ward told
the council one option would be to have
the old building dismantled and stored for
future use. Ward said it would cost less to
move the structure than it would to purchase
the private property where it stands.
Jean Evans, property owner, plans to sell
the property and contacted the city several
months ago about trying to preserve the
old calaboose. The property consists of .55
acres and is currently zoned R-2. There are
also two old houses on this site. Evans said
she has been in contact with someone about
tearing the old houses down. Ward said he
would get with Evans and present the coun
cil with additional information at Monday’s
council meeting.
Council member Steve Kinney ques
tioned Evans about possible buyers for the
property. Kinney asked her to allow the city
the opportunity to do something with the
calaboose if she does get a contract to sell
the site.
Evans said she does not have a contract
today.
“I have had a couple of people inquire
about the property, “ she said, “but no con
tract at this time.”
continued on page 5A
BY SHARON HOGAN
A LARGE GROUP of area proper
ty owners turned out for the Jefferson
City Council meeting Monday night
to oppose the annexation and rezon
ing requests of Gwinnett Industries,
Inc. for approxi
mately 160 acres
in the area of
Legg Road and
Raford Wilson
Road, off the
Hwy. 82 Spur in
Jefferson. The
site consists of
two tracts, 86.44
acres located on Hwy. 82 Spur and
72.27 acres located on Legg Road.
Gwinnett Industries, Inc. is seek
ing to have the property annexed
into the city and rezoned from A-2
in Jackson County to LI in the city
of Jefferson. Pattillo Construction
plans to purchase the property once
the annexation and rezoning have
been approved.
The city council will vote on
the requests when it meets at 6
p.m. Monday at the civic center.
The request was recommended for
denial by the Quad Cities Planning
Commission at a Nov. 20 meeting.
At this week’s city council session,
project developer Rusty McKeller of
Pattillo Construction spoke on the
proposed development. McKeller
said the project would consist of
three buildings and would be a part
of the McClure Industrial Park.
McKeller said Pattillo came to
this area in 1985 and started work
on the Walnut Fork Industrial Park
on John B. Brooks Road north of
downtown Jefferson. They have con
structed two million square feet of
industrial space at that site.
The proposed development would
be a total of 1.3 million square feet
and would generate $1 million in
taxes at buildout, McKeller said.
This project could employ as many
as 1,500 people. McKeller also said
it would take years before the site
was built out.
continued on page 5A
Money matters
County to
end year
in the red
THE JACKSON County govern
ment is expected to end the year
$552,000 in the red, mainly due to
salary hikes for employees.
At Monday nights Jackson County
Board of Commissioner's meeting,
county finance director John Hulsey
reported that while income was run
ning above budget for 2007, expenses
were also over-budget.
The main reasons for the extra
expense is due to a pay hike approved
last summer that was made retroac
tive to Jan. 1 which cost the county
$486,200, and a new salary scale that
was put into place for the last six
months of the year costing an addi
tional $197,300 in salary expenses.
While the county will likely end
the year in the red, Hulsey's report
stated that the county remains in a
strong overall financial condition with
unreserved funds of $5.7 million in the
county general fund.
Jefferson finances
looking strong
Rec dept, over budget
BY TIGHTENING expenses in
most departments, Jefferson looks
to end the year under budget and
without having to borrow operating
cash.
“We made it through November
without having to borrow any
money; the possibility of making
it through the month of December
looks good,” said Jefferson finance
director Amie Vaughn’s in a report to
the Jefferson City Council Monday
night.
The only city department not
within budget is the city recreation
department, which was $20,000
over budget at the end of November.
The recreation department had spent
slightly over $1 million dollars at the
end of last month. It's 2007 budget
was $983,000. It is the town’s third-
largest department behind police
and city administration.
continued on page 5A
■ Also in
Jefferson:
City clerk to
retire after 23
years on job
- see page 5A