Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011
Man said motorist fires gun at a local Jefferson business
A man said that he and sev
eral friends were in the park
ing lot of a Hwy. 129 business
when a man fired a gun after
they told him to slow down.
The victim told an offi
cer with the Jefferson Police
Department that a truck was
driving recklessly in the park
ing lot and he yelled “chill out
and slow down.” He said the
driver then yelled an obscen
ity at him and held his hand
outside the window and fired
a gun in the air.
A truck fitting the descrip
tion of the one involved in
the incident was stopped
by Commerce police and a
Jackson County deputy. The
driver of the truck denied
shooting a gun and said it was
a firecracker. No firecrackers
were found in the truck but
a gun was. The driver of the
truck was charged with dis
charging a gun or pistol near
a highway or street.
OTHER INCIDENTS
Other incidents reported last
week to the police department
include the following:
•an Athens Street man went
by the police department
and reported that a former
neighbor is harassing him. He
said the man is driving by his
house yelling obscenities out
the window and throwing gar
bage in his yard.
•a Washington Street woman
found her ex-husband, who
had been staying with her,
dead in the laundry room. His
body was sent to the crime lab
but the autopsy did not reveal
the cause of death. Results
of the toxicology report will
not be available for several
months.
•domestic dispute between
a couple at a Michelle Drive
residence. A man said his
neighbor came to his house
and asked him to protect her
from her boyfriend. The offi
cer went to the residence and
the man and woman said it
was a verbal dispute and not
physical. The woman left the
residence with her brother.
•a woman said she was eat
ing at a Hwy. 129 business
when someone damaged her
vehicle in the parking lot. She
saw a truck that may have
damaged her vehicle going
through the parking lot and
she got a partial tag number
off of it.
•a Winder man said a woman
he knows took his truck from
a Washington Street business
without permission.
•a Peachtree Road woman
said she and her husband
allowed a family to stay in
their home because they were
having a hard time. She said
the man became verbally abu
sive and she wants the family
to leave her home.
•verbal dispute between a
woman and her father at a
Lawrenceville Street location.
•a Washington Street
woman said a woman who
has been harassing her drove
by her residence and shouted
obscenities out the window.
•a school official reported
that a fourth grader had missed
16 days so far this year, with
nine being unexcused. School
officials tried several times to
get in touch with the woman
but were unable to do so.
A certified letter was sent to
her home but she refused to
accept it.
•a Bailey Farms Road man
said he loaned a car to a man
who did not return it when he
was supposed to.
•domestic dispute between
a couple at a Hwy. 129 North
residence. The woman said
the man punched her in the
face in front of children.
•simple battery at
McDonald's Restaurant,
Highway 129, Jefferson. The
female complainant stat
ed she was headed to work
in Braselton and she met a
male in the parking lot at
McDonald's to get some
money that was owed to her
father. The complainant stat
ed as she was talking to the
man, he reached into her car,
grabbed her head in his hands
and kissed her on the lips.
The complainant stated she
pushed him away and told
him that she just wanted to
go to work. The complainant
stated that since this incident
the male has been sending
her explicit text messages and
calling her. The complainant
stated she had never had a
sexual relationship with the
man, that is was only a casual
relationship. The complain
ant stated she knew the man
through her father and her
work. The complainant stated
the man is a friend of her
father's and a former police
officer. The complainant stat
ed she is a friendly person
and she always gives people
hugs when she sees them. The
complainant stated that she
did have phone conversations
with the man, unknown to her
husband, over a few weeks
period and that the man stated
he “fell in love with her and
told her ‘girl what have you
done to me?”' The complain
ant stated that after the kiss
ing incident she became con
cerned and decided to tell her
husband and her father. The
complainant stated she was
concerned that the man might
show up at her job and cause
trouble with her husband. The
complainant stated she want
ed to file a restraining order
against the man.
•information at a Pine Street,
Jefferson, residence. The
responding officer reported
the complainant stated her
soon-to-be ex-husband came
to see her to see if they could
work on their marriage. The
complainant said he became
highly intoxicated and violent
and there was a brief scuffle
in the bedroom when she tried
to leave the room. The com
plainant stated he stood in the
doorway and prevented her
from leaving. The complain
ant stated after a few minutes
he let her leave, she got her
car keys and went outside to
go to her car to leave until he
could leave or calm down. The
complainant stated she heard
him running after her when
she got almost to her car and
she started running to her car.
The complainant stated she got
in the car and attempted to
close the door, but he stopped
her from doing so and he then
reached into the car and took
her keys out and took off run
ning through the apartment
complex. The officer report
ed the area was checked, but
the man was not located. The
complainant was able to get
another set of keys to her car
and she left the residence for
the weekend to stay with her
family, the officer reported.
•battery at an Athens Street,
Jefferson, residence. A female
complainant reported she
was attacked by a man and
woman she used to rent a
house from.
•miscellaneous at a Curry
Drive, Jefferson, residence.
A male complainant and his
girlfriend both stated the
male's ex-girlfriend broke into
their home and stole a pair of
shoes, some clothes and $300
in cash. The male complain
ant stated the reason he didn't
call 9-1-1 was he was giving
the ex-girlfriend a chance to
return the items. The male’s
girlfriend also stated the ex
girlfriend keyed her vehicle
that was parked in the drive
way. Both of the complainants
stated they had voice mes
sages from the ex-girlfriend
stating she took the shoes,
clothes and money, but she
didn't have them with her.
•loitering at Woodbine
Cemetery, Oak Street,
Jefferson. The complainant
advised the responding officer
that a white truck drove into
the cemetery and cut off its
lights. The officer reported
he drove through the cem
etery and located the white
truck with two males standing
on the passenger side of the
truck.
•unauthorized use of a
financial transaction card at
a Memorial Drive, Jefferson,
location. A female complain
ant reported her bank notified
her about a $385 charge to
her account at a business in
Pennsylvania that she did not
authorize.
•information in the parking
lot at a Pine Street, Jefferson,
residence. The female com
plainant reported that she had
been at her boyfriend’s house
on Jefferson Boulevard and
they began arguing because
she wanted to go home. The
complainant stated while
her boyfriend was taking her
home he drove very erratic
and when he pulled into the
parking lot on Pine Street he
drove recklessly, causing the
complainant to snap her neck.
The complainant stated once
she was out of the vehicle she
got her mother to take her to
an Athens hospital where a
CAT scan was performed and
she was instructed to follow
up with an orthopedic doctor
for nerve damage. The com
plainant stated she wanted
the report filed for possible
civil damages and to have
her boyfriend charged with
criminal trespass should he
decide to return.
•dispute at a Park Drive,
Jefferson, residence.
•affray at Quik Trip,
Highway 129, Jefferson.
•child custody dispute at a
Georgia Belle Drive, Jefferson,
residence. The complain
ant reported her boyfriend’s
daughter was dropped off at
her residence by the daugh
ter’s mother and was to be
picked up three days later, but
the mother had not returned
and attempts to contact her
had been unsuccessful.
•failure to appear for trial or
court appearance at a Galilee
Church Road, Jefferson, resi
dence.
•theft by taking at a
Glenfield Drive, Jefferson,
residence. The complainant
reported that sometime within
the past two weeks the bot
tom section of one of the rear
bedroom windows on his resi
dence had been stolen.
•information at a Sumner
Way, Jefferson, residence. The
complainant reported that her
step-mother has been com
ing to Bentley Assisted Living
where her father lives and has
been harassing him.
•forgery at a Reed Creek
Point, Hartwell, residence.
The complainant reported her
ex-husband had forged her
signature on an alarm com
pany contract.
•criminal trespass at a Dixie
Red Avenue, Jefferson, resi
dence.
•damage to property at
Kroger, Old Pendergrass
Road, Jefferson. The com
plainant reported that his
vehicle was damaged while
parked in the parking lot at
Kroger.
•burglary at a Winder
Highway, Jefferson residence.
The complainant reported
the back door window of his
residence was shattered and
when he entered the residence,
he noticed the cabinets were
opened. The complainant stat
ed he also noticed things that
were out on counter tops and
all over the floor. The com
plainant stated he didn’t notice
anything that was missing.
•information at Woodbine
Cemetery, Oak Street,
Jefferson. The responding
officer reported the door to
a shed was open. The officer
reported it appeared the door
had been pried open. The offi
cer reported he attempted to
contact the owner of the prop
erty, but wasn’t able to make
contact. The officer reported
he closed the door and made
sure it was locked before he
left the area.
•pointing or aiming a gun or
pistol at another on Interstate
85 south bound at mile marker
137, Jefferson.
Woman found not guilty in overdose death of teenager
14-YEAR-OLD DIED
IN HOSCHTON
HOUSE IN 2008
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
AND ANGELA GARY
A woman accused of giv
ing prescription drugs to a
14-year-old girl in Hoschton
— who later died — was
found not guilty by a jury on
four of the five counts tied to
the 2008 overdose death. A
judge will make a decision on
the fifth count.
Donna McDonald pled not
guilty to the charges of invol
untary manslaughter and four
counts of contributing to the
delinquency of a minor in
the December 2008 death of
Brittane Brown, who was a
student at Jackson County
Comprehensive High School.
Following a three-day trial
last week, a Jackson County
Superior Court jury found
McDonald not guilty on four
of the five counts — but was
deadlocked on a fifth count.
That count was one of the four
charging McDonald with con
tributing to the delinquency of
a minor.
Superior Court Judge Joe
Booth said Friday that he plans
to review evidence in the case
before making a decision on
whether to acquit McDonald
or declare a mistrial on that
charge.
McDonald didn't testify in
her trial and the defense didn’t
present any witnesses on her
behalf.
Brown was spending the
night at McDonald’s residence
in Hoschton when she took a
lethal amount of oxycodone
and alprazolam — the active
ingredient of Xanax, which is
used to treat anxiety and panic
disorders, according to court
testimony. Oxycodone is used
to treat pain.
Both drugs require physi
cian orders and McDonald
had prescriptions for the med
ications.
Lora Darrisaw, a medical
examiner for the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation, testi
fied that it was her opinion
that Brown accidently died
because of the toxic effects
of oxycodone and alprazo
lam and there were no signs
of trauma on the teenager’s
body.
However, Darrisaw couldn’t
pinpoint how much of the con
trolled substances that Brown
consumed or when she may
have taken the drugs. A foren
sic toxicologist with the GBI
also said the dosage couldn't
be determined because bodies
metabolize drugs differently,
thus making the results unre
liable.
McDonald had moved into
the Hoschton residence in
October 2008 to live with her
ex-husband, Mark Ingram,
and their teenage son, Paul
Ingram, according to court tes
timony. McDonald and Mark
Ingram divorced in 1997.
Paul Ingram, now 17, was
dating Brown when his moth
er, McDonald, moved into
the two-bedroom house on
White Street. Brown typically
visited the house during the
week after school and spent
the night on weekends after
McDonald started living at
the residence, Mark Ingram
testified.
Brown would sleep in Paul
Ingram’s bedroom on the
weekends with McDonald in
the room, according to Mark
Ingram. Paul Ingram slept in
another bedroom, while Mark
Ingram said he slept on a liv
ing room couch in the small
house.
But on Christmas morning
— Dec. 25, 2008 — Brown
started sending text messages
to McDonald and Paul Ingram
to make arrangements for her
to spend that night at their
house, according to court tes
timony. She also started send
ing text messages to a teenage
neighbor, James Evans, who
Brown possibly had a roman
tic connection.
In her text messages to
Evans, Brown said she was
“begging” him for drugs after
going for months asking oth
ers for pills without success.
She told Evans in those text
messages that it would be the
“last” time she asked him for
the favor.
McDonald’s public defend
er, Barry King, said Brown
knew his client had prescrip
tion pills in a drawer in the
same bedroom they shared on
the weekends, but Brown was
asking the teenage neighbor
for drugs that evening.
“If she was getting anything
from Donna McDonald, she
wouldn’t need James,” King
said during closing statements.
Evans testified that he gave
Brown three pills that evening
— Christmas night — but
the drugs were aspirin and
medication used to treat acid
reflux. King questioned if
Brown, who spoke of previous
drug use in her text messages,
could have been fooled by
that move. A medical exam
iner testified that those drugs
didn’t show in test results of
Brown's body.
King explained that Brown
wanted to visit the Ingrams
and McDonald to get drugs
from the neighbor, Evans.
The public defender also
said the state's case against
McDonald was largely cir
cumstantial with no confir-
mational evidence that his cli
ent gave Brown or her son,
Paul Ingram, drugs that led to
Brown's death.
“She never gave anyone
access to her medications,”
King said.
However, an assistant dis
trict attorney offered a dif
ferent explanation to the jury
on how McDonald allegedly
provided drugs to Brown and
her son, Paul.
Candace Slezak, on behalf
of the state, said McDonald
provided her pills to Paul
Ingram and Brown to make
them happy during an unusual
living arrangement. There was
also a lack of parenting in the
household, and McDonald's
desire to be friends with Brown
and the “favorite” parent while
living with her son and ex-
husband, Slezak explained.
The day after Christmas
— Dec. 26, 2008 — Brown,
Evans and Paul Ingram had
an argument that led to Paul
Ingram to attempt to run away.
A few minutes after he left the
residence with a garbage bag
of his clothes, his father, Mark
Ingram, found him at West
Jackson Primary School and
Paul returned to the Hoschton
residence.
Mark Ingram testified that
he didn’t see Brown or his son
take any pills or drink alcohol
during her stay at the resi
dence. The father also said he
didn’t suspect that the teenag
ers were under the influence
of any drugs or alcohol.
But, Paul Ingram testified
that Brown showed him at
least 11 pills of one medica
tion and four of another that
Brown said she got from the
neighbor, Evans, on Dec. 25.
“We took them. We split
them up,” Paul Ingram testi
fied.
Paul Ingram said he and
Brown drank beer on Dec.
26, but didn’t take any other
drugs. He said his mother
didn’t give him pills to calm
him down after the argument
and he didn’t see McDonald
giving Brown drugs, either.
Another witness, Meghan
Klass, testified that Paul
Ingram told her in a phone
call that his mother provided
three pills that Brown took
and he put two others into an
alcohol drink in an attempt to
have sex with Brown.
But an audio recording of
Klass speaking with investi
gators shortly after Brown's
death doesn't mention the two
pills in a drink for an attempt
ed sexual assault.
Testimony from the wit
nesses varied on how many
pills Brown may have taken,
and McDonald’s defense
attorney raised doubts about
the truth of some of the wit
nesses' testimony on the stand
and their previous statements
to investigators.
DAY OF CHOAS
On the morning of Dec. 27,
2008, Mark Ingram said he
woke up around 6:30 or 7 a.m.
to make coffee and walk his
dogs. He also believed that he
saw Brown walking to a bath
room that morning, although
he didn’t speak to her. The
prosecutor, Slezak, said it's
doubtful that it was Brown he
saw that morning.
The previous day, Brown
had asked her mother to stay
a second night at the resi
dence. Her mother initially
opposed it, but the mother and
daughter had an argument in a
series of text messages about
the arrangement and Brown
ended up staying again at the
Hoschton house.
It was sometime later on
Dec. 27 that Paul Ingram
asked his father to check on
Brown, who had slept in the
same bed as McDonald.
“He said, ‘Dad, there's
something wrong with
Brittane,”' Mark Ingram testi
fied on Thursday.
When McDonald touched
Brown, she was cold and stiff
to the touch, according to court
testimony. Mark Ingram called
911. In a recording played to the
jury, an emergency dispatcher
tells him to put Brown on the
floor and attempt CPR. Mark
Ingram gets emotional during
the call and the dispatcher tries
to calm him down after he fails
to revive the teenager.
Mark Ingram testified that
there was a lot of confusion
at the house while he tried to
call 911 and tell emergency
dispatchers how to get to the
Hoschton residence. He also
said his son, Paul, was cry
ing and screaming during the
incident.
“He didn’t know what to
think,” Mark Ingram said of
his son.
When a Braselton officer,
the first officer to respond,
arrived at the residence, he
said he saw the neighbor,
Evans, running away.
At some point, Mark Ingram
said he knew his house would
be ransacked by police so he
took some marijuana pipes
that were in storage in a box
and placed them in his pocket.
He was later arrested for those
items, but those charges were
dropped, Ingram explained.
A Braselton officer took
Paul Ingram to a hospital,
where he was tested for drugs
in his system.
Former Hoschton police
chief Jeremy Howell — now
an agent for the GBI — tes
tified about an extensive
number of text messages that
Brown sent to McDonald,
Paul Ingram, Evans and her
mother in the days prior to
her death.
Brown’s last text mes
sage — which investigators
couldn't decipher, according
to Howell — came at 2:33
a.m. on Dec. 27, 2008.
The first emergency
responders were later dis
patched to a cardiac arrest
call at the house around 2
p.m. that day.