Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
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H Wednesday, September 28, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 137 NO. 16 48 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside
Area news:
‘Whistleblowers’ file Superior Court lawsuit
• Maysville Autumn
Leaf Festival this week
end page 2A
•Meet the candidates
for Jefferson
page 3A
Op/Ed:
•'Par 2: Contracts
and courts shape local
school structures'
page 4 A
Sports:
•North Oconee, JHS
meet Fri. in one of big
gest games of season
page 1B
Features:
•Commerce man
meets his transplant
donor page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 12-24C
•Church News
page 9A
•Obituaries
pages 8-9B
•School News
pages 10-12 B
O -S
Former city employees file against Pendergrass officials
MORE THAN two years after being
fired, two former Pendergrass employees
are still trying to get justice for what they
allege was wrongful termination.
Former city clerk Katherine Rintoul and
former police officer Bill Gamer initially
filed a federal lawsuit in 2009, after they
lost their jobs in what they called uncon
stitutional retaliation by Pendergrass offi
cials. They lost their federal lawsuit but
their attorney, Nancy Val Preda, filed a
lawsuit in Superior Court Friday.
Val Preda said one of the biggest differ
ence this time around is that the law deals
with “RICO” or corruption in govern
ment issues.
“It is a RICO under Georgia law,” she
said. “RICO was not included in the fed
eral action. The corruption in Pendergrass
government is rampant. Georgia has a
much broader RICO statute and the fed
eral statute is more narrow. Georgia is
one of the first states to adopt a RICO
statute.”
Another difference this time is that the
federal lawsuit dealt strictly with constitu
tional rights, Val Preda said.
“This one does not,” she added. “This
one is that they terminated Katherine
for her bringing forth the mis-doings.
They discharged Bill Gamer for the same
things. The federal court did not go into
the state issues. The court did recognize
some malfeasance had occurred. The way
the laws have changed in regard to federal
whistleblowing, the courts hands were
tied.”
In the federal lawsuit, Judge William
O’Kelley ruled that while the whistle
blowers claimed that city officials com
mitted criminal acts, the former employ
ees didn’t prove the acts were part of a
criminal conspiracy.
The Superior Court lawsuit filed last
week is against: Mayor Monk Tolbert,
council members Hilda Gee. Judy Stowe,
John Pethel and Thomas Marlowe, city
administrator Rob Russell and police
officers Mark Abruzzino and Rebecca
Davis.
Among the allegations cited in the law
suit are misuse of city credit cards, allow
ing an unlicensed person to drive in a city
vehicle and misuse of city equipment.
TOURING THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE
The Jackson County Historic Courthouse Restoration Committee offered tours to the
public on Saturday of the old courthouse, which was built in 1879. Here, two people from
a tour group look out a door that overlooks downtown Jefferson. See the story and more
photos on page 12A. Photo by Kerri Teste merit
Is HCSO K-9 deputy out-of-control?
Braselton man’s lawsuit
says officer too aggressive
Court
testimonies
on page 10A
BY ERIN ROSSITER
IS A HALL COUNTY Sheriff’s Office deputy using
too much force during minor arrests?
That is the issue at the core of a Braselton business
man’s lawsuit against Hall County, its sheriff and K-9
handler Deputy Kevin Snyder.
Braselton real estate
developer Hanif “Sonny”
Roshan claims in his Hall
County lawsuit that he was
a victim of Snyder’s aggres
sive actions. He further
claims that Sheriff Steve Cronic and Hall County con
done the deputy’s actions as a law enforcement tactic.
And Roshan isn’t alone in his accusations against
Deputy Snyder.
Court documents connected to Roshan’s case and
others name 28 people whose arrests between May,
2007 and August, 2009 involved Deputy Snyder and
his police dog. A number of those arrested suffered seri
ous and disfiguring bites from the officer’s dog.
Furthermore, many of those arrested by Deputy
Snyder were for misdemeanors, or their charges were
later reduced in court to misdemeanors.
In some of the cases, prosecutors, defense and civil
attorneys referenced evidence gaps that relate to the
continued on page 10A
FILES LAWSUIT
Braselton businessman Sonny Roshan
sits outside his Benefield Road home in
Hall County, where he claims a Hall County
Sheriff’s Office deputy violated his “most
basic rights.”
Confederate statue
unveiling ahead Sat.
AN UNVEILING of the life-sized bronze soldier to
top the Civil War monument on the Jefferson square will
be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 94, Jefferson,
will hold an hour-long program with speakers, a laying
of a wreath, color guards, re-enactors, period music and
the unveiling of the statue. The SCV camp has been
working for three years on the statue, from concept to
reality.
In 1911, a monument with a marble statue was
erected in Jefferson and was accidentally destroyed after
only 29 years. Now, 100 years later, the statue will be
standing on the square again, with the overall monument
measuring nearly 16 feet tall.
Following the ceremony, attendees are welcome to
refreshments and fellowship at Curry Creek Park, camp
members said.
continued on page 11A
JPD calls for help
in melee early Sun.
Crowd fighting in Jefferson
restaurant parking lot
A JEFFERSON police officer had to call for backup
from other police departments early Sunday morning
after he was surrounded by a group of fighting males in
the parking lot of a restaurant.
The officer was on foot in the parking lot of Harry and
Femando’s restaurant, the old “Bruce’s” on Hwy. 129
in Jefferson, when he was surrounded by 60 or more
people with several men fighting.
The officer attempted to break up the fight and ended
up “in the middle of these males fighting with me and
each other.” He unholstered his service weapon and
yelled for the crowd to clear the space around him.
Another officer from Jefferson was called to the
scene and reported 250 people being in the parking lot.
Back-up officers from Commerce and Braselton police
departments and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office were
also called to help control the crowd. It took officers 20
minutes to clear the scene.
After the fight was cleared, officers were called to
Scad Oaks Apartments in reference to men. possibly the
same ones from the business, fighting. When officers
arrived at the apartment, many of the men ran from
the scene. The property owner also arrived and assisted
police in asking residents of the apartments to go inside
their homes and others to leave the property.
No one was arrested in either incident, and no injuries
were reported.
County manager to
be named Fri. by BOC
A COUNTY manager for Jackson County is expected
to be named on Friday. Sources indicate that the job
will be offered to Kevin Poe, county manager of Floyd
County.
The board of commissioners will have a called meeting
at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the courthouse to approve a budget,
as well as vote on a county manager.
The top three candidates for the position were named
two weeks ago. They were: Poe; Bob Thomas, county
government administrator for Elbert County; and Roy
Eckert, city manager of Powder Springs.
Register to vote by Oct. 11
THE LAST day to register to vote in the Nov.
8 general election is Tuesday, October 11.
This deadline also applies to change of address
and name changes.