Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 132 NO. 35 46 PAGES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
Madison plea
hearing set
for March 4
A PLEA hearing has been set for
March 4 in Banks County in the
case of former District Attorney
Tim Madison, who was indicted in
August on theft charges. Madison
and two others, his wife Linn Jones
and former ADA Anthony Brett
Williams, were charged on allega
tions of diverting public funds while
the three worked in the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit DA’s office.
All three plead not guilty to the
charges in December, but March’s
hearing could see a change in those
pleas. A pretrial conference was
scheduled late last week between
state prosecutors and the defen
dants.
DeKalb County Judge Robert
Mallis is hearing the case. All three
judges in the Piedmont Circuit
recused themselves from the case.
Madison resigned last June as
district attorney following a series
of investigative newspaper articles
published in The Jackson Herald.
Georgia Attorney General Thurbert
Baker subsequently launched an
investigation into the DA’s office.
That probe led to the theft indict
ments in Banks County last
August.
— Inside —
Sports:
•Jefferson secures No. 2
seed in sub-region
page 1B
Features:
•1941 girls' club makes
tree donation to Jefferson
page 1C
O §
Q -S
Voters nix bonds and booze
Clinton, Huckabee carry party primaries
Presidential Results
Jackson County
Republican
Ballot
Democratic Ballot
Name
# of Votes
Name
# of Votes
Huckabee
3,652
Clinton
1,987
McCain
2,585
Obama
1,493
Romney
2,368
Edwards
137
Paul
221
Kucinich
10
Giuliani
72
Richardson
10
Thompson
35
Gravel
8
Keyes
16
Biden
7
Hunter
6
Dodd
6
Tancredo
2
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
JACKSON COUNTY voters shot down
proposals Tuesday to allow Sunday pouring
of alcohol in unincorporated areas and to
expand the county’s recreation facilities.
The alcohol referendum failed by a 56-44
percent margin while the recreation bond
referendum failed by a 51-49 percent dif
ference.
Jackson County voters also favored Mike
Huckabee on the Republican presidential
primary ballot with the candidate getting 41
percent of the vote. On the Democratic bal
lot, Hillary Clinton was the leader with 54
percent of the vote.
Nearly 50 percent of registered voters in
the county turned out for the election with
12,674 ballots cast.
CONTROVERSIAL VOTE
The most controversial part of Jackson
County’s balloting revolved around the pro
posal to allow the Sunday pouring of alco
hol in unincorporated areas of the county. A
number of churches organized against the
vote and the measure was believed by many
to be the cause of the large turnout.
The defeat of the measure, however, will
have little short-term impact. There are no
restaurants in unincorporated areas of the
county currently serving alcohol, other than
two golf course restaurants. Both of those
are allowed to serve alcohol on Sundays
under a state license.
Most restaurants serving alcohol in
Jackson County are located inside of towns
limits and will not be affected by Tuesday’s
vote. Each town sets its own rules for
alcohol sales. Several local towns already
allow Sunday pouring of beer and wine in
restaurants.
County officials said they put the measure
on the ballot so that future development
projects would not have to annex into a city
to get a Sunday pouring license.
RECREATION BOND DEFEAT
On a $15 million bond referendum to
expand the county’s recreation facilities,
6,311 votes were cast in opposition to the
proposal, while 6,056 votes were cast in
favor. The bonds would have funded a new
recreation center at Lamar Murphy Park
that would have included two gymnasiums,
an indoor pool, racquetball courts, multi
purpose rooms, meeting rooms and office
space.
The bond would also have provided funds
to buy 340 acres for recreation projects
throughout the county and expand some
facilities at Lamar Murphy Park and West
Jackson Park.
Polls stay busy
HELPING VOTERS
Poll workers Sue Swinson, Clara Hemphill, Sandra Venable and Marilyn Kehoe assist voters at the
South Jefferson voting precinct during Tuesday’s presidential primary election.
Photo by Kerri Testement
Criswell pleads guilty in JCCHS bomb case
Students face weapon, drug charges
TWO JUVENILES were arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office last week on charges related to their schools.
An 11-year-old boy was charged with carrying a weapon in
school. This arrest came after he allegedly took a 10-inch “buck”
knife to Kings Bridge Middle School.
In another arrest, a 15-year-old boy was charged with possession
of marijuana and possession of marijuana in a school zone at East
Jackson Comprehensive High School. He was charged after he
allegedly climbed into the ceiling at the school while a search was
being conducted. Suspected marijuana was found in a container in
his book bag, according to reports.
BY ANGELA GARY
ANDREW THOMAS Criswell,
16, pled guilty Friday in Jackson
County Superior Court to charges
stemming from a bomb incident at
Jackson County Comprehensive
High School on April 11, 2007.
Criswell will be sentenced at 9
a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, before
Superior Court Judge Joe Booth.
The teenager, who was charged
as an adult, could face three to 45
years in prison.
Criswell pled guilty to posses
sion of a destructive device, false
imprisonment and three counts of
terroristic threats.
District attorney Rick
Bridgeman said Friday that sev
eral witnesses will testify on Feb.
14 before the sentencing. He
declined to comment on the case
until after the sentencing.
Criswell, who had a live bomb
strapped to his body, surrendered
to authorities at JCCHS after a
tense two-hour standoff. He was
taken into custody after meet
ing face-to-face with several law
enforcement officials.
After his surrender, authori
ties used a bomb squad robot
to remove the explosive device
and detonate it outside the school
building. Bomb dogs were also
brought into the school to clear it
for any other possible devices.
School officials immediately
evacuated the school when the
incident began, with some stu
dents routed across the parking
area to the agriculture barn on the
north side of the campus and oth
ers sent to the auditorium on the
south side.
Johnson to seek
BOC chairman seat
REPUBLICAN Ron Johnson has
announced his candidacy for chair
of the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners.
Johnson, a Republication since
1970, said he is running on a plat
form centered on “fiscal responsi
bility using zero-based budgeting
to eliminate the fat in the county
budget while emphasizing the need
to be more responsive to the taxpay
ers and business owners.”
The current property tax and mill-
age rate concerns Johnson.
“We have to freeze and lower
taxes where and when we can,” he
said. “We
are taxing
our senior
citizens
and young
adults out of
the county.
As our tax
base grows
with the
growth of JOHNSON
the county,
so will rev
enues increase from this growth.”
continued on page 3A
Smith announces bid for DA post
FORMER assis
tant district attor
ney Brad Smith has
announced his inten
tion to seek the seat
of District Attorney for
the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit in July’s elec
tions. The position is
currently held by Rick
Bridgeman, who was
appointed to the post
following the resigna
tion of former DA Tim Madison
last summer.
“This July’s primary presents a
significant opportunity for the peo
ple of the Piedmont Circuit,” Smith
said. “It will be the first time in
over 20 years they have
had a choice for dis
trict attorney. I believe I
present the best choice.
Now more than ever the
DA’s office needs expe
rienced leadership — in
both words and acts —
in addressing the chal
lenges of our criminal
justice system.”
Smith is a gradu
ate of The Citadel and
University of Virginia and began his
legal career in the Piedmont Circuit
in 1997. While serving as ADA, he
was put in charge of the Jackson
County office. Smith resigned the
continued on page 3A
SMITH
Pendergrass OK’s annexation
THE PENDERGRASS City
Council recently approved the
annexation of a 40-acre tract of land
into the city. The request was made
by Hamilton Homes, LLC.
The property backs up to the
“Kinney property” next to a spray
field. Administrator Rob Russell
said that the applicant was not seek
ing a zoning change on the property.
He had said at a previous meeting
that they had no plans for the prop
erty.
The council also voted unani
mously to approve an ordinance
appointing the Jackson County
Public Development GIS depart
ment as the official provider of map
ping services for the city.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Tuesday
night’s meeting:
• the council held the first reading
on a street name change ordinance
that would change the name of Old
Gainesville Highway to Glenn Abby
Lane, and Wayne Poultry Road to
Village Parkway. The changes
would only affect the roadways
inside the city limits.
• the council heard a report from
the Pendergrass Public Library
that 288 patrons used the facility
in January. Eighty-eight patrons
used the facility’s computers. The
council also learned that the library
would be hosting a work session on
beginning a “Friends of the Library”
group on February 9 at 2:30 p.m.
• the council was advised as to a
public hearing scheduled for their
February meeting on the relocation
of a small family cemetery located
inside the city limits.