Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3A
Men charged with transporting guns, silencer
JUDGE GRIFFIN DAWSON
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THREE MEN arrested by the
Jefferson Police Department are
facing felony firearm charges for
bringing unregistered weapons
— including a silencer — across
state lines.
David Judge, 35, Zachary
Griffin, 24, and Lawrence
Dawson, 34, all of Greenville,
S.C., were in a speeding 1999
Lincoln Town Car on March 30
when a Jefferson officer stopped
it on Interstate 85.
Judge and Dawson have pre
vious felony convictions in other
states, according to court docu
ments filed in the U.S. District
Court for the Northern District of
Georgia on Thursday. Griffin had
been arrested on a driving charge,
but had no felony convictions.
The three defendants made an
initial court appearance in federal
court in Gainesville on Friday.
They are each charged with
transporting firearms out of state
for distribution.
Judge and Dawson were also
charged with a convicted felon in
possession of a firearm. Griffin
is facing charges of conspiracy,
aiding and abetting, and possessi
on of a non-registered weapon.
The U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
outlined its case against the
three defendants in a criminal
complaint filed with the federal
court.
During the traffic stop on 1-85,
the Jefferson officer asked the
vehicle’s driver, Judge, for his
license. Judge opened a center
console in the vehicle and the
officer could see bullets in a pla
stic bag, according to court docu
ments.
Judge told the officer there
were weapons in the vehicle,
and explained that the three men
were traveling from Greenville
to Atlanta because a cousin had
died of cancer. Judge then said he
had been convicted in the past of
cocaine possession charges.
Judge was taken to the officer’s
patrol vehicle while the other pas
sengers were interviewed. Those
men told a different story about
the reason for their trip to Atlanta,
according to court documents.
Judge allowed the officer to
search his vehicle, and two pistols
and a rifle with a silencer on the
end were found in the trunk.
Passenger Griffin said the guns
belonged to him, but claimed
the silencer was a “suppressor,”
according to court documents.
Griffin initially said he
purchased the suppressed rifle
from a pawnshop, but then said
he bought it from an individual,
according to court documents.
A .22 caliber riffle with an
attached silencer, a .22 cali
ber pistol and a .45 pistol
were turned over to an ATF
special agent that was called to
the scene. The men were arrested
by Jefferson police and booked in
the Jackson County Jail.
Griffin said he received the rifle
with the silencer for free from
a man in Greenville two weeks
ago, and the two pistols from
another man in South Carolina,
according to court documents.
One of the pistols he received in a
swap for another weapon, while
the other pistol was purchased.
Griffin told special agents with
the ATF and Georgia Bureau of
Investigation (GBI) that he need
ed money to pay his rent and
was attempting to “pawn” the
weapons with a man he didn’t
know in Atlanta.
Griffin also said Judge was
also slated to receive a portion
of the sale of the firearms to
pay for his bills, but he believed
that Dawson wouldn’t receive
any money.
Judge said he needed the
money from the sale of the wea
pons to pay for his water bill
and that he couldn’t get enough
money for the guns at a pawn
shop in South Carolina, accor
ding to court documents.
During an interview with spe
cial agents from the ATF and
GBI, Dawson said they were
taking the firearms to Atlanta to
a man named ‘Tiger” or ‘Titan”
that was his former prison mate
in Georgia.
Dawson said he would receive
a 25 percent share of the sale
of one of the weapons, and the
others would be kept for “pro
tection,” according to court docu
ments.
Dawson said his cousin, Judge,
needed the money for his kids, so
he arranged the firearms sale.
Judge had been convicted in
Indiana for cocaine dealing and
possession with intent to distri
bute charges in 1997, along with
a felony weapons offense charge
in Michigan in 1995, according
to court documents.
The ATF also says in court
documents that Judge was arrest
ed in October 1999 for assault
with intent to kill, and pointing
and presenting firearms at a per
son in Greenville.
Dawson has pled or been
found guilty of several felony
burglary and fraud charges in
Michigan dating from 1993 to
2002, according to the criminal
complaint.
He was also arrested by
Atlanta police in 2008 on aggra
vated assault, theft and fleeing
an officer charges. A deposition
says Dawson completed a pri
son sentence on those charges.
A special agent in the ATF’s
firearms technology branch
confirmed that the rifle found
in the suspects’ vehicle had a
silencer attached to it, accor
ding to court documents.
The ATF also said in court
documents that the weapons
found in the vehicle were not
registered with the National
Firearms Act Branch (NFA)
and the suspects didn’t have a
federal license to possess the
weapons, either.
Smith continued from page 1A
Animal Control Division
be given to the Jackson
County Humane Society.
The humane society will
house the animals until they
are adopted. The current
county policy calls for the
animals to be euthanized
if they are not adopted or
claimed by the owners in
five days.
•a request to create a
special tax district for
street lights in Rocky Bluff
Subdivision.
•approve a contract with
the Georgia Department
of Transportation to resur
face 5.1 miles of roadway
on Geiger Road, Harmony
Church Road, Marshall
Clark Road, Old Athens
Drive and Spud Palmer
Road.
•authorize a contract for
an aerial obstruction survey
and power line burial along
Hwy. 82 at the county air
port.
•accept federal funds to
purchase a van and com
puter for the county transit
program. The money is part
of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act
(stimulus funds).
•authorize a proclama
tion declaring May 1 as
Silver Star Banner Day to
recognize wounded and ill
Armed Forces members.
•approving several
change orders for the his
toric courthouse project,
including an additional
$190,000 for exterior reno
vations. The BOC will also
consider a request to extend
the contract with Blue Frog
Construction for an addi
tional 119 days.
•a request to extend the
contract with Cline Service
Corporation to replace
the Lipscomb Lake Road
Bridge for 60 days. The
new completion date will
be April 30.
•sign off on an intergov
ernmental agreement with
the City of Jefferson on the
Martin Luther King Jr. road
improvement project
•award a $9.2 million
contract with E.R. Snell
Contractor, the low bid
der, for the Zion Church
Road project. This project
consists of widening and
realigning 3.6 miles of the
road, as well as improve
ments to intersections along
Hwy. 124, Hwy. 53 and
Zion Church Road.
ACTION TAKEN
The BOC took action on
the following items Monday
night:
•appointing Susan Russell
and Mike Hardy to the Keep
Jackson County Beautiful
Committee.
•proclaiming April as
Child Abuse Prevention
Month in Jackson County.
•appointing Jacque
Wilkes to serve on the his
toric courthouse commit
tee.
The BOC also held a
closed meeting Monday
night to discuss “pending
litigation.” No action was
taken.
Benton: House budget talks snag on Medicaid issue
Bank continued from page JA
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
FACE IT - you knew the
GeorgiaHouseofRepresentatives
and Senate could only work
together in harmony so long.
The cooperation on the FY
2011 budget hit a major snag
last Thursday when the Georgia
Senate backed away from parts
of the budget agreed upon by the
joint appropriations committee,
says Rep. Tommy Benton.
The issue was the 1.45-per
cent “Medicaid provider fee”
designed to bring in $275 mil
lion to leverage federal Medicaid
dollars.
The whole point of the joint
appropriations committee work
on the budget was to streamline
the process and avoid the need
for a conference committee to
reconcile House and Senate ver
sions of the spending plan.
But, the budget is headed
for a conference committee, it
appears.
The House was scheduled to
approve the budget last Thursday,
but it didn’t happen.
“We met Thursday and passed
one bill,” Benton said. “When
we saw what they were doing,
we closed up shop and went
home.”
Benton said the House leader
ship has decided to let the House
vote on its version of the budget
next week when it reconvenes
after the Easter break. The bud
get will go to the Senate and then
to a conference committee to
attempt to iron out a bill that was
supposed to have been a consen
sus bill when it came out of the
joint appropriations committee.
“It certainly did,” said Benton
when asked if the House consid
ered the Senate’s amended pro
vision something of a double-
cross.
The major bone of contention
is a provision of the Senate ver
sion of House Bill 307 - which
provides for collection of the
1.45-percent “Medicaid provider
fee” - that would exempt insur
ance companies from paying
state insurance premium taxes
once Georgia’s reserve fund hits
$500 million. There are also dif
ferences over what documents
will be the basis for determin
ing each hospital’s payment as
well as whether the Department
of Community Health or the
Department of Revenue would
withhold Medicaid payments
should a provider fail to make
the provider payment.
According to Benton, the
Senate amendment broke an
agreement reached by the joint
appropriations committee com
prising members of both houses
of the General Assembly.
“This was one of the things
we agreed to, then all of a sud
den they got cold feet and did
something to it to allow sena
tors who were calling it a tax to
be able to vote for it,” Benton
explained.
Sen. Ralph Hudgens voted for
the amendments - and for the
final Senate version necessitating
settlement of the issue by confer
ence committee, Benton said.
“I hope it’s not a problem,”
Benton added. “That’s what
is going to pull down all the
Medicaid dollars.”
House speaker David Ralston
issued a statement saying that
the Senate went back on its
agreement. Gov. Sonny Perdue
also blasted the Senate.
“After weeks of discussion
with legislative leadership and
reaching consensus among the
Governor’s office. Senate and
House of Representatives, the
House on Friday passed a pro
vider payment agreement with
overwhelming bipartisan sup
port,” the governor said. “The
version passed by the House
would shore up our Medicaid
program and help our safety net
hospitals such as Grady, Atlanta
Medical, Children’s Healthcare.
Savannah Memorial and others.
“Unfortunately, the Senate
today chose to ignore the strong,
bipartisan vote of House mem
bers who represent the same
constituents as Senate members.
Instead, they chose to curry favor
with a Washington, DC, special
interest group - which is funded
by the highest bidder - by attach
ing an amendment that triggers
yet another provision contingent
on the first signs of economic
growth. Georgia has maintained
its coveted AAA bond rating
through these difficult econom
ic times with responsible fiscal
management. The unpredictable
revenue impact of these provi
sions should not be added to a
bill of this magnitude. I believe
this discussion would be more
appropriate for the tax study
committee that is scheduled for
this summer. Senate Democrats
from Metro Atlanta also chose
to join in the political games
and refused to support a bill
that would substantially help
Georgia’s most vulnerable citi
zens in their district.”
According to Benton, Ralston
will declare the changes “non-
germane,” the House will
approve the budget without the
changes and send the budget
back to the Senate.
“If we can’t agree, it’s going
to knock a $275 million hole in
our budget and will not allow us
to draw down Medicaid funds,”
Benton said.
The legislature will reconvene
Monday. It has seven days left
in which to reach an agreement
without calling a special session
of the legislature.
“That’s all we need,” Benton
observed.
/
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City of Jefferson
PUBLIC MEETING
NOTICE
The City of Jefferson will hold a public meeting
regarding plans to expand and improve the water
treatment facility located at 320 Kissam Street.
The City has completed preliminary plans for the
project, and is nearing completion with final plans. The
meeting will be held in the City of Jefferson Civic Center
located at 65 Kissam Street, Jefferson Georgia at 6:00
P.M. on Monday, April 26, 2010.
The City is completing an application for Appalachian
Regional Commission funding proposed for
administration by the USDA-Rural Development.
The City is also contemplating filing an application
with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic
Development Administration. The purpose of the
meeting is to give the public an opportunity to become
acquainted with the project and comment on various
items such as economic and environmental impacts,
service area, alternatives to the project or other issues.
A copy of the above mentioned documents are
available for review at the City of Jefferson City Hall at
147 Athens Street, Jefferson, Georgia, 30549 between the
hours of 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M, Monday through Friday
except for legal holidays.
Persons with special needs concerning language or
handicap impairments should contact City Hall at
706.367.5121.
Jim Joiner, Mayor
City of Jefferson
Loyd said there other peo
ple “with duplicated posi
tions” who are not at those
10 offices and are also being
laid off. Sources say five
of those are in Commerce,
but Loyd could not give a
number of positions being
eliminated.
The other offices being
closed include:
•Cleveland South
•Toccoa Wal-Mart
•Clayton Ingles
•Dillard Piggly Wiggly
•Bethlehem main
•Auburn Ingles
•Spout Springs Kroger
•Oakwood Kroger
“I do know there are 250
positions being kept in north
east Georgia,” Loyd said.
“Customer accounts will be
transferred to the Community
Bank & Trust location closest
to the branch being closed, or
customers can select anoth
er CBT location,” the news
release said. “Additional
information will be provided
to account holders in the next
few weeks.”
Library board to meet
THE JACKSON County
Board of Library Trustees
will meet on Tuesday, April
13, at 2 p.m., at the Jefferson
Public Library.
The library is located at
379 Old Pendergrass Road,
Jefferson.
Also, the Piedmont
Regional Library Board
— which serves Jackson,
Barrow and Banks counties
- will meet on Thursday,
April 15, at 6 p.m., at the
Banks County Public
Library.
The library is located at
226 Hwy. 51 South, Homer.
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
Think About
The Paws
Shannon Sell
With millions of dogs and cats as members of American
families, there's a good chance that you've got pets sharing
the home you're trying to sell. Since not everyone enjoys
the company of animals, there are some measures you
should consider taking before prospective buyers come
over for a showing.
Pet odors are the one of the biggest problems sellers face, and
because pet owners get accustomed to the way their home
smells, they often don't realize any unpleasant odors. Give your
home a thorough cleaning (consider having carpets
professionally cleaned) and be diligent about frequent
vacuuming and emptying of litter boxes. Use a black light to
help you pinpoint the origin of mysterious smells, then use a
neutralizing product to reduce or even eliminate the odor. Have
a trusted friend or neighbor check your home to give you an
objective opinion on its smell.
Whenever possible, take your pet out with you when an agent
brings visitors. This will reduce stress for those prospects that
are allergic or uncomfortable around animals. Put away toys,
bedding, food and water bowls while your home is being
shown.
You can also put prospects more at ease if you offer a cleaning
credit or allowance. Even if you're certain you'll remove all
evidence of your beloved pets before vacating your home, the
buyers may not share your confidence and will be encouraged
by your efforts to ease their fears.
Bottom line - don't let the fact that you share your home with
pets keep you from attracting those buyers that might not be so
animal-friendly.
Shannon Sell is the broker & owner of The Sell Group, j,
LLC, a full-service real estate firm located in i
downtown Hoschton. He can be reached at SeLLGROURi
706-654-5691. www.thesellgrouponline.com
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